by Julia London
“I deserve a raise after this,” Linda Gail said pertly as she picked up her purse. “I haven’t slept a night since you’ve been gone, Wyatt, and I like my sleep.”
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Just where did you go fishing with Del Lago not two feet from your door?” she demanded.
“I’ll fill you in later.”
She frowned skeptically, but she walked to the door. “Are you coming to the office?”
“I’ll be there just as soon as I have a word with Macy.”
Linda Gail nodded and looked at Macy. The two women exchanged a look; Macy smiled gratefully at Linda Gail. “Thanks,” she said.
“No. Thank you,” Linda Gail said, and went out.
When she’d gone, Macy sagged against the couch. “You scared me to death, Wyatt. I thought something had happened. I’ve never been so frantic in my life.”
“For me?” he said, inordinately pleased. “I’m flattered. Where’s Farmer Finn?”
She frowned and turned her head toward the window. “He’s…he’s at home.”
“Do I detect trouble in cowboy paradise?”
Macy looked at him.
“Let me make this easy for you, Macy. I’ve come to my own decision. It took me a while to accept it, but I have. I don’t like it—it damn near killed me to admit it—but you belong with Finn. You really always did, and in a way I have always known it. I just had a hard time coming to grips with it because I love you so much. But then a hippie told me love is letting go, so—”
“A hippie?”
“Long story. Macy, listen—I’m sorry. I’m sorry I worried you, but I want you to know that everything is going to be all right.” Macy’s eyes narrowed with skepticism, and Wyatt couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t look so shocked. I’m really not a bad guy. In fact, I don’t even recognize the guy I’ve been the last few weeks.”
“Me either,” she said.
He smiled ruefully. “I’m okay now. I promise you I really am.”
“Are you? Are you really, Wyatt?”
“I’m still stung. And I’ll always love you. But I guess I do love you enough to let go.”
She blinked. Sat up and stared at him, waiting for the but. When none came, her features softened. “I think that is the best gift you have ever given me, Wyatt.”
“There’s something else,” he said. “Two Wishes. I can’t give back all of it because of some of the lien structures, but I’ve carved off most of it for Cowboy Bob’s animal kingdom. It’s my thanks to him for the sacrifice he made for us all.”
Macy gasped. “Are you kidding?”
“No.”
Affection and amazement shone in her eyes.
“But there’s a catch. Farmer Finn has to consent to letting people come have a look. Maybe have a petting zoo there for the kids. I think it will make a great addition to the resort.”
“My God, Wyatt…are you serious?”
He shrugged. “I should never have sold it. I guess I hoped he’d leave if I sold it. But…but I should have realized that he’s too much of a man to be pushed away by something like that.”
Macy stood up, pulling him along with her. She solemnly wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight. A moment later, she kissed his cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
“Yeah, well, don’t thank me too fast. I’m not letting you have Milo. I’m giving it all back but the dog,” he said.
Macy smiled warmly at him.
“As for the baby,” he said. “What about joint custody?”
“Absolutely. Wyatt…I love you,” she said, and hugged him again.
Wyatt smiled into her hair. Strangely, those words hurt, but they didn’t rip into his heart anymore.
42
Finn could see the cloud of dust rising up from the dirt road behind the oncoming car, but from where he stood in the field, he couldn’t make out the car. He’d finally convinced his father to let him clear some land so he could build the folks a new barn. After some arm-twisting, Luke and Brodie had promised to help him.
“Finn, seriously—you have got to get your own place,” Brodie had complained.
Just as soon as he had a little money of his own, Finn was going to do precisely that.
He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his brow. He pulled off his gloves and stuffed them into the back pocket of his jeans, then started walking up the road. He hoped it was his mother bringing him something to eat.
But as the vehicle rounded the corner, his apprehension ratcheted up—it was Macy. He hadn’t talked to her since he came back from New York a couple of days ago.
Macy’s car slid to a halt—the girl drove way too fast, but that was one of the things he loved about her. The Jeep bounced when she threw it into park, and she got out and marched around to the front of the hood without bothering to close the door.
He steeled himself, uncertain of her mood.
She put her hands on her hips and stared at him. She was wearing a summer dress and her hair was moving in the breeze. Her long legs were braced apart, almost as if she expected a physical fight. Actually, Finn could go for a little physical confrontation—damnation, but Macy just got sexier every time he saw her.
He reseated his hat and said, “Macy?”
She made a noise that sounded like a hiccup. “I love you, Finn.”
His heart instantly rose up, and he smiled. “I wondered how long it would be before I heard that again.”
“It’s over, Finn. Wyatt came home and he’s fine and you were right, he didn’t need me to worry about him. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I know I keep saying I am sorry for everything, but I am.”
“Macy,” Finn said as he leapt over the fence and walked toward her, “you don’t need to be so sorry.”
“I just want to be with you,” she said earnestly. “It’s really over with Wyatt and my conscience is clear and I…I just love you, Finn,” she said, clasping her hands together as if to restrain herself. “I love you. I really love you so much, and I want to be with you.”
