“True, but there was something special about Evie. We all thought you’d marry her.”
He tried not to respond to the matter-of-fact statement and was saved when the only other customer in the store brought a pack of pawprint-covered dish towels and matching food bowls to the counter.
While Ella ran the charge and made small talk, Declan walked away, sipping his coffee and staring at a wall of dog treats, Ella’s last words echoing in his head.
He thought he’d marry her, too.
When the customer left, he snagged a bag of peanut butter cookies and set it on the counter.
“For Lusky?” Ella asked.
“Evie’s grandfather renamed him. He’s Judah now.”
“Judah?” She gave an approving nod. “Excellent name for that spectacular dog. Of course, we didn’t get to see more of him since you ran away yesterday, but Molly said you’re taking him in for an MRI at Vestal Valley.”
“Evie and I are,” he said, taking out some money. “In about an hour, as a matter of fact.”
“Oh, Evie and I are,” she mocked. “But no, the Dogmothers have no idea what they’re doing.”
“This time, they’ve gone a little too far out on a limb.”
“On a limb? You and Evie?” She gave a light laugh. “I can’t think of two people more meant to be in that tree. And let’s face it, big guy.” She reached over and ruffled his hair, much like he’d done to her. “I see a little snow on the roof. What the hell are you waiting for? Someone better than Evie Hewitt?”
He stepped back from her touch. “She has a huge job in Raleigh.”
“They have fire departments in Raleigh.”
And animals in Bitter Bark. “I can’t leave this family.”
She tipped her head and fried him with a get real look. “We’re fine, Declan. The family in total is now the size of a small country. You actually might not be missed for a while.” At his look, she gave a throaty laugh. “Kidding, obviously. But seriously, no one needs a…” She kind of shrugged. “Father figure anymore.” She added a smile to temper the sting. “Even me.”
He slapped his hand to his chest. “You’re killin’ me, Smell.”
“I’m trying to make sure you don’t dismiss the idea of Evie Hewitt for some dumb reason. She’s not in Raleigh now. Why don’t you just hang with her for a few months and see how it goes? Why does it have to be all or nothing?”
“All or…” He leaned over the counter to whisper, even though there weren’t any customers around. “Do you know what they want? Or at least what her grandfather wants, so I assume those two eighty-year-old troublemakers are in on it.”
She laughed. “I love that they dragged in the old guy for backup. Those two are relentless.”
“Wait until you hear how relentless.” He took a deep breath. “They want me to give her a…baby.”
She gasped noisily, jerking back, her eyes as round as dark chocolate wafers. “A…holy…oh my…Declan!”
“Right? If that isn’t the most—”
“Fantastic idea!”
He stared at her.
“I mean, wow. I can totally see why you’d do that.”
“Ella!” He choked her name. “It’s not like giving her…a necklace. Or a…” He glanced around. “Pet. I’m not some kind of sperm bank.”
She made a face. “Ew. I hate that word.”
“Well, I hate the idea, but that’s practically what her grandfather implied. That I could just…” He waved his hand. “Produce a baby.”
“Well, why the heck not?”
Was she serious? “For one thing, we’ve barely said ten words to each other in twenty years.”
“Whose fault is that?”
“Mine,” he said without hesitation. “I couldn’t…I didn’t…I had to…”
She angled her head. “Use your words, little boy.”
He muttered a dark curse.
“Not that word.”
“Ella, I screwed up, okay? When Dad died, I…” I died, too. “I struggled. And whether you like it or not, I had to hold things together for the five of us. I couldn’t go running after Evie.”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “I’ll have a side of weak sauce with that chicken.”
“Ella.”
“Come on, Declan. I get it. You broke down and freaked out. Connor became a cocky jerk. Braden buried himself in books. I…” She shook her head. “We all handled it differently. And you pulled away from the woman you closely associated with the pain.”
He frowned as the words hit, and there was no way to argue with them.
“I mean, she lives in the house where Dad died. That’s not an easy thing to get over.”
She lived in Raleigh, to be perfectly accurate, but was Ella far from the truth? “Yeah, maybe.” And why couldn’t he say those words to Evie?
“But it’s been twenty years, Dec. We’ve all had to move on and have lives. Dad would hate you missing out on a great thing because she reminds you of how he died. Or you have some weird misplaced guilt because you weren’t at that fire. You think you’d have gone in first? A newbie like you were?”
He leaned back, eyeing her. “How’d you get so smart, Smella?”
She grinned. “I’ve always been the smartest one of the bunch, but so pretty…” She put her fingers under her chin and fluttered her lashes. “That y’all forgot to notice.”
“I notice.”
“And your smart sister says you”—she aimed her finger at his face—“are the daddiest guy I know.”
“The…I don’t know what the hell that means.”
“It means you’re a natural. You’re the guy who made sure every door was locked and all lights were off when everyone went to bed.”
Because that’s what their father did, and someone had to do it for the Mahoney family.
“You’re the one who handles the barbecue and makes sure everyone has helmets on when we go muddin’.”
“Because no one else can make a decent steak, and hello, I’m a firefighter. Safety first.”
“And I’ve seen you when kids crawl all over the pumper truck on field day. You love kids.
