The sun was going down as Elizabeth pulled into the driveway of a beautiful rustic home right on the edge of the hill. Sitting in the backseat of her hatchback were two sleeping boys. They'd run themselves ragged on their day out.

"Oh my goodness!" Elizabeth gushed as she and Jack stepped out of the car. "You grew up here?"

"Yup. See that field to the right? There's a path through there that leads to the orchard."

"Really? Do you walk it?"

"You could. Back in the old days, my great-grandfather, who built this place, used to get there by horse."

"That sounds so neat!"

"Yeah! We have pictures. You should ask Tom about them. They're in the house."

"I just might. How do you get back and forth now?"

"Typically you'd take a four-wheeler now. Depending on the time of year you can take a truck. If the ground is too soft and muddy you can forget about the truck though. It will get stuck." Jack laughed at a memory. "When Tom and I were teens, I had a red Jeep. I loved that thing. Dad said the ground was too soft but I didn't believe him so we drove the Jeep through the path."

"What happened?" She bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

Jack couldn't help but notice how adorable she looked right there. Especially with the sunset shining in red and yellow hues across her hair and face.

"Well, Dad was right. It was way too soft and I sort of flipped the Jeep."

"What! Were you okay?"

"Mostly. Tom twisted his ankle climbing out of the overturned Jeep. It was right before a big lacrosse game. Not sure he forgave me," Jack said with a grin.

"You're right," Tom laughed from the porch and came down towards the car. "I missed three games for that!"

Tom paused at the door and looked in on his sleeping boy. "How was he? Did he behave himself?"

"Very. Ryan was great too."

Jack laughed. "Funny, Thatcher."

"Well I try."

Tom couldn't help but grin at the chemistry flowing between his brother and Elizabeth. He'd been hoping Jack would meet someone and loosen up a bit. He deserved to be happy.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Tom asked Elizabeth. "Mom made spaghetti and meatballs, and lots of it."

"I don't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be. Mom would like to meet you anyway and talk about Eastman. Apparently she's gonna meet with the principal Monday."

"That's so nice of her to do that."

"Mom is all about serving others. And I think with Levi being deaf as well, she feels a connection to him already. So, do you want to stay?"

She looked back and forth between the brothers. "Sure."

Jack and Tom both lifted a sleeping boy out of the car and brought them in the house.

"I told Elizabeth that you could show her the pictures of Great Grandad," Jack told Tom as they laid the boys on the couch.

"Sure. Or you could show her."

"That's alright. I'm gonna see if Ma needs help in the kitchen."

Tom shook his head at his brother as he left the room. It was as if Jack was trying to push him and Elizabeth together. He hadn't been kidding when he told Jack that he wasn't looking for anyone just now. Megan still had his heart.

Elizabeth set the table according to Charlotte's directions and then the grownups decided to let the boys sleep while they ate.

"I love the painting by the door," Elizabeth told Charlotte. It was a watercolor of the orchard. Very detailed and yet abstract too.

"Thank you," Charlotte beamed. "Jack painted it."

"You paint?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "It was just a hobby. I haven't done it much since I came back home."

"From the army?"

"Yeah. Been busy I guess."

"Maybe it would help you sleep, Jack," Tom suggested. "Relax you, get your mind off things."

"Tom, let's not do this."

"I'm not doing anything. Just a suggestion."

"My home will never get done if I fill my evenings painting."

"You're building a house?" Elizabeth asked as she put half a meatball in her mouth.

"Yeah, it's a log cabin style home. Been working on it for awhile now."

"Is it here near the orchard?"

"It is. You know that path I was showing you? From here, if you make a left at the fork, head down the hill and there's my property."

"Oh okay. Not too far away at all," she smiled.

"Nope." Jack felt himself grin back. He couldn't help it, she was just so adorable when she smiled. Jack cleared his throat and tried to turn the discussion back to Tom. "Did you know Tom has a degree in business and agriculture?"

Elizabeth looked at Jack funny over his sudden topic shift and then turned her head towards Tom. "Did you always want to run the orchard then?"

"For the most part. I admired how my parents ran the business, so when Dad passed, it made sense for me to move into his spot."

The boys woke up and wandered into the room, both making the sign for hungry.

Charlotte told them to have a seat and she'd get them plates.

After dinner was finished Jack offered to assist Charlotte with the dishes, leaving Tom and Elizabeth with the boys who were building a huge Lego structure on the coffee table in the living room.

