Their home, he almost said aloud. In November, when she’d finally agreed to marry him, she’d put his name on the deed as a gift to him.

When he’d told her the gift was too much, she just laughed and said she was giving him her heart and that was much more valuable than an old house.

They married over Thanksgiving and spent their honeymoon at home. There was nowhere else either wanted to be.

His business was growing. He now had four unique houses in production, and Tuesday had talked him into knocking a wall out and incorporating the space from his bedroom into his office. His future house plans and designs lined the walls and he had to knock out a wall to enlarge the upstairs bedroom to be their room, not just hers.

Tuesday had been cooking for two days. She’d invited a long tableful of guests. When he told her there was no room for a Christmas tree in the dining room, she put it up as the table’s centerpiece.

The first to arrive were Deputy Pecos with his beautiful wife and their little girl. The child looked just like her mother except she had her father’s brown eyes.

The next to rush in from the cold were the Monroes, with a screaming newborn in Benjamin’s arms. His parents followed, both telling their son to hold the baby’s head.

The whole town claimed Benjamin’s mother might not have been a great mom, but she was a great grandmother. Benjamin’s father, who never talked much anyway, seemed to have given it up completely with a wife and a daughter-in-law around. He’d made one comment about getting his grandson a horse, and the objections were still being voiced.

When Tuesday asked Jenny if she’d heard about the results of her study, “The Chemistry of Mating,” Benjamin said simply, “We didn’t win the grand prize.”

Jenny winked at him. “Oh, yes we did.”

The last vehicle to pull up was a red Land Rover. No one was surprised when Hank swung Millie up in his arms and carried her to the porch. No one knew exactly what their relationship was. His Rover was parked outside her door a few weekends a month, and she flew out to meet him for a few days of skiing or mountain climbing or visiting museums.

As everyone hugged and laughed, Ketch put his arm around Tuesday and lifted her up to eye level, then turned to the crowd.

“Welcome all!” he shouted. “Welcome to our home.”

Ketch closed his eyes and breathed in the smells of Christmas. He’d found his home, not in a place, but in a person, and he owned a house he planned to live in the rest of his life.

Teaser chapter

Turn the page for a sneak peek at Sunday at the Sunflower Inn by Jodi Thomas!

Chapter 1

The Lost McCoy

Houston, Texas