She turned around and held the door open for me with a single arm, the slide of her eyes gesturing me to come inside. I followed obediently. “Aspen, by the way.”

The door slammed behind me as I stepped inside the house for the second time. “Nice to meet you, Aspen.”

Marisol came around the corner and greeted me with a warm hug, her small arms wrapping around mine, pinning them to my body. “So glad to have you, Colton. Let me take that bottle and you can join Nash in the living room. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Easterly.”

“It’s Marisol. Autumn will be down shortly.”

As if she heard her name, Autumn descended the stairs, surprise in her eyes as she registered my appearance in the foyer.

“Oh, hey,” she said, sounding almost nervous.

“Hey,” I returned. We stared at each other until the awkwardness became too much and I remembered what was under my arm at the moment. “I, ugh, brought back your binder,” I said, holding it out to her.

“Thanks,” she replied as she took it from me and placed it on a small table in the foyer.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I skimmed through it before I came over. What’s the stuff in there about a barn?”

I noticed the small packet at the back of the binder, tucked between two folders containing information about the historical submission for my house. It was as if she had hidden it there for something else and it left me curious since I didn’t have a barn like that on my newly acquired land.

“Oh. . .that. . .it’s um,” she started, then tucked some of the loose waves of her hair behind her ear. “It’s just something I thought about tackling while I was home.”

From what I had gathered, it was a barn that was in decent shape but needed some cosmetic work in the hopes of turning it into a wedding venue. The idea had merit and I could immediately see Autumn tackling a project like that with her family if it gave her a reason to stay in town. I knew it thrilled Nash to have her home. I secretly suspected that was why he pushed us to work together on the house. The Easterly parents were trying their hand at matchmaking.

“Tell me more,” I replied as I reached out for her hand. My body craved her touch knowing she was so close. My skin practically itched for the feel of hers.

Autumn glanced down as my fingers brushed against hers and I was afraid she was going to snatch her hand away, but in typical Autumn fashion she surprised the hell out of me as she allowed my hand to intertwine with hers.

“Maybe later,” she whispered, her eyes still glued to our joined hands.

“I’ll make the time,” I told her and her head jerked back to face me. Confusion was written all over her expression and it left me wondering if anyone had ever made the time for her. I assumed with her ex that his priority was himself and it was clear that with four siblings, her parents’ time was minimal, not that it was their fault.

“I’ll make the time, Autumn,” I repeated confidently.

“I. . .er-”

“Dinner is ready!” Marisol shouted from the kitchen and both Autumn and I released a sigh. Autumn’s probably in relief, mine from being interrupted.

I wasn’t surprised when Autumn released my hand as if it had electrocuted her. She gestured for me to follow her, and I couldn’t help but lock my eyes on the gentle sway of her hips. She wore dark jeans that looked as if they’d been painted on her skin. I was hypnotized as she took each gentle step. I wasn’t even sure that she was aware that I was under her spell.

I was so entranced by her I almost missed the collective group sitting at the table. Her three sisters sat at the table along with their father. Five other men sat in the chairs that surrounded the oversized wooden table. One slightly resembled Marisol and I wondered if that was Autumn’s half-brother. He’d only been mentioned in passing, but I was curious of how that came to be. It was clear that he was closer to my age than his sister’s.

“Oh, good. Everyone is here,” Marisol said, as she began setting out platters of food onto the table. “Autumn, you and Colton can take the two chairs next to Andrew.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Autumn said as she headed toward two empty chairs seated at the middle of the table, next to the man I suspected to be the half-brother. I wasn’t surprised that she headed toward the chair that would seat her next to her mother, leaving me next to the sibling.

Before she could do it herself, I tugged out her chair and motioned for her to sit, earning me a scowl in the process.

Taking my own seat, I introduced myself to Andrew, returning the squeeze in his handshake.

Marisol finally took her seat and the group began passing around the platters of vegetables and meat. Patiently, I waited my turn and took in the surrounding conversations. The farmhands were discussing the loads of harvested corn they’d collected the last couple of days and how much longer they’d need to be out on the field.

Beside me, Autumn ignored her sisters trying to make conversation, instead focusing on adding mashed potatoes to her plate.

“So, you play hockey?” Andrew said, drawing my attention away from Autumn as she handed me the bowl she finished using.

Helping myself to the starchy goodness, I replied, “I did. I officially retired at the end of the last winning season two years ago.”

“Oh, what team did you play for?”

Just as I was about to answer, Autumn chimed in with a stern tone. “Andrew, you know what team he played for. I can guarantee when Mom mentioned he was coming to dinner you ran some sort of background check on him, amongst other things.”

Autumn moved her gaze from her brother over to me as she added, “He’s trying to be the big protective older brother and failing at it. Not that it’s needed.”

“Why isn’t it needed?” I asked as I passed Andrew the potatoes and took the green beans from Autumn’s grasp.

“Because I was being nice to our new neighbor.”

It stung to hear her say that she invited me just to be nice.

Thankfully, no one had to see the way her words affected me when Alex piped in across the table. “Oh, were you just being nice when you let Colton kiss you twice?”

“Alex,” Autumn gasped at the same time Marisol scolded, “Alexandra! That was unnecessary. I’m sorry, Colton. My daughters seemed to have lost their manners along the way.”

Both women tucked their chins as they continued loading their plates.

“That’s okay, Mrs. Easterly. I never had siblings of my own, but I imagine that it’s like this in most families.”

“Were you an only child, dear?”

“I was in foster care most of my life.”

“Oh, Colton. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“That’s okay,” I said, reaching for a hearty steak kabob. “It’s common knowledge at this point. I’m envious of your family. It seems like there is a lot of love here.”

Noticeably, the table grew quiet, but no one seemed to touch their food.

“God, man,” Andrew whispered beside me and I felt embarrassed for whatever had settled over the family. I wasn’t sure what I had said that left them all out of sorts. Not even Nash would make eye contact.

The scratching of chair legs across the hardwood floors drew everyone’s attention to Autumn. “Wine. Does anyone else want wine?”

Hands shot up from around the table and I eagerly agreed to help Autumn in the kitchen. Together we poured the wine, chuckling when we realized we had both bought the same brand at the store. It definitely made it an easier process to divvy out.

Once the wine was served and the alcohol flowed through our veins, the chatter around the room filled the open space. The sisters and farmhands joked around while Andrew asked me about being a sports celebrity.

It felt. . .like home. There was a time where all I wanted as a child was to feel like I was accepted and wanted. Ms. Cathy had done her best to include all of us kids, but it was a strain on her and her family. I could easily imagine the large gathering of the Easterly family around a plump, juicy turkey at Thanksgiving. Or the girls excitedly bouncing around a Christmas tree. It was something I was determined to give myself in the future. A future I hadn’t really thought much about.