by Liz Isaacson
“For now,” she said. “I’ll text you if something changes.”
He nodded and went out into the freezing cold, though it was mildly warmer than before. The drive back to Dog Valley felt long and lonely, and Zach hated every minute of it.
He worked fast and furious the next morning, getting everything done around both farms as quickly as he could so he could once again drive to Coral Canyon to see his girlfriend. He whistled while he worked, his steps light and the tasks easy.
He knew why. Celia was why. He started thinking about her at the farm, waiting for him when he returned from his work with the animals. And in the summer and fall, she’d be there with cold lemonade and turkey sandwiches after he came in from the fields.
Slow down, cowboy, he told himself. He’d just kissed her. He hadn’t proposed.
Did he even want to propose?
If he wanted her living with him in the farmhouse, then yes, he did. A warm, peaceful feeling filled him, and he beamed up into the bright sun. Mother Nature was cooperating—and he had another date with Celia that night.
It felt to Zach that nothing could go wrong, and he paused for a moment outside the goat shed.
In moments like these, he wanted to give glory to God, so he tipped his head down, touching the brim of his hat as he said, “Thank you, Lord.” And since he’d lived fifty years on the Earth, he added, “And we don’t need to go introducing some bad things now, to make me question everything, okay?”
And while God was not in the business of making deals with Zach Zuckerman, Zach still said, “Okay,” anyway.
Chapter Thirteen
Celia gazed down at the beautiful baby in her arms, a few stolen minutes away from the kitchen exactly what she needed this afternoon. Meg needed a nap, and she’d gone upstairs to find a spare bedroom to take one. Eli had taken Avery and Stockton down the road to Graham’s and Laney’s place, and Beau and Lily had gone down to Vi’s house to take her some of the lunch Celia had made.
Silence pressed upon the lodge, and it was wonderful and cleansing. Celia had plenty to do in the kitchen still, from cleaning up after lunch to setting dinner in the oven. But she could hold this infant for a few more minutes.
Maybe forever.
The birth mother had chosen Eli and Meg suddenly and unexpectedly. But Amanda had arrived on the scene, and she’d taken Finn shopping for everything her son needed to bring the baby home while they’d driven to Butte to get him.
They’d named him Isaiah, and the old-fashioned name seemed to suit him just fine. He gurgled and groaned in her arms, and Celia shushed him while she patted his bottom. He settled right back to sleep, everything about this six-day old baby absolutely perfect.
Of course, he wasn’t perfect, and the road ahead of him was long. His mother had been a drug addict, and while she’d cleaned up the last few months of her pregnancy, Isaiah still had some issues to deal with.
But for now, Celia rocked him, a nursery rhyme humming in the back of her throat. Her eyes drifted closed, and she thought about Zach. They obviously wouldn’t have any children together, but they could have grandchildren.
A family.
Celia loved her daughters, and they’d been all the family she’d needed—until very recently. She tasted Zach on her lips again, and it was so very exciting to be in a relationship with a man again.
He’d kissed her like he adored her, which felt a little strange to Celia. She’d been working and problem-solving on her own for so long. She did what she wanted, when she wanted. To loop someone else in, find time for them, and think about them before herself was new and exciting, but also a shift in her routine.
Her phone buzzed, and she hastened to pick it up before it woke Isaiah. Her daughter’s name sat on the screen, and she swiped her thumb across the device to answer the call.
“Reagan,” she whispered into the phone. “I’m holding a sleeping baby.”
“Wow, Mom,” her daughter said. “That’s amazing.”
“He is amazing.”
“Whose baby?”
“Eli Whittaker just adopted.”
“That’s so great.”
It was great, but Celia knew it wasn’t why her daughter had called. “What did you and Dale decide to do?”
“Ohio,” Reagan said, all the excitement in the world in those three syllables. “It’s a great company, and a good job, and he can start June first.”
