Zach could see his mother getting attached again. Lucy fit into the family in a way Zach hadn’t expected. She was as comfortable with Leah and Ezra as she was with Moose and Mikki—always listening with that amazing smile of hers that showed her complete engagement in whatever they were saying—trivial or not. She was genuine and kind. But she wasn’t Carter’s type. Zach just couldn’t force himself to buy the truth of their relationship. Which was why he’d embarked on this mission. But so far, all he’d learned about her was that the residents of Harvest Ranch were either unfailingly loyal or she was a pretty great person even after first glance.
He’d checked out what seemed to be the town’s hangout spots and had consumed enough soda to keep him jittery for days. There wasn’t anything left but to return to the inn to join his family for the afternoon’s activities—whatever Moose and Mikki and his parents had decided upon.
He walked down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm sun and small-town stillness, but he couldn’t get his brain to quiet. He hadn’t been able to piece together enough clues from the townspeople to figure out where Lucy lived or what she liked to do most in her time off from work. It didn’t sound like she’d been traveling lately or dating anyone from out of town—that people were telling him, anyway. But when it came down to it, what exactly was it he was looking to learn about her?
Spending time with her in the concession stand, their easy conversation, her smiles that seemed to be more than friendly—that was what he wanted to explain. How could a woman who was engaged to marry his brother act like that—with anyone, but especially with her fiancé’s brother?
He entered the rotating door to the Cornucopia Inn’s lobby and caught sight of Kate sitting behind the check-in counter. She’d been the one to tell his family Lucy owned the Starlight, and the two had chatted like old friends. He’d see what he could glean from her.
“Hello, Mr. Hughes,” Kate greeted him as he stepped up to the counter. “What can I do for you today?”
“I just wanted to thank you for connecting my grandparents with Lucy yesterday. The drive-in was one of the things they’d most wanted to see in Harvest Ranch, and to get a personal tour with the owner was perfect.”
“Of course.” Kate beamed. She leaned forward, as if telling Zach a secret. “She enjoyed it too.” Her eyes flicked to the lobby door, and while it appeared she wanted to say more, she didn’t.
“What’s her story?” He tried to pose the question casually, hoping Kate wouldn’t be scared off by it.
She gave him a wary look.
“Is she dating anyone?” If Kate thought he was interested in Lucy, she might at least answer this question. Or it could backfire if Lucy really was engaged to Carter and Kate knew about it. He hadn’t thought that one all the way through.
“You asking about Luce?” One of the workers Zach had seen around the last couple of days had come inside from the courtyard area, a tool belt slung around his low-hanging jeans and a tight shirt over his belly. A house logo and David Daley Builders sat square in the middle of his puffed-out chest. “I know her. Like I know her, know her.” Insinuation dripped from his words. “We practically live together.”
Kate’s expression pinched as she looked between the two men, her mouth agape.
Zach, too, was taken by surprise and left speechless for a moment. “I, uh . . .” Apparently, he needed the man’s name if this was Carter’s competition. He stuck out his hand for the guy to shake. “Zachary Hughes.”
“JJ Roscoe.” He shook Zach’s hand quickly and then plucked at the neck of his shirt. “Construction.” He tipped his chin importantly toward the courtyard. “Working on the renovations.”
As if that weren’t obvious.
Kate’s frowned. “Actually—”
She stopped short when the subject of their earlier conversation emerged from the rotating door. Lucy’s hands were full with shopping bags, yet somehow, she’d also managed to fit a little shadow into the rotating compartment with her. Zach’s niece, Leah, followed her every move.
“—my favorite was the soap store. I’m going to smell pretty like a princess after my bath tonight.” Leah talked a mile a minute, as she usually did when she was contented.
Lucy’s smile was as bright as sunshine, and she appeared completely engaged in their conversation as she headed toward them at the check-in desk. “I liked the lavender scent best. What about you?”
Zach was so mesmerized by the sight, he almost forgot that Kate had been ready to contradict JJ—or at least offer some kind of important comment. Information that Zach desperately needed.
“The birthday cake, even though it’s not my birthday.” Leah gave the slightest flicker of a pout but smiled shyly up at Lucy. “Charlie says it’s the best.”
Leah’s voice had gone soft, admiring. Wait. Did she have a crush? He didn’t want to think about Leah being interested in boys. The protective uncle part of him rose up. Who was this Charlie character, and why did his five-year-old niece have stars in her eyes? Marnie stepped from the rotating door a second later, looking refreshed, relaxed, and happy—not in the least worried her little girl was acting not-so-little-girl-ish.
“Hello!” Lucy stepped up to where Kate, JJ, and Zach were, set down her bags, and rested a slender hip against the check-in counter. “You guys should have been there. Barbie from the hardware store was shopping at Mimi’s shop, Sudz, picking up some crazy things—” Her eyes went wide before she shook her head. “And Mimi’s nephew comes over and asks if he can help her. Barbie being Barbie was laying it on a little thick with Charlie, who didn’t know how to take her.” Lucy chuckled.