"Jack told me a little about your wife. I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Tom gave a mournful grin. "She would have been a great mom. I just know it."

They both sat and watched the boys play. Ryan tapped on the table to get Levi's attention. He'd built something he wanted to show off. Whatever it was, both boys thought it was hilarious and let out a loud laugh.

"I love it when he does that," Elizabeth smiled.

"Yeah, me too, with Ry," Tom grinned. "So what about you, Lizzie. What's your story?"

Elizabeth explained everything to Tom just as she had to Jack earlier that day. Tom nodded slowly, taking it all in.

"I never would have guessed," Tom said. "I mean, he really looks like you."

"My parents think the same thing, but nope, no shared DNA. Doesn't matter. I love him with all that I am. In every way that matters, he is my son."

"That's awesome. You're awesome."

Back in the kitchen, Jack looked over his shoulder at them sitting on the couch.

"You like her?" Charlotte asked with a smirk.

"What? I mean, sure. She seems nice. I think she and Tom could be something."

"Her and Tom?" Jack nodded. "Jack, he's not looking. Frankly, I'm not sure he's ready."

"It's been almost 7 years, Mom."

"Grief doesn't end just because you reach a certain time, son. When Tom is ready, he will know. It may take the right woman coming along but when it does, he'll know. Then he'll tell us and we can be happy for him."

"Sometimes people need a nudge."

"Like you?"

Jack stopped washing the plate in his hands and looked at his mom. "This isn't about me."

"It's not?" She placed the dish she was drying on the rack and faced her son. "You've been home almost 7 years and not once have you talked about your time on your last deployment."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Nor have you gone out on a single date in all that time."

"I haven't met anyone, okay?" He handed her the dish and kissed her cheek. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You gonna come to church?"

Jack smiled. His mom tried every week to get him to go to church. Not once since he'd be back had he taken her up on the offer.

"I'll see. Love you."

"Love you too, son."

Walking out into the living room, Jack saw Elizabeth throw her head back and laugh. Tom had apparently said something funny again. Her laugh was beautiful, it made his heart skip a beat everytime. Tom seemed to be good about bringing that melodic noise out of her. That was a good sign, he guessed.

"Hey, man!" Tom greeted him. "Have a seat."

"Nah, I should go."

"Do you have to?" Elizabeth asked. The redness in her face showed she hadn't meant for the words to come out of her mouth. Again, Jack felt his chest tighten. He needed to get out and away from her.

"Yeah. I think I should."

He knelt down and said goodnight to Ryan and Levi and then with a wave to Tom and Elizabeth he went out to his truck.

….

Monday morning rolled around and Jack was at the office early. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't get Elizabeth out of his mind. The day they'd spent at the museum was the first time in a long time Jack remembered feeling completely at peace.

The faster he could get Tom and Elizabeth together, the easier his life would be.

"Hey." Tom entered the office and hung his jacket up on the hooks by the door. "Where have you been?"

"Me? Nowhere. Just working on the house."

"We missed you Sunday. I figured if you didn't come to church you'd at least make it to dinner."

"Sorry."

"That's okay. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay." Tom went over and poured himself a cup of coffee. Leaning against the counter he said, "Lizzie and Levi came to church Sunday."

"Did they?"

"Yeah. I guess she'd been wanting to go for a while now. The first couple she tried weren't a good fit. I told her how ours has a large number of people who are deaf so she gave it a shot. I think she'll come again too."

"That's good. You two hitting it off well then?"

Tom narrowed his gaze. "She's just a friend, Jack. A friend who's son is quickly becoming my son's best friend. Which is awesome for both boys. Ryan's already asking for Levi to come for a sleepover."

"That's great! Ryan is pretty shy."

"I know it. Not with Levi though. Those two hit it right off."

"You sure you two aren't following suit there?" Jack asked.

"Unbelievable." Tom groaned. "Don't think for a minute that I didn't see you the way you looked at her."

"How'd I look at her?"

"Like you'd kill me if I ever got too close."

"What? No. She's sweet and a friend, you know?" What he really meant was mesmerizing, out of a dream gorgeous with a smile and laugh that was now permanently embedded in his brain. Suddenly he was lost in a daydream starring Elizabeth.

"Earth to Jack?" Jack snapped his head around from the window to face his brother. "Dude, where'd you go?"

"Nowhere. Just thinking about the day. Let's get to it. Just think about what I said, okay?"

