Coming Home by Mariah Stewart

reminded himself, this was a small town, and it was Beck’s town. His dad—Hal, Grady recalled—had lived here all his life, except for the time he spent in the service. He and Beck probably knew the names of every man, woman, and child in St. Dennis. Which meant that, by now, Mia probably did, too. Which would explain why most of the town was at this party to kick off what he’d come to think of as the “wedding week.”
    Tomorrow he had to pick up his tuxedo and try it on for any alterations it might need. Tuesday night was the bachelor party—he’d heard someone mention something about dredging for oysters but he was pretty sure that was a joke. Wednesday, Hal offered to take the guys from the wedding party out on his boat, which could be fun. And on Wednesday night, there was something for Mia and her attendants—he couldn’t remember what that was all about, but it didn’t matter because it didn’t involve him. Thursday night was the rehearsal followed by a dinner. Friday night was some get-together for the wedding party that his brother Andrew had talked him into co-hosting. Saturday would be the wedding. And come Sunday—freedom!
    He thought of the backpacking and hiking trails within a three-state radius that he’d researched on the Internet. There were several Civil War battleground hikes that had caught his eye, none of them particularly strenuous, but interesting for their history, and several others that led through the Appalachian Mountains that looked as if they could be somewhat challenging. He hadn’t set his heart on any one in particular—though the one through Virginia’s Bull Run Mountains had stuck in his mind—so he could be flexible. As long as he was here, he might as well make the most of the trip. He didn’t have a scheduled hike back in Montana until the end of next week.
    He grabbed another beer and made his way around the tables that had been set up in Hal’s backyard to the one where the Shields family had gathered. Andy was already there with his wife, Dorsey, along with several of his cousins and their significant others: Aiden and his wife, Mara, and Connor and his fiancée, Daria.
    “I was right, wasn’t I?” a voice behind him whispered in his ear. “You can’t help but notice it yourself.”
    He looked over his shoulder and found the pale blue eyes of Vanessa Keaton looking into his.
    “Excuse me?”
    “That all of you look so much alike,” she explained. “You look as if you’re seeing it for the first time.”
    “Oh, yeah.” He was taken off guard, not only by her unexpected presence but by the softness of her breath on the back of his neck when she’d whispered to him. “You’re right. There is a really strong family resemblance.”
    “Even Mia looks like the rest of you,” she went on. “Only prettier than you guys. No offense.”
    “She is prettier than I am. Thank God. And certainly, Mia’s prettier than Andy here.” He pointed to his brother, who looked up at the sound of his name. “Our cousin Connor, though—I don’t know if anyone’s prettier than he is.”
    The chairs emptied as the entire group rose with a collective whoop to descend upon Grady with hugs and slaps on the back. When the greetings had concluded and everyone gravitated back to their seats, Grady turned to introduce Vanessa, but she was gone.
    From time to time throughout the evening, he caught a glimpse of her in the midst of this circle or that. It was clear that she knew everyone at the party, and was not only comfortable there, but an adept conversationalist as well, enough so that she chatted with each of the guests for what appeared to be more than a “hello, how are you?” Every once in a while, he caught the sound of her laughter, and he’d instinctively turned to it.
    Once or twice, he’d caught her eye, but he never managed to speak with her again. When he left the party and returned to his room at the Inn for the night, he left alone. But he took with him the