Page 17 of Sweet Obsession (Honeysuckle, Texas #5)

Strung with what seemed like miles of twinkling fairy lights, the old barn was alive with the sound of laughter and music.

Kade leaned against a thick support beam near the edge of the makeshift dance floor, a bottle of cold beer loose in his hand, he merely watched.

Home for less than a week, everything still felt just a bit surreal.

The peace. The sheer, unadulterated joy that radiated from every corner of the ranch.

The complete and utter contrast to the world he normally lived in.

His mom had nailed it when she predicted that Iris Hathaway and Mildred McEntire would be eager to have a hand in the wedding celebration.

No surprise to anyone who had heard the conversation in the diner just a few days ago, there were ice sculptures scattered about miraculously not melting in the oven-like temperatures so affectionately referred to as Texas heat.

From acoustic guitars, to electric guitars, to twelve-string guitars, the music industry was well represented in ice.

Searching the crowds, Kade easily spotted the bride and groom.

He’d known Blake Kirby most of his life.

As kids there was no end to the mischief they’d get into.

Sneaking out to go fishing when they should have been doing chores, dreaming about futures that seemed impossibly far away.

He’d seen Blake perform for crowds of fifty to fifty thousand, and proudly watched his friend accept awards as if Kade had anything to do with Blake’s talent and success.

He’d also seen his friend with more women than Kade could count.

Too many. But the rock star was gone. The kid he’d grown up with was gone, too.

In their place was this man who looked at Kade’s little sister like she was the only song worth singing.

They were in their own world, a perfect, quiet island in the middle of the happy chaos of their wedding reception.

When Blake dipped her low, making her laugh that bright, musical sound that carried over the music, the joy on both their faces was so genuine it almost hurt to watch.

This wasn’t the business arrangement it had started as.

This was the real thing. Never one to believe in love at first sight, with five siblings married and head over boot heels in love, he might be willing to change his mind… maybe… at least for other people.

“They look happy.” His mom appeared beside him sipping from a glass of champagne.

“Yeah,” Kade spoke softly, “they do.”

“You’re the only single one left.” His mother gave him a sideways glance, complete with teasing grin.

Kade took a long pull from his beer. “I’m not really the marrying type, Mom.”

His mother studied him with something akin to X-ray vision that only mothers seemed to have, and that always made him uncomfortable.

Finally, breaking the connection, his mother pushed up on her tippy toes, gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, and turned, ready to walk away. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

His gaze drifted across the room. Preston, with his arm slung around Sarah Sue’s shoulder, whispered something that made her laugh.

Behind them, Carson danced with Jess, their son Mason trying to mimic their steps and tumbling into Brady’s patient, furry side.

Garret and Jackie were by the long food table, stealing bites of cake and grinning at each other like teenagers.

Across the way, his sister Rachel was in a heated but smiling debate with Jim, her hands flying as she made a point, his eyes full of nothing but adoration.

He couldn’t be more surprised by how one thieving, conniving, foreman could have been the catalyst to shifting their entire worlds.

Though he would have preferred an easier way to bring about all this love and romance, he wouldn’t change the outcome for all the tea in China.

Everything here today was why he did what he did.

Fought—literally—to protect this very idea of home, family, and Mom’s apple pie.

But standing here, an observer on the edge of it all, he felt a profound and unsettling distance.

All his siblings were building futures, laying foundations of love and laughter.

He was just… on leave. And despite what he’d said to his mother about not being the marrying kind, he was still next.

The business of saving the ranch wasn’t over. Not yet.

“Looking pretty glum, big brother.” Rachel appeared at his side, her husband across the way refreshing their beverages.

“Just enjoying the moment.”

“It is a sweet moment, isn’t it?” She chuckled quietly. “No pun intended.”

A smile reached his lips. They did look sweet together, and it made him damn happy too. Things could have gone south fast with this crazy plan his siblings had concocted.

Preston came to stand beside his brother and sister, his smile even wider than theirs. “Just got some news from the sheriff.”

That had Kade and Rachel impatiently waiting on high alert like drug-sniffing dogs on a charter flight from Colombia.

“Well,” standing ramrod straight, Rachel glared at her brother, “what did he have to say?”

“They caught two of our wayward hands in Wyoming.”

“That’s a start.” The tension in Rachel’s spine eased.

“Oh yes.” Preston bobbed his head, his gaze still on the newlyweds dancing. “They were trying to sell that hay baler that disappeared.”

“What?” Now Rachel snapped back, her eyes wide, and her hand gripping Preston’s arm. “Our hay baler?”

“Who else’s?” Preston rolled his eyes at their baby sister.

“Dad had a really far reach. The cattlemen’s club spread the word.

Ranchers all over the country are on alert for our equipment and thank heaven at least one rancher was on the ball.

He reeled the hands in, showed interest, asked benign questions, and the authorities in his neck of the woods arrested them both this morning. ”

“That’s fantastic. Two down and three to go.” Practically bouncing in place, Rachel slapped her hands together and rubbed them enthusiastically.

Preston turned to face Kade. “Looks like you’ve cut a break.”

“How so?”

“At the moment the baler is evidence, but soon we’ll get it back.

Since we’re doing okay with the baler Jim gave this one for a wedding gift,” he flung his thumb over his shoulder in Rachel’s direction, “we can get our money back on the recovered baler, or at least most of it, pay off that part of the note, and breathe a little more easily. At least for a while.”

All Kade did was slowly nod. He’d have to see the numbers to get a handle on where they stood, but for the moment, he wouldn’t lie to himself, it felt good not to have to hunt down a bride just yet.

The song ended and Blake pulled Jillian close, whispering something in her ear that made her stand on her tiptoes to kiss him. The crowd cheered, and when they broke apart, both of them were grinning like teenagers.

Yeah, he was relieved, maybe. Life had definitely taken another sharp and unexpected turn. He simply wasn’t sure he—or anyone else—was ready for what was coming next.

So glad you could join Jillian and Blake on their adventure in the Honeysuckle, Texas Series. Stay tuned for Kade’s story, Sweet Tomorrows, coming soon here .