Sunday night dinner at the Hayes family farm had been a tradition for as long as Matt could remember. Even as a teenager he had to make plans around dinner or invite whoever he was with to come along. His parents were pretty lenient when it came to most things, but his mother would never budge on Sunday night dinner.
The whole clan would be there except for Daisy and Cooper.
Cooper’s backpacking adventure was a mystery to Matt. Matt loved his youngest brother, but he didn’t understand him. Cooper was a nomad, never staying in one place for too long, always out looking for the next big journey. Matt only hoped that whatever Cooper was looking for he would find it. He missed his little brother. Missed having him around to go fishing together, hike through the mountains to Angel’s Den, and having him around to help with the farm.
All the siblings kicked in their time to help Mom and Dad manage Basil Hill Farms. It was made famous by their annual Fall Festival that started the last week of September and ran through the first week of November every year since Matt was seven. It was all hands on deck to get through the season.
Matt and Cooper used to plan the corn maze, spending hours coming up with a design before bringing it to their father who was the mastermind behind turning their idea into a reality. This year Matt would be doing it on his own unless Cooper decided to come home. Matt wasn’t going to hold his breath.
Hadley pulled up in the driveway beside him and Matt got out of the car to greet his second youngest sister. She slipped out of her beat up red S-10 pickup, and her latest foster dog, Bubbles—a pit bull/husky mix that Hadley called a pitsky—jumped out. He had a white face with a band of brown fur that started right at the edge of his head and went right into his ears, making it look like he was wearing a headband. His crystal blue eyes could easily make you drop a few scraps from the table.
Bubbles ran right to Matt who bent down to pet him.
“Hey Mattie,” Hadley said. The nickname would have bothered him coming from anyone else, but Hadley had been calling him that ever since she could talk and because of that, and that alone, she was the only one allowed to use it.
“Hey sis,” he said, standing up and wrapping her in a hug.
While all the other siblings had their own thing going on, Hadley devoted all of her time to helping their parents with the farm. She did everything from running the shop where they sold fresh cut vegetables, flowers, eggs, milk, and homemade pies to working in the fields and cleaning out the chicken coops.
A dirty blonde strand fell from Hadley’s bob, and she quickly pushed it back into place. “I heard Shay’s place got broken into. Is she okay?”
Word spread fast in their small town.
“She’s fine. Whoever it was just left a little mess, nothing too crazy.”
“Thank god. Do you have any idea who it could have been?”
Matt shook his head, wishing he had a better answer. “No, but I’m looking into it.”
“Good. That shop is Shay’s life. I’d hate to see the person responsible get away with it.”
“That makes two of us. Now come on. Let’s get in there before Mom sends out the search party.”
Hadley looked down at her watch. “Five after. I’m surprised she hasn’t already.” Hadley patted her leg. “Come on, Bubbles.” Bubbles, who was sniffing along the far-right side of the house, came running.
“Any interest in him yet?”
“There’s a couple in North Conway that are interested. They have a dog already, though, so they want to make sure they’ll get along. We’re trying to coordinate a meeting. Hopefully all will go well, and Bubbles will have a new home.”
“Won’t you be sad to see him go?” Matt didn’t know how his sister did it. Taking in dog after dog, sometimes months at a time, before saying goodbye never to see them again.
“It’s always a little sad, but then I think of the life they get to have they might not have been able to, and then I’m not sad anymore. Just happy.”
Bubbles led the way, running up the stairs and excitedly wagging his tail while he waited for them.
“What do you think Mason’s big news is?” Hadley asked.
“How do you know he has news?”
“Spoke to Kate this afternoon. Jealous you weren’t the first to find out?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You’re the one moping.”
“I’m not moping.”
“Sure, you’re not. So, any guesses?”
“Maybe he met someone.”
Hadley laughed. “Yeah sure. I swear my brothers are destined to be forever bachelors.”
“Like you should talk. At least we date.”
“I date.”
This time Matt laughed. “When?”
