by Emmy Eugene
The door that led into the garage opened, and a wall of noise entered the homestead. Thunder quieted, but Winner still barked like she’d seen a ghost and the whole town needed to know about it.
“Shush,” he told her as he looked into the kitchen. His brothers definitely had more energy than him, but he got up and went to join them.
“So?” He opened the fridge and pulled out sweet tea. “Who’s going to start?”
A moment of silence fell on them, and then they exploded again, all of them talking at once. Seth laughed, because it was so like them to act like this. Growing up had been an exercise in survival-of-the-fittest. Whoever had the longest reach was the best fed. Whoever had the loudest voice got his way. No wonder Rex was as animated as he was. As the youngest, he’d had to fight the hardest.
“Boys, boys,” he said. “Let’s sit down.” He grabbed the candy bowl they used for their card games and took it to the table. Travis followed him the closest, sitting with a loud sigh. “No luck tonight?” Seth asked.
“It was actually fun,” Travis said. “I got a couple of numbers.”
“Yeah, now he’s just got to figure out how to dial,” Griffin teased. Travis didn’t argue, and Seth knew how hard it was to call a woman. Especially when he had to think about the past—and Travis hadn’t had the greatest luck with women.
“What about you, Russ?” Seth asked. “Did you meet anyone?”
“He disappeared after the first round,” Rex said, hooting. Russ’s face turned red, but he also didn’t dispute what his brother had said.
“You disappeared?” Seth asked, focusing only on Russ. “So you liked her?”
“Tell ‘im who it was,” Griffin said, and Seth realized his two younger brothers were definitely the ones making the most noise. They probably saw the whole thing as a joke, because they hadn’t had the same experiences with women as Travis, Russ, and Seth.
“Janelle Stokes,” Russ said. “And we had fun. I’m definitely going to call her again.”
“Or for the first time,” Rex teased.
“Janelle Stokes,” Seth said, surprise moving through him with the speed of a freight train. “Wow.”
“I know she has two kids,” Russ said. “And I know she’s older than me. And I know she’s beautiful.” He sighed, and Rex and Griffin pounced on him, mimicking him and teasing him some more.
Russ grinned, and he took the abuse, because it was all good-natured. Still. Janelle Stokes. The woman didn’t seem like Russ’s type at all. No, more like the librarian type that would scare anyone of any age into pure silence if they spoke out of turn.
Seth knew her—she was the best lawyer in town, and he’d used someone at her firm to help with his divorce. Not only that, but she was old Chestnut Springs blood too, and she was the strong, confident type of woman that hadn’t changed her name when she’d gotten married.
“What did you do?” he asked Russ. “On your date.”
“I took her to dinner,” he said. “Something simple.”
“Did she shake your hand good-night?” Griffin asked, his grin the size of the sun.
“Very funny,” Russ said, pouring himself a glass of sweet tea. “At least I found someone.”
Seth swung his attention to Griffin. “You didn’t meet anyone you like?”
“He’s so picky,” Rex said. “You should’ve heard him in the car. Her nose is too big. Her hair isn’t even a color.”
“Hey,” Griffin said. “I can’t help it if I know what I like.”
“There’s more to a woman than physical characteristics, though,” Travis said.
“I know that,” Griffin said, but Seth wondered if he really did. “I like blondes, and it seemed like Chestnut Springs only has brunettes.”
“Hey, brunettes are sexy too,” Seth said.
“Oh-ho,” Rex said, laughing. “How is your brunette?”
“Great,” Seth said. They’d had a good couple of days. “Our dinner was very stuffy though.”
“Really?” Travis asked. “We walked by, and it looked good.”
“The food was good, but wow.” Seth shook his head. “It was almost like eating dinner after a funeral. No vibe. No fun.”
“Well, didn’t you know that’s how couples are?” Rex asked, his eyes glinting with mischief. “You were married, bro. That’s how it is.”
“No,” Seth said. “It doesn’t have to be.” He thought of all the couples that had been at the dinner. Some of them hadn’t even spoken to each other. They just put their heads down and ate. He and Jenna had tried to talk, and Seth actually felt out of place doing so. It had felt like there was an unwritten rule about being silent during the meal, but there was no entertainment.
He didn’t want a relationship where his focus was more on his phone or his food than the woman he was with. He didn’t want another marriage like the one he’d had with Wendy. He listened as his brothers continued to talk about their speed dating, and he laughed a couple of times.
But he really wanted to talk to Jenna and make sure she knew their marriage wasn’t going to be like that.
Their marriage.
He bolted to his feet, which stopped all the conversation at the table.
“What?” Travis asked.
Seth just looked at him, his heart hammering at the speed of sound. “Do you think I’ll marry Jenna?”
Travis exchanged a look with Russ. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “You guys have been going out for a few weeks now. You like her, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then, maybe?” Travis shrugged. “It’s too soon to tell.”
“Yeah,” Russ said. “You don’t have to decide today, based on one bad date.”
“It wasn’t a bad date,” Seth said. At least, if he’d planned it, it wouldn’t have been. He and Jenna had talked about how weird it was that no one else had said much during dinner. They were on the same page.
