“Are people staying on even though you’re not in some exotic place?”
“Staying,” he said, “and growing.”
She smiled, delighted. “That’s great!”
He nodded. “And don’t sell Blue Hollow Falls short. This is a slice of life most don’t see, so it’s just as unique and interesting as some exotic setting. With the history of the place, with the mill, and the greenhouse—I’m so glad Bailey mentioned that—the lake and wilderness area. It’s all right in the same pocket.” His smile was a bit sheepish. “I guess I wasn’t giving my homeland enough credit all these years.”
“Well, your homeland is happy to have you back and showing it off a bit.”
He pulled her close again. “I might have kind of sort of let Reed Planet know that I might be kind of sort of more than friends with a certain someone who introduced me to this mountain paradise.”
“You did?” Chey said, with mock disdain. “Who is she and where can I find her?”
Wyatt kissed her again, more softly this time, but more intently, then held her gaze when he lifted his head. “Right here.”
Chey smiled, and he saw all the things he wanted to see, all the things he was feeling himself, in those beautiful brown eyes.
“I’ve never once mentioned anyone in my life, other than my crew. So folks are going to be a little curious.” He made a “wee bit” motion with his finger and thumb.
Chey frowned. “Wait, are you saying you want me to be on—”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. I just thought you should know. Speculation will be rampant.” He grinned. “Fortunately, it’s not like they’re all here.”
She gestured to the crowd. “Oh, I’d say the population on your planet has grown substantially today.”
He laughed, then tugged her back into his arms. “Yeah, but they already know who that special someone is.” He leaned in and whispered, “I recall someone going full on PDA with me at a breakfast meeting earlier this week.”
“Right,” she said, with a soft smile. “That.”
“Gosh, you two are as ridiculously adorable as Bailey said you’d be,” came a voice with a distinct Irish lilt just behind them. “And I hate to interrupt, truly I do, but I’m quite late and want to make sure we’re all set up.”
Wyatt and Chey turned to find Pippa MacMillan—now Pippa Brogan, Seth’s newly wedded wife, standing behind them. Bailey and Jake had ducked backstage again as well and were walking up behind her.
Pippa placed her hands over her flat abdomen. “I’m afraid the mornings haven’t been too kind to me of late.”
Chey looked from Pippa’s hands to her face, her own lighting up. “Are you saying you’re—?”
Pippa’s face split in a wide grin as she nodded. “I am,” she said, then hurried to add, “but you can’t tell anyone.”
Chey hopped over and gave her a delicate but sincere hug. Wyatt was happy for Pippa and Seth, and happier still to see Chey turning in to a hugger before his very eyes.
“Seth and I want to wait until I’m a bit further along before we make a big to-do of it. That’s why I couldn’t make the meeting earlier this week. Mornings are a beast, I’m afraid. So sorry. But I’m happy I can contribute today.” She lifted the fiddle she held in one hand.
“I knew it!” came a whisper behind Pippa, and she turned to see Jake, who was holding a mandolin and bow, and Bailey, who was looking smugly triumphant. Bailey stuck her hand in front of Jake’s face, palm up. “Pay up.”
“How did you even know?” Jake asked, still looking stunned. “How could you possibly know? Did you tell her?” he asked Pippa.
Pippa, delighted, shook her head.
“I breed animals for a living,” Bailey said, giving him a pitying look. “I know things.” She wiggled her fingers and Jake dug into the pocket of his jeans and fished out a five-dollar bill.
They both turned to Pippa. “I promise, not a word,” Bailey said, and made a zipping motion with her fingers over her lips.
“Your secret is safe with us,” Jake agreed.
Pippa just laughed. “I don’t know why I thought I could keep anything a secret in Blue Hollow Falls.”
Wyatt had spoken to Seth about maybe adding in a brief performance after the presentation, to build on what he’d hoped would be the positive vibes of the meeting at Lavender Blue. He’d talked with Pippa over the phone, but this was his first time meeting her. She was petite, with an infectious smile, but nothing about her personality was delicate. He’d liked her from their first conversation and had been so gratified to discover that since the breakfast meeting, she and Seth had been looking into the work he’d been doing. They’d asked if maybe they could put heads together to see if there was any way Pippa could help, either in the US or in the UK, with her fans.
