The First Kiss of Spring

by Emily March

“Good. Good. Boy, step over here. Don’t you look all dapper dressed up in a monkey suit.”

  “You’re looking fine yourself, Branch. I like the bow tie.”

  “Thank you. It’s my marryin’ and buryin’ suit. Getting more use with the latter than the former of late. I don’t like it.”

  “No sir.”

  “Now, enough chitchat. Did you escort a young lady to this shindig of ours?”

  “No sir.”

  “Good. I want you to meet a couple of pretty girls, relatives of ours on my late wife’s side. If you have a lick of sense you’ll cut one from the herd and show her a good time. Torie, take Josh over and introduce him to the McBride twins.”

  Josh knew better than to waste his time arguing with Branch, so he didn’t try. Torie introduced him to the twins and they spent a few minutes telling Branch Callahan stories. The conversation had moved on to Colorado ski resorts when the circle opened up and Caitlin, Devin Murphy, and Lori and Chase Timberlake joined the discussion. A few minutes later when Brick announced over the sound system that the buffet was open, Chase suggested they get in line. They moved forward as a group.

  Caitlin looped her arm through Devin’s. When she reached up and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, Josh’s lips twitched with a grin. She was teasing him.

  She’d done the same thing this morning when he was standing outside at the shop talking to a customer about an engine overhaul. She’d sat on the side porch at her Gingerbread House and twirled her hair around her finger while she slowly and lasciviously ate a banana.

  He plotted to fire back with a salvo of his own. After they made their way through the buffet line, he positioned himself so that he secured a seat catercorner to Caitlin at one of the rows of rectangular tables draped in white floor-length tablecloths and yellow runners. He glanced at her over a centerpiece made from white hydrangeas, yellow Gerbera daisies, greens, and little glass camping trailers. Caitlin had turned her attention to her meal and Devin Murphy’s tale about sharks off the coast of Australia. Josh made small talk with the McBride sisters as he enjoyed his dinner. The steaks were fabulous and the sides worthy of five stars. He’d waited until Caitlin had finished about half of her steak to kick off one of his dress shoes.

  Watching Caitlin from the corner of his eyes and praying that his aim was true, he stretched out his leg and trailed his foot up the bare calf of her leg. She startled and fumbled her fork. Josh smothered a smile and got a little bit friendlier with his foot.

  Caitlin’s voice was pitched a little high when she spoke to Devin Murphy. “So, Dev. Are you home to stay this time?”

  With the sound of his native Australia strong in his voice, Devin chewed his meat thoughtfully, then said, “Hadn’t planned on it. However, you could make both our families happy and marry me and tie my feet to Eternity Springs.”

  Through the years, Caitlin and Devin had been paired at many family events. The spark had never been there for either of them, though, but they liked each other, so they didn’t protest the subtle pushes made by the matchmaking moms. They’d agreed to be each other’s backup plan, should they reach the age of forty with no prospects and a desire to marry. Josh knew this because Devin himself had told him when he brought a four-wheeler in for work. With nothing else to do, the Aussie had hung around to watch.

  Caitlin blew Devin a kiss. “I’d consider it, but I haven’t found any tie-downs strong enough to work on your feet.”

  Beneath the table, Caitlin’s bare foot began tangling with Josh’s.

  Devin chewed his steak thoughtfully and nodded in agreement at the observation. His sister Lori smiled at the McBrides and added in a teasing tone, “You’d think he was from Kansas rather than Australia. Devin is Dorothy on steroids. It doesn’t take a tornado to blow him away. A little breeze will do it.”

  Caitlin’s gaze flew up to meet Josh’s, and he read the question in her eyes. Does talk about tornados bother you?

  Josh answered her with an almost imperceptible reassuring wink, then asked, “Do the women in your life always give you this kind of lip, Murphy?”

  “These two sure do,” he said.

  “If it were me, I’d give ’em some of that lip right back.” Josh lifted a forkful of lobster mac-and-cheese to his mouth and licked it like an ice cream cone. “Mmmm … mac-and-cheese is my favorite.”

