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Before long, Will came running toward his house at an even gait. He slowed and then walked the last little bit, eyeing Lee’s truck like it might turn into a viper and strike. Lee got out of his trusty, rusty truck then and nodded to his brother.
The sun shone low on the eastern horizon, with a patch of dawn shade here and there because of the hilly land. It was already hot, and Lee finished the last of his first cup of coffee.
“What are you doin’ here?” Will asked. He wore a pair of running shorts and nothing else. The man had muscles all up and down his body, and Lee could admit maybe he needed to get up an hour earlier and join his brother on the running trails.
“I have a question,” Lee asked. “A personal one.”
Everything about Will relaxed. “C’mon in. You can make my coffee while I shower.”
“Joy,” Lee said in a deadpan.
Will grinned at him and together, they started for the front door. “What’s on your mind? Things are still good with Rosalie?”
“They’re good,” Lee said, a bit too brightly and definitely with some falseness in there. “I’m just…I don’t see her very often. I want to do more.”
“You want to get serious,” Will said as he opened the door and went inside.
His relationship with Rose had always been very serious to him. He found himself nodding anyway. “Yeah,” he said. “Something like that.”
“Have you guys talked about serious?”
“No,” Lee said. Neither of them had brought up another marriage, merging their children into a single family unit, or having more kids. Lee wanted to, and he swallowed. His nerves about bringing up such serious topics had turned his throat to sand.
“What’s in your head?” Will asked. He started to wash his hands, and with his back turned, Lee could think for a minute without being on the spot.
When Will faced him again, wiping between each finger with a towel, Lee said, “I want to plan something fun for our four-month anniversary next week. Something more than a restaurant and whatever.”
Will nodded and tossed the towel on the stovetop. “All right.”
“You had that one date that was pretty amazing.”
Will’s eyebrows went up. “The one where my girlfriend’s shop caught on fire?”
Lee’s face heated. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
His brother blew out his breath. “I wouldn’t recommend replicating that one, Lee.” He smiled and held Lee’s gaze for a few long moments. “If you want to do more than dinner and flowers and all of that—you’re romantic, Lee. Don’t think you’re not—look on the community events board. That’s what I did. Find something goin’ on on the date you want, and take her to that.”
“The community events board.”
“Women just want to know you thought about them while planning the date.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Lee said. “I never stop thinking about Rose.” He swallowed again, because that was more emotion than Lee usually peeled back for Will, at least inside his romantic relationships.
“It means you’re not going to take her to a horse auction,” Will said with a smile. “Becauseshewouldn’t like that. You’re consideringherwhen making the plans. So if she likes gardens, you take her to the wildflower festival. If she likes…I don’t know. What does she like?”
Lee tilted his head. “I get it.”
“Do you? You didn’t answer the question.”
“I don’t have to tell you what Rose likes.” Lee turned away from his brother’s scrutiny. “Thanks, Will.”
“I don’t think you know what she likes,” Will teased as Lee strode toward the front door. Lee rolled his eyes and left his brother’s cabin while Will chuckled. He hadn’t started his coffee, thank goodness, because suddenly, Lee had a lot more work to do that day.
He needed to figure out what Rose liked best, then plan a date around that where he could be romantic—and then he could bring up the subject of marriage.
He swallowed at the mere thought of getting all fancied up and dressed in his tuxedo again. Of buying another diamond ring and getting down on one knee to ask her to be his wife. Of saying “I do,” and pledging himself to another woman as her husband. Rose had talked and talked about the farm and how much she liked it out here, but coming to visit for family dinners and to watch the fish in the stream for a few minutes was completely different than living here full-time.
Lee knew that, and he had to make sure Rose did too.