“Oh, that’s sooner than you thought,” Celia said, bracing herself for Reagan to say something crazy. Something like she wanted to get married before they left for Ohio.
“I’ve been looking at dresses, Mom,” Reagan said, sending darts right through Celia’s heart.
“And you want to get married before you move.”
“I mean…yes.”
Of course she did. Celia smiled, because Reagan loved Dale, and Dale adored Reagan, and they wouldn’t want to be apart as this new chapter started in their lives.
“That’s two months, Reagan,” Celia said. “Are you going to come home to do it? Or do I need to start researching stuff in Cheyenne?”
“We’ll come up there,” she said. “I don’t care about the wedding, Mom. I just want it to be simple.”
“You’re not Ruth,” Celia said slowly. “But you do care about the wedding.”
Her daughter sighed, and Celia wished they were in the same room having this conversation. Sometimes so much was lost, even over the phone.
“Do you want a reception center?” Celia asked. “Or should we have it at the church?”
“I don’t know.”
“Reagan,” Celia said. “This isn’t my wedding.” She could plan it, sure. Buy the flowers and start sketching the cake design. But she didn’t want to be responsible for something her daughter wouldn’t like.
“Can I take a couple of days to think about it?”
“What have you been doing for the past few months?” Celia didn’t mean to sound so harsh. But Reagan had known she’d marry Dale for a long time now.
Reagan sighed. “Honestly, Mom, we don’t care. We just want to get married. I’d go to City Hall and do it, but you’re not here.”
“Don’t you dare do that,” Celia said, true fear pinning her heart against her ribcage. “It’s bad enough your dad—” She cut herself off, her lungs seizing at the thought that Brandon would not be there for his daughter’s wedding.
Of course he wouldn’t. She’d known that for a long, long time.
She cleared her throat. “Have you thought about who will walk you down the aisle?”
“Dale’s brother,” Reagan whispered. “Rushton said he’d do it.”
Celia nodded though her daughter wasn’t there to see it. “We could have the wedding at the lodge,” she said. “There’s a huge backyard here, and we could get tents and chairs and everything.” It would be so much nicer than Amanda’s wedding in the cramped living room.
“That’s fine, Mom. Those kinds of things I don’t care about.”
“What about the cake?”
“You’re making the cake.”
“Do you have a design in mind?” Celia watched Isaiah sleep, wishing she could grasp onto the peace she’d experienced only a few minutes ago.
“A design?”
“Yes, dear,” Celia said as patiently as she could. “Cakes have designs. Two tiers. Three. Four. Seven. Colors. Traditional. Flowers.”
“Oh, um….”
Celia laughed, the sound coming out before she could censor it. The baby in her arms squirmed again, his newborn eyes coming open for a moment. He scrunched up his face and wailed, and Celia held the phone to her ear with her shoulder so she could quiet him.
With Isaiah subdued and her laugher subsided, she said, “How about this? How about I put together some options and you choose?”
“That would be great, Mom.” Reagan’s relief came through the line loud and clear. “And you’re still coming to graduation, right?”
“Of course I am,” Celia said. �
�I would never miss my baby girl’s college graduation.”
“You can bring Zach.”
“Good,” Celia said. “Because I probably will.”
“Oh, so things are serious with him.” Reagan didn’t make it into a question.
“I would say…yes,” Celia said, thinking of the kisses they’d shared. She didn’t go around kissing everyone, but she also wasn’t sure she’d met her second soulmate already. Amanda had dated a lot of men before she and Finn had fallen in love and gotten married. Zach was Celia’s very first boyfriend in many years. Maybe she should be dating more people.
But the very idea made her recoil away from the thought of dating at all. She didn’t want to be juggling her job here as well as more than one man. She could barely keep up with Zach as it was.
“That’s so great, Mom,” Reagan said. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“I’ll talk to you soon,” she said as Isaiah started to cry again. “I’ll email you the cake designs.”
“Love you,” Reagan said over the wails, and Celia called the sentiment back before she hung up. She stood, bouncing Isaiah now.
