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Maybe he and Annie could talk the two women into staying there for the night while he and his buddy headed out to observe. He knew that wasn’t likely to happen, but a man could hope.

Hemsworth followed along with nothing more than a wave. He’d been well-trained and was used to roaming freely. Keeping the dog on a leash would have been insulting.

At the farmhouse, the dog walked in with them. He sniffed around the mudroom and the kitchen, but didn’t move to explore further.

Jolie frowned. “We’ll pick up some toys and a dog bed for Hemsworth the next time we’re in Phail. For now, I’ll get him a blanket so he doesn’t have to use the hard floor if he wants to nap.”

Thea had made up a pot of soup earlier. She turned the burner on under the pot and started building grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it.

When they all sat down to eat, Hemsworth curled up on his blanket with bowls of water and food.

The homey vibe hit Ford hard. It reminded him of the few memories he had of his mom before cancer had taken her. His dad was a great man, and he’d taken good care of them all despite his own overwhelming grief. They’d had meals together, talked about important and silly things, looked out for each other, and the home had been filled with love.

This was the same kind of vibe. Family. Connectedness.

Jolie bumped his shoulder. “You okay?”

He nodded. “Just thinking. Even with the worry over Cyril, this is nice.”

She smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. I’m so glad we all arrived at the farm. I think Jay and Fox would love to see the four of us here.”

Knox nodded. “With more to come.”

Ford spooned up some soup. “Who are you working on next?”

His buddy grinned. “Both Lawson and Amber. Burke is a harder sell, but once he sees us all here and thriving, he’ll need to be part of it, too.”

Jolie laughed. “I’m working on Amber. Did you guess I’d be the first one here?”

“Of course. You’ve always been the first one to jump onboard for a new adventure.”

Ford loved that about Jolie.

Loved? Liked.

Nope, loved. Damn. The last thing he needed was to be hit with the realization that he’d fallen completely in love with this woman at the dinner table.

He busied himself with his food while the siblings plotted how to lure more Malssums here.

Love. He was in love. The forever kind.

Which was great as long as he wasn’t the only one feeling things. He knew Jolie cared about him. Enjoyed his company. Kissed him like she wanted to do only that for the rest of her life.

But love?

He was a smart man with a shit-ton of determination. If she wasn’t in love with him, he’d work on it. Turn on the charm.

Did he have charm?

Knox’s next words had Ford tuning back into the conversation.

“I took one of the security cameras from the harvesting barn and installed it down at the pond today.”

Ford wasn’t the only one who’d missed that. “How’d you pull that off without us seeing?”

Knox’s grin turned cocky. “I’m good.”

Thea poked him. “Sneaky. You mean sneaky.”