He raised his hand, knowing if he knocked, she’d open the door and he’d kiss her right then and there. Would she let him? Fist in midair, he opened his hand and brushed it down the door. Rather than break it down to go after that kiss, he prayed for her to have a restful nap and serene dreams.
He turned to get his tools from his garage, his heart warming at her special creative touches that lifted his office and would eventually grace his home. He’d never felt like he belonged anywhere growing up, but being around Meadow was beginning to feel like family. He envied her for having so many siblings. He’d longed for that all his life.
Maybe that explained why he’d gone above and beyond to give Meadow her dream kitchen. Because she’d use it not only to prepare catering food but meals for when her siblings got together. Not that she knew about this special surprise yet.
How would she take it?
She’d instructed him to order the cheapest pro-grade kitchen appliances, countertops, and flooring he could find. Instead, he’d picked Del and Flora’s brains. They’d shared every detail of Meadow’s dream kitchen, a luxury she didn’t feel she could afford, even with an insurance check on its way. Colin was making it happen. He smiled, remembering Flora and Del both stressing how much Meadow despised stainless steel, an endearing quirk considering she was in food service.
Her fancy dream kitchen consisted of elegant Tuscan style, warm tones, custom-carved cabinetry, rich red accents, black quartz countertops, scroll designs, textured walls, recessed lighting, top-of-the-line wall ovens, marble flooring, and stunning copper trim.
Not a speck of stainless steel in sight. Not an easy feat. Even her fridge and freezer had wood accent doors. He was building a customized food warming room onto the kitchen, too, at the back of the house where she couldn’t see it from his place. Plus a butler’s pantry for storage so she didn’t have to keep extra catering supplies in her yard shed. Sure, it was a lot of extra work for Colin, but her happiness was worth it. The hard part was keeping her out until he finished.
He’d done so by changing all of her locks and not giving her new keys. He told her he didn’t want her inside yet, that it was too dangerous. She’d been too tired, busy, and stressed to argue. But that she’d given him nearly free rein in her kitchen renovation said a ton about the level of trust she’d extended. Trust he’d never take for granted as he built on it tile by tile, brick by brick.
Colin went back to work on Meadow’s kitchen, and after an hour or so, he finished for the day and gathered his tools. As he passed her living room in transit to the front door, he was drawn to cross its threshold to the fireplace, emotions unraveling at every step.
He peered at photos lining her mantel, images of the Larson children, starting on the left with Meadow, the oldest. Then Lake and River—the boy and girl twins. On the right of an intricate vase sat frames bearing Flora’s face, then Skye and Rayne, then a baby dressed in pink. Meadow had six siblings. Sage, he remembered now, had died in infancy.
His heart ached for the family. He brushed fingers along the photos, praying blessings over each member before heading home to shower. He’d just dressed when Meadow texted she was awake. He headed to the barn to help her.
Later he stood in a crisp white shirt and black suit jacket alongside the line of smiling teens in Havenbrook’s community building kitchen for the Garcia-Salazar Tex-Mex rehearsal dinner.
“You guys all look so professional,” he encouraged the spiffy bunch.
The girls blushed and giggled behind their hands, but true to form, Chris covertly elbowed him. “For a sawdust-saturated construction guy, you clean up pretty well too.”
Colin grinned at Chris, loving that he was true to himself. He’d tell him so later.
Meadow whispered, “Remember, Colin. Keep thumbs out of the food when carrying plates. Serve carefully. Last thing we need is a green chili groom or Spanish flan bride.”
He whispered back, “Got it.”
“Questions?”
“Nope. Let’s do this.” They dispersed dinner to the wedding party and guests. Thankfully, it was a smaller occasion, enabling the crew to manage fine without Del.
Meadow had placed colorfully patterned cowboy boots as vases to hold bouquets of sable brown, burnt umber, turquoise, and shimmery gold flowers, the bride’s colors.
Over each table hung sombreros, which he’d helped wire into Tex-Mex chandeliers. Upside-down cowboy hats held southwestern bowls of chips and salsa. The bride had gushed pleasure upon seeing the special creative touches, especially since the hats had been donated by relatives who hadn’t been able to make the cross-country trip.
“I love how you incorporated their careers and love of horses,” Colin said.
“Fascinating couple, aren’t they?”