Family Forever Read online

  Marissa’s gaze shifted to the tabletop, and why wouldn’t it, the way he just jumped all over his brother over a sandwich. But what she didn’t know was that his brother’s sheer laziness had worn on him over time, and he’d been working to break Aric of it. There was no room for being lazy, especially when living on a farm.

  He and Aric pulled up chairs and made their own lunches. Dylan looked at his baby brother who sat quietly on his chair. “What kind are you eating there, buddy.”

  “Bologna. Marissa made it for me,” he said with a smile.

  “Well, that was nice of her, wasn’t it?”

  He nodded and took another bite.

  After lunch, the boys tended to their business. Marissa offered to help Braden with finishing the laundry and making the beds. Maybe the kid made a good impression after all.

  Dylan decided to hop in the shower to rid himself of the barn smell and then go to the den where he'd do some bookwork, likely for most of the afternoon. After a quick rinse, he stepped out of the master bathroom and into his bedroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

  Marissa looked up from the bed she was making with Braden, gasped, and turned whiter than the sheets she was tucking under his mattress. He hadn’t expected to find anyone in his room, and judging from the surprised look in her eyes, she hadn't expected him to walk out of the bathroom wearing just a towel.

  Her gaze flew away from him. “Sorry,” she muttered before rushing out of the room so fast the breeze in her wake chilled him. He nearly laughed out loud.

  * * * *

  Marissa didn’t stop until she reached the half bath off the kitchen. She splashed her hot face with cool water. She’d never seen anything as glorious as Dylan Jacobs standing there nearly naked. Beads of water dripped off the ends of his thick, wavy dark hair onto his wide shoulders and broad chest. Her fingertips tingled at the thought of tracing those trickling paths as they skimmed down his torso. She closed her eyes and replayed the vision of scanning his lightly hair-dusted chest, following the thinning line of hair over his chiseled abs until it disappeared beneath the towel. The thought of what lie under that towel sent her mind into a tailspin. Sweat dampened her palms again, despite the cold water.

  Good Lord, how am I ever going to face him again? She must have looked like a complete fool, the way she rushed out of the bedroom, nearly tripping over her own feet. It’s not like she’d never seen a man’s chest before, but holy cow, his was something. And his tantalizing scent was to die for. It was just soap, but that clean fresh scent on him was arousing to say the least. Needing to regroup, she sat on the toilet seat and took another minute to calm her tense nerves before exiting the bathroom. With any luck, she wouldn’t see him for the remainder of the day. For now, at least, she could hide upstairs and clean the boys’ bathroom.

  After she finished with their bathroom, she was left with no choice but to go back downstairs. Dylan had told her earlier that the boys were responsible for cleaning their own rooms, though she did stray and help Braden make all the beds. When he looked at her with his big, sad puppy eyes she couldn't help but lend him a hand. He had her number already. She was a sucker. She had even helped him fold the clothes his brother told him to take care of earlier in the day.

  A knock sounded on the front door. She paused from wiping down the mirror in the bathroom off the kitchen. The knock sounded again before she heard what she assumed to be Dylan’s footsteps leaving the den, and walking through the living room. More footsteps sounded, on the steps opening into the living room. Sure Aric was still busy with his video games, it was probably Braden or Nate coming to see who it was, maybe even Luke.

  The jittery laugh of a woman carried into the kitchen where Marissa stood, peeking through the doorway to the living room, hoping to catch a glimpse of who was at the door. Luke stood at the bottom of the steps. His gaze fixed in the direction of the voices, a toy tractor gripped in his hands.

  “I’ll just set these in the kitchen for you,” the woman said.

  Marissa quickly scooted away from the doorway, around the table and busied herself by the sink, filling a bucket with water.

  Both the voices and footsteps grew louder. She spun to face everyone when they entered the kitchen. A thin woman with jet-black hair set two pies on the table.