  Caitlin’s gaze locked onto his fork. She didn’t notice the figure sauntering up the aisle behind her until Mac Timberlake’s hand landed on her shoulder. “Hello, everybody.”

  Josh’s foot fell back to the floor.

  “Dad, you’re back!” Caitlin said. “When did y’all get back?”

  At the same time, her brother asked, “How was the leaf peeping? Was it really any better in New England than it is here?”

  “What?” Mac said, apparently perplexed by the question.

  Now it was Chase’s turn to look perplexed. “Isn’t that where you’ve been? Or did I get your trips mixed up? You and Mom are gone so much it’s hard to keep up sometimes.”

  “Oh, yes. We got back late last night. We didn’t want to miss the wedding.”

  “So how was the color?” Caitlin asked.

  “Fine. Nice. It’s a beautiful part of the country.” His smile looked somewhat strained as he met his family members’ gazes in turn. “It looks like you three are through eating. If your friends will excuse you, I’d like you to join Ali and me. We want to introduce you to someone.”

  Caitlin glanced down at her plate where she’d crossed her knife and fork, then briefly met Josh’s gaze before she stood. “Sure.”

  Josh watched her trail after her brother and his wife with both amusement and consternation. Mac Timberlake didn’t like him any more now than he had the last time their paths had crossed—in the grocery store the day after Caitlin returned to New York. Mac had nodded, said a stiff hello, and continued to the produce section. Wonder how the return of her parents to Eternity Springs would affect their little affair.

  He still expected to look up one day to see Caitlin’s father’s fist headed toward his jaw.

  And I can’t say I’d really blame him.

  Josh returned his attention to the McBride twins and tuned into their conversation with Devin. When he next glanced up to scan the crowd, he’d lost sight of Caitlin, but the look in her father’s eyes stayed with him. Josh had never been one to back down from a challenge.

  Surreptitiously, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, double-thumbed a text, then entertained himself by imagining her reaction when she read it.

  This whole friend affair thing was kinda fun.

  Journal Entry

  My mother called me today to tell me she got married. I think this is the fourth time, although it could be the fifth.

  I phoned the Christophers after my mother called me. I wanted to tell them that I love them. They will celebrate their fortieth wedding anniversary this year.

  I guess some anniversaries are worth noting, after all.

  Chapter Ten

  Mac took Caitlin’s hand and led the way through the crowd of wedding guests toward the rose-covered arbor where her mother stood with Devin’s parents, Nic and Gabe Callahan, and a guy about Caitlin’s age wearing khaki slacks and a blue sports jacket. The young man’s face was animated as he gestured with his arms and told a story that had the other members of the group laughing.

  Mac placed his hand at the small of Caitlin’s back and steered her toward the gathering.

  Seeing her children, Ali’s expression lit up. “Hello, you three. I wondered where Mac had disappeared to.”

  “I caught a glimpse of them and knew you’d want to say hello.”

  “You look pretty, girls,” Ali said. “I love your dresses.”

  “Thanks, Ali,” Lori said.

  Caitlin kissed her mother’s cheek. “I like yours too, Mom.”

  Mac looked at the stranger in the sports coat and said, “Boone McBride, I’d like to introduce you to our son Chase a
nd his wife Lori, and our daughter Caitlin. Boone is an attorney—a prosecutor—from Fort Worth.”

  “Your kind of peeps,” Chase said, shaking the other man’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I suspect we might have had dinner with relatives of yours. They’re twins?”

  “My sisters,” Boone replied as he greeted first Lori and then Caitlin with handshakes.

  Lori said, “They said you and Brick are cousins.”

  “Distant cousins.” He shared an entertaining story of his first encounter with Branch Callahan, and Caitlin found herself laughing. While her brother replied with a Branch tale of his own, a faint ding sounded from the small handbag she carried.

  Caitlin wasn’t one to jump to attention at every sound her phone made, but she thought it strange that she would receive a text message right now. Everyone who usually texted her was at the wedding.

  She stepped a little behind Chase so her actions wouldn’t be obvious, slipped her hand into her purse, and found her phone. A quick glance caused her eyes to widen. She quickly shoved the cell back into her bag.

