Page 4

CASE

Why did I ever think it was a good idea to plant Christmas trees?

If I didn’t already know there was something mystically voodoo about this mountain, this would’ve proven it.

Especially since I’m not the Cooper with green fingers–that’s Jude. Yet somehow, I got it stuck in my mind that I wanted to have my own part of our land to use for a Christmas Tree farm.

Don’t get me wrong, I did my research. I knew it was going to be labor intensive to start with, but I have blisters on top of blisters on my hands and baby pine needles in places where they shouldn’t be. I’m also more tired than I swear I’ve ever been in my life.

“Rethinkin’ your choice of project, brother?” my landscaper brother muses as he finishes placing another sapling into one of the holes we’ve spent the week digging. Twice the width of the root spread and no deeper than the root ball, just as we were told to do.

Bending down, my back screams in discomfort as I replace the soil before covering the top with mulch from Gramps’s old wheelbarrow that’s probably as old as he was.

“Nope,” I huff out as I smooth it all out and stand straight again. “This is me givin’ back–to all y’all and the mountain. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

Jude studies me for a spell before he nods and wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “True. But this is more my lane, not yours.”

I may be exhausted and complaining about my life choices but inside I feel like I’m on top of the world. Because standing in this sheltered, well-drained field that’s blocked from most of the wind, there are now four rows of evenly planted Spruce trees.

Using Jude’s knowledge of all things green to my advantage, we agreed to go with an even mix of White and Black varieties so that we’d not only have choices moving forward, but so we will also be able to see which species are best suited for the mountain’s soil.

We also have more seedlings growing in the greenhouse next to where Jude and Sutton’s work-in-progress gardens are. That is to future-proof the tree farm should anything happen to these first plantings.

Grabbing my water flask, I down half of it in one go before grabbing the barrow and pushing it to the next hole to start the process all over again.

“I may be regrettin’ not hirin’ help with the plantin’ side of things, but I don’t regret startin’ this thing. I’ve already got the mayor on board with it and in a few years when these babies are maturin’, you’ll all be congratulatin’ me on a job well done,” I tell him.

“Hey, I’ve always believed in you. Don’t ever doubt that.

I just didn’t think you’d want to do somethin’ like this .

” He waves over the half-planted field. “I thought for sure you’d want to turn our place into a smart house with all the gadgets you could ever dream of.

Then start modernizin’ the town or somethin’. ”

Our ranch hand Wyatt laughs. “He’s already rigged up the radio in the bathroom. Isn’t that enough?” Wyatt is eighteen but is already a lifelong rancher, having spent a lot of his life both on the road traveling the rodeo with his dad, Red, and in recent years on their family ranch in Spring Haven.

He’s been a god’s send since he arrived, helping us get our derelict property back into working order. We may only have two steer bulls–a housewarming gift from Red–and a nomad donkey called Grumps that arrived one day and never left, but we have plans for more animals soon.

We’re just taking it all one step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race and all that. Planting the first stage of the tree farm is just one of those things we’re ticking off our never-ending To-do list.

“Don’t worry, I still plan on bringin’ the house into the twenty-first century. I have it all planned out. By the time I’m finished, we’ll be able to start the coffee machine from our beds so that it’s brewed and poured by the time we step into the kitchen.”

Jude laughs, shaking his head. “Yeah, there’s the Case I know.”

As much as I joke with Jude about my plans for the house, deep down I know that this Christmas tree farm is more than just a project for me. It’s a connection to the land, to our family history, and to the wider community of Timber Falls.

Something I didn’t think about until Gramps’s will was read and my brothers and I had decided to follow his last wishes and commit to living here.

Now that we’ve been here for a good few months and have discovered more things about Gramps, the land, and the family lore we had no idea about, the two-year time frame in which we had to stay here no longer applies.

I can’t speak for Sutton and Jude, but I can’t imagine going back to my old life. I may consult remotely on my old projects and work remotely, but I can honestly say that old Case and ‘Timber Falls’ Case are like night and day.

Now I wake up with the sun rather than bleary-eyed to my alarm, my brothers and I are closer than we’ve been in over a decade, and for the first time in a long time I can confidently say that I feel… content.

Besides, I know for a fact that Will is not going anywhere. Not when tonight we’re all heading down the mountain to go to the town’s only tavern, the Lion’s Lair, to surprise his girlfriend Birdie with a night she’ll never forget.

