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Her mother flapped a hand in the air. “She sounded upset.”

So not hysterical? Good to know. Gladly, Callie gulped down more coffee. “When I sent it to her, I explained what happened and told her I was okay.”

“Okay, as in alive,” her dad said. “Given how bad that bruising is, you had to be in a lot of pain.”

“It was never that bad.”

Tanner stood off to the side, coffee in his hand as he watched the three of them interact.

Callie wanted him to be a part of things. With her, in all ways. She smiled at him. “Luckily, Tanner makes a very attentive nurse. He and his family have been taking good care of me.”

All eyes turned to him. Didn’t faze Tanner. He moseyed over—the epitome of a man without a care—and took his seat at the table.

“It was bad,” he said. “I wanted Callie to go to the hospital for X-rays, but she insisted nothing was broken.”

“Stubborn,” her mother said. “She’s always been that way.”

“I’m not a doctor, obviously, but she was able to move her arm and leg okay, and she swore that she bruised easily.” For the next ten minutes, Tanner took over, explaining what had happened without mentioning their suspicions about Sutter. “Today, she really is much better, but yeah, she has bruises everywhere.”

That sharpened her dad’s attention. “Everywhere?”

Tanner met his gaze. “Yes, sir. Her left arm and leg took the worst of it, but her hip, waist, one shoulder—the drop from the attic left a lot of marks.”

New tears filled her mother’s eyes. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“You aren’t exactly close by, Mom.”

“I am never too far away when you need me.”

The sincere words hung in the air between them, going a long way toward softening Callie’s usual, offhand attitude. “I didn’t know,” she admitted simply. “I figured you’d be busy.”

Her mother came out of her seat, cupped Callie’s face, and then kissed her brow. “You’re my daughter and I love you. Please, please promise me that if you ever need me, you’ll call.”

“Um, okay. Thanks, Mom.”

“I mean it!”

That last sharp retort had Callie straightening. “Well, I might ,” she said, “but only if you don’t push Sutter at me.”

“Frank explained that Sutter was out.” Her gaze moved to Tanner. “Now I see why.”

“Oh no. Don’t do that. Sutter was out well before I met Tanner.”

“He said he knew us when he was a boy.”

“He knew the family name, Mom, but I hadn’t officially met him until the day I got here.”

“You moved fast,” her dad said to Tanner.

Callie jumped on that. “Actually, I’m the speedy one, Dad. I practically twisted his arm.”

Tanner ducked his face, then ran a hand over his mouth, but he was still grinning when he faced her parents. “Only true to a point. I was interested from the get-go, but I wasn’t sure if she’d actually stay.”

Her dad slowly nodded. “Callie was sure.”

“Yes, she was. She’s a woman of conviction.”

Intrigued, her mother asked, “So my daughter pursued you?”

“She takes after me,” her dad said. “You remember how I chased you down, Liz?”

As the conversation shifted, Callie accepted that her parents weren’t leaving anytime soon. She gave Tanner a look.

He winked at her. “I’m calling Addie so she can bring over Blu. I’m sure she’d like to meet your folks, too.”

Until he said it, she hadn’t noticed that Blu wasn’t around! She was used to him greeting her, but she’d quickly gotten distracted with sensual promises from Tanner. Now she had to wonder if he’d had sex on the brain too, and that was why he’d taken the dog to Addie.

It seemed so, yet now it was all upside down.

Grinning at her forlorn expression, he reached under the table and curved his hand over her knee, his thumb gently stroking. “Soon,” he whispered.

She wanted to hold on to that, but then Addie showed up, and naturally she hit it off with Callie’s parents. Who wouldn’t love Addie?

The surprise was that her parents were so warm and open. Of course they could be; their success in business depended on them being likable. The difference was, this seemed genuine. It was a side of her mom she hadn’t seen lately. She immediately thanked Addie for taking care of Callie, and then she grilled her with a million questions. The two women ended up sitting on the sofa together, angled toward each other, knees touching, while they discussed the worries of adult children.

It was a novel experience for Callie.

Her dad was clearly in his element here, getting to know Blu in the confines of a small house while Tanner told him more about the tree farm and caught him up on the comings and goings of Hoker, Kentucky. There’d been a lot of changes since her mom and dad lived locally, but the vibe was much the same, and her dad loved it.

A few hours later, Kam came over. Then Nell texted and asked if she could visit. Addie insisted on everyone staying for dinner, and to Callie’s surprise her parents agreed, extending their visit even longer.