Was it Zach’s imagination, or did Lucy smile even bigger at him? He leaned on his end of the counter, taking in the scene since he really wasn’t sure what was going on. Apparently, he needed to know the people to grasp the hilarity of the situation. It didn’t matter. Lucy’s happiness had brought an extra light to the room.
“I’m sure he had no idea what hit him,” Kate responded.
“Sounds like a problem I wouldn’t mind having,” JJ said under his breath.
Lucy ignored him. “That’s when Leah went over and rescued him. It was so cute!”
“Hey now,” Marnie said, barely keeping back a laugh. She stepped between Lucy and Zach, obstructing his view. “I don’t know if we should encourage this.”
Zach wanted to ask Marnie to move but decided he didn’t want to give his sister anything to tease him about.
Marnie leaned her bags against the cabinet base and let out a loud sigh. “Thanks for carrying some of my bags for me, Lucy,” she said, somewhat breathless. “I’ll call Blake to come help me with these.”
“I can get them,” JJ offered. His eyes shot to Lucy in question. “If it’s okay with you, Luce— as a friend, of course.”
Lucy bestowed a quick half smile on JJ and waved a hand, granting permission.
“Oh, that’s not necessary—” Marnie waved her hands in protest.
“May I?” JJ looked to Marnie. “I’m going that way anyway. I need to get back to work.”
Zach was about to intervene, but Marnie nodded her consent.
“Thank you.” She gave a tentative smile. “We’re in cabin 7.” She ran her hand down the crown of Leah’s head before picking up her bags. “Should we go get Daddy and Ezra?”
JJ and Marnie exited the automatic doors with little Leah trailing behind. Zach wasn’t sure if the fact that JJ didn’t once even look Leah’s direction was comforting or upsetting.
“They’re fine,” Lucy said, watching Zach carefully. “JJ’s harmless. I promise.”
He smiled his thanks, relaxing, but unsure of his place now that Lucy and Kate had switched to topics he knew nothing about. Zach stood there, an outsider to close friends. He considered backing away or looking at his watch as if suddenly remembering an urgent appointment, but Lucy looked up at him, and he was voluntarily trapped.
“So you went shopping with Marnie?” he asked—his attem
pt to jump-start a conversation.
Lucy shook her head. “Nope. I just got off work and was lucky to run into them.” She smiled, chuckling to herself. “Marnie had so many bags, I thought I’d help. She’s great, by the way. Kind of like the sister I never had, you know? And Leah is just the cutest.”
Pride swelled in his chest. “Now who is this Charlie guy Leah was talking about, and should I be concerned?”
Lucy chuckled. “He’s the sweetest little boy—about six, I think. We ran into them in Sudz, where his aunt works.”
He’d gotten some of that, though he hadn’t made complete sense of the bits and pieces before.
She raised an eyebrow at Zach, and he realized he still wore a worried expression.
“He’s six, Zach,” she emphasized. “A great kid—” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, though he saw a flicker of a smile lift the corner of her lips. “—who probably thinks more about his bike, his dogs, and his football than he does girls.”
That helped. A little.
“Lucy!” Zach’s mom came bursting through the automatic doors, loud and enthusiastic enough to stop their conversation with those two syllables. She rushed over, the rest of the family close behind. “We were just about to go walk around town a little. Would you have time to show us Harvest Ranch from an insider’s perspective?”
Zach turned away from Lucy to glare at his mother, jaw set in a way he hoped she would get the hint. She was asking a lot of a stranger. Lucy probably had her afternoon planned, and they couldn’t steal it from her two days in a row.
“I’d love to,” Lucy said without even a hint of reservation. “Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go?” She looked at the entire group but then settled her gaze back on his mom.
“Whatever you’d like to show us, dear. What a treat it will be to be locals for the afternoon. I’m sure you know all the best places.”
Although he hadn’t rolled his eyes since middle school, Zach was severely tempted to resurrect the practice. Until he realized the opportunity for what it was—a chance to test Lucy. He counted to make sure everyone was there. “Ready?” He offered Lucy his elbow exaggeratedly, and she took it just as dramatically. At her touch, his heart took off at a sprint. It was both extremely invigorating and excessively aggravating. A few steps later, when they reached the door, they would have to separate since there wasn’t enough room for two at a time. Then he’d get a chance to regulate his heartbeat.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been somewhere with a revolving door,” Zach commented to her when they met again on the sidewalk.
“Huh.” Lucy looked contemplative. “I haven’t thought about how rare they are, since I’ve been through this one at least a couple of times a week since Kate took over.”
“They scare some people.” Zach was steering the conversation, and he hoped he wasn’t too obvious.
“I guess so.” She sounded wary, but he couldn’t blame her.
They watched the rest of their group make their way through, only waiting on two more.
“Does Carter take the elevator or the stairs?”
Lucy wrinkled her brow at him. “Stairs, if it’s not too many flights. He likes the exercise since he spends so much time seated on airplanes.”
She was right on. When Blake and Leah reached the sidewalk, Lucy started them toward town.
“Is he a Coke or Pepsi fan?” he asked.
“Dr. Pepper, like me,” she answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Sand or snow?” Zach fired back.
“Him or me?” she fired right back in the same tone.
“Carter.” Zach stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, and Lucy followed, staring right at him.
