Kristine Rolofson - The Husband Show

His guilt flared up again. He should have known Merry was up to something when she’d insisted on an annulment, a quick one. She was off to Europe, she wouldn’t meet with him and she hired a lawyer to handle the situation so Jake wouldn’t have to bother.

He’d been on tour, having gotten a job playing rhythm guitar in a band opening for Faith and Tim. His big break. He’d felt nothing for Merry but relief when she was gone.

“Tomorrow,” his suddenly talkative daughter continued, “this place could be enveloped in a mysterious mist and we’ll all disappear. Maybe we should escape while we can.”

Jake thought he might prefer to talk about Downton Abbey. “Do you really think Lady Mary will marry again?”

Winter giggled. That was a first. Jake stopped walking in order to see it for himself. The child looked younger when she smiled. “You look so funny,” she said. “And you don’t know who Lady Mary is!”

“Oh, yes, I do,” he grumbled, just to keep her smiling. “You talked about her all the way from Seattle to Spokane. She’s the oldest sister and she was supposed to inherit Downton Abbey but— What?”

Winter pointed to the door. “There she is!”

“Who?”

“The lady from the bar. See?”

Oh, he saw, all right. She would be hard to miss, Jake thought. Once again he realized that she was easily one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, with the kind of beauty that should be on magazine covers, except she wasn’t a bone-thin model. The dress hugged her curvaceous body in all the right places, yet floated around her legs to give her room to dance. In his experience playing in about five thousand bars, the women wearing floaty skirts always intended to dance.

The yellow boots were sexy as all get out, too.

And then there was the hair, platinum waves that fell well past her shoulders. She’d pinned back the sides, exposing a face that would be considered angelic, except that Mayor Jerry had warned him that she was anything but.

And he’d experienced her brusque manner himself, though she’d been kind to Winter and protective of her friends’ privacy.

An interesting woman.

Not his type.

The interesting woman who was not his type saw Winter and smiled, then looked at Jake. Her smile collapsed as they approached.

“You found it,” she said, not sounding the least bit happy to see them.

“We did. I was told Sam might be over here.” He gestured toward the door.

“He’s inside.” She hesitated. “Be careful.”

“Of what?”

“People carrying food. We’re setting up dinner in the tent. The bride and groom are having their pictures taken in front of the house and by the barn. When they’re done, we’ll eat.”

“I won’t keep Sam long,” Jake promised.

“Meg said you’re welcome to stay and enjoy the party.” She turned to Winter. “And you, too, of course. Lucia and Sam are really looking forward to meeting you.”

“I’ve never had an uncle before,” Winter confided.

“You’ll have three cousins after he gets married,” Aurora pointed out.

“He’s getting married?” This was news to Jake. All Sam had said over the phone was I’ve met someone. Someone special.

She stared at him. “He didn’t tell you?”

“I didn’t know it was official,” he bluffed.

“Hmm.”

“Well,” he said, attempting to move past her and go into the kitchen. “We have a lot of catching up to do. If you’ll excuse me....”

“Three cousins,” Winter repeated. “How old? Boys or girls?”

“Boys,” Aurora replied. “Younger than you.”

“Oh.” She didn’t bother to hide her disappointment.

“They’re not all that bad,” Aurora assured her. “And you’ll like your future aunt. Come on, then. I’ll help you find them.”

With that, they were ushered inside a large room set up like a dining hall. One part of the room held worn tables and benches, while the other was a large old-fashioned kitchen.

“I told you,” Winter muttered. “It’s like a hundred years ago.”

“How would you know?” He was curious; after all, she’d spent her life in Europe and he wouldn’t expect her to know a lot of American history.

“I’ve seen Westerns,” she told her father. “This is where the cowboys eat.”

“You’re right,” Aurora said. “This is the summer kitchen.”

The summer kitchen was filled with very busy women organizing platters of food. But in the middle of all the activity was a tall, dark-haired man who hurried through the crowd toward him.

Sam.

Jake swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. His little brother looked good. They shook hands and stood there for a moment, not sure what to do. Then they embraced. It could have been awkward, but it wasn’t. It was reassuring. Sam seemed glad to see him.

“What’s it been,” Jake’s younger brother asked, “ten years?”

“Something like that,” he replied. “I was performing in that show in Miami.”

“And I was coming back from Brazil.”

They grinned at each other.

“Ten years?” A petite black-haired woman hurried up to Sam’s side and smiled as she tucked her arm through his. “Shame on both of you!”

“I’d like you to meet my fiancée,” Sam announced. “Lucia Swallow.”

She released Sam and gave Jake a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I am, too,” he replied, and put his hand on Winter’s shoulder. “My daughter, Winter. Winter, meet your uncle Sam and...Ms. Swallow.”

“Aunt Lucia,” Lucia corrected, giving Winter a hug. “I’ve never had a niece before.”

Sam shook Winter’s hand and grinned. “And now I’m an uncle. I didn’t know that until a little while ago. I’m really glad to meet you.”

“Thank you. I’m a bit of a surprise,” she informed them. “Jake didn’t know about me, either.”

Sam looked at Jake, with an expression that said we have a lot to catch up on. Jake nodded. He saw Lucia glance at Aurora, who had watched the family reunion with undisguised curiosity.

“You need to meet my sons,” Lucia said to Winter. “They’re with my mother. They’ll be so excited to know they have a cousin.”

“Stepcousin,” Winter corrected her, the familiar serious expression on her face. “I’m only a stepcousin.”

“That’s good enough,” Aurora said, joining the conversation. “You’re still part of the family, aren’t you?”

Winter considered that. “I suppose that’s true.”

“You’re very fortunate,” Aurora continued. “I don’t even have stepcousins.”

“You don’t?”

The silver-haired woman shrugged. “Not a one. No uncles, aunts or anyone else.”

“Like me,” Winter said.

Aurora shook her head. “No, you’re in much better shape.”

Jake thought the whole conversation was strange, but his daughter gave Aurora a quick smile.

“Come with me,” Sam said. “We’re going to track down the kids for Aunt Lucia and introduce you.”

“I hear you’re getting married?” Jake said casually.

“Yeah.” Sam glanced at Lucia and smiled as they left the two women standing there. “She’s made me settle down.”

“That’s hard to believe.”

“It was time,” his brother declared, but he looked happy about it.

Jake wasn’t sure if settling down was anything to celebrate, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

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