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“No, Mom,” West said firmly, patting his gut. “The fettuccine is already sticking to my ribs. Besides, we have something to talk to you about.”

He reached for Kelby’s hand under the table and squeezed her fingers reassuringly. She looked at his parents. Dr. Sutherland looked interested, but his wife had a knowing look in her eyes.

“I’m just going to blurt it out,” West said. “We’re getting married.”

His mother gave a squeal of delight, pushing back her chair and coming to hug Kelby as she came to her feet.

“Oh, Kelby, this is just wonderful. I’m so happy for you and West.” She turned and kissed her son. “It’s about time you two figured things out.”

Dr. Sutherland beamed proudly at them both. “This is a match I can get behind,” he declared, first hugging his son and then embracing her. “When’s the big day?”

“Soon,” they both said in unison.

“How soon?” Mrs. Sutherland asked worriedly. “There’s just so much to do. I’ll need to get with Tammy.”

“We don’t want fancy, Mom,” West warned. “It’s going to be a very small affair. Just family.”

“I’ve been married before,” Kelby said, feeling embarrassed. “I know West hasn’t, but we decided to opt for small and quiet.”

“We’ve got a zoom set up with the twins,” West revealed. “Sawyer, Darby, and Chance are also going to be on it. We’ll chat with them and figure out when is a good weekend for the out-of-towners to come to Hawthorne.”

“Whatever you decide, we’re happy for you,” Dr. Sutherland said. “Your mother and I eloped, and we don’t regret that a bit. Instead of spending money on a fancy wedding and a single day in our lives, we put a down payment on this house and built a life together in it.”

“Where are you going to live?” fretted Mrs. Sutherland. “Housing is really stretched in Hawthorne these days, what with the hospital opening soon. I know West and Sawyer had a tough time finding a place to live.”

“We’re going to meet with an architect,” West informed them.

“I’ve already spoken to one just before dinner.

The house we build here will be the one we stay in and raise our family in.

” He grinned. “And I look forward to the day each of our kids comes to us and tells us that they’re getting married.

” He slipped an arm about Kelby’s waist. “Of course, we haven’t negotiated the number of those kids yet. That’s to come.”

Both Sutherlands laughed, and Mrs. Sutherland said, “Watch out for twins. I didn’t know that they ran in Joe’s family. He’d neglected to mention that. Summer and Autumn were a bit of a surprise to me. Not to him.”

“I think twins would be wonderful,” Kelby said. “And I know exactly who to come to for help and advice.”

“We need to leave to get on our zoom call,” West told his parents. “Let’s get this cleaned up.”

Everyone took their dishes into the kitchen, where Mrs. Sutherland had them stack everything in the sink, saying she could handle cleanup. They received more hugs and kisses before being allowed out the door.

“Where to?” she asked.

“I thought we could go to the ranch. It would be weird, zooming with Sawyer right there. Besides, we need to share things with Tammy.”

“She already thinks the world of you. And I know you went to see Dad today. He told me.”

“He did?” West said, opening her car door for her.

“He only could say a few words, but I learned you had been there. He encouraged us to marry soon.”

West grinned shamelessly. “I knew Big Jim would be on my side. See you at the ranch.”

She got into her car, and he closed the door, following her the entire way to Blackstone Ranch. They both parked in front of the house. Inside, they found Tammy reading in the den, a basketball game muted on the TV.

“Got a minute?” Kelby asked.

Tammy set aside her Kindle. “What’s up?”

“My mom is going to be calling you soon,” West said. “To talk about the wedding.”

It took a moment, and then joy spread across Tammy’s face. She leaped to her feet, crushing Kelby to her.

“Oh, baby girl, I’m so happy for you.” Tammy looked over her shoulder. “And for you, too, West. You’re the one who’s getting the best end of the deal.”

“I agree,” he said. “There’s no one quite like Kelby.”

Tammy released Kelby, smoothing her hair. “When? Where?”

“We don’t know yet,” she replied. “We’re about to zoom with siblings and cousins. See when they might be able to make it to Hawthorne. But it’s going to be small.”

“If that’s the case, we should hold it at the ranch,” Tammy said. “It would be the perfect backdrop.” She paused. “What about your daddy?”

She swallowed the lump which quickly formed in her throat. She decided not to bring up hospice until she’d been able to discuss things with Chance.

“We’ll have to decide about that. I told him tonight. He doesn’t want the ceremony at the rehab center.”

Tammy cupped her cheek. “Then we’ll find a way to get him here. He’ll want to see you on your special day, Kelby.”

“I know,” she said softly, afraid that her father might not live long enough to witness the ceremony. “Okay, we need to get on our zoom call.”

