“C’mon, Emma, or we’ll all have to sit in here on these hard chairs,” Zach said with a shake of his head.
“Please join us,” Ava said. “Don’t leave Caroline and me alone with these two.”
Emma smiled and nodded, knowing Ava was teasing and it was nice that they would include her. Will was strikingly handsome without the ruggedness of Zach. She would not have picked them out of a crowd as brothers because Will’s dark eyes were nothing like Zach’s vivid blue ones. Their facial structure was as different as their hair.
“Well, the offer is still open for you to have Thanksgiving with us,” Will said.
“Thanks. I’ll still stay here. You know Rosie will cook a big turkey.”
“You should join us, Zach,” Ava said. “The snow will be beautiful and we’ll have a great time.”
“Thanks, Ava. I’ll do fine here,” he replied without glancing at Emma.
When they entered the family room, Emma mulled over his turning down the offer for Thanksgiving. How could he turn down Will and stay alone on the isolated ranch? She would never understand how Zach could possibly avoid being lonely and miserable. Was this all a carryover from childhood hurts, seeking isolation because it was a shield against times he had been left alone and deeply disappointed?
“So how are you doing with the memorabilia?” Will asked.
“I want to show you what Emma found in that box of old letters. I’ll put it with anything else of value we find.”
“I’ll get it,” Emma said. “You talk to your family.” Before Zach could protest she hurried from the room. In minutes she returned to hand the box to Zach.
As she sat down, he took the watch and held it up. “Look at this.”
“That looks like a fine watch and something nice to keep since it belonged to a Delaney ancestor,” Will said. Zach carried it to show it to Ava and Caroline who crowded around them. Will got up to join them.
“If this isn’t just like Dad,” Zach said. “I’ll bet he found the watch and stuck it back in with the letters to let us find it.”
“I don’t know. I had the feeling he had never gone through that stuff before,” Will remarked.
“Maybe not. No telling what else I’ll find. Or Emma will find.”
“I hear you’re the one reading the letters,” Will said, smiling at her.
“Yes, most of them.”
“She’s far more interested and views them as sacred chunks of our family history and Texas history, but I don’t have quite the same respect for them.”
The men returned to their seats and Zach placed the watch in the box on a table.
Emma’s mystification about Zach’s solitary way of life grew as she listened to the brothers and realized they were close and enjoyed each other’s company. And Zach was good with Caroline. When Caroline walked over to him, he lifted her to his lap and focused his attention on her.
Shortly she climbed down and went to get into Will’s lap and turn his face so he looked at her. She whispered in his ear.
“Yes, we will right now,” Will said, looking at Zach. “Caroline has some family news to tell you.”
Caroline couldn’t sit still and had a big smile. She climbed down and ran to Zach to stand at his knee. She gave another shy glance at Emma and Emma suddenly suspected she was interrupting a family moment. She wanted to leave them to themselves, but she was afraid that would be even more disruptive, so she sat quietly.
Caroline’s big smile broadened. “Uncle Zach, I’m going to become a big sister.”
“You are!” Zach looked over her head at his brother. “Congratulations!”
“It’s early, but we told Caroline because we want to do some remodeling and build a nursery, not only in Dallas, but at my ranch here and in Colorado.”
“That is great news, Caroline,” Zach said. “Wow! You’ll be a big sister and I’ll be an uncle again.”
She laughed and turned in a circle.
Zach crossed the room to hug Ava lightly. “Congratulations. That’s wonderful.”
“We think so,” she said, her eyes sparkling. She looked radiant as she glanced at her husband and exchanged a look with him. They were obviously so much in love Emma felt slightly envious. Ava reached out to hug Caroline and Will picked her up, holding her while she wrapped her arm around his neck. “We’re thrilled,” Ava added.
“Congratulations to all of you,” Emma said. “You have wonderful news.” She looked at Caroline. “Caroline, you’ll have lots of fun with your little brother or sister.”
Caroline nodded and smiled.
“We’re excited,” Will said. “And we’ll let you both go back to work. We need to get to the ranch. Caroline has been promised to get to ride her horse.”
“It’s been nice to meet you,” Ava said to Emma. “We’re glad you’re working here. Zach needs help with all the old papers.”
“Just keep him from shredding them,” Will remarked dryly.
“I find them fascinating,” Emma said. “I’m beginning to feel as if I knew Warner Delaney. It was so nice to meet all three of you and it was good of you to include me in your family moment.”
“Do you think my unsentimental brother would care who he shares family news with?” Will remarked dryly, grinning at Zach.
As they left the room, Emma stayed back and returned to her desk. She didn’t go back to work, but sat staring into space, thinking about Zach. What a waste of someone’s life to take away the fabulous moments shared with family and friends. How could he turn down Ava’s invitation to spend Thanksgiving with Will and his family? Instead, he would sit in isolation at home on the ranch—a sad choice.
She sat by the box to read a letter, finally concentrating on her work.
When Zach returned, her pulse jumped. He was off-limits, a danger to her peace of mind because her volatile reactions to him had not dwindled even a degree.
“I enjoyed meeting your family. They’re great and that’s fantastic news they shared.”
“My brother amazes me. He’d been as opposed to marriage as any of us, yet he is so in love with Ava, it’s ridiculous. And he’s great with Caroline. None of us have ever been around children and to become her guardian was really tough for him.”
“Well, from what little I saw, Caroline is a very happy little girl.”
“Ava and Will have been terrific for her. Ava was the one who suggested Muffy, a little puff of a dog that brought Caroline out of her grief from losing her father more than anything or anybody else.”
“Did I hear her call him ‘Daddy Two’?”
He nodded. “We’ve gotten used to that. Will is her second dad since her blood father died and I think she wanted a mom and dad. You noticed she calls Ava Mom?”
“Yes, I did. They seem incredibly happy. How could you not want to be with them for Thanksgiving?”
“I’m my own company. I get along fine.”
She shook her head. “Amazing,” she said, reaching for another letter. “Do all of you get together for Christmas?”
He gave her a lazy smile and she guessed his answer. As shocked as she was over Thanksgiving, her surprise was greater this time. “You’re spending Christmas here alone? You can’t do that.”
“Of course I can,”