  The woman’s curious, disapproving gaze raked over her before she swung her gaze to Dylan. “You hired a housekeeper?” Her tone was condescending.

  Being the daughter of the town drunk, Marissa was used to that tone, but it still stung.

  “I’ve told you before, I’d be happy to help you out,” the woman added.

  Dylan’s sympathetic gaze met hers only for the briefest moment before returning to the woman. “She’s not the housekeeper.”

  He looked like he was going to say more but stopped.

  The woman’s lips drew into a thin line, and her gaze zoned in on her again. Marissa squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. Who was this woman to judge her?

  Nate stepped forward and pointed at her as he looked at the lady. “Gayle, that’s Marissa. She lives on the next farm over.”

  Ahh, Gayle is her name, and who exactly is she?

  The unpleasant woman kept her piercing gaze on her as she reached over and touched Dylan’s arm as if marking her territory. Dylan pulled away so fast she would have sworn the woman’s touch was like a branding iron. Marissa nearly laughed. Serves her right.

  Gayle leaned toward Luke who stood two brothers away from Dylan. “Would you like a piece of cherry pie, Luke?”

  Before his name was fully out of her mouth the poor little boy dropped his toy tractor, darted away from her, and hid behind Marissa as he gripped her leg. Marissa reached down and placed her hand on his shoulder hoping to curb his fear. His grip loosened. The amused gazes on all the Jacobs brother's faces were unmistakable. She assumed their amusement came from their little brother sticking it to the supercilious woman, but then something changed in Dylan’s gaze as it shifted between his baby brother and her. It softened.

  Dylan looked at Gayle. “The boys shouldn’t have pie now, it’s too close to dinner. But please be sure to thank your mother for us, we enjoy her desserts immensely.”

  The woman lingered for a moment before heading to the door.

  “We really can’t have any now?” Nate asked.

  “I think you can wait until after dinner,” Dylan reiterated.

  Disappointment washed over both Nate and Braden's faces.

  “Hey guys, why don’t we go outside and toss the baseball around for a while, and get out of Marissa’s way so she can finish up,” Dylan suggested.

  The boys scattered, she assumed to go get their gloves.

  He glanced at his watch. “I’ll take you home at five o’clock.”

  She swung her gaze around the room. “I don’t think I’ll be done by then.”

  The corners of his mouth lifted into the most handsome smile she’d ever seen, and as for his dimples, her fingers itched to touch them.

  “That’s okay, you got far more done than I expected.”

  What exactly did he mean by that? Did he think she was incapable?

  “That didn’t come out right,” he quickly added. “What I meant was, it’s a big house, and there was a lot to do. Eight hours just wasn’t enough.”

  “I can come back and finish tomorrow. I am almost finished with what you wanted done.”

  “It’s okay, Marissa, you fulfilled your obligation.”

  Good Lord, she loved hearing the sound of her name rolling off his tongue in his deep, distinctive tone. She perched her hands on her hips. “I want to finish. You paid far more than you should have for eight hours. Please let me finish tomorrow?”

  Did she really just beg this man to let her clean his house? Was her life really that pathetic and lonely at home? It was. Though her dad was there, he wasn’t really there. Home to him was just a place to pass out and regroup for his next round of drinking. But this home, the J
acobs house was so full of life, so many of them, there could be no loneliness here.

  “Okay, I’ll pick you up around noon.”

  “Noon?” That seemed kind of late to get started.

  “Well, first we have church, then the boys have Sunday school, and then we typically visit our grandfather at the assisted living center, which gets us home about noon.”

  Church, Sunday school, and old folk’s home. This guy is a saint. Though this wasn’t really a surprise to her, she had heard plenty of good things about Dylan Jacobs, but now that she was seeing and hearing of it firsthand it seemed more true, and real.

  Chapter Three

  Marissa stared out the window waiting for Dylan to pick her up. It was nearly noon, and she’d been at it ten minutes already.

