His dad, however, was the big surprise.

Although there was a hint of his strong, handsome features in Jacob’s face, Richard Decker was fair. His blond hair had still been mostly blond when I met him over a decade ago. Now it was a silvery white. He also had blue eyes. He was tall and built, now slightly soft, and that would be slightly soft in a way he clearly liked his beer because he had a relatively large beer belly. He was way taller than his wife but he was nowhere near as tall as Jacob. Maybe six foot.

I knew Jacob had a brother named Shane who I’d never met. But I’d always wondered if Shane looked like his dad or mom or if he was like Jacob, a best of both but even better kind of offspring.

“Hi,” I greeted, pinning a smile to my face.

Returning my greeting, I saw Karla Decker eyeing me closely but her expression was friendly and welcoming.

Not returning my greeting, Rich Decker was also studying me, doing it closely, but there was speculation in the back of his eyes. It wasn’t that he didn’t look friendly. It was just that, with one look, I knew I was under review and needed to pass inspection.

In order to do that, I pulled my hand from Jacob’s and moved to his father first since he was the closest. I lifted my hand and made my smile bigger.

“I’m really sorry I’m late. I have a project I’m in the middle of that’s so far lasted three years,” I tried to joke. Rich didn’t crack a smile. This made me nervous, so I kept going. “Sometimes when I’m in the throes of it, I lose track of, well… pretty much everything,” I told him, still smiling.

Rich took my hand, his grip firm, his eyes never leaving mine. “Deck’s told us about your house, Emme. But good you could finally make it to his.”

That wording wasn’t the greatest.

And he still hadn’t said hi or anything close.

Even with that not-so-good start, I persevered when he let me go. I pulled my purse off my shoulder, dropped it on the bar and moved around to Karla, hand up.

“Hi. So nice to meet you. And again, I’m so sorry,” I murmured.

“That’s okay, honey,” she murmured back, her eyes also never leaving mine and her grip was warmer. “That’s a pretty sweater,” she remarked when she let my hand go.

Well, that was better.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping back and running into Jacob.

I instantly got an arm around my chest at the same time I felt a wet nose on my hand. Jacob and his dog, both claiming me.

Instantly, I pulled away from Jacob to bend to Buford, explaining, “Poor puppy. He didn’t get his usual rubdown when I got here. Best see to that.”

If his tail wagging was anything to go by, Buford approved of my choice.

If the look I caught when I glanced over my shoulder at Jacob as I straightened away from his dog was anything to go by, I’d made a big mistake.

I bit my lip and Jacob’s arm again came around me, this time at my belly, whereupon it clamped tight so my back was snug to his front, so I decided my best bet was to go with it.

I looked between his parents.

“How was your trip?” I asked.

“Over,” Rich answered, his eyes on Jacob’s arm around my waist.

Then they came up to my face.

I gave him another smile but it was shaky.

He did not smile back.

“I’m just glad we had good weather,” Karla noted, and I looked to her.

She didn’t look speculative or angry. She was calmly sipping coffee.

“I am too,” I agreed.

She stopped sipping coffee and gave me a genuine smile then said, “Let’s just pray we keep that good fortune and don’t have snow while we’re here. Not real fond of the white stuff.”

“Forecast is good for that,” I shared.

She smiled again then took another sip of coffee.

Everyone fell silent.

It was not comfortable. What it was was surprising. This was because it was the kind of thing Jacob would normally forge into in order to make everyone comfortable, including, and maybe especially, me.

I hadn’t been nervous about meeting the Deckers.

Now, because I’d been an idiot, I was.

Stupidly, I decided to break the silence.

“Have you all had lunch?”

“We’ve been waitin’ for you,” Rich informed me then his eyes lifted to his son. “Starved, boy.”

At his words, I quickly jumped away from Jacob, headed to the fridge and announced, “Right. Lunch is my domain. I’m killer with cold cuts and Jacob’s always stocked up. He’ll have everything. I’ll take orders.”

“Lunch is your domain?” Rich asked.

I stopped with hand on the handle of the fridge and looked at him. “Jacob is a master with things that require pots, pans and broiling, so he gets dinner. I’ve got a mean hand with a spreader so I get cold cuts.”

“Can’t you cook?” Rich asked.

“Dad,” Jacob murmured.

“Uh… yes, I can. It’s just that Jacob is better at it,” I told him.

Although I thought this was a compliment to his son, it was clear by the look on Rich’s face this was not the right answer, seeing as his jaw got hard and his eyes went to his coffee mug on the counter.

“Actually, if we’re just having sandwiches,” Karla waded in, moving toward me, “I can take care of that.” She caught my eyes. “Since you’ve been working on your house all morning, and all. I wouldn’t know but my guess is, that’s exhausting.”

“And you’ve spent your morning journeying from southern California,” I reminded her. “I’m fine, Karla, I can make lunch.”

“How ’bout someone slaps some meat between some bread so we can all eat?” Rich suggested, giving the impression sandwiches was not his chosen lunch but at this point he’d take what he could get.

“Dad,” Jacob repeated but this wasn’t a murmur. It was a growl.

One could say things were not going smoothly.

Karla got close and said softly, “We’ll work together. Get these men fed.”

I gave her a relieved smile and replied, “Good idea.”

I pulled out the stuff from the fridge. Karla pulled out chips from the cupboards. And when I was at the counter, I chanced a look at Jacob.

He was studying me but he seemed lost in thought. When he felt my eyes on him, he focused and I gave him a nervous smile.

Then I mouthed, I’m so sorry.

He watched my mouth then looked into my eyes.

Finally, I watched the skin around his eyes go soft and his lips tip up. Better, he moved to me, leaned in and touched his mouth to mine.