It was exciting, first hearing from Grant Harper, and now a world-famous Irish folk singer jumping on board Reed Planet with her inestimable help. New opportunities would come from this, and it was invigorating to think about.
He felt Chey slide her hand into his and tried not to think about how he was going to make all these new opportunities work with his plan to keep this woman by his side, and also be by hers. That plan was still a work in progress.
He got a signal from Dom that Peli was coming to him and stepped back on stage to engage with the livestream and watch as Bryan and Grant finished up their presentation.
“Blue is the new green,” Wyatt told the camera. “Am I right?” Peli panned to the crowd as they cheered the conclusion of the presentation, then swung back to him. Wyatt crossed the stage and shook hands with Grant and Bryan, then took Vivi’s hand and knelt as he kissed the back of it, which sent everyone into a new round of cheers and applause.
The three waved as they exited the stage, with Grant heading over to Peli to talk with Reed Planet directly, something he’d asked Wyatt if he could do. “Hell yeah,” had been Wyatt’s response. Prompting Chey to pick up Dom’s empty coffee mug and proclaim it their temporary swear jar. Everyone had laughed and agreed they’d need something bigger than a mug.
Wyatt turned to the crowd while Grant worked his Hollywood magic with the Reed Planet followers. “So,” Wyatt said to the crowd, “what did you think?”
The cheering was loud and unified and left him with no doubt that the Blue Hollow Falls town council was going to have its hands full sticking to their Hammond-proposed deal. He’d thought about contacting Hammond, giving him a heads-up on what they were going to propose. Maybe they could all come to an agreement to work together and not even have to make the council pick a side. Vivi had dissuaded him from doing that, saying it would just give Hammond time to build his defenses.
It was impossible Hammond and the council wouldn’t hear about it anyway. Wyatt had filled an amphitheater to talk about it, for God’s sake. It was hardly a secret. Still, Addie Pearl had posted a few of the guild members at the entry points to the mill and music center, just so they’d have a heads-up if Hammond or any of the council had decided to show up at the festivities. Fortunately, that hadn’t happened.
“Now, before I head out to show off your beautiful mountain paradise to those few friends of mine I told you about earlier, I was thinking, you know, since we’re all out here enjoying this beautiful spring day together, sitting in an amphitheater that was built to showcase the music born in these hills, maybe we should celebrate that tradition.” He smiled. “And maybe music from a bit farther abroad as well. Like . . . Ireland?”
A hush had fallen over the crowd, then murmurs swelled in anticipation, finally bursting into thunderous applause as Pippa walked out on stage, waving her bow to the crowd. They clearly adored her. She was joined on stage by Jake, and Jake’s father, Will, along with a few other local musicians who played and taught classes at the mill.
Peli moved to cover the musical performance for the stream and Wyatt slipped off stage behind the curtain once more.
“I can’t believe you put all this together in les
s than a week,” Chey said, having to lean close so he could hear her above the music and the whole crowd singing along quite exuberantly with Pippa and Jake.
“Everyone wants this to work,” Wyatt said. “It really all fell together. I just played ringmaster.”
“You’re quite good at it.” She looked on stage at the musicians playing, then out to the spectators, all on their feet dancing and singing. Then to the mountains beyond. “It’s a really special place. I’m glad I can share it with you.”
He moved behind her and slid his arms around her waist, and they watched together. “Very special,” he murmured against her hair, and smiled as she settled back against him.
“Do you think this is going to work?” she asked, so quietly he almost didn’t hear her. He wondered if she’d meant to ask it out loud at all.
He didn’t know whether she meant their alternative plans for the resort, or whether she meant the two of them being together, so he answered both at the same time. “Yes,” he said. “This has too much going for it not to work. Might take some figuring out, but all things worth having are worth a bit of grit and ingenuity, don’t you think?”
She turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck. She searched his eyes and he thought maybe she was hoping he was talking about them, too.