Her day that had started with so much promise quickly turned into a family gathering.

* * *

W ITH SO MANY people around, Tanner knew Callie had all the help she needed, so he took some time before dinner to wrap up a nearby job for a longtime customer. Now that he knew he’d have Callie again, leaving her for any reason was difficult. He felt primed, as if they’d indulged hours of sexual teasing, and it was only the promise of the coming night that made the wait bearable.

A few hours later he took a break and gave her a call. She answered by saying, “I need an outside job so I can escape, but all I could do is sneak out to talk to the goats.”

Just then he heard them bleating. He pictured her leaning against a tree, the soft sunlight through the trees playing over her skin. He saw the warmth of her smile. How the breeze teased her hair. Dropping his voice to a hushed whisper, he asked, “Is it really so awful?”

“Actually, no.” Bewildered, she explained, “My parents are behaving…differently. Friendlier, more approachable, and my mother actually seems carefree instead of rushed and distracted. I don’t get it.”

“They like Addie.”

“ Everyone likes Addie, even Dirk and Lang.”

Yeah, he’d noticed, and it had given him a lot to think about. Not that he’d fully trust them yet; years of hard lessons were hard to shake. Yet most of his reasons for disliking them so much were leftover from their late teens and early twenties. He couldn’t think of a single thing the brothers had done in the last few years except spread nasty rumors and act like assholes—and Tanner was honest enough to admit that it usually started with him. “Maybe they’re just enjoying themselves.”

“It’s just that the last time I saw Mom, she was abrupt and wired, insisting that I marry Sutter. Then boom, she says she knows it won’t work and she doesn’t seem at all bothered by it.”

“Whatever her reasoning, I’m glad she’s let go of that idea.” Now that he knew Callie cared, he wasn’t about to share her with that obnoxious ass. “They used to live in Hoker. Maybe they like getting reacquainted with the area. Your dad had a ton of questions for me.”

“And now for Kam,” she said. “They asked about the ice cream shop. Apparently, they had a lot of early dates there.”

He grinned. “It hasn’t changed much, though the original owner retired and now it’s his granddaughter running it.”

Abruptly, she said, “There’s something I didn’t tell you.”

That sounded serious, putting him on guard. “What’s up?”

“My parents are overextended. Financially, I mean. Last time Dad was here, he said my marriage to Sutter, which would have partnered the companies, could have given them new opportunities so they could recoup.”

Son of a—

“No one knows about their business troubles yet, but I expected Mom to keep digging in, to try to insist that I do what was best for the family.” She let out a quiet sigh. “Dad said he wanted me happy, and he promised that Mom would come around. I didn’t believe him though.”

Tanner released a tense breath. “So you think she’s had a change of heart?”

“Seems so…but now I feel a little guilty. I wouldn’t marry Sutter—not for any reason—but I don’t think I’ve been very understanding of their situation. Combining the companies would have been—”

“Good business. That’s all,” he said. “It wouldn’t have been commitment and fidelity. It wouldn’t have been love.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I want all those things.”

“So do I.” But only with you . He made a sudden decision. “I’ll head home. I can finish the job another time.”

“No,” she said, the hint of a smile in her tone. “You don’t need to do that. I was just thinking things through, but thank you for listening.”

“Anytime. I mean that, Callie.” He wanted to share everything with her—including his future. “I’ll be home before dinner. We can eat fast and then go back to your place.”

“Well, about that… See, Mom loved Nell on sight, and so Addie invited her to the birthday party on Saturday.”

“Okay.” That didn’t seem like much of a problem to him, as long as Nell was okay with it. Since meeting Callie, she’d really come out of her shell. “They’ll be back on Saturday. Fine by me. I don’t have a problem with your folks.” As long as they weren’t pressuring her to marry someone else.

“The thing is… Well, they might be staying with Addie until then.”

Of all the… If it wasn’t so frustrating, it could be funny. “Your folks? Staying with Addie? For two days?”

“I know! But at least they didn’t want to stay with me.”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Yeah, staying with Addie is preferable—as long as they don’t have a problem with me sleeping at your house. I want to have you all to myself.”

“You made promises, and no matter what, tonight you have to pay up. So yes, I’m all yours.”

I’m all yours. For tonight, but Tanner figured it was time he set some things in motion—so that she’d be his forever.

* * *

L IAM ENDED UP joining them for dinner too, and the meal was moved from the eat-in kitchen to the dining room table in the great room so they could seat all eight people. Callie had never heard her parents laugh so much, and they weren’t the least bit daunted by all the cross conversations, jokes, and personal stories that went around. In fact, they seemed to love them.