“That is the sweetest music to these ears,” he said, and gathered her in his arms and kissed her. When he lifted his head, Macy told him about Wyatt and all that he’d said, about his extraordinary change of heart. Finn was shocked by the gift of his land. It was a tough thing Wyatt Clark had just done, and Finn’s respect for the man increased tenfold.
When Macy had finished telling him everything, he put his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. He felt more at peace than he had in years. He felt like he was finally, truly, home.
“There’s only one thing he won’t part with,” Macy said solemnly.
“What’s that?”
“Milo,” she said.
Finn thought about it a minute. Maybe his mother was right—maybe God did work a miracle for him. “I think Milo is in good hands.”
“So now what?” Macy asked.
“Well,” Finn said thoughtfully as he traced his finger from the hollow of her throat to the top of her blouse, “there are a lot of things we need to do, but I think the first order of business is to get working on the family we want to have.”
Macy grinned. “I think you’re going to have wait about seven months to do that.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Finn said, and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ve got to make hay, baby, and get in plenty of practice so we can hit the ground running once the baby is born.” Macy laughed; Finn kissed her laugh. He cupped her face with his hand, feeling her skin beneath his fingers, feeling her body pressed to his. This was right. This was where he was supposed to be. There was something incredibly heartening about holding his wife. She invoked all the familiar, urgent longings for her, but Finn also felt raw and powerful. He felt invincible. He believed there was nothing they couldn’t achieve together.
This was why he’d survived.
“I’m all for practicing,” she said when he
lifted his head, and touched her fingers to his lips. “I hope we have a truckload of kids,” she said. “You know what else? Cats. You never mention cats.”
“Cats?”
“Yes, cats! At the rescue ranch,” she said, and began to talk about the cruelties and indignities some cats were forced to endure and how they would be helped at their ranch.
Finn held Macy in his arms and listened as she talked about their future. He thought about the ranch. He thought about Macy and Wyatt, and the long winding path he’d taken to be standing here, right now, with the woman who had kept him going through some of the darkest days of his life.
Finn watched her eyes dancing with enthusiasm and wished it could always be like this—that he would always be this secure in his love for her, this hopeful of the future.
And then he wished Macy would stop talking so he could kiss her some more.
43
A couple of days after Project Lifeline’s big gala fund-raiser, Cathy, Reena, Anne, and Linda Gail met at Daisy’s Saddle-brew Coffee Shop and agreed that the event had been a smashing success. The live music had been top shelf, the dancing and casino tables the most fun, and the kid section really fabulous. Anne had heard they had raised an astonishing amount of money, especially because Finn Lockhart had been there.
“I guess you know I was right, Cathy. Having Finn Lockhart there was a huge draw,” Reena said with much superiority.
“He did a great job on the silent auction!” Anne said, sounding surprised. “I’d heard all these rumors about him being a nut job, but he was just a very handsome and poised man, if you ask me.”
“It was a good cause,” Reena said. “That brings out the best in everyone.”
Linda Gail suspected Reena was right—Finn Lockhart had been a last-minute substitute host for the silent auction when Rick Barnes had cancelled. Linda Gail had heard through the grapevine it had taken some doing to get Finn there because he was still having trouble in crowds, but in the end, he’d been a star and he’d seemed to enjoy himself.
“You can tell how much Finn and Macy love each other,” Anne said with a sigh. “Did you see them dancing and kissing? They only had eyes for each other, that’s for sure.”
Linda Gail had seen them, and she’d wished for a little of that magic for herself, but Davis was a hopeless dancer. Nonetheless, the Graebers were happy. Her kids had had their faces painted and Linda Gail and Davis had kicked butt at the casino tables, winning two huge stuffed bears and a George Foreman grill.
“Didn’t Wyatt go?” Cathy asked Linda Gail.
“Oh, no. He’s got so much work he can hardly keep his head above water.” That was her standard response these days. Wyatt had been a bit of a recluse lately and didn’t go to public events. Linda Gail worried about him, but Wyatt told her not to—actually, he commanded her not to, said he’d fire her if she asked him one more time how he was doing—so she didn’t ask. But she worried about him all the same. He tried to put a good face on it, but he wasn’t right yet.
“Speak of the devil,” said Cathy and nodded to the counter.
The Harper women had just come in—Jillian Harper, her daughters Emma and Macy, and her sister, Laru Friedenberg, who, Linda Gail couldn’t help noticing, was wearing a short denim skirt, red cowboy boots, and her hair in a long tail down her back. There was one other person with them—Karen Lockhart, which surprised Linda Gail. She had it on good authority there was no love lost between the Lockharts and the Harpers, especially after this big to-do.
“I guess you all heard Laru Friedenberg kicked Jesse Wheeler to the curb,” Cathy muttered.
“What?” Reena hissed. “She kicked him out? Has she looked at that man? I wouldn’t kick out Jesse even if he didn’t have enough brains to spit downwind.”
“Laru can get who she wants,” Cathy said. “But Jesse wasn’t ready for the big co-mit-ment,” she said, articulating the word.
“I heard it was the other way around,” Anne said. “Laru wouldn’t commit.”
All four women turned to look at Laru Friedenberg.