He bent his head, kissed her, then whispered in her ear, “This is going to work, Cheyenne. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. If you want me, I’m all in.”
She shifted to look at him, her eyes full of so much want and need and hope, he spared a second to wonder if he could live up to all that. He knew he would die trying. “I want,” she said.
From behind them, Dom said, “Sorry, man,” and Wyatt turned, sliding his hand into Chey’s as she moved next to him. Dom smiled. “We’re going to have to come up with a new schedule if you two are going to do this together.”
Wyatt laughed and Chey blushed, but laughed, too. “I’m getting out of here now. I promise. I’ve got to get back to the farm. The guys are coming to work on the gift shop addition, and I’ve got to get them started. Vivi and Grant are driving Bryan to the airport, so I agreed to ferry Tory, Jake, and Bailey over to the lake for the big barbeque after you finish up streaming from there. Seth and Addie Pearl will get to the lake early, along with Hudson—a chef at the mill—to start grilling.” She looked at Dom. “So, you should have smooth sailing with your emcee here,” she said, then leaned closer to Dom and added, “We all know it’s really you running this gig.”
Dom, who was shorter than Chey by a good half foot, and a half dozen years younger as well, adopted a reverent expression. He pulled off his black beanie, then took her hand, leaned down and kissed the back of it. He looked to Wyatt, the hand clutching his beanie still over his heart. “See, I knew it, bro. She gets me. She totally gets me.”
Charmed, Chey laughed and Wyatt shook his head. “How easily they abandon me.”
“I’m pretty sure Dom here will come running the minute we actually need to have someone in front of the camera.” Chey nudged Wyatt. “Somebody has to put the Reed in Reed Planet.”
“Well, if you insist,” Wyatt said with an air of modest humility.
“Oh boy,” Chey said wryly, and kissed his cheek. Then she looked around and her smile was one of excitement. “One week till the town hall. Looks like we’ve got a running start. Thank you.” She looked at Dom. “Thank you all.”
Dom buffed his fingertips on his T-shirt, then nodded, put his phone to his ear, and mouthed “call me” before Wyatt pretended to boot him away. Chey was still laughing as she walked further backstage toward the rear exit.
Jon was signaling to Wyatt to come and post a few comments before the set was finished, but Dom put his hand on Wyatt’s arm as he turned. “Man, I don’t like to tell anyone his business, but don’t screw that up, you dig?” He nodded toward the exit door, which was just now closing behind Chey. When Dom looked back at Wyatt, all trace of teasing was gone, and in its place was the old-soul gaze that had led Wyatt to hire Dom in the first place.
The guy might be only partway into his second decade in life, but Wyatt was pretty sure this wasn’t Dom’s first go around on the planet. “I’m working on it.”
“Yeah, we’ll be happy to help with that,” Dom said. “I’ll talk to the crew, see who can relocate where. Whatever. Be happy. Okay? Otherwise, what are we doing this for?”
Wyatt was caught off guard by Dom’s serious declaration. “To make the world a better place?”
“Yeah, well, she makes your world a better place.”
Wyatt didn’t disagree. “You’ve been around her for like a half a minute.”
“Oh, dude,” Dom said, shaking his head with a pitying look. “We knew about five minutes after you got here. Before we’d even met her. Like, the first time you checked in. Seeing it in person is just confirmation, bro.” He nodded for Wyatt to get over to Jon. “They’re on the last song of the set,” he said.
Wyatt headed over to where Jon was set up, and Dom called out behind him, “We’re all entitled to make our world a better place, too, man. Don’t forget that.”
Chapter Thirteen
Chey turned onto the same access road back to the lake that she and Wyatt had taken what felt like a lifetime ago now. That fact was made even more surreal because it had only been one week since she’d come out here for the barbeque after witnessing Wyatt in full Reed Planet action.
Between then and now, the formerly rutted and potholed dirt road had been freshly graded, and now had a layer of gravel on top, making the drive in smooth and easy. The grass had been cut, and the fence bordering the nature center had been given a new coat of paint. All spearheaded and funded by Grant Harper and accomplished with a lot of volunteer hours from her friends and neighbors.
