“What a jerk! Two dogs, a cat, ducks and now pigs? What part of ‘not animal-friendly’ is he not getting?”
Luckily they’d found good forever homes for the dogs and cat. It was a little tougher with the farm animals, since they didn’t want them turned into food. “That’s why I volunteered you. I promised him we’d build a swing set for his kids, if he’d stop getting animals.”
Skewing her gloss-covered mouth to the side in thought, Ember frowned, then gave a decisive nod. “I should have enough scrap wood to make something nice. Good thinking. You draw it up and then help me put it together, and you’ve got a deal.” She offered her palm.
Autumn high-fived her. “It’s a genius plan, thought of spur-of-the-moment, but only if it actually works.” More often than not, they agreed on most everything when it came to saving animals. They were well suited to run the animal rescue together.
The rest of life? Not so much.
Using that as a perfect segue, Ember gave her a sideways look. “Speaking of genius plans—”
Autumn froze. Ember’s plans were always proof positive that they led very different lives.
“—guess who’s in town?”
Shrugging, Autumn shoved a big bite of ice cream into her mouth. She had a feeling she’d need it.
Looking like a magician about to perform an amazing trick, Ember announced, “Tash Ducker.”
The ice cream stuck halfway down her throat. Disbelieving, suffering a mix of dread and curiosity, Autumn choked. When she finally got her breath, she asked, “Tash is back?”
Many years ago—sixteen, to be exact—she’d had a ridiculous crush on him. Two grades above her in high school, and oh-so gorgeous, she’d gotten severely tongue-tied whenever he looked her way. Even after they’d graduated, she couldn’t seem to look at him without going mute. Once he’d finished college, he’d moved away and she hadn’t seen him since.
Going into self-survival mode, a necessity with her family, Autumn replied, “Huh” with as much nonchalance as she could muster. To further that lie of disinterest, she asked, “What’d you do today? I tried to call you about the pigs, but you didn’t answer.”
“Now that I know it was about pigs, I’m glad.” Ember flashed the smile that made all the local guys stupid. “Actually, I had a date and didn’t want to be interrupted. I figured whatever it was, you could handle it.”
That answer, given far too often, took some of the delight from the ice cream. “So...what if it had been an emergency?”
“You didn’t leave a message.” One eyebrow lifted. “I assume you would if it was life or death?”
“Meaning you’ll only answer my calls if someone is dying?”
“Meaning,” Ember stressed, “that just because you don’t date doesn’t mean I shouldn’t. Besides, I’d already checked in on Mom and Dad.”
Well, that was something. Hopeful that Ember wouldn’t start in on her lack of a social life, Autumn nodded her gratitude.
“They needed groceries, and I swung by to get their stuff on my way home.”
“Thanks.” A few years ago, their dad had suffered a debilitating stroke, leaving him largely dependent on the care of others. Ten years older than Tracy, their sixty-year-old mother, Flynn Somerset still had his wit, but not the use of one arm and one leg.
Together, she and Ember had built their parents a small house on the forty acres left to them by their grandparents. It made helping them easier and more convenient, plus Autumn liked that she could get to them in minutes if anything came up.
As a designer, she’d fashioned the house for her father’s disability, making everything wheelchair-accessible and putting all handles and light switches lower, so he could reach them. The walk-in tub and shower made bathing so much easier. An open floor plan kept the home airy and filled with light, and made it possible to see their dad from almost every room.
Ember, who’d learned carpentry from him, had overseen the construction...and they’d only butted heads a few times in the decision-making process. When it came to design, Autumn insisted on having her way.
That wasn’t something that happened very often.
Their parents loved the end result because they still had their independence, but weren’t really alone.
The old farmhouse had been divided into a duplex with Autumn living one side, Ember on the other. One interior door allowed them to visit without going back outside.
Ember used the door quite often, always on the presumption that Autumn had nothing “good” going on.
True enough.
However, Autumn never dared to intrude because Ember was the opposite, meaning she always indulged in the good stuff—aka, man candy.
“That’s where I saw him, by the way. At the grocery.”
Avoiding eye contact, Autumn asked, “Mom and Dad are all settled now?”
“Yup.” With a knowing smile, Ember said, “But hey, you’re changing the subject. Want to tell me why?”
“I wasn’t,” she lied. Everyone knew lying to one’s little sister wasn’t a sin. Heck, it barely counted at all. “You mentioned them so I thought I’d—”
“Avoid talking about Tash?” Ember didn’t bother to hide her amusement.
Oh, how that sisterly laugh annoyed her—enough that she gave up any pretense of disinterest.
Whispering, because seriously, this was nerve-racking, Autumn asked, “You’re sure it was him?”
Just as quietly, Ember leaned in and replied, “Yes.”
With just a tiny bit of evil hope, Autumn asked, “How’s he look?” By now he could be balding. Maybe he’d picked up a beer belly. Lost his studliness altogether. She was thirty-two, so that made him thirty-four. Plenty old enough for him to have drastically changed.
Ember leaned even closer. “He’s even hotter now.”
Deflated, Autumn sat back in her seat. “Figures.” Tucking back into her ice cream, she tried to picture him a decade older, but failed. In her mind, he looked the very same. Young, healthy, energetic...and disinterested in her. “Did he say why he’s back?”
Deflecting, Ember rolled a shoulder. “He’s moved here for good.”
Hmm. What was her sister up to? “Settling here with his wife?” That’d maybe make sense.
“He’s not married.”
Okay, so she wasn’t married, either. She knew her reasons. But what were his? “You know that how?”