“Oh, are you hungry? Are you?” She took the fussy baby into the kitchen and started preparing a bottle for him. As she worked and then settled back into the rocking recliner to feed Isaiah, she let herself think through several options for Reagan’s wedding. She’d put those together this afternoon and get them emailed off.
She needed to make a few phone calls, especially if they needed to book a venue, and she needed to remind Zach about the trip to Cheyenne for Reagan’s graduation. He’d meet Ruth then too, as she went to college at the University of Wyoming also.
Her heartbeat skittered through her, but she gazed down at Isaiah as he steadily sucked down his afternoon feeding, and all the peace and love she’d felt for him earlier returned.
“You’re just the best boy, aren’t you?” she whispered to him, taking the comfort in that moment, because she knew it wouldn’t last for long.
When her doorbell rang that night, Celia’s heartbeat fluttered in her chest. She glanced at the clock, confused, and then realized it was seven-thirty.
“Zach.” She hurried to stand, sending her chair scraping along the tile in her dining room. The table was covered with papers and notes, her laptop, and her half-eaten dinner. She’d been so engrossed in chatting with Reagan and coming up with plans and ideas, that she hadn’t even been able to finish the pasta casserole she’d made by the gallon.
She’d left half of it up at Whiskey Mountain Lodge, of course, where Graham and Beau would eat it, and the other half at Amanda’s house here in town, where Andrew, Amanda, and Eli would be grateful for the food.
“Hey,” she said, her voice breathless as she pulled open the door to find Zach standing there with a long, pink box in one hand and dozens of red roses in the other.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, his voice sexy and strong. His eyes glittered at her from underneath that delicious hat, and she didn’t step back when he entered the house. She did close the door behind him before she tipped up onto her toes and took his face in both of her hands.
He chuckled as she kissed him, his hands full so he couldn’t hold her properly. “Let me set this stuff down.”
“Oh, I’ll take those flowers,” she said. He handed them to her, and a rush of affection overcame her. She glanced at him, heat filling her from top to bottom. “You’re so thoughtful. I love roses.”
“I know,” he said. “You told me once before.”
And he’d remembered. She linked her arm through his and went into the kitchen with him. As she pulled a vase from the cupboard above the fridge, she said, “Reagan wants to get married before she and Dale move to Ohio.” She pulled the rubber band off the stems. “By June first.”
“Wow.”
“Two months,” Celia said. “We’ve been going back and forth on some plans.” She nodded toward the dining room table, where she could see the green stripe across the top of her chatbox, indicating her daughter had sent her a couple of new messages. “Are you still good to come to Cheyenne with me for her graduation?”
“Yep,” Zach said, coming around the island and sweeping one hand along her waist.
Shockwaves moved through Celia’s body, and she abandoned her flower arranging to kiss her boyfriend. She practically melted into him, no matter how much she told herself not to. He was strong, and tall, and handsome, and he seemed to know how to kiss her in such a way that made her feel desired.
Celia had been needed in the past. Of course she had. Her kids needed her. Graham Whittaker had needed her.
But Zach wanted her. She could feel it in his very touch, in the slow way he explored her mouth, hear it in the growl in the back of his throat.
By the time he pulled away, Celia felt lightheaded and weak, and she leaned against the counter to finish getting the roses in the vase. That done, she turned toward the treat he’d brought. “I’ve never had Crumb cookies before.”
“They’re fantastic,” he said. “And they were warm when I got them.” He opened the pink box to reveal four super-sized cookies inside. “I got the signature chocolate chip, of course.” He gazed down into the box like it was full of gold. “But the snickerdoodle are my favorite.” Picking one of those up, he took a bite. He tipped his hatted head back and groaned. “Oh, yeah.”
Celia laughed at him, glad something as simple as snickerdoodles could make him so happy. After all, she had a great snickerdoodle recipe, and she could make huge cookies too.
