“Clearly she’s got good taste.” In men too, because Nathan Murphy was gorgeous. “Raisins are a blight. Gross. They’re an offense to grapes, which are wonderful.”

“Note to self, no raisins in anything I make for Caroline. I like raisins. I eat them by the handful.”

“Ew. Well, I knew you had flaws. You were too perfect otherwise. The plus is, now I can get trail mix and pick around the raisins and not feel bad. You can have all mine.”

He sidled closer. “Too perfect, huh?”

He made her laugh. It had been a long time since a new romance had made her so giddy. “Stop that. You know what you look like. Plus this house? Wow.”

“I built it. Well, not all of it. That’s when Trey and Jacob lived here. Jacob and his older brother helped me with the plumbing. Trey did a lot of the electrical along with another friend of ours. I knew what I wanted. This piece of land had a house on it, but it was small and didn’t have much of a view. It was a waste. So I lived there while we built this one.”

“How long did it take? I can’t imagine. I mean, I like to be active, but painting a room is as DIY as I’ve ever managed to get. I’m super impressed. This place is fantastic.”

“All told, from start to finish, it took three years. I’m still not completely done. Some of the bedrooms upstairs don’t have furniture yet. I fill spots as I can afford it and when I find the perfect pieces.”

She strolled to the French doors leading to the back porch, which was a little wider than the front. There was patio furniture out there and a huge gas grill as well.

“I’m still working on the landscaping. We razed the old house so I’m pulling that land into a large garden. I’ve been hitting garden shows to get ideas.”

She’d underestimated him.

Oh sure she’d thought he was smart and funny and handsome. The way he’d told her about the organic operation had impressed her. But there was a whole other side to Royal she hadn’t even suspected. Creative. Artistic. He was the kind of person who got an idea and then made it happen.

That was amazing.

“Just for your information, I love gardening. I mean, I’m no landscaper, but I had a big back garden in Seattle with raised beds for my veggies. If you ever need help or company to go to a garden show, I’m totally up for it.”

Surprise flitted over his features and then he smiled. “I’ll be taking you up on that, Caro. You can bet.” He pulled out a chair. “I’m going to pull the chicken out of the oven to rest a bit. Want a beer or some wine?”

“Why don’t I get that? I’ll set the table while you deal with the food? A fair distribution of labor.”

He pointed. “Plates are in the cabinet there. Silverware in that drawer.”

“You want wine or beer?”

“There’s a nice bottle of red over there on the sideboard. Glasses on the rack.”

They worked to get the food ready and it was an easy, natural flow. They had a good rhythm, and she found the space natural for entertaining and having multiple people moving around at once.

He was also a really good cook. All the more reason to keep him around.

He clinked his glass to hers. “To new beginnings.”

She heartily agreed.

Royal hadn’t expected her to pitch in the way she had. She’d told him he’d cooked so she’d clean up. So he perched on the counter and watched her move around his kitchen as she rinsed and put things away, loaded the dishwasher and all that stuff.

As they worked they talked. An easy back and forth. He’d learned she loved action movies and historical romance novels, as well as going to the batting cages and ice skating.

She carefully edged around the subject of her father, though he knew, as she’d told him the Friday before, it was an important part of her life. On one hand, he liked that she respected him enough to not shove it in his face, but on the other hand, he found himself wanting her to open up and share her struggles with him.

Once they’d finished up, they headed out.

By the time they walked through the front doors at the Tonk, things were in full swing. The dance floor was packed, tables full of laughing, drinking people. He loved the place on a Friday, so full of energy.

He also wanted to show her off, he couldn’t deny it to himself.

Plenty of men looked at her and then to him as he kept an arm around her shoulders. It was the way of things round those parts. Caroline was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, obviously, but there was no harm in letting folks know she was with him.

He wanted her comfortable in town. First, because he liked her. He liked her, and he wanted her to feel positively about her new home so she’d stay. And because he knew there were rumblings about the whole case and her trying to prove her father’s innocence. He didn’t like that one bit. Mindy and Shep got a free pass, but somehow Caroline was going to get shit on because she believed differently? Because she’d done the work to look into the situation, which he knew damned good and well 99 percent of the shit talkers in town didn’t bother to do?

He wanted his friends to like her. He hung out with them all the time and knew if they gave her a chance—and that night was a step in the right direction—she’d find her place in their group as well.

He saw Jacob and Trey first, along with Cassie and Shane Chase, and Joe and Beth. Trey waved when he caught sight of them and the others turned.

“Do you mind if we sit with my friends?”