  Her dad’s snoring reverberated throughout the house from his recliner in the living room. That was as far as he made it when he returned home from his late night out. Though he probably wouldn’t notice she was gone, she taped a note to the refrigerator door, letting him know she would be at the neighbors’ if he needed her for any reason.

  Dylan pulled into the driveway, and she was out the door before the truck stopped moving. Aric slid out of the passenger side and let her in, just like the last time she rode with them all.

  “How’s your grandfather?” she asked, directing her question to Dylan.

  “He’s good.”

  “It’s so boring, going there. And it’s not like he even really knows what’s going on,” Aric added.

  Dylan shot him a sharp look. “I don’t want to hear that, and he does, too, know what’s going on. He just can’t communicate that well because of his stroke.”

  Aric rolled his eyes, Dylan’s jaw knotted. It was probably a good thing for Aric’s sake she was sitting between the two of them.

  They filed out of the truck, all except Luke. He was in a dead sleep. Dylan reached in and scooped the boy into his arms, carried him into the house and up the stairs. The young boy looked small and frail in the arms of the tall, muscular man carrying him effortlessly.

  The others ran upstairs as well, to change out of their church clothes, she supposed.

  She was dusting over the baseboards in the living room when she caught a glimpse of Dylan coming down the staircase.

  “I’m going to change, and then I’ll be in my office for a while if you need me for anything.”

  She nodded.

  * * * *

  Dylan filed some papers, and then logged in to his computer and called up his bank account. After reconciling his account, he updated his cash forecast. He knew he was freakish about it but he monitored the forecast on at least a weekly basis. Between the farm business and the amount of tuition he’d need for all his brothers, he watched every dime closely. Fortunately, his parents had some life insurance he was able to sock away for future use for his brothers. But nonetheless, he always felt stressed out about their financial future.

  He rubbed his throbbing temples. The financial component contributed only partially to his stress. The family aspect was the part that would be the death of him. He worried so much about his brothers he could hardly stand it. Cole being away at college wasn’t much of a problem, but he was kind of a free spirit, so Dylan tried to keep tabs on him from afar as to not infringe on his privacy. He remembered what it was like to be a young adult in college and wanting to be left alone to make decisions. It wasn't too hard to remember since it was only a couple of years ago for him. Aric seemed to hate him. Everything he did for him or said to him was evidently wrong. And Aric had become such a smart-mouth Dylan felt like he was always yelling at him, from the time he woke up in the morning to the time he went to bed at night. As for Braden and Nate, at thirteen and nine, they weren’t too much of a problem for him. Some bickering took place between the two but for the most part it was pretty harmless. Luke, the youngest, was his real worry. The boy was so timid and shy, and hardly ever strung two words together.

  Dylan rested his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his hands. What plagued him most of all was the fact the youngest two, and perhaps Braden who was only eleven when their parents died, would have no good recollection of their parents at all. He, Cole, and Aric knew the magnitude and reaped the benefit of the love of their mother and father, but the youngest ones would never know the greatness of it. All he could do was his best to love them and treat them like his parents treated him. But who was he kidding, it wasn’t the same.

  A faint knock on his office door drew his attention. He knew before looking up it would be Marissa because any one of the boys would have just barged into the room.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m about to start the vacuum and wanted to know if the noise would bother you and if you wanted me to shut this door?”

  “Go ahead, it won’t bother me. I’m used to working among a lot of noise,” he added, trying to lighten his own mood.

  “Okay.”

  She turned and then spun back to face him. “Are you all right?”

  Was he that transparent?

  Luke edged between Marissa and the doorway. “I’m hungry.”

  Saved by the five-year-old. He rose from his chair. “Well, let’s see if we can find you something to eat.”

  The second he walked into the kitchen he could tell the others had already raided the refrigerator for lunch. Crumbs lined the countertop by the fridge. Just once could they wipe up after themselves?

  He chatted with Luke as he ate. Okay, he did the talking but his brother did acknowledge him with nods.

