Brown-Eyed Girl (Travis Family #4)(38)

“Thank you,” I said with grim amusement, “but if he steps out of line again, I’ll throw him in myself.”

I returned to the kitchen, where Ree-Ann and the caterers were uncrating sets of plates and glassware for the indoor dining area.

“Where’s Sofia?” I asked.

“She went to say hi to some of the Travises. They just arrived.”

“When you’re done with the plates, Steven needs you to help him with the cabanas.”

“Sure thing.”

I went to the main living room to find the group standing at the row of long windows with Sofia. They looked out at the pool and patio area, exclaiming and talking and laughing. A small dark-haired boy jumped up and down and tugged on the hem of Jack’s shirt. “Daddy, take me outside! I wanna go see! Daddy! Daddy —”

“Hold your horses, son.” Jack ruffled the boy’s hair gently. “They’re not ready for us yet.”

“Avery,” Ella exclaimed as she saw me, “what an amazing job you’ve done. I was just telling Sofia that it looks like Disneyland out there.”

“I’m so glad you’re happy with it.”

“I’m never having a party without the two of you again. Can I keep you on retainer like lawyers?”

“Yes,” Sofia said immediately.

Laughing, I turned my attention to the baby in Ella’s arms. The infant was adorably chubby and pink-cheeked, with big blue eyes and curly blond hair pulled up in a topknot.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“That’s my sister, Mia,” the little boy answered before Ella could reply, “and I’m Luke, and I want to go to the party!”

“It’ll be ready soon,” I promised. “You can be the first one to go outside.”

Deciding that it had fallen to him to make introductions, Luke pointed to the couple nearby. “That’s my aunt Haven. She’s got a big tummy. There’s a baby in there.”

“Luke —” Ella began, but he continued earnestly.

“She eats more than Uncle Hardy, and he could eat a whole dinosaur.”

Ella clapped a hand to her forehead. “Luke —”

“I did once,” Hardy Cates said, lowering to his haunches. He was big and ruggedly built, a good-looking man with the bluest eyes I had ever seen. “Back when I was a boy camping in the Piney Woods. My friends and I were chasing armadillos across a dry river bottom, and we saw a big shape moving through the trees…”

The child listened, enraptured, as Hardy told him a tall tale about a dinosaur being pursued, lassoed, and eventually barbecued.

No doubt the prospect of marrying the only daughter in the Travis family would have deterred more than a few men. But Hardy Cates didn’t seem like the type who was capable of being intimidated. He was a former roughneck who had started his own oil recovery company, going into spent fields to extract leftover reserves that bigger companies had left behind. Ella had described him as hardworking and wily, covering up his outsize ambition with plenty of laid-back charm. Hardy seemed so affable, Ella had said, that people were fooled into thinking they’d gotten to know him, even though they hadn’t. But the Travises all agreed on one thing: Hardy loved Haven intensely, would have died for her. According to Ella, Jack had facetiously claimed he almost felt sorry for the guy, being wrapped around his little sister’s finger like that.

I reached out to shake Haven’s hand. She was delicately pretty, with dark winged brows. A Travis, unmistakably, although she was so much slighter and smaller than her towering brothers that she seemed to be a half-scale version. She was far along in her pregnancy, her ankles swollen and her stomach so heavy that it made me want to wince in sympathy.

“Avery,” she said, “it’s so nice to meet you. Thanks for doing this.”

“We had a lot of fun,” I said. “If there’s anything we can do to make the party more enjoyable, just tell me. Can I get you some lemonade? Ice water?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“She should be drinking something continuously,” Hardy said, coming to his wife’s side. “She’s dehydrated and retaining water.”

“At the same time?” I asked.

Haven smiled ruefully. “Apparently so. Who knew it was possible? We just came from my weekly checkup.” She leaned against Hardy, and her smile widened. “We also found out that we’re having a girl.”

Luke received this announcement with a look of disgust. “Awwww…”

Amid the general congratulations, I heard a familiar deep voice. “That’s good news – we need more girls in the family.” My heart kicked into a faster pace as Joe entered the room, lean and athletic in a pair of board shorts and a blue T-shirt.

He went straight to Haven, gathering her in a careful hug. Keeping her at his side, he reached out to shake Hardy’s hand. “Let’s just hope she has her mama’s looks.”

Hardy chuckled. “No one’s hoping for that more than me.” They prolonged the handshake for a couple of extra seconds, in the way of good friends.

Joe looked down at Haven affectionately. “How are you, sis?”

She looked up at him with chagrin. “When I’m not throwing up, I’m starving. I have aches and pains, mood swings and hair loss, and this past week I sent poor Hardy out for chicken nuggets at least a half-dozen times. Other than that, I’m great.”