"Sure," Tom grinned. "Just one more thing. You're telling me that if I asked Lizzie out, you'd be cool with it?"

"Yeah." Jack could barely get the words out. "You deserve to be happy, Tom."

"So do you."

"Come on," Jack rose from his chair and grabbed his clipboard. "Let's get this day going."

….

By lunch time that morning, Elizabeth was ready for the weekend. Too bad it was still only Monday. Levi had been up with nightmares the night before, the cause was unknown. Hopefully tonight would be better.

During her lunch, Elizabeth sat at her desk reading through the essays her 11th grade english class had just handed in that morning.

"Today is certainly a Monday!" Rosie LaVeaux said dramatically as she walked into the classroom, swinging her pink flowered lunch bag with her arm. "So far, two students forgot their instruments, 3 forgot their music and my 1st chair french horn dented the bell of his horn!"

"How'd he manage that?"

"We went out to the football field to practice marching for the parade next week and he sort of… ran into the bass drummer. It looked like a train wreck."

"Fun," Elizabeth laughed. "How was your date this weekend? Weren't you going out to see some new guy?"

"Yes. It was a nightmare, but ended brilliantly."

"Okay, that's going to need a bit more of an explanation."

"And I'll gladly give you one!" Rosie took out her hummus and veggie sandwich from her lunch and took a bite. "So I went to that fancy Italian restaurant, Russo's, to meet Kevin. I waited and I waited but he didn't show."

"You're kidding? He had been pursuing you for months!"

"Yes, he had!" she huffed. "So there I am, alone in a romantic Italian restaurant. Never have I felt so humiliated. But, just as I was about to leave and give up on men altogether, he entered."

"Kevin?"

"Gosh no! Leland Coulter."

"Who's Leland Coulter?"

"The man I never knew was in my dreams till now." Rosie looked like a starry eyed little girl as she spoke. "So handsome! And the owner and chef of Russo's. Apparently the place is named after his grandparents on his mother's side.

"He heard the waitstaff talking about how a woman had just been stood up and had one of them point her out," she pointed to herself.

"What did he do next?" Elizabeth felt as if she was sitting on the edge of her seat.

"He waltzes over and sits down. Tells me he's the owner and he just heard from his waitstaff that "some jerk" stood up the most beautiful woman in his restaurant."

"Did he really say that?" Elizabeth laughed.

"Yes! Then he said he was done for the night, and asked to take me out for dinner! He was so charismatic I said yes!"

"But you didn't know him! What if he was a serial killer?"

"Trust me! He wasn't, but just in case I drove my own car and we went to that BBQ joint in the city."

"The Dinosaur BBQ?"

"Yeah! I've never dressed so nice for BBQ in my life!"

"So… think you'll see him again?"

"We're going out on Friday!" Rosie was so giddy. "Now tell me about your weekend."

"It was good." Elizabeth nervously played with her hair. "Remember me telling you about the brothers I met at the apple orchard picking up Levi?"

"The Thornton brothers?"

"Yes. Well, we ran into them at the museum this weekend and we spent some time together."

"Which brother?" Rosie said bouncing.

"Both."

"Both! Look at you! Little miss 'I've got two men fighting for my attention!' And from what I hear the Thornton brothers are pretty gorgeous!"

"Whoa now, don't get ahead of me there. I never said they were fighting for my attention. Tom has a deaf son Levi's age and Jack… well Levi really seems to like Jack. He's the one that found Levi the day he got lost."

"So who's hotter?"

"Excuse me?"

"I haven't seen them yet, but the women in my book club all have their opinions."

"Your book club? Or your wine club?" Elizabeth teased.

"I still want an answer."

"You're relentless."

"Tis true, now stop stalling and answer."

"Fine." Elizabeth leaned back in her chair and thought. "Honestly, Jack is… sort of… mind-blowingly handsome."

Rosie squealed loudly.

"Don't go there. I can't figure him out. One moment he seems totally interested and the next, it's like he's trying to hook me up with Tom."

"And you think what of Tom?"

"He's sweet, adorable even. A really great dad to Ryan and I think he could be a good friend."

"But he doesn't get you all in a tizzy with just one glance?"

"No," she laughed. "Jack on the other hand…" Elizabeth sighed. "Why are we talking about this?"

"Because, my dear, it's been far too long since you and I have hard a real girly talk. You want my opinion?"

"Not particularly but I know you'll do it anyway."

