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Jesse’s lips twitched and Ashton realized his friend had got him again.
“Very funny. Now, what do you really want?”
“Your barn.”
Ashton scratched his head. “Is this another joke at my expense?”
“Not at all. I thought if I arranged the catering and decorating, we could hold the party here and Mac wouldn’t know about it. If we did it at my place, I’d have to tell her, and then she’d think of all kinds of reasons why it shouldn’t happen. She deserves a bit of fun with her family and friends, and I don’t want her sabotaging it by dreaming up excuses not to do it.”
“Hence my question about whether she likes surprises. Are you sure she’ll be okay with it?”
“Once she sees that everything is already in place and she doesn’t have to do anything, she’ll be fine. She’ll enjoy it,” Jesse said confidently.
“Well, if you say so …” Ashton looked around. “What would I need to do to have this place ready?”
“Are you saying yes?” Jesse sounded hopeful.
“Depends what I have to do.”
“Just have the barn empty and clean. I can bring over some hay bales if you don’t have any. We’ll use them for decorating and seating.”
“You don’t need to. I have some.”
“Even better. So, are you in?”
Ashton gave him a resigned look. “Okay. I’ll probably live to regret it, but yes.”
“Thanks, man.” Jesse grinned. “If nothing else, it will be an experience.”
Ashton gave a cursory glance in the hallway mirror as he passed by. His medium-brown hair was neatly combed, and his collar was straight. He knew his mother would take notice at the dinner table; she insisted on her sons being neat and tidy when they sat down. It had always been that way, and Ashton didn’t even give it a second thought.
His blue eyes wore a faraway look, and as he rubbed a hand over his face to check that he’d done a good job of shaving, he thought about the upcoming party in the barn. Jesse had called in the day before to say he’d hired a caterer and decorator. All he had to do was line up some entertainment and it was all organized. Ashton wondered what his parents would think of the idea.
He headed out to his truck to drive to the other side of the farm, where his parents had retired in a small cottage, leaving him to occupy the main house and run the farm. They rarely interfered, and Ashton was grateful that they’d allowed him the space to do things his way. He’d have to tell them about the party, of course, but they were unlikely to object. His brothers might, though. They had no qualms about interfering in each other’s business, and Ashton had learned to defend himself or ignore them with equal ease.
“Ashy,” his mom, Margie, greeted him a few minutes later as he walked into the kitchen, using the nickname he’d had since childhood. “We haven’t seen you all week.” She hugged him and then turned to call his father. “Reg, Ashton’s here.”
A moment later, his father appeared, hair neatly combed and still wet from the shower. Ashton grinned.
“Mom still has you trained for the dinner table, I see,” he said.
His father chuckled. “After all these years, it’s not worth arguing.”
There were voices at the front door, and Ashton’s eldest brother, James, entered with his two young children in tow. He was followed by his wife, Emma, who held their baby in her arms.
“Hi Mom, hi Dad,” James greeted them, hugging his mother. “Hi, Ashton.”
In the flurry of greetings that followed, Ashton’s other brothers arrived. Tyler and Ryan were younger than Ashton and were yet to settle down with families of their own. Of all the boys, Ashton had been the only one interested in farming, so he was the natural choice to take over the farm once his parents were ready to retire. Now, the family met every few weeks for dinner at Reg and Margie’s house to catch up on each other’s lives. It was generally a happy occasion with laughter, good-natured banter, and the occasional prank. There always seemed to be some form of friendly rivalry between the brothers, and it was often the source of a great deal of amusement.
“What’s been happening on the farm?” Tyler asked, sidling up to Ashton. “Have you found any beautiful girls to work for you yet?”
Ashton burst out laughing. “Not unless you count the new farmhand, Bill.”
“Bill?” Tyler sounded disappointed. “I hoped you might’ve hired one of those hot chicks that work on farms for the summer.”
“Sorry, little bro. You’re going to have to find your hot chicks somewhere else.”
“Oh, well.” Tyler grinned and ambled off to talk to James.