Tammy smiled. “Well, I’m going to go and call Meg Sutherland. We have plenty to talk about. Even a small wedding takes a lot of planning.”

They went up to her bedroom, and West said, “This looks different now. No more concert posters on the walls or mums. That’s a new comforter, too.”

“Tammy turned it into a more adult-looking room after I graduated from college.” She glanced around at all the boxes covering the floor. “I may need to move a few of these into the other bedroom across the hall in order to get around. I didn’t realize I had so many clothes and shoes. Or books.”

They slipped off their shoes and climbed onto her bed, bracing their backs against the headboard. She grabbed her tablet and clicked to join the webinar. Darby, Summer, and Autumn were already there and greeted them. Then Sawyer appeared and said hello.

“We’re missing Chance,” Kelby said. “Let me text him.”

She did so, and within fifteen seconds, her brother had also signed in.

“What’s this meeting you called?” Chance asked. “Are you even back from Dallas?”

“Yes, we’re back,” she said. “In my bedroom.”

“Ooh,” Darby said. “So, what’s going on with you two?”

“We’re getting married,” West said matter-of-factly.

As everyone began talking at once, she glanced to him. “You didn’t even prepare them. You just blurted it out.”

He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “It’s all good.”

She turned her attention back to the screen. “One at a time,” she pleaded.

Summer was the loudest, saying, “Quiet, everyone. Okay. Give us the deets, and don’t leave anything out.”

“Do you want my compact version or Kelby’s long, drawn-out one?” West teased.

“Both,” the twins said together.

“Me first,” West said. “I figured out I loved Kelby back in high school. We kissed once, and I just knew. But with me having a scholarship to play at A&M and her scheduled to cheer for those despicable Longhorns, long distance would never have worked out. We decided to stay friends. Went our separate ways. I saw a lot of women over the years, but I never felt anything for any of them. Then I came back to Hawthorne. Kelby wound up here, too. Big Jim had a stroke recently, and she came back to help care for him.”

West glanced to her, and she saw his love for her in his eyes. “The moment I saw her, the years melted away. I knew I had to convince her to be mine.”

“It didn’t take much convincing,” she admitted.

“Those old feelings caught fire pretty fast. West will be coaching at the high school starting in July. I’m in the process of starting my own business.

We decided why wait? He just turned thirty-two.

I’ll hit that age come August. We don’t want to waste any more time. We’ve been apart too long.”

“ This would make for a great romance novel,” Summer declared.

“Way better than what I’ve been editing lately.

Maybe I’ll write the story of the two of you.

Changing the names, of course. And I’ll make West a hockey player.

They’re hot in romance right now. And being the little sister of the hero’s best friend is always a tried-and-true trope.

I think I’ll have a bestseller on my hands. ”

They answered a few more questions, and then asked when everyone could make it to Hawthorne.

Of course, Chance and Sawyer were already in town.

The three women said they’d look at their calendars and text some dates.

Autumn said she would most likely need to get a few of her shifts covered, but she was game for having a new sister-in-law soon.

Kelby said she’d set up a group chat for the girls to communicate and another one for all of them.

“I don’t want the guys to be bored by all the girly things we want to talk about,” she explained.

“We want you all in Hawthorne at the ceremony, if that works out,” West told the group. “But we’re not going to wait around forever. I’d like to put a ring on this woman’s finger in the next month or so.”

“That is fast,” Sawyer said. “I like your style.”

“I know what I want, and I’m not letting Kelby go,” West told his cousin. “We’re going to end this chat now because we’ve got things to do.”

“I can just imagine what those things are,” Darby said, laughing.

“I’m in the same damn house,” Chance growled. “Just keep it quiet. I don’t want to think about what you two are up to.”

They said goodbye, and Kelby set aside her tablet. “I’m glad we’ve told those closest to us.”

West kissed her, so hard and demanding that her toes curled and her bones melted. Just like in one of the romances Summer edited for a living.

Only better.

She wrapped her arms around him, eager to see what would come next. Then her cell phone rang.

“Better not be one of my sisters,” he said against her mouth. “There’ll be hell to pay if it’s one of them interrupting us, wanting to talk wedding stuff.”

Kelby reached for her phone. The moment she saw the display, she tensed.

“What is it?” West asked.

“It’s the rehab facility,” she said, biting her lip. “I need to get this.”

West threaded his fingers through hers as she shakily said, “Hello?”

She listened, her insides growing icy. “Yes. Yes. I understand. I’ll tell my brother. Thank you. We’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning.”

Ending the call, she looked up at West, tears swimming in her eyes.

“Dad’s gone.”