  Wow. Oh wow. She stifled a little embarrassed giggle. Phone foreplay.

  When she dragged her attention back to the conversation, Ali was explaining how she and Mac had met Boone and his father at one of Branch’s birthday parties in Texas. To Boone she said, “Your sisters weren’t there that day. You’ll have to introduce us before the wedding is over.”

  “I’ll do that,” Boone replied.

  Lori asked if this was his first visit to Eternity Springs, and conversation turned to a comparison of Fort Worth and Colorado Springs. Mac guided the conversation like the skilled attorney he was, and soon it sounded like an Eternity Springs sales pitch. When Mac brought up the fact that he intended to retire soon and needed a lawyer to take over his practice—news to both Caitlin and Chase—it was clear he dangled the possibility of an Eternity Springs–based job in front of Boone McBride.

  Caitlin wasn’t really surprised that her dad would want to officially retire. The practice had grown bigger and faster than he’d anticipated, and professional obligations had thrown a wrench into her parents’ travel plans more than once.

  But why was he chatting up Boone McBride about it? He’d met this guy once, five years ago, and he was ready to hand over his practice? And why was he talking about it here and now?

  Caitlin frowned as her father continued his pitch. “I was amazed at the amount of business a little town like Eternity Springs produced. The great thing is that for the most part, the matters are all low key. Leaves you plenty of time for outside interests. You said you like to ski?”

  “I do. You make it sound attractive, Mac. I love the outdoors, and I need a change from what I’ve been doing. The last few cases I prosecuted have wiped me out. When kids are involved … I see things I don’t want to be seeing.”

  At that point, Mac’s questions turned probing and more personal, and his comments subtly drew Caitlin into the conversation. Before she quite knew how it had happened, she’d shared how she’d recently decided to make a big career change and her reasons—beyond family—for choosing Eternity Springs for her new home.

  Other friends of the Timberlakes joined the group. Chase and Lori drifted away. Slowly, as Mac continued to guide the conversation with his queries and opinions, Caitlin began to get a clue.

  He’s trying to set me up.

  She stared at her father in amazement. It was the single biggest moment of Dad-weird in her entire life.

  Mac had always been protective of her. When she’d started dating in high school, he’d been a gruff old bear every time she brought a new boy around. During her college years, he’d only gotten worse, subtly campaigning against the two semi-serious boyfriends she’d introduced to him. More recently, he’d tolerated Doug. Caitlin had actually believed that Mac might eventually welcome Doug to the family gracefully. Of course, then Doug had dumped her, so she’d never tested the theory.

  But her dad had never, ever thrown a guy at her like he was throwing Boone McBride today. What the heck?

  Her phone dinged again, but she knew better than to check it. Her parents had been fierce disciplinarians where phone etiquette was concerned. She’d remember to her dying day her mortification when, after she’d checked her phone during an inappropriate time, her father had grabbed it from her hand and read the text stream aloud. All she needed was for her dad to get a glimpse of another X-rated text from Josh.

  She decided she had to fight fire with fire. She did her own bit of conversation-steering by asking if Boone was familiar with his cousin’s Eternity Springs business concerns.

  “The story of how his bride pushed that movie star into a creek at his high-dollar glamping resort is established family lore at this point. The Callahan brothers love to crow about that one.”

  “Have you had a chance to pay a visit to Stardance River Camp?” she asked.

  “No, I haven’t. I do want to see it.”

  “The tents are awesome, but the tree houses are spectacular. Have you seen the one they built here at the North Forty?”

  “No.”

  “It’s not nearly as big or extravagant as those at River Camp, but it is seriously cool. Brick says it’s one of his favorite places in Eternity Springs. I’d be happy to show you.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Caitlin turned to her father. “Dad? Will you excuse us?”

  Mac Timberlake beamed. “Of course. You two go on. I’ve been neglecting Alison as it is. Boone, you and I will talk some more about my practice another time.”

  “I’d like that, Mac.”

