When they arrived at the New House—there seemed to be a lot of cars parked there—Alice carried her gift, which she presented to Samantha Kendall when that woman opened the door.
“Oh! I love these, and that purple and white combination is stunning! Thank you, Alice. What a lovely, thoughtful gift.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me.” Alice returned Samantha’s hug. As she did, she saw the way Ian’s and Ken’s gazes softened. They might not have a long history with their Aunt Samantha, but clearly, they were smitten with her.
“We’re just waiting for a few more people to arrive.” Samantha looked from Ian to Ken, who’d each hugged her and then kissed her cheek. “Why don’t you boys take Alice on into the front room and introduce her to your grandfather?”
“Yes, why don’t we?” Ian took her right hand in his left and brought it to his lips. He kissed it then used his thumb to rub that in.
Alice’s cheeks heated. She met Samantha Kendall’s gaze and nearly teared up. She’d only met the woman on a couple of occasions since she’d been in Lusty. She hadn’t spent any real amount of time with her at all. And yet she could see approval in Mrs. Kendall’s eyes.
Ian and Ken might be smitten with their aunt, but she, in turn, loves them, too.
The shock came when they entered the “front room,” a large room with plenty of furniture, enough for a couple of football teams. Good thing, too, because there appeared to be at least that many people in attendance.
The seating had been arranged to provide for several groupings so that people could relax and chat in smaller clusters or, with a few adjustments, in larger ones.
“Wow. I just remembered that your Aunt Samantha had five sons.” Five. Sons. Adding in Samantha’s husbands, that meant the woman had had to juggle eight Y chromosome carriers at the same time!
Sainthood or a medal. Clearly Samantha Kendall should get one or the other—or both.
Alice stood between the men as they both scanned the crowd. She watched them and knew the moment they’d spotted their grandfather.
He must have seen them, too, because he turned his head away from Jake Kendall, with whom he’d been speaking, and watched them approach.
Noah Kendall met Alice’s gaze. She offered him a smile—just something about him begged that simple curtesy.
He got to his feet before they reached him.
“Grandpa, this is Alice Benedict, of the New York Benedicts. Alice, our grandfather, Noah Thomas Kendall.”
“We met at the engagement party for Brandon and Trace and that lovely Rachel,” Grandpa Noah said. “I was enchanted with you then, and I am now.” Then he lifted her hand up to his lips and gave her a courtly kiss.
“It’s so nice to see you again, sir.” Alice figured it would altogether be possible that she could spend a fair bit of the rest of the day blushing.
“Come and sit, girl, and we’ll get to know each other.” The chair next to him that Jake had been sitting in was vacant. He guided her to it and then looked at his grandsons.
“Gentlemen, how can it be possible that this lovely young lady doesn’t have so much as a cup of water in her hand?”
Ian’s and Ken’s eyes went wide at the exact same instant.
“We’ll see to it right away,” Ken said.
“What would you like, Alice? Tea? Soda? Something more bracing?”
Alice grinned. “Tea would be perfect, thank you.” She counted it a good thing that sweet tea was one of her favorite beverages. It was always in supply almost everywhere in Lusty.
She held off snickering as the two men sped off—they really did make haste. Noah Kendall didn’t bother to hide his amusement. He chuckled outright. Looking around the room, Alice could see several other Kendall males doing the same as their gazes tracked the pair.
“One thing that’s the same—whether in Lusty or Wyoming—is that we Kendalls enjoy embarrassing our sons and grandsons. Nothing mean-spirited, of course. Just a few well-paced nudges.”
His eyes fairly twinkled, and Alice felt herself relaxing. Her nerves had gotten to her, anticipating this family dinner. I should have known better.
“I’ve been treated to several examples of ‘cousin-speak’ since I’ve arrived,” Alice said. “It’s definitely an art form. Amusing, but an art form nonetheless.”
“So it is. Tell me, Alice of the New York Benedicts, what is your dream?”
No one had ever asked her that. No one, not one, had ever assumed she had a dream. She met Grandpa Noah’s gaze and knew that, like Anna Jessop, he actually saw her.
“When I left New York to come and visit my brothers and their wife, my only wish—my only goal—was to find my place. I had begun to wonder, near the end of my second, which was my last visit here, if Lusty might be it. I needed to find if this was where I was meant to be. And I also hoped that some of the people here would actually see me.”
“I believe we all need that—or a version of that—before we can do anything of value in life. Before we can dream bigger. Did you hear the story of how my father and uncles came to Lusty?”
“No, I haven’t. I do know your grandfather was a brother to Adam Kendall, one of the six people who founded Lusty. I love the museum and have been to visit it a few times. But I haven’t heard your story.”
Ian returned, a glass of sweet tea in his hand. He gave it to her then kissed her cheek. “We’ll be over in the corner, there, talking with some of our cousins from your neck of the woods.”
“Oh! Will and Norm and Jacqui. I didn’t know they’d be here.”
“I think every Kendall within a hundred miles is here,” Ian said. “And I do believe the grilling of yours truly—me and