"Very true," Rosie giggled. "I say go for it with the Thornton brothers. Don't rule out Tom. I hear Jack hasn't dated in years. No one knows why. Tom hasn't dated either since his wife died."

'I know. He loved her a great deal."

"Maybe he needs a beautiful Thatcher woman to help him open his heart up again."

That afternoon, Tom was sitting in the office when Charlotte came in with Ryan. She'd had her meeting at his school and offered to bring him home.

"Hi, Ryan," Tom said while signing as usual. "Good day?"

"It was okay. Can I have a snack and go play basketball?"

"Sure. Yogurt is in the fridge."

"Thank you!"

"How'd your meeting at Eastman go, Mom?"

"Great! I talked with the principal, Mrs. Sullivan and told her all about Levi and the incident here at the orchard. She's willing to enroll Levi starting next month!"

"That's fantastic! Have you told Lizzie?"

"Not yet. I'll call her later. I'll even invite her over for dinner so we can talk all about the transition." Charlotte poured herself a cup of coffee. Tom usually made another pot, decaf, in the afternoon. "You know, I think Lizzie would be perfect for Jack."

"You know how Jack feels about being setup, Mom, but I agree. She's great. I don't think he'll do anything about it, though."

"I'm afraid of that. He's so stubborn and I don't know why. Maybe he just needs a good strong shove forward, you know what I mean?"

"Oh I know exactly what you mean." As Tom turned back to his computer, an idea began to form.

That night after dinner and while Ryan was asleep, Tom drove over to Jack's to help him a little with the house. As usual, his truck made a ton of racket down the dirt road.

"Get a new truck," Jack sassed from the upstairs open window.

"Never. I love this thing."

"It's an eyesore."

"It's a classic!" Tom laughed. "You want help tonight or what?"

"Sure. Come on up. I'm putting up drywall and taping tonight."

"On second thought…." Tom teased.

"Get up here!" Jack laughed.

They worked in companionable silence for a good hour. They were like a well-oiled machine. They'd always worked well together. That's why their father had wanted them to work together to run the ranch one day. He got his wish, but not they way he expected, they were sure.

"That's great about Levi, huh?" Tom asked as he secured another piece of drywall in one of the upstairs rooms. "I think Eastman will be a perfect fit."

"Yeah. Mom said he'll even be in Ryan's class? That will help with the transition I'm sure."

"I know it. It will be good for them both. Ry can't wait till Friday. Mom invited them over for dinner and Ry wanted a sleepover."

Jack smiled. "I like Levi."

"And Lizzie? What do you think of her?"

After drilling in place a sheet of drywall, Jack placed the drill down and leaned against the wall. "I think… she's nice, and a great mom."

"And…"

"And I think she'll make a great friend. I've told you that. Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Just piecing stuff together," Tom grinned.

"I still, I think she's great for you."

Later, as their night was coming to a close, Tom could see there was no getting through to Jack, so he decided to up the stakes. "Maybe you're right. Never know unless I try?"

"Right. Wait, what?" Jack's head snapped around.

"I'll ask her out. That's what you want me to do, isnt it?"

"Right, yes." Jack's speech was soft, and drawn out. "If… you want to, that is.."

"Sure." Tom smiled. "See you later, bro."

"See ya, Tom."

As Tom climbed into his truck, he hoped his little stunt was lighting a fire in his big brother's heart.

Just before closing the door, he added, "Oh and, Jack, I'll give you till tomorrow to change your mind.

Under his breath Jack mumbled, "I can't."

….

The mission was simple. Go in, capture or kill all enemies in the vicinity. These weren't just your average bad guys. These men had been terrorizing local villages. They had a long list of wounded and casualties of American soldiers on their heads not to mention hundreds of civilians. It was time to put a stop to this before they had any more power and influence in the area.

"Phillips, Miller, Greer too, around on the Southside. Jameson, Morgan you're with me. Luther go with Martin and get the highground. Get ready if we need snipers. We'll go in on your cue. Now move!"

From the roof of the next building, Jack's men watched.

"I got eyes on them now," Miller said over the radio. "Looks like the leader, his second in command and 5 officers."

"That's the whole top ring," commented Jack. "Alright. This is it. Go big or go home!"

They kicked in the door moved into the room. Flashes of light and gunfire surrounded them then…

Jack shot up from his position on the couch. "Greer! Jameson!"

With a racing heart, Jack walked outside, letting the cool fall air hit him.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like that," he breathed deep and looked up to the heavens. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."