warmth of his body easing into
hers. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
Merry freaking Christmas, indeed.
Chapter Four
T he second Cole returned to work that
afternoon, he phoned his mother. With Rachel’s agreement in place, bringing his
family into the picture became even more crucial. Fortunately, getting the
entire Foster clan together on short notice hadn’t proved difficult. One small
hint regarding his current personal dilemma had sufficed.
In no time at all, his mother had arranged a late dinner at
Foster’s Pub and Grill, set for after the evening rush had ended. When Margaret
Foster summoned her family, they came. No questions asked. Short of a local or
national emergency, anyway.
Dinner had progressed smoothly enough, as Cole had kept the
conversation firmly in the casual zone. Once the plates had been cleared and
dessert served, unable to ignore the questioning glances from his mother and
father any longer, he cleared his throat and dived in.
“So,” he said, “Rachel’s in town. She arrived yesterday.”
“Is that so?” Margaret asked with a small smile. “And how is
Rachel?”
“Good. She’s...good.” Dang. This was going to be harder than
he’d thought. “She brought a man with her. His name is Andrew and—” Cole cleared
his throat again. “She mentioned that he might be thinking of proposing.
I’m...ah...not too keen on that idea, actually.”
“Is that so?” his mom said again. “Why would that be?”
Five pairs of eyes regarded him curiously. A few of the gazes
held amusement, as if they already knew Cole’s answer. Hell. Maybe they did.
“She barely knows him, for one thing.”
“Uh-huh. Any other reason?”
He was going to have to say it. He’d known that coming in, but
that didn’t make the prospect any easier to choke down. “I’m in love with her,”
he half growled. “That’s why.”
No one spoke for all of ten seconds. Then, “Is that so?” asked
Cole’s father, Paul, repeating his wife’s words in an amused tone. “Can’t say
that’s headlining news, son. We’ve known your feelings for Rachel for quite a
while.”
Cole shook his head in mild exasperation, not really surprised.
When had he ever been able to keep anything from his family? Not very often, and
never for very long. “Well, in that case, maybe the rest of this will go
easier.”
“The rest of what?” asked Reid, the eldest sibling. He, Cole
knew, would be the hardest to convince. Reid followed the rules, all of them,
whether the rules made a lick of sense or not.
“The rest of what I have to tell you.” At this point, Cole
paused and sized up his family. He figured his best shot resided in Haley. His
sister was a romantic, so convincing her shouldn’t be overly difficult. Even
better, getting her on board would be a two-for-one deal, as Dylan—the middle
brother—tended to side with Haley in most matters.
This was important. For decisions that required the entire
family’s input, the Fosters followed the majority-vote-wins concept. Haley plus
Dylan plus Cole was half of the battle won. Then, he’d only need to pull over
his mother or father. It would likely be his mother, but with Paul Foster, you
never could say for sure.
“It’s like this,” Cole said, focusing on Haley. “I believe that
Rachel might have...similar feelings for me. I can’t let her marry another man
without finding out if I’m right. But Rachel is stubborn and...well, to
counteract that, I did something. And now I need help to see it through.”
Cole continued on, explaining what had occurred at the Beanery,
and then earlier that day at the picnic. Haley’s mouth softened into a gooey
smile the longer he talked, which was a positive sign, while Reid’s hardened
into an uncompromising frown, which wasn’t. Though, Cole hadn’t expected
anything else from his never-color-outside-of-the-lines big brother.
What he didn’t say, or even broach upon, was his lingering
concerns over Rachel’s
hers. “I couldn’t do this without you.”
Merry freaking Christmas, indeed.
Chapter Four
T he second Cole returned to work that
afternoon, he phoned his mother. With Rachel’s agreement in place, bringing his
family into the picture became even more crucial. Fortunately, getting the
entire Foster clan together on short notice hadn’t proved difficult. One small
hint regarding his current personal dilemma had sufficed.
In no time at all, his mother had arranged a late dinner at
Foster’s Pub and Grill, set for after the evening rush had ended. When Margaret
Foster summoned her family, they came. No questions asked. Short of a local or
national emergency, anyway.
Dinner had progressed smoothly enough, as Cole had kept the
conversation firmly in the casual zone. Once the plates had been cleared and
dessert served, unable to ignore the questioning glances from his mother and
father any longer, he cleared his throat and dived in.
“So,” he said, “Rachel’s in town. She arrived yesterday.”
“Is that so?” Margaret asked with a small smile. “And how is
Rachel?”
“Good. She’s...good.” Dang. This was going to be harder than
he’d thought. “She brought a man with her. His name is Andrew and—” Cole cleared
his throat again. “She mentioned that he might be thinking of proposing.
I’m...ah...not too keen on that idea, actually.”
“Is that so?” his mom said again. “Why would that be?”
Five pairs of eyes regarded him curiously. A few of the gazes
held amusement, as if they already knew Cole’s answer. Hell. Maybe they did.
“She barely knows him, for one thing.”
“Uh-huh. Any other reason?”
He was going to have to say it. He’d known that coming in, but
that didn’t make the prospect any easier to choke down. “I’m in love with her,”
he half growled. “That’s why.”
No one spoke for all of ten seconds. Then, “Is that so?” asked
Cole’s father, Paul, repeating his wife’s words in an amused tone. “Can’t say
that’s headlining news, son. We’ve known your feelings for Rachel for quite a
while.”
Cole shook his head in mild exasperation, not really surprised.
When had he ever been able to keep anything from his family? Not very often, and
never for very long. “Well, in that case, maybe the rest of this will go
easier.”
“The rest of what?” asked Reid, the eldest sibling. He, Cole
knew, would be the hardest to convince. Reid followed the rules, all of them,
whether the rules made a lick of sense or not.
“The rest of what I have to tell you.” At this point, Cole
paused and sized up his family. He figured his best shot resided in Haley. His
sister was a romantic, so convincing her shouldn’t be overly difficult. Even
better, getting her on board would be a two-for-one deal, as Dylan—the middle
brother—tended to side with Haley in most matters.
This was important. For decisions that required the entire
family’s input, the Fosters followed the majority-vote-wins concept. Haley plus
Dylan plus Cole was half of the battle won. Then, he’d only need to pull over
his mother or father. It would likely be his mother, but with Paul Foster, you
never could say for sure.
“It’s like this,” Cole said, focusing on Haley. “I believe that
Rachel might have...similar feelings for me. I can’t let her marry another man
without finding out if I’m right. But Rachel is stubborn and...well, to
counteract that, I did something. And now I need help to see it through.”
Cole continued on, explaining what had occurred at the Beanery,
and then earlier that day at the picnic. Haley’s mouth softened into a gooey
smile the longer he talked, which was a positive sign, while Reid’s hardened
into an uncompromising frown, which wasn’t. Though, Cole hadn’t expected
anything else from his never-color-outside-of-the-lines big brother.
What he didn’t say, or even broach upon, was his lingering
concerns over Rachel’s
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