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“Wonder how Squire feels about this,” Bear mused to himself as he started the growly dump truck. After all, Finn had only been home for a week now, and he was already dating someone? That felt fast to Bear, but he hadn’t started dating seriously until his forties, so he didn’t really know how young people operated these days, especially in the realm of romance.

Back at True Blue, several tables held platter after platter of food, and Bear had never been so happy to see it.

“Wow, you’re a mess,” Sammy said, and Bear growled as he swung his arm around his lovely wife’s waist and pulled her into him.

“Some of us have been out working,” he murmured just before he touched his lips to hers.

“Yeah, and some of us have been in working,” she whispered back.

Bear had no idea what it took to feed a hundred people, but Sammy did, and he kneaded her closer. “Thank you, my love.”

“How’s it look out there?”

“About like I do.”

Sammy grinned up at him and stroked her hand down the side of his beard. “I’m sure it’ll be immaculate again before too long.” She looked away, her eyes tracking those who’d just come in behind Bear. “Look at Finn and Edith.”

“I’ve seen ‘em,” Bear murmured.

“They’re cute. They dated a little in high school.”

“Mm.”

“Oh, and something a little closer to home….” Sammy’s head swiveled and then she nodded toward the far side of the hall, which had hosted weddings, anniversary dinners, birthday parties, and Thanksgiving dinners. “There. See him?”

“Who am I looking at?” Bear asked, because between where he stood closer to the kitchen and behind the tables of food, and the front entrance of True Blue, there had to be sixty people.

“Mitch.”

Bear found the young man, who was slightly older than Link, and he currently stood with Ollie, Aurora, and a woman Bear didn’t know. “Who’s that?”

“Sarah Hedger.”

“Who the devil is Sarah Hedger?” Bear frowned. “You say things like I should know them.”

“You shouldn’t,” Sammy said, taking his attitude in stride. “She’s not a cowgirl. Doesn’t work at a ranch.”

“Then what’s she doing here?” He watched as she signed something as she said it, and Mitch’s face glowed like Judge’s house at Christmastime—with lights and music and rays from heaven. He laughed next, and when he looked at Sarah, it was with all the stars in the sky. “Oh, boy.”

“She came to help,” Sammy said, hitting the P hard. “And she has, but I think she’s trying to help herself to some of Mitch Glover.” She grinned, and then someone called her name, and she slipped away from Bear.

As he stood on the cusp of everything and everyone at Shiloh Ridge Ranch that day, he had the very real feeling that things were about to shift again. He’d started the tilting and restructuring of the Glover family years ago, when he’d finally broken the bachelor mold and started dating Sammy.

She’d brought the perfect feminine touch to the ranch, and all of his siblings and cousins had gotten married after him. They all had families, and the majority of them lived and worked right here on the ranch.

And now, some of them were old enough to date, get married, and start building a family of their own too. Bear relaxed at the thought, because that was what they were meant to do. This ranch wouldn’t be his forever, but he’d taught his kids the legacy of it. All of the Glovers had.

Their next generation would do just fine, and as Bear watched another young woman—this one actually wearing jeans and boots and a cowgirl hat—join the conversation near the entrance, he smiled.

She was talking to Link. And he spoke back.

“Yeah, we’ll be okay,” he murmured to himself. Things would change, as they always did, but with a little luck and a lot of faith and hard work, Shiloh Ridge Ranch would live on.

“Bear,” his sister called. “Stop staring and come eat.”

He found Zona sitting down with her husband and Bishop, and Bear grinned at them. Then he stopped staring and went to eat.

Chapter Eight