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Clark’s mouth moved to her ear, his voice barely audibly, “I have more to say, but it’s not appropriate in front of your family, but I’ll tell you the rest later.”
Merry blushed, leaning into him. “I can’t wait.”
The remaining speeches were short and sweet, even Chris’s, who finished his by asking when they could have dessert before dinner. Before Merry finished them off, someone knocked at the front door.
“Who could that be?” Victoria asked.
“I got this,” Clark said, letting Merry go to answer the door.
Martin stepped inside, shaking Clark’s hand. The two men spoke quietly, until Merry’s dad barked, “What is going on, you two?”
“Sorry.” Clark grinned sheepishly, holding the door open. “Martin and some of the other farm employees helped me with a surprise for you and Victoria. I know it’s not Christmas, but I couldn’t wait. If you’ll all join us outside?”
Jace wiggled out of her arms to follow his dad, with Merry trailing at the end of the group. She heard her mother’s gasp of surprise and a smile spread across her face when she realized what Clark had done.
She stepped up next to Clark and watched her parents sit down in the rocking chairs Clark made for them.
“These are beautiful,” Victoria murmured, her hands gliding over the arms. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she dashed at them with a laugh. “I can’t believe you made them.”
Clark waved a hand towards Martin and the other men scattered down the steps of the porch. “I did, but they are from all of us.”
“He’s being humble. We didn’t even know about them until he asked to borrow my truck Monday,” Martin said.
Merry’s heart raced as she watched Clark blush when Martin patted his shoulder. Clark created beautiful rocking chairs for her parents and gifted them early because he couldn’t wait. He included the other employees, even though the gift was really his. He played pirates while cooking with his son, and took his brother in when he had nowhere else to go. With the exception of her father and brother, he was the best man she knew, and she’d fallen irrevocably in love with him.
“We’re going to get back to our families,” Martin said, waving. “Happy Thanksgiving.”
“Happy Thanksgiving,” Merry and the rest of her family chorused. When the men disappeared around the corner, Chris got up from the rocker and approached Clark, taking his hand and bringing him in for a backslapping hug.
“This was very generous of you, Clark. Thank you.” Her dad pulled away from a stunned Clark and waved at her. “Merry? Don’t you still need to tell us what you’re thankful for?”
Merry looked around at her family, joy coursing through her as she spoke from the heart.
“I’m grateful to be home, living my dreams and discovering new ones. I’m grateful for my family and their unwavering love and support. To Sam.” Her gaze landed on him in the corner next to Clark and grinned. “It’s like having another annoying brother around and I love it. Jace, the greatest kid in the entire world.” He’d climbed up into her dad’s rocker and stalled his motions when she called out to him. “Thank you for keeping my dog entertained.”
Jace beamed. “You’re welcome, but Chris said she was his dog now.”
“I said no such thing, you scamp,” Chris growled, picking him up out of his chair and dropping him in Victoria’s lap as the boy squealed with laughter.
When the ribbing died down, Merry turned her gaze on Clark, a tender smile on her lips. “And to Clark, who came out of nowhere. I look forward to more surprises and a lot of happiness in our future.”
She watched his face for panic or uncertainty, but there was none. To her delight and amazement, he drew her into his arms and kissed her softly, in full view of her family, and her heart flipped.
“To our future,” he murmured.
Chapter 25
Merry
Merry followed behind her dad as they headed for the flocking tent, ready for a nap and it was only two in the afternoon on Friday. When they’d gone over the books that morning, she’d been shocked to realize how delicate the profit margins were on the farm. One disaster and it could take years to recover, if it didn’t bankrupt them. She’d discovered the only thing that kept them afloat after a bad crop was her mom’s income and none of them, not Nick, Holly, or herself, knew.
She paused just inside the trees, her eyes scanning the hills of green firs covered in the several inches of snow that had fallen this week, but even though the temperature hadn’t risen above twenty today, the sun was shining and the farm was celebrating.
Especially Merry. Her dad was finally including her in the day to day of the farm. Daisy scratched on the door to be let out, instead of having an accident. And she’d enjoyed a very hot, sexually explicit wake-up call with Clark before he’d gone home to get ready for the day. And even though Merry was one hundred percent sure she’d fallen in love, she decided not to say anything until he did. There was plenty of time for heartfelt confessions, and the fact that he’d toasted to their future in front of her family gave her a level of confidence he was feeling it too.
Tires squealing in the distance disrupted her happy thoughts and an old blue car fishtailed into their private driveway. Spraying gravel as it skidded to a stop in front of the house, the car took out her mother’s white planter. Soil and snow exploded on the other side of the car like a land mine and Merry gasped, bursting through the trees. What the hell were they thinking? At least he hadn’t pulled into the Christmas tree parking lot where all of the customers were.
The driver’s door opened and Merry hollered, “Are you out of your mind? This is a family farm and there are children!”