Chey knew the town council was not happy that the locals had taken it upon themselves to do the work, or that Grant had personally contacted the county clerk in charge of issuing the appropriate permits. It still hadn’t been exactly one hundred percent on the legit side of how things were done—they technically needed council approval for the upgrades—but they figured the council could hardly complain that all the improvements to the lake property they’d been neglecting for years had all been done for free. They hadn’t added anything new or changed anything.
Chey tried not to think about the fact that if the council had its way, all those improvements the townsfolk had slaved over would be moot, as the fencing and nature center would cease to exist, and the road she was on would be widened to four lanes and paved.
She was heading back toward the picnic area where the town hall meeting was to take place and was pleasantly surprised when she ended up having to park quite a distance away. The place was crammed with cars, trucks, and even a tractor or two. “Or ten,” she said, smiling and shaking her head. No doubt there were horses tied up somewhere as well, and maybe a golf cart, too. “Classic Blue Hollow Falls.” And she loved every part of it.
Everyone had come out for the town meeting, and she couldn’t be more thrilled about that. The council had thought they’d congregate at the lake as kind of a dual town meeting and groundbreaking ceremony. Vivi, Chey, and everyone else had been perfectly fine with that plan. What was up for grabs was exactly which project they’d be breaking the ground to build. What better place to decide than here?
Her smile widened when she spied the phalanx of news trucks and their big satellite dishes, parked way up close to where the impromptu stage and stands had been set up. Everything was coming together as they’d hoped. “Thank you, Reed Planet and Grant Harper,” she murmured. Their story had indeed gone viral.
The only hitch in their plans had come when Chey had been delayed back at the farm by a sudden and inexplicable power outage. She’d had to stay behind and sort that out and was mildly annoyed that she was late, but Wyatt, Vivi, Addie Pearl, and Grant were all already here, and they didn’t need her to get things started. Still, she didn’t want to miss any par
t of it.
She had to back up to find a place big enough to fit her dual-wheeled truck, but finally got it pulled in and parked. She slid out, plopped her hat on her head, and turned to close the door.
“We need to talk.”
Startled, both by the sudden intrusion and the menacing tone, Chey whirled around, having to put a hand to her hat to keep it from flying off. “Mr. Hammond,” she said, surprised, but putting a polite smile on her face while staring down the scowl on his. “Nice day for a town meeting, don’t you think?”
Hammond was a good bit taller than she was, about Vivi’s age, and ruggedly built, with tailor-made suit jackets that hid the beginnings of a paunch. His hair was silver and his eyes a hard blue. She wasn’t sure if his face was just built into a permanent scowl or if that was more of an indication of his nature.
He reached for her arm when she went to move past him, and she stepped back swiftly out of reach. So swiftly he looked momentarily surprised. Years spent barrel racing and dodging handsy cowboys still held her in good stead. “I beg your pardon,” she said.
He took a menacing step forward and she could see the sweat beading up on his forehead. “You’re going to be begging for more than that if you don’t pay close attention to what I have to say.”
Chey went very still. “You’re going to want to be very careful here, Mr. Hammond,” she said, standing her ground. Not that she had much choice, with the truck at her back, but she held his gaze openly and steadily. Something else she’d learned to do at a young age. Rodeo life was not for the naive or faint of heart, and innocence died early on.
“Your man is way back there at the staging grounds,” he said, and the smile, when it came, made her skin crawl. “He won’t be pulling one of his fancy rescue maneuvers today.”
“Oh, I won’t be needing one,” Chey said, not bothering to hide the edge in her tone. “Vivi wouldn’t have either if you’d behaved like a gentleman.” Her hand was already in her pocket, and she palmed the rather large pocketknife she always carried with her, as pretty much every farmer and rancher did, though not usually for personal protection. “Take a step back now and say your piece. I’m listening.” She held his gaze. “Unless of course you think you need to bully a defenseless woman just to make a point.”
Under a Firefly Moon Page 24