  They made small talk as they crossed the yard headed for the passage between Luke and Maddie Callahan’s home and that of Brick’s father, Mark, and his wife, Annabelle. The tree where the tree house had been built stood just beyond. Along the way, they were stopped numerous times. She introduced Boone to people from Eternity Springs. He introduced her to Texans.

  They reached the tree house only to discover that the ladder had been removed. Caitlin said, “That’s disappointing.”

  “Probably a liability issue to leave access to it with such a crowd around.”

  Spoken like a lawyer, Caitlin thought.

  “It does look pretty cool, though. I don’t know that I’ve seen a two-story tree house before. Bet the Callahan kids have a great time in it.”

  “Callahan kids of all ages, from what I hear.”

  One side of Boone’s mouth lifted in a crooked smile, and Caitlin silently observed that the good-looking gene bred true on the McBride side of the family. Abruptly, she said, “I’m sorry my dad acted so obvious back there. He’s not ordinarily like that. I don’t know what got into him. You don’t need to worry that I’ll start chasing you. It’s not my style.”

  She wasn’t chasing Josh, she was laying siege to his walls.

  Boone’s crooked smile turned into a full-fledged flirtatious grin. “Hey, I think it’s a good practice to keep fathers happy. Happy dads are less likely to come after me with a shotgun. And I’ve never minded being chased by a beautiful woman, so be my guest.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled at the compliment, but added, “I actually already have a man I’m … um … pursuing. My dad doesn’t like him.”

  “Aha! The plot thickens.”

  “Or something. I’m beginning to think this whole retirement thing is messing with his mind. Has he spoken to you prior to this about joining his practice?”

  “He floated the idea in general terms when we were on a hunting trip that Brick’s uncle Luke organized last year. To be honest, I didn’t think he was serious.”

  “The trip to Montana? Elk hunting? You were on that trip?”

  “Yes.” Boone pinned her with a look. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t consider it?”

  “No, not at all. Dad just hasn’t mentioned to me that he was thinking about retirement. I’m glad he’s considering it. I think it’s long overdue. And no matter how crazy he’s acting toward me
, I know he wouldn’t have broached the subject of retirement with you if he wasn’t serious about it.”

  At that point, a trumpet fanfare rang out from speakers that were part of the sound system covering the compound. “That sounds like a summons to me.” Boone gestured for Caitlin to precede him. “Shall we?”

  They emerged from the pathway between the two Callahan homes as Mark Callahan took the microphone on a raised stage where the music-loving family brought in bands for live music a few times a year.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, the Howe and Callahan families wish to welcome you to the North Forty as we celebrate the marriage of Liliana and Brick. We hope everyone enjoyed their meals. While the band sets up and the caterer clears away tables up here at the front to make room for dancing, we’re going to get the speech-saying part of the evening over with so I can enjoy the rest of the party. I hate speaking before a crowd, and boy, do we have a crowd! Thank you all for coming.”

  “Thanks for the steak!” someone called out.

  After a pause for the cheers and laughter to die down, Mark continued, “The waitstaff is coming through the crowd with champagne, so everybody grab one. Brick and Liliana, come sit in these two chairs we have on the stage so everyone can see you. Wedding party, y’all come on up here too.”

  Caitlin forgot all about Boone McBride as Josh Tarkington took the stage. On a stage filled with sexy men, he stood out from the crowd. It’s those eyes, she decided. And those high cheekbones. The man was movie-star handsome.

  Lili’s father made a speech and a toast, and then it was the best man’s turn. Paul Christopher made a brief but moving statement about his pride in the man that Brick had become. After he toasted the bride and groom, the maid of honor made her toast and brought many in the crowd near to tears with her mention of Patsy Schaefer keeping an eye on things from heaven.

  Caitlin sighed at the romance of the moment when Brick and Lili danced the first dance to “At Last.” Her heart gave a little twist watching the father-daughter dance, and the mother-son dance was one of the sweetest things she’d ever seen—Brick danced with Cindy Christopher, then Annabelle Callahan, followed by Torie, Maddie, and Nic Callahan. The man didn’t lack for mothers.