“It’s not my fault my brother is the Sheriff and scares off any guy who is remotely interested.”
“I did that once. Besides, you should be thanking me. Steve Radley is a loser. And if that’s not enough… ‘Hadley Radley?’ Come on. I did you a massive favor.”
“Fine, I’ll give it to you, but that’s not the point.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it isn’t!”
Matt held the door for his sister, and she rolled her eyes as she passed. He waited for Bubbles to go in before he followed.
The mouth-watering aroma of fresh sauce, basil, and garlic permeated the air, and Matt’s stomach growled in response.
He hadn’t eaten anything other than the blueberry scone Shay had given him earlier. He’d been running mainly on coffee.
“Is that my babies?” Carol Hayes called out from the kitchen.
“They’re in their thirties; they are not babies anymore,” Jonathon Hayes, the patriarch of the family, responded to his wife.
Matt walked into the kitchen as his mom swatted his father’s chest. “You shush. They will always be my babies. Now out of my kitchen.”
Matt gave a sympathetic look to his father as he left the room.
“Hi Mom,” Matt said as he stepped into her outstretched arms, making sure to avoid the wooden spoon she held in her right hand. He might be a thirty-five-year old man who carried a gun for a living, but that wooden spoon still gave him nightmares. Not that she ever actually hit him with it—hard—but the threat had always been enough to put the fear of God in him.
“Dinner smells delicious.” He went to stick his finger in the sauce, and she smacked his knuckles with the spoon.
“Matthew Jonathon Hayes, don’t you even think about it.”
“Come on, Mom. Just a taste.”
“You can wait to taste just like everyone else.”
He tilted his head, and his mom laughed. “Fine, but don’t tell your father.” She took a piece of Italian bread, dipped it in the sauce, and handed it over.
He gave her a kiss on her cheek and pulled back. “You’re the best.”
“I know,” she responded with a big smile. “Now go on inside. Mason and your father are tasting one of Mason’s new batches.
His mom didn’t have to tell him twice. Mason was a homebrewer and always brought samples for his family to taste. Matt was particularly fond of Mason’s coffee oatmeal stout. He could easily throw a few back when he was off duty, relaxing on his deck.
Matt walked into the oversized den that was just off the living room. Mason was pouring out a dark beer into small tasting glasses. Kate was lounged in the Lazy Boy in the corner, and Bubbles found a comfortable spot at her feet.
“What do we have today?” Matt asked as he entered the room.
“Hey son,” his dad said, walking over and giving him a proper greeting. “Mason here is letting us try a maple bacon porter.”
The flavor instantly reminded Matt of Shay’s famous cupcake, and he found himself biting back a smile as he thought of her. That was new—usually when he thought of her he got annoyed or angry.
“Sounds delicious,” Matt said as he gave Mason a pat on the back.
Mason handed him a small glass. “Hopefully it tastes as good as it sounds.”
Hadley came into the room and took a glass off the table. “Let’s find out.”
Unlike Kate, who preferred a nice red wine, Hadley loved a good beer.
“Here goes nothing,” Mason said, holding up his glass. The four of them clinked their glasses together then took a sip.
It was quiet for a moment while they let the liquid settle over their taste buds. Kate leaned forward on the chair, her eyes fixated on the group. She might not have liked beer, but she was always interested in everyone’s thoughts.
“Holy crap, that’s good,” Hadley finally said, and the slightest of smiles tugged at the corner of Mason’s mouth. If you blinked, you would have missed it.
“Nicely done, son,” Jonathon Hayes declared, patting Mason on the back then taking another sip. “I think this is your best so far.”
“I agree,” Matt added. “Really good. I like how the smoky bacon taste hits you on the back end and doesn’t overpower the beer.”
“That’s what I was going for.”
Matt nodded toward his brother. “So, what’s this big news I’ve been hearing about?” They tasted the beer, and now it was time to get down to business. He had waited long enough, and his patience was starting to wane. He hated when anyone in his family knew anything before he did. Hated even more when his family kept things from him.
