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“All it takes is one, doesn’t it?” she asked.
“That’s true,” he said. “And Dad and Uncle Tommy were also good about not pressuring us, though I’m sure it had to pain them a bit to see most of us move on with different interests.”
“It’s a beautiful home,” she said. “It looks like a place meant for children and laughter. I bet Christmas is amazing here.”
“I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” he said. “You’ll see when the time comes. Though we didn’t have all of these things. The pool house is new and the family barn. My mom decided once she started having grandchildren that she wanted to have a place where they’d want to come. And Dad doesn’t even make them muck out the stalls.”
“I guess grandparent life is different,” she said.
“Have you ever thought about having children?” he asked as they parked behind all of the other cars.
The question gave her pause. Maybe for a moment she’d thought about having children with Todd, back when she thought she was in love and could dream of a future with him. But even with stars in her eyes the thought had given her pause. All she knew was how she’d grown up. What kind of parent would she make? It wasn’t a great thought.
“Those are heavy thoughts for a simple question,” Colt said.
“Maybe not so simple,” she said. “I don’t know. I don’t have any experience with kids.”
“That’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got lots.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, but he was already out of the car and coming around to open her door.
“Colt!” said a myriad of small voices, followed by dogs barking.
Chewy was unsure of the children and the other dogs so he sat in the car until both had sniffed him out.
“It’s okay, Chewy,” Colt said. “They’re friends. Go have a good time.”
Chewy jumped down from the back seat and all the dogs ran off.
“Will he be okay?” Zoe asked worriedly. “I don’t know how he interacts with strange dogs.”
“He’ll be fine,” Colt said, bending down to pick up a little girl who couldn’t be more than three. “And how’s my best girl?”
The little girl giggled and nuzzled her head in his neck, the love there pure and sweet and innocent, and it made Zoe’s heart sigh.
“This is Zoe,” Colt told the girl. “And Zoe, this is Mary Catherine. She’s my brother Duncan’s daughter. You’ve met his wife, Hattie.”
The little girl batted big blue eyes at her. “Oh, isn’t she sweet,” Zoe said. “I do know Hattie. We had lunch once with Raven and Dylan downtown. But I haven’t gotten to meet Duncan or Mary Catherine yet.”
“Yes, well Duncan doesn’t get out much. He likes to think of himself as a recluse, but he always makes it to family dinners. Fortunately he likes food almost as much as he likes to paint.”
“I’ve seen one of his paintings at the Met,” she said. “It’s a little intimidating to meet him.”
“Nah,” Colt said. “He’s just a guy like everyone else. When he was fifteen and I was thirteen, he was trying to impress a bunch of girls out on the lake on his paddleboard, and Hank and I snuck up in the water behind him and pulled down his swim trunks. Just think about that when you meet him.”
Zoe laughed and closed her eyes. “I do not want to think about your brother naked when I meet him. That does not help the situation.”
Colt grinned and set Mary Catherine back on her feet so she could run off with the other kids.
“Well, if it makes you feel better Hattie has all your books on the bookshelf at their home, so you’re kind of even in a way. Maybe he’s just as nervous to meet you as you are to meet him.”
“I doubt your brother is a reader of women’s fiction novels.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Colt said, leading her toward the red barn. “He’s a sensitive brute our Duncan. And a man of mystery.”
“We’re going to the barn?” she asked. “I should have worn different shoes.”
“This isn’t an animal barn,” Colt told her. “At least not anymore. As the family started getting bigger my mother said she was tired of people traipsing in and out of her house and messing up her kitchen, so she renovated the barn to be a gathering place.”
