“It’s not, Mom,” Steven agreed from the bar. “Lori’s being a brat. I blame that Webber jerk. Bad influence.”
Shelby groaned. “Let’s not rehash this again. Where were you planning to trail ride, Maggie?”
Maggie took her seat at the bar next to her cousin while the others, seated at the table, began to pass dishes family style. “Rough Rock Stables. You want to go even if Lori doesn’t decide to join us?”
“Sure. Aaron’s going to be busy all day tomorrow anyway, installing the security barriers with your dad.”
Bryan nodded, then glanced at Aaron. “You still want to do that tomorrow, right? I mean, you can take off and go riding with the girls if you want.”
“No, that’s okay. I’d rather get the security measures in place,” Aaron assured him.
Spearing a slice of brisket, Mimi asked, “Do you ride, Aaron?”
Andrew and Aaron shared an amused glance.
“Yes,” Aaron said for them both. “We ride. There’s really not a lot of choice in our family.”
“Your folks own horses?” Pop asked, scooping potatoes onto his plate.
Seated across the table from Pop, Andrew explained. “Our uncle owns a ranch outside of Dallas. He raises horses, a few heads of cattle and boys.”
“Boys?” Linda inquired with a quizzical smile.
“The ranch is a home for at-risk foster boys. Has been for years. Our uncle and aunt take them in, give them affection, attention, discipline, education, therapy if necessary. Most of them turn their lives around there, going on to college and/or successful careers afterward, though there have been a very few they just couldn’t get through to, who didn’t turn out so well. There was a big reunion at the ranch a few years ago with quite a few of the guys who spent time there, and most of them still consider our uncle Jared a surrogate father.”
“Well, isn’t that nice,” Mimi marveled. “Your family really likes children, don’t they, Andrew?”
“You could say that,” he agreed, carefully avoiding Hannah’s gaze. “Our dad is one of seven siblings, all of whom had kids of their own.”
He wasn’t sure if Aaron had told them about their dad’s unconventional background: Ryan Walker and his twin brother, Joe, had been separated from their brothers and sisters as children when their parents died. It had taken them some twenty-five years to find each other again, with the exception of one brother who’d died as a teenager, leaving a pregnant girlfriend as his only known survivor. The Walkers valued family because they all knew what it was like to be separated from each other, and had learned not to take their loved ones for granted afterward. They’d raised their children with that same pro-family ethic.
He’d mishandled that brief conversation with Hannah before dinner. He’d been mentally kicking himself ever since for his awkward broaching of the possibility of marriage. He knew how skittish Hannah was about the subject, especially after overhearing part of her conversation with her sister earlier that week. Rather than just blurting it out as a possibility, he should have made more of an effort to convince her of what a practical, reasonable solution it could be to their situation.
Yes, there were other options, and they should certainly consider them all, but marriage did seem like one of the more logical actions they could take, especially because her job here could rather easily convert to a telecommuting position. To be honest, the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of having Hannah and their daughter with him all the time. He would just have to find a way to discuss it with her without having her bolt in panic because of her previous marriage’s bitter end.
“I think it’s wonderful that your aunt and uncle take in children,” Mimi continued with all the subtlety of a freight train. “It just goes to show that it takes more than biology to make a family. Plenty of men adopt children and grow to love them as their own.”
“Stop it, Mom,” Bryan warned in a grumble, his graying brows drawing into a frown.
The older woman widened her eyes in exaggerated bewilderment. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Eat your dinner.”
She sighed gustily and sliced into her meat. Andrew focused intently on his own plate, ignoring the snort of muffled laughter that might have come from his twin.
Ever the gracious hostess, Linda immediately launched into a conversation about an interesting article she’d read online, drawing several others into a discussion with her. Shelby and Maggie continued to plan their riding outing, while Aaron and Steven talked baseball stats. Andrew noted that Hannah was rather subdued as she ate, probably mentally composing the announcement she planned to make after the meal. He had to confess he was having trouble making airy small talk himself.
Shelby gave a sudden gasp, drawing everyone’s eyes to her in curiosity. Andrew saw that she was staring down at the screen of her phone, which must have been on vibrate-only mode because he hadn’t heard a sound from it. Her face had gone pale, he noted in concern.
“Shelby?” Aaron reached out to touch her arm. “Is something wrong?”
She looked toward her parents with hesitation, looking as though she almost dreaded her next words. “Lori sent me a text. She wants me to tell you that she isn’t coming back tonight.”
C.J. scowled. “I guess she told you she’s staying with ‘friends’?”
“No, Dad.” Shelby swallowed visibly before saying, “Lori and Zach have eloped. They were married this afternoon.”
* * *