“All in due time,” Mason said. “I’m waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to get here.”
“They should be here shortly,” Carol Hayes announced as she came to a stop by her husband’s side. She placed a plate of mini quiches on the table for them to snack on. Matt scooped up two before his siblings descended.
“They’re late,” Kate said, looking down at her watch.
Betty and Harold Hayes were always on time. Never a minute early or a minute late. It was as if they timed their arrival and waited by the clock until the hand of the clock landed on the hour before they knocked.
“Grandpa was fiddling with that old tractor,” Carol said with a sigh.
Hadley rolled her eyes. “He’s going to hurt himself.”
“No kidding,” her mother agreed. “But you know him. Stubborn as a mule.”
Stubborn as a mule was putting it lightly, Matt thought. Once his grandfather got something in his head there was no stopping him, and for some reason, his newest obsession was that damn tractor he bought off Charlie, the owner of Charlie’s Garage. He’d been tinkering with it, determined to get it working for the past two weeks.
“An unfortunate family trait,” Hadley said, popping a quiche in her mouth.
Matt rested his hand on his Mom’s shoulder. “I’ll stop by there sometime this week and take a look at it.”
She patted his hand. “Thank you, sweetie. I thought having three boys under the age of ten would do me in. That was a walk in the park compared to having an eighty-two-year old father who thinks he’s forty.”
“That’s because we were angels,” Mason said which garnered a loud round of laughs.
Kate got up from the chair and walked over to the table. “More like devils,” she said as she bent down and picked up the beer growler Mason had poured from. She admired the bottom then dragged her fingers around the loop of the handle. It was something she did with every piece of glass she came by.
Her mind was always set on work and her craft. Always admiring other’s craftsmanship, or pointing out imperfections.
Because of this Matt knew exactly what she was going to say next before she even said it.
“I could totally make this. It would be more of a custom piece and less generic looking. Do you think something like that would sell in my shop?”
“Definitely,” Mason said and went to continue when their grandparents arrived. Mason held his finger up to Kate. “Hold that thought.”
There was a flurry of hugs exchanged even though they’d seen each other at least once a week. Matt kissed his grandmother on the cheek, and she pulled back, shucking his chin. Her white hair was cut short, pixie like, and her blue eyes always had a sparkle to them.
Matt towered over her five feet and a few inches, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified of the old woman. She was as sweet as her favorite sweet potato pie, but she was also as tough as her homemade turkey jerky, still helping Matt’s parents on the farm, carrying bags of feed and cleaning up the chicken coop. She didn’t let age slow her down in the least, but unlike Grandpa, she knew her limits.
“You get better looking every time I see you,” she said.
“Thanks, Grandma.”
“Now tell me why a good-looking guy like you still hasn’t settled down?” For the past ten years, this was the topic of conversation whenever he was within earshot of his grandma. He loved her fiercely, but her obsession with his relationship status drove him a little crazy.
“Haven’t found the right girl,” Matt replied like he always did, quickly taking another sip from his glass and hoping she would for once let it go.
“Then you need to stop being so dang picky.”
Guessing not today, he thought to himself.
“There are plenty of lovely girls out there who would love a guy like you. My friend Judith, you remember her, right? The one with the lazy eye? Anyway, her niece is recently single and—”
“The one who just got arrested for indecent exposure?” his grandfather chimed in.
Betty waved her husband away. “She’s had some issues, but who hasn’t?”
“Mother,” Carol Hayes said, coming to her son’s rescue, “Matthew is perfectly capable or getting a date on his own. He doesn’t need you meddling into his affairs.”
“Clearly he does. Tell me, Matt, when was the last time you were laid?”
Matt choked on his beer, sending it right up his nose. His grandfather swatted him on the back, and for an eighty-two-year-old man, he still packed a lot of punch. Matt coughed then cleared his throat while his grandmother looked at him, waiting.