Even having Blu under the table, and Percy the cat keeping watch on the back of a long sofa, didn’t faze them.

At one point, Callie said, “If only Glory was here.”

“There isn’t enough room,” her mother said.

“Nonsense, Liz,” Addie said without looking up from her meal. “There’s always room for one more chair at the table.”

Her mother paused in eating, then dabbed her mouth with a napkin and smiled. “What a lovely sentiment, Addie. I hadn’t thought about it that way. For years now, Frank and I have had endless business dinners where everything was so formal.”

Liam shrugged. “To me, this feels real formal.”

“Me, too.” Nell cast a shy glance around the table at all the decorative bowls of food. “We didn’t exactly do family-style sit-down dinners around my house.”

Liam agreed. “Closest I’ve come is sitting at a fast food booth with a few friends.”

“This is great though,” Nell assured Addie. “It’s the best chicken and potatoes I’ve ever had.”

“My first time having real potatoes instead of instant.” Liam grinned. “They’re way better.”

“You’re both so sweet. Thank you.” Addie beamed at them. “Just wait until I bring out dessert.”

Her mom turned to her dad. “Frank, do you recall when we were kids and we’d get together with all our friends at the diner?”

He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “A dozen of us would squeeze into the booth. You shared your fries with me.”

“You shared your milkshake.”

“Those were wonderful, simpler times.”

Callie ping-ponged her gaze back and forth between them, amazed at how they stared so lovingly at each other. It was almost embarrassing, except that no one else seemed to think so. “I can’t quite picture you two smashed between friends and sharing food.”

“I can,” Addie said. “They were young and their love was new.” She lifted a shoulder. “We get older and thankfully the heart settles down and gets comfortable. Otherwise, none of us would survive falling in love.”

Her dad laughed. “Very true. Reggie used to harass me about being so lovesick all the time. What can I say? I knew Liz was the one within a few days of meeting her.”

Callie thought of how she’d reacted to Tanner when she’d first set eyes on him. It was so different from anything she’d ever known, she hadn’t been sure what she was feeling, she just knew her heart rioted anytime Tanner touched her. Sometimes if he just got close.

What Addie said made perfect sense. Love was sustainable. As a relationship matured, love changed to make it more bearable. Otherwise the excitement would wreak havoc on a body.

“Since you mentioned Glory, you may as well know that she flew back today.” Dismissively, her mother said, “She told me, rather firmly, in fact, that she was done traveling for a while.”

That was welcome news to Callie. “I hope you’ll respect her wishes.”

“Absolutely,” her dad said, speaking before her mom could. “Glory is planning to stay with you. Liz and I thought it was a good idea, just so you weren’t alone.” He grinned at Tanner. “Now I’m wondering if that might be a problem.”

Tanner denied that. “Family is never a problem.”

That seemed like a perfect opening to Callie, prompting her to clear her throat. She hadn’t planned to make an announcement this way, but everyone was mellow, enjoying the meal, and the timing just felt…right. “Actually, I’ve been thinking of moving.”

A shocked silence fell over the table.

“Not far,” she hastened to add, seeing the alarm she’d accidentally raised. She shouldn’t have blurted it out like that. She wanted to be closer to Tanner, always, but she couldn’t just invite herself to live with him—though she’d certainly love that. So she hoped to offer a solution. “Tanner had plans for Reggie’s house. He was going to buy it.”

Tanner abruptly leaned back in his chair. “We already discussed this and I told you to forget those plans.”

“I can’t,” she replied softly. Then to her parents, she explained, “He helps to support disadvantaged youths.”

“Like me,” Nell said, drawing everyone’s attention again.

Liam took her hand. “And me.”

Tanner’s expression shifted and his frown eased. “You’re both friends.”

Nell laughed at that. “I’m glad, but I know I was a real pain in the butt when we first met a few years back.” To Callie’s rapt parents, she spoke plainly and to the point. “I was rude and mean and I pretty much hated the world. I tried to hate Tanner, too, but he didn’t make it easy.”

“When he’s offering help,” Liam said, “he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Nell smiled at Tanner. “I didn’t know anyone like him existed. Took me a while to realize he was the real deal.”

“And now we’re friends,” Tanner insisted.

Addie added, “Like extended family, even.”