A cookie bar. The idea popped into her head, and she took her treat over to the dining room table. Reagan loved cookies too, and as she typed out the idea for the reception following the wedding, Celia was so grateful Zach had brought her the idea.
And the cookies.
And himself.
Fine, she was grateful for a whole lot about the cowboy who’d come over to sit by her. She grinned at him, and he grinned back, and all of her doubts about not dating enough disappeared.
Maybe she didn’t need to be Amanda and date a lot of different people. Maybe she’d be lucky enough to find her Prince Charming on her first try.
Chapter Fourteen
Zach folded another pair of slacks, careful to keep the crease exactly straight, and placed the pants in his suitcase. The past few weeks with Celia had only proven to him how isolated and lonely he’d become at Saltgrass Farm.
When she wasn’t there, he wished she was. When she was, the only thing he could feel was joy. He’d been in love before, but it had been a long time, and with only two months of dating under his belt, he still wanted to take things slow.
They’d spent a lot of time around at various places in Dog Valley, as well as several restaurants in Coral Canyon. She seemed to have an affinity for activities at the senior center, as well as taking him to every romantic comedy that came to the theater in town.
He didn’t mind either, because he got to see Celia. They were going to Cheyenne today. Their first road trip together, and Zach would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. As he zipped his suitcase closed, his heart skipped a beat. Maybe two.
He was driving, though the roads were clear now and the snow had been melting in earnest since April started. It was as if Mother Nature had flipped a switch and turned off the bad weather.
Zach had been enjoying the better weather, but everything on Saltgrass Farm seemed made of mud. He was glad he’d be away for a few days, and he’d helped Finn enough that he didn’t feel bad asking his best friend to feed his animals.
An alarm went off, and Zach flew into motion. “All right, guys,” he said to the dogs as he entered the living room. “Finn will be here in a few hours to take you back to his place. Be nice to his Labs, okay?”
He scrubbed Ginger and then Maple as they grinned their happy smiles at him. They sat on the bench looking out the back windows, their favorite spot as the sun warmed the day. Maple licked his hand, and Zach chuckled. “I have to go. Pick
ing up Celia soon.”
He put his suitcase in the back of his truck and headed out. The drive passed quickly, and when he pulled into Celia’s driveway, another pickup truck sat there. He parked beside the fancy, red vehicle, eyeing it suspiciously.
His nerves tripled, and he didn’t even know whose truck that was. “Probably Lennox,” he muttered to himself as he pulled to a complete stop. He walked and rang the doorbell and waited.
The door got yanked open, and indeed, Lennox stood there. “Hello,” he said, his eyes sliding down Zach’s body and back to his face. “Celia, there’s a man here for you.” A smile twitched against his lips, and he finally extended his hand toward Zach.
“Good to see you, Zach.”
“You too, Lennox.” Relief spread through Zach as he shook Celia’s brother’s hand.
“Don’t make him stand on the porch, Lenny.” Celia arrived, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She grinned at Zach. “Come on in, Zach.”
He entered, glad when Celia swept a kiss across his cheek right in front of her brother. “Mack’s here too,” she said. “I didn’t know they were stopping by, and they’re making me late.” She increased the volume of her voice with each word, hitting the T on “late” extra-hard as she glared at Lennox.
He only laughed, something Zach probably would’ve done if he’d had any sisters. Zach couldn’t help smiling, and he couldn’t imagine the scene if Celia came over to his farm while his brothers were there.
It was actually a nightmare that woke him up sometimes.
“And there’s Mack,” Celia said, indicating the kitchen where Mack was cutting a sandwich in half. “I hate to throw you to the wolves, but I’m not done packing yet.” She flashed him an apologetic look and hurried down the hall.
“Zach.” Mack left the knife on the counter, thankfully, and came around to shake Zach’s hand. “How are you?”
“Just fine,” Zach said, catching himself before he added a “sir” to the end of the sentence. After all, Mack wasn’t Celia’s father. “How’s your mother?”