“Snow. He’s a big skier.”
Zach ran a hand through his hair without thinking and then shoved the offending hand into his pocket. He wouldn’t let her rattle him. “Does he prefer cats or dogs?”
She hesitated a moment. “Neither? He travels too much to have a pet.”
She wasn’t wrong. “You’re right, he doesn’t have one, but if he did, which would he choose?”
“One of each.” She cocked her head to the side and smirked at Zach.
“What is going on here?” Bill glared at his son.
His mother stepped between Zach and Lucy. “Why are you grilling her?” Despite the fact that she had to look up to him, she was as fierce as a protective mama bear, though for the wrong cub. Zach was her offspring, not Lucy.
“I don’t know,” Zach quipped back, allowing the angry feelings of betrayal at JJ’s allegations take over. “Ask her boyfriend.” He turned his glare on Lucy.
“That’s not fair,” his mother protested. “He’s not h—”
Zach shot her a look, stopping her. No one else in the family was supposed to know about Lucy and Carter until they decided to announce it, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try to make sense of what was going on between them.
“Boyfriend?” Lucy asked. Either she was a good actress, or she wasn’t sure who Zach was talking about.
“JJ.” He loomed over her, hands on his pockets, elbows out imposingly.
“JJ?” Lucy giggled.
Giggled? Was she laughing at Zach? The anger boiled hotter.
“JJ Roscoe?” she managed to ask through a smile.
“Mr. JJ Roscoe. He said you two are practically living together.”
She snorted a laugh. “Yeah. He’s certifiable.” She breathed out another sharp breath but didn’t laugh. “He thinks he’s the one who discovered four-leaf clovers.” She looked up to the heavens. “What he calls living together, I call sharing an apartment wall.”
Zach blinked, waiting for the punchline. Or at least an explanation.
She gave him a look asking if she really needed to spell out what she was saying. He answered with one saying that she did.
“He lives next door,” she said simply with a hint of amusement.
So she wasn’t dating JJ. Zach backed off the third degree. Short of asking one or the other of them point blank, he wasn’t going to discover if Lucy really was engaged to his brother. And after what had just happened, he couldn’t go back and just ask.
Unfortunately, quizzing her hadn’t actually proved anything. Yes, she’d gotten every question right, but he still wasn’t sure he could believe it. His head was convinced that she was his brother’s fiancée, but his heart didn’t want to admit it.
13
The radio station was awfully quiet. Lucy wasn’t sure she’d heard anyone come in or out since Hank had left for the day, but she’d been intent to pack in as much work as she could. With the cleanup coming quickly and her responsibilities stacking up, the more programs she could prerecord, the better. She’d gotten the next day’s show finished and answered the avalanche of unread emails that had come in while she’d been with the Hughes, but she was having difficulty keeping her mind on task anymore.
Running into Marnie and Leah earlier in the day had been a happy coincidence when Lucy had left work just before lunch. Taking the time to hang out with them had been a relief she’d didn’t realize she needed. She hadn’t indulged in the same level of retail therapy that Marnie had, but Lucy had come home with the Royal Jelly face cream she’d heard so much about from the Sticky & Sweet Honey Shop and a bit of her favorite sea salt caramel from Choco-Latte—an order, she noticed, that Presley did not mess up.
That her time with Marnie and Leah had turned into an outing with the entire family wasn’t a disappointment, either. Though what in the world was up with Zach and all the questions about Carter? The only thing she could figure was that he wanted to see how well Lucy knew Carter and what he’d be bringing to the cleanup. It wasn’t the first time someone had questioned her, thinking he wasn’t the right for Harvest Ranch. Since Zach only asked things that could be found either on the website or in recent interviews, it seemed a fairly safe assumption.
Once she passed Zach’s pop quiz on his brother
, Lucy had to admit she loved hanging out with Zach’s family—
Wait. Had she just referred to the Hughes family as Zach’s family? Shouldn’t she be thinking of them as Carter’s? He was the one she’d invited. He’d been the one she’d been so ecstatic about coming to Harvest Ranch that she could think of little else a week ago. He’d been the one she’d had the celebrity crush on. And yet, he was not the one who persisted in her thoughts now that she’d met him and his family. Curious.
The first thing they did, when they’d left the Cornucopia Inn, was track down the taco truck. Once they’d grabbed a quick lunch, she’d led them to Atwood Orchards so they could see where the next Fletcher Forsyth movie was filmed. She couldn’t think of much else they hadn’t already seen. After they’d returned to town, they’d splintered into groups, and she had said her goodbyes.
She’d headed back to the station to record announcements for the cleanup, and then spent the next few hours plugging them into the schedule for various times for the next two days. She’d just finished planning the music for Crew’s morning show and Hank’s evening drive for the next day when she received a text from Zach.
This is Zach. Hope you don’t mind Marnie gave me your number. Can we meet up? I have something for you.
As soon as she read his name, her heart plunked out a polka of joy. Whether he had something or not, she’d meet up. Especially now that she was done with work.
Down at WHHR on Main Street. I can meet you out front. Or should I meet you at CI lobby?
While You Were Speaking: Spring Flings and Engagement Rings Page 11