Liam put his arm around Nell’s shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her forehead. “He helped me to get my first job. I can’t even tell you what that independence meant to me. I met him, got to know him—and then I wanted to be like him.”

“Exactly how I felt when I was younger,” Kam said. “Course, there were times I wanted to lose him in the woods, too.”

Tanner cracked a grin. “Brothers.”

Addie swatted at Kam. “You’re both wonderful.”

“All of you are.” It was an odd, mixed feeling for Callie. She loved hearing the praise for Tanner, and at the same time her heart squeezed for Nell and Liam. Indeed, what would have happened to them without Tanner’s assistance and influence?

To Tanner, her dad asked, “What would you have done with the house?”

“It doesn’t matter now. I don’t want—”

Kam interrupted. “The idea was to keep the animals, maybe even add a few more, and expand the garden. We’d have connected the two properties so the older kids could learn tree farming, gardening, caring for farm animals, along with all the related stuff.”

“They’d have been paid, of course,” Addie said. “Best way to teach kids to manage money is to show them how to use a budget.”

Tanner got in the spirit of it. “We’d have taught them the proper tools to use, maintenance of the shelters, yard, and even the house.”

“Cooking, shopping, and housekeeping,” Addie added. “But the house isn’t available. Our sweet Callie is there and we love having her for a neighbor.”

Kam lifted his tea. “And more.”

Tanner took his brother’s tea from him and set it back on the table. “Seems to me that Callie is already doing a lot of what I had planned.”

“She is,” Liam said. “The friends I brought over to help her paint, remove carpet and stuff—they all needed that work. Bad.” He turned to Callie, his appreciative smile going crooked with emotion. “You overpaid. You always do. You treated them like adults, and it meant a lot. The guys left laughing with nothing but respect for you.”

“You pay me to help with the animals,” Nell said. “Even though I’m not an official vet tech yet.”

“And you trust me with repairs,” Liam added. “I like the responsibility.”

Tears welled in Nell’s eyes, but with her smile they looked like happy tears. “At the halfway house, we all watch you online before bed. You’re so… I don’t know. Real and believable, and fun. No matter what, you’re upbeat. That video we did of your bruises—I figured if you could still laugh and joke with us, even when you could barely walk and you were black and blue, then I could stay upbeat too.”

Addie smiled down the table at her. “Sounds like you’re an inspiration, honey.”

“She is.” Her mother actually sniffled, and got a hug from her dad because of it. “I’m so proud of you, Callie.”

Tanner took her hand. “You don’t need to sell your house, babe. It’s already being used the way I imagined.”

For the rest of the meal, Callie stayed in a daze. While she’d been reinventing herself, she’d also been helping others—and hadn’t even realized it. Or at least, to any great extent. She felt like a fraud because she hadn’t set out to be selfless like Tanner. She’d just been determined to start living again.

Never, not once, had she imagined that her life would go this way. With so much personal meaning, not just for herself, but for others. It was invigorating and it gave her hope that she could, in fact, get it all.

A life of meaning, with a man she loved—and who loved her in return.

After they’d all devoured a homemade chocolate cake for dessert, Liam and Nell thanked everyone and left. It was clear to see they wanted time alone together. She might have worried more about Nell, except that Liam was such an exceptional young man, and Nell was savvy beyond her years.

They all pitched in to do the dishes, but that meant too many people were in the kitchen, making the large room feel much smaller.

When they finished, she asked Tanner to get the box of albums that he’d carried over for her.

“What’s this?” her dad asked.

“Photos that Uncle Reggie had in the attic. I thought you might like to see them.” She hoped it would soften their memories of growing up in Hoker, especially now that they were experiencing a financial strain.

Her mother snatched up a loose photo on the top, then caught her breath. “Frank, do you remember us this young?” The faded image showed a small house with shingle siding. On the sagging front porch was an old glider holding three youths. Her mom was in the middle, with her dad on her right side, Reggie on her left.

They were all three laughing.

“I can’t believe Reggie kept this.” Even her dad looked emotional now. He took the box from Tanner and tucked it under one arm. “We’ll go through them all tonight. Thanks for bringing them over.”

“There are more,” Tanner said. “Reggie’s attic is filled with old stuff, including more photo albums and framed photos.”

“I actually miss him,” her mom said softly.

“Come on,” Addie said. “Let’s let these young people get on their way. I’ll show you up to the room you can use.”

Callie kissed her dad’s cheek, then hugged her mom. “Just so you know, he loved you both.” When her mother went to follow Addie, she had tears filling her eyes.