“Big baby shower next month, did you guys hear?” Linda Gail muttered behind her coffee.
“I bet that’s what they’re doing right now. They’re out shopping for baby stuff. Nothing can unite families like babies,” Cathy said with a happy sigh.
Cathy’s observation wasn’t too far from the truth. It had taken a few olive branches, but the Harpers and the Lockharts had found a stretch of common ground around Macy’s baby.
Finn and Macy had worked extra hard to find peace for everyone. Macy had made it a point to spend some time with Karen Lockhart, and as difficult as that was, she knew she was winning the war when Karen showed up at the apartment Macy shared with Finn with a sack full of things she’d knitted for the baby.
Surprisingly, Macy’s mother was a harder nut to crack, but Finn had charmed her into accepting him. He’d done it by doing some work around Jillian’s house over the course of several weekends. Slowly, Jillian began to warm up to him. She even began to like the idea of the rescue ranch.
As for Wyatt…Macy rarely saw or heard from him these days. She knew the resort was going up and heard around town that he was very much involved with it, but that was all she knew of him. Macy thought of him frequently and hoped he was getting on with his life.
“Macy, you’re up!” Emma said, moving to the side so that Macy could step to the counter.
Macy looked at Sam. “Mocha latte, please,” she said coolly.
Sam didn’t speak, but stepped to one side to prepare the drink. A few moments later, she set the coffee on the counter. “Four forty-nine.”
Macy handed her a five.
Sam hesitated. “Macy…I’ve done a lot of thinking, and I’m…I am so sorry. I don’t know what got into me, but I can’t tell you how very sorry—”
“Sorry is a stupid, empty word,” Macy said, using Sam’s own words. “May I have my coffee please?”
“Macy, look who’s here!” Laru called from behind her. Macy gladly glanced away from Sam’s stunned look and over her shoulder. She saw Linda Gail and her friends seated at a big square table. Linda Gail waved at Macy as Laru pulled up a chair. Mom and Emma were pulling a table over to join them.
“Be right there,” Macy said. She picked up the coffee Sam placed before her and walked away without another word to the table where the women of Cedar Springs had gathered.
Macy stole another look at Sam behind the counter as she took her seat. She seemed so out of place. And sad. As lonely as she’d seemed the first day Macy met her. She had no one to blame but herself to Macy’s way of thinking.
“Macy, boy or girl?” Reena asked, a pencil poised and ready to write in a little notebook, drawing her attention back to them.
“Honestly? I don’t want to know,” Macy announced.
“What?” her mother exclaimed. “You have to find out!”
As Macy and her mother argued about that, bets as to whether Macy’s baby would be a boy or a girl were being fiercely debated and wagered.
Some things in Cedar Springs never changed.
Reading Group Guide
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
Macy, the heroine of Summer of Two Wishes, is caught in an extraordinary situation—she is married to two men whom she loves. How is her love for Wyatt different from her love for Finn? What initially attracted her to Finn? What drew her to Wyatt? Which male character do you find most attractive?
Do you agree with Macy’s approach to resolving her dilemma?
Wyatt finds himself in a nearly impossible position when his wife’s first husband “returns from the dead.” Do you think he reacts reasonably? Does he deal with Finn fairly? What aspects of his behavior toward Macy do you approve or disapprove of?
Finn’s love for Macy helps him through some dark times in Afghanistan. How is that love challenged once he returns to the United States?
Sam and Macy refer to each other as best friends. Is Sam forthcoming
about her belief that Macy’s treatment of Finn “had turned something sour inside Samantha”? (116) How are Sam’s and Macy’s ways of coping with grief similar? How are they different? Can you empathize with Sam’s reaction to her friend’s extraordinary dilemma?
Both Macy and Finn have mothers with strong personalities. How is Jillian’s style of parenting different from that of Karen Lockhart? Is Jillian’s reliance on the law similar to or different from Karen’s belief in the power of religion? Do these women’s children share their values?
Macy’s aunt, Laru Friedenberg, is a powerful force in Macy’s life. Why is Laru considered a free spirit in Cedar Springs? How does her philosophy of life influence Macy?
Throughout Summer of Two Wishes, the citizens of Cedar Springs treat Finn as a hero. Does Finn regard himself as one? Does his self-image change during the course of the novel? How does the media attention affect his sense of self? Do you think Finn is a hero?
Do you think that Macy should forgive Samantha at the end of the novel? Why or why not?
What are Macy’s two wishes at the beginning of the novel? Have her wishes changed by the end of the novel? Do you believe that her most heartfelt two wishes have come true? Do you agree with the choice she makes between the two men she loves? Why or why not?
If you could have two wishes come true, what would they be?
ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB
For your book club meeting, why not prepare a meal of regional favorites the folks in Cedar Springs, Texas, might enjoy? A great bookclub dinner menu:
Chicken Enchiladas
Perdernales River Chili
Grilled Gulf Shrimp
Guacamole Salsa
Home grown tomatoes
Texas Sheet Cake
Sangria
Julia London’s favorite recipes for all of the above can be found on her website, www.julialondon.com, as well as some great links to Texas cooking.