Page 140 of Rocky Mountain Home

“This isn’t typical,” Jaxi pointed out, as they carried armloads of decorations into the banquet area at Traders Pub that had been rented for the night. “Usually the Coleman gatherings are Canada Day and Boxing Day, and we take turns hosting those. But it’s been a busy year, so everyone agreed that a joint event would work the best rather than all the families trying to do something for each new arrival. Also it totally works as a farewell party for Ashley’s moms.”

Vicki put down her pile of things, a mischievous smile twisting her lips. “Go on, admit it. There’ve been too many new arrivals for even you to keep up.”

“That too.” Jaxi eyed Vicki with suspicion. “What you smirking about?”

Dare didn’t say anything.

“You’re imagining things,” Vicki said dryly. “Let’s get the decorating done so we can grab some supper before everyone arrives.”

By seven p.m. the place was hopping with family and friends everywhere.

It was a good thing they had a large room because they needed it. To make it easier, each of the couples and their new baby had their own dedicated table for people to drop off presents.

The two babies from the Moonshine clan were now three months old. Melody and Anna sat next to each other, chatting together animatedly. Steve, who was carefully cradling Jason, gave Mitch Thompson a bit of an evil eye. Mitch held Kasey draped over his arm with devil-may-care nonchalance.

“These kids were born the same day,” Steve complained. “How come I feel as if I’m handling nitroglycerin, and you look like Mary Poppins?”

Mitch shrugged, his dark T-shirt moving over biceps covered with full sleeve-length tattoos. “You’re the first in your family to have a baby. My little sister Katie has two, and my big brother Clay and his wife had a little girl a month before Kay arrived. By the time the next one arrives, we’ll all be as comfortable as Blake.”

Dare glanced across the room to discover Jesse’s oldest brother surrounded by children. He held Justin while he consoled Lana over something, leaning over and patting the four-year-old on the back as she wept crocodile tears. The twins, Rebecca and Rachel, were holding PJ’s hands, guiding him in a slow, careful circle near Blake’s feet.

“This place is absolute chaos,” Jesse muttered.

It was beautiful chaos in Dare’s opinion. “I want to see Daisy. You coming?”

He followed at her side as she dropped off the presents they’d gotten for each of the families.

After the gifts were opened, everyone was herded toward chairs. Dare rubbernecked and could not fathom a better place to be. She pictured Buckaroo years from now in the middle of this kind of bedlam, with willing hands to pick him up when he fell, and older cousins available for games and mischief.

Vicki and Joel’s coming baby a playmate in his life who would always be there.

The sound of a spoon clinking into the side of the glass slowly brought everyone’s attention to where Mike Coleman had climbed the steps up to the stage at the head of the room.

Jesse’s dad ignored the chair, putting a few pieces of paper down on the table beside him. He cleared his throat briefly before speaking, loud and clear. No microphone needed, just the big deep sound of a man of quiet confidence.

“I have the privilege of saying a few things on this special occasion. It’s been a hard choice what to focus on. The most important thing, I decided, is this is the perfect time to tell my boys I’d sure appreciate it if you’d finish clearing that north field sooner than later. You’re blocking the shortest route to my favourite fishing hole.”

Laughter bloomed.

Jesse draped his arm over the back of Dare’s chair, enclosing her in the circle of his embrace.

Mike went on. “I could talk to my daughters-in-law, and soon to be ones, and tell you I’m so proud to have you in our family. Plus, I’m more grateful than you can ever know for putting up with my sons. You’re women, and a man”—he made eye contact with Cassidy—“of great patience, because I know my boys. They’re too much like me to be easy to live with, so thanks for taking them off me and Marion’s hands. Remember, the rule is ‘you picked, it’s yours’. You can’t give them back now.”

“Worst return policy in history,” Beth Coleman complained, her arm curled around Daniel’s as she grinned at her husband.

“Oh, you have nothing to complain about,” Marion Coleman teased back. “Mike insists the ‘hundred percent satisfaction guarantee’ made all other parts of a typical offer void and null.”

“That’s some pretty fancy tongue tangling. You sure you aren’t a lawyer instead of a rancher?” Beth asked Mike.

“Just a man who knows what’s good for him—no matter that it took a while to sink in.” Mike sat on the edge of the table, legs stretched in front of him, arms folded over his chest. In that moment Dare could see Jesse in the future. Dark hair shot with silver, plenty of laugh lines and a few worry lines and a whole lot of life-lived worn on his face.

Mike was a handsome man, his eyes taking in the gathering thoughtfully. His face showed traces of emotion as his gaze lingered on the new babies. On his wife.

On Dare and Jesse.

Then he nodded. “But, ladies, I hope you’ll indulge me for one moment, because I really do want to talk to my sons and my nephews, because you’re mine just as surely as if I’d sired you. You’re family, which means you’re just as stubborn and as blind as my own—and just as able to see the trees in the forest when someone points them out.”

Jesse wiggled in his seat