“What do you think will happen tonight?” I ask Jude.

He stops mid-turn, his gloved hand holding the trunk of the next sapling to plant as his eyes widen. “Do you honestly think there’s a chance in hell she’ll say no? This is Birdie we’re talkin’ about. She’ll probably say yes before he’s finished askin’.”

Wyatt rolls his eyes. “I’m surprised Birdie hasn’t asked him yet.”

“Ha!” I snort. “Maybe we should be talkin’ to the pacin’ one over there.” I jerk my head in the direction of the gate at the far edge of the field where Will is walking back and forth along the fence line with his phone to his ear.

Jude loosens the cloth bag protecting the roots of the sapling in his hand before shaking them free and nodding my way as we execute another practiced planting exactly like the last one.

“I don’t know why he’s so nervous, though.

She’s his One, the woman chosen for him by the mountain spirit.

He loves her and she loves him. They’re practically already married.

This is just one of those milestones to celebrate before movin’ onto the next one…

. Marriage,” he says at the same time I say, “babies.”

“What?” we both say together before locking eyes and laughing, just as a no-longer-pacing Will and Sutton join us.

My twin stands back and crosses his arms in front of him, smirking while he looks between us. “What are y’all cacklin’ about?”

“Let’s just say it’s a chicken vs egg scenario,” Wyatt explains, still snickering.

I turn to my identical twin. “Sutt, what comes first, marriage or babies?”

He frowns. “Well, that wasn’t what I expected you to say.”

“That’s not an answer…” Jude says in a sing-song voice.

“Marriage, I guess. Hopefully, anyway. Although I’m not fussed either way, that’s just my opinion. Why do you ask?”

“Will?” Jude asks as we all turn to our big brother.

“She’s got to say yes first,” Will sighs. “But yes, marriage then children. What’s so funny about that?”

I shake my head. “No reason. We were just talkin’ about how you’ve got no reason to be nervous because there’s no way Birdie’s goin’ to say no tonight.”

Will opens his mouth to argue but stops and slams it shut again, his shoulders visibly relaxing. “You know what? I think I just needed to hear someone say that out loud.”

I arch a brow Sutton’s way before shifting my attention back to Will. “You sayin’ Mr. Therapist here hasn’t been reassurin’ you all mornin’ while we’ve been breakin’ our backs?”

“Hey, I tried. But do you think our stubborn big brother would listen ?” my twin replies.

There’s a reason why we have absolutely no doubt that Birdie will say yes and that’s because of the mountain’s Call–the family lore we discovered after moving here, with the help of some distant cousins we’ve met along the way.

Long story short, there’s a spirit that lives within the mountain range that Cooper Ranch sits on. For centuries now, my family’s bloodline and those connected to it have protected her land. To reward them, the spirit has called their soulmates to the mountains.

Most importantly, the mountain has never got it wrong. There are generations upon generations of Coopers that can attest to that.

My brothers and I knew nothing about it until we moved here. Then Will met Birdie. She knew she was his soulmate, but our brother had no idea why he was so immediately drawn to her.

Now, months later, they’re so in love it would almost be sickening if it wasn’t obvious they were made for one another. That’s how we all know tonight is just another stepping stone in the long, happy life Will and Birdie are going to have together.

What we don’t know is which one of us is going to be next, and when it might happen.

Sutton claps a hand on Will’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. In a few hours, you and your soon-to-be fiancée will be on cloud nine and we’ll be there to congratulate you both.”

“Exactly,” I add. “But since you’re both here, grab some gloves and help us plant this row so we can get cleaned up and get ready for tonight.”

With newfound determination and renewed energy that I muster from somewhere , we finish the rest of the planting in record time.

After packing everything away, we make our way to the house for a well-earned beer before washing off the day and getting ready for our night at the Lair.

Whatever tonight brings, at least I know my big brother is guaranteed to be the happiest man in town.

I can only hope that one day the mountain spirit might reward me with my soulmate too. Until then, I have my tree farm, our ranch family, and whatever other little projects around town I can find to entertain myself.

Because one thing is for sure. When my turn does come, I’m not going to let her slip through my fingers like I did with my beautiful stranger in Anchorage all those months ago.

That might just be my biggest regret, and it’s one I’ve promised myself I’ll never make again.