  His cell phone rang. Will’s face popped up on the screen. “Hello.”

  “You’re the proud owner of a new heifer,” his farmhand informed him.

  “Great, everything go okay with the cow and calf?”

  “Yep, perfect, no problems this time, though I’m not surprised, this is her third go around.”

  “I’ll enter the data into the software.”

  A heifer was good news since he seemed to be struggling lately to keep his milking herd at full capacity. Just another thing he had to worry about. Though he was lucky in terms of farmhands, both Will and Thomas had worked for his dad for years so they knew what they were doing. And Juan, and the few part-timers he had, were coming along as well. Their knowing what they were doing in the barn allowed him to focus on the business side of things, and only help in the barn when needed. Additionally, Aric was now old enough to be a good help in both the barn and fieldwork, and within the next couple of years Braden would be on board as well, right about the time he would be losing Aric to college.

  The more he thought about it the more he realized the farming aspects of his responsibilities were the easy part, it was the parenting part, the important part, at which he seemed to struggle. Having someone like Marissa around to help with the household chores would certainly alleviate some of his stress. After going over his financials last night and earlier today, he thought maybe he could afford to pay her to help out on the weekends when she wasn’t in school. He could use the help and she could probably use the money.

  The vacuum stopped and Marissa bounded through the kitchen doorway. She reached down and touched Luke’s shoulder. “How’s your lunch?”

  It was a good sign and amazing the boy didn’t run off in fright, but rather, actually responded to her. “Good. Dylan makes good grilled cheeses.”

  She winked at the kid. “I bet he does.”

  Luke held his sandwich out to her and she took a bite.

  Hmm, he’s sharing his grilled cheese. Now he had two brothers in love with the neighbor. Who’d win her heart, Braden or Luke?

  Seeing as Marissa was the only outside person Luke wasn’t afraid of, perhaps she was the logical choice for a housekeeper.

  “Marissa, can I talk to you for a moment?”

  “Sure.”

  She pulled up a chair across the table from him.

  “Would you be interested in working here on the weekends, doing some housekeeping and hel
ping me with the boys? I’d pay you a fair wage.”

  Her eyes lit up. “A real job?”

  He nodded. She probably hadn’t been able to work a real regular job due to lack of support from her dad. Living in the country, with no reliable means of transportation, she had no way of getting to and from work.

  “What kind of hours are we talking?”

  “How about we start with something similar to what happened this weekend. Maybe Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. Sundays can be kind of hectic around here getting the boys ready for the school week and all. And sometimes on the weekends the boys have activities that pull me in too many directions at once that I could use help carting them around. You do have a driver’s license, right?”

  “Yes, but I don’t have a vehicle.”

  He already knew that. “You can use one of mine."

  "Okay."

  "Can you cook?”

  She nodded.

  “Great. I like to make Sunday dinners a nice sit-down family event like my parents used to, so perhaps you could be in charge of that?”

  “I’d love too.”

  “Do you need to check with your dad first, to make sure it is okay?”

  She shook her head. “It’ll be fine.” She shifted her gaze to the floor. “He wouldn’t notice anyhow.”

  Her statement nearly cracked his heart in half.

  * * * *

  Marissa followed Dylan down into the basement where he led her to the most enormous chest freezer she’d ever seen. He opened the lid and pointed out the sections of venison, beef, pork and poultry. Then he opened the door to a rather large food pantry full of not only store-bought canned goods, but also jars of home canned vegetables and meat as well. Label maker stickers identified the rows of goods. She’d never seen so much food in one place outside a grocery store.

  Reaching up, she touched a jar of canned carrots. “Who made all these?”

  “I did.”

  “You can vegetables, and pressure cook meat?”

  He arched a brow. “Yes. Why do you seem surprised by that? You don’t think I know my way around a kitchen?” The tinge of tease in his tone alleviated some of her fear that she’d inadvertently implied he was incapable of the canning process.