He stuttered, partly because he didn’t know how to respond, but mainly because even though he’d known his grandmother his whole life, he still was never prepared for her bluntness.
“Don’t answer that,” his mother said. “Mom, leave him alone.”
“I have six grandchildren all over the age of twenty-one. You would think one of them would want to give me great-grandchildren before I go six feet under.”
“We know, Mother. Now come on inside. Mason has some news to share.”
“Did you knock a girl up?” Betty’s face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July.
“If I knew that’s all I had to do to be the golden child I would have done it a long time ago,” Mason said with a smirk, and their mother swatted his shoulder.
“Don’t be smart.”
The group moved back into the living room and found spots to sit on the two couches and several chairs surrounding the fireplace.
Matt sat impatiently on the edge of the coffee table. “We’re all here. So, what is it?”
Mason ran a hand over his chin, a slight smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. He looked up at everyone the smile spreading farther than Matt ever thought possible. “I decided I’m going to open my own brewery.”
Kate sucked in an excited breath, and everyone joined in with their sentiments except for Matt. Before he got excited and offered his congratulations, he had questions.
“Where? How?” It was only a few of the questions Matt had for his brother, but he figured he’d start out with the basics.
“The old farm up on Maple Hill. I got it for a steal. It has plenty of room for all the tanks, bottling, and even a tasting room.”
“That doesn’t sound cheap,” Matt said.
Mason’s eyes darkened, the slight expression on his face fading. “Can you ever just be happy for me and let me worry about the rest?”
Matt was happy for him; he just couldn’t help but worry. Overhead costs alone had to be astronomical. Their parents and grandparents would offer him assistance without batting an eye, but Mason wasn’t the type to take handouts, even from family. He preferred to earn his own way. Matt was trying to protect him before he bit off more than he could chew.
“I’m thrilled,” Matt continued, needing his brother to know that before he said anything else. “This is exactly what you should be doing, but—”
“There’s always a ‘but.’”
“Have you thought about upkeep for the equipment? Having adequate parking for the tasting room? Obtaining a license? Making sure everything will be up to code?”
Mason held his hand up. “Way ahead of you, buddy. I’ve been planning this for a very long time, I just needed to find the right place. When the barn on Maple Hill went on the market I knew I had to have it. It was perfect. Everything I had always envisioned. If my word isn’t good enough for you, I have a thirty-five-page detailed plan including blueprints, an inspection, safety precautions, and anything else you may have questions about.” Mason’s eyes locked on his. There was a silent plea in his brother’s gaze, almost desperate for Matt to stop for a second and allow Mason this moment. “Can you give me some credit?”
Matt smiled then pulled his brother in for a celebratory hug. He still had questions, but Mason had always been a good kid and he deserved the spotlight for now. With a pat on Mason’s shoulder, Matt stepped back. “Sorry. You’re my little brother, and I’m just looking out for you, but I have to remember that you’re twenty-seven now and more than capable of looking out for yourself. Sometimes I forget.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“So, where’d you get the money?” Matt asked, because even though he was more than aware of Mason’s capabilities, he was still curious.
Mason laughed as if he didn’t expect any less. “Can’t help yourself, can you?”
“I’m just curious.”
“I took a loan from Grandpa.”
Matt was shocked. He couldn’t imagine what it took for Mason to pluck up the courage to ask for help. Clearly, the brewery was something he desperately wanted or he never would have.
“Your grandmother and I think it’s a great investment,” Harold said, resting a wrinkled hand on Betty’s shoulder. “Plus, I now get free beer for life and since I probably don’t have many years left in me, I’d say Mason made a great deal.”
“Don’t talk like that, Grandpa,” Hadley said. “You have many years left in you.”
He pointed to the ceiling with a devious smirk. “From your mouth to God’s ears.”
Matt finally stopped asking questions after Mason gave him the thirty-five-page detailed plan for review. He would read it over after he took a drive past Shay’s bakery and made sure everything was as it was supposed to be.