“What if she thought it was a bad date?” he asked.
“Dude, you’re freaking out about stupid stuff,” Rex said. “Did she break up with you? You’re fine.” Leave it to Rex to be absolutely blunt.
Seth sat back down, his thoughts revolving now. No matter what, he should probably ask Jenna if she’d thought about getting married again. Based on what she’d told him about her marriage with Marcus, it hadn’t gone well. Maybe she wouldn’t even want to get married again.
Why would she go out with you, then? he asked himself.
But he didn’t have an answer.
The next morning, Seth pulled into the largest nursery in the Texas Hill Country and parked. There were easily dozens of cars in the lot, as Serendipity Seeds had huge gardens that tourists could wander through for free.
And they did, by the thousands, especially in the spring when the bluebonnets and red poppies were in bloom.
“All right, guys,” he said to the dogs at the tailgate. “Leashes today, and you can’t pull me around. I’m talking to someone, and I’ll take you to the park after, okay?”
Winner barked and backed up, almost like she was afraid of the leash. But Seth knew it was the dozens of hot air balloons floating in the sky that had her spooked. She’d been yapping the whole way to town, and he was tired of it.
“They’re just balloons, Winn,” he said. “I can’t have you barking the whole time we’re here.” The dog quieted, and he coaxed her back to the tailgate so he could clip on her leash. “Come on.” He opened the tailgate and let the dogs jump down.
Neither of them pulled, and he led them through the lot to the huge gate that welcomed everyone to Serendipity. He’d come here on a date once, with Wendy, and she’d exclaimed over every little shrub and flower in the place.
If Seth had known how false she was then, he wouldn’t have kept dating her. He wouldn’t have married her. He wouldn’t have left Chestnut Springs when she insisted they live in Hollister, where her family was from. The drive from there to the ranch on the twisty, curved Hill Country road had taken an hou
r, and he hadn’t enjoyed the ranch nearly as much as he did now. He also hadn’t enjoyed his wife as much as he enjoyed spending time with Jenna.
He pushed Wendy out of his mind. He hadn’t been horribly unhappy with her. It was her that had found him lacking, and he didn’t like how small he felt whenever he remembered their relationship.
“Seth Johnson?”
He blinked at the man standing in front of him. “Yes,” he said, glad the dogs had both sat. “You must be Linus Monson.”
The man smiled. “That’s right. I’m going to show you around a bit. I understand you wanted prices on perennials, trees, muscadines…” He turned and picked up a clipboard. “Oh, you’re the Edible Neighborhood guy. Over on Victory Street.”
“That’s right,” Seth said. “How did you know that?”
“Ruth told me. She has a lot of nice things to say about you.” He turned toward the wide open doors along the back of the store. “Let’s go outside. I’ll show you around.”
“The dogs are okay?”
“Just fine,” he said. “We have a few cats that roam here, and our fields are bordered by horse pastures.” He stepped through the doors. “Okay, we’ve got our fruit trees over here.” He went on to explain the best time to plant them, which happened to be right now.
“As long as the temperature is above forty, you’re fine,” Linus explained.
Seth made a note to himself to find out who would be open to fruit trees in front of their homes. Apricot, apple, cherry, pear, and peach. They all grew well here, and Seth wanted them all.
Linus showed him the walnut trees, as well as the raspberry and blackberry vines. Then onto the muscadines and grapes.
Seth was overwhelmed, but Linus kept talking and making notes. At the end of it all, he tore off all the sheets he’d been writing on and handed them to Seth. “This is quite the project, Mister Johnson.” He beamed at Seth. “But I think it’s amazing what you’re doing, and Serendipity is pleased to partner with you on it.”
“Partner?” Seth asked.
“Why, yes,” he said. “Ruth said the residents were excited, but that many of them were older.” Linus looked like he needed that confirmed, so Seth nodded.
“We’ve got people that would love to help y’all get the street planted.”
“Oh.” Seth smiled at Linus. “That would be amazing.” He could just imagine old George Hill trying to dig a hole for a peach tree, and that was not a pretty picture. It did make him feel a bit like laughing though.
“Let us know when you’re ready,” Linus said. “I don’t think we’d need to order anything. You can call with what you want, and we’ll show up on Victory Street.”
“Even better.” Seth shook his hand and tipped his hat before turning to leave.
He ran right into a soft body, dropping his dog’s leashes as he reached out to steady the woman he’d run into. “I’m so sorry,” he said, looking down at the blonde.
“You’re Seth Johnson, right?” she asked.
Seth had the feeling she knew exactly who he was. She was pretty, with a round face, and the type of curls Griffin would like. He stooped to pick up the leashes, though Winner and Thunder hadn’t even tried to run away.
“Yes,” he said carefully, glancing around.
“Can you give this to Griffin for me?” She pressed something into his palm, and he felt like he’d been transported back twenty-five years to junior high, where he had to pass notes for his friends to the girls they liked.
The blonde practically skipped away, leaving Seth with a business card. “Hot pepper jams?” He flipped the card over, expecting to find the woman’s name and phone number, but there was nothing written there.
He tried to find her in the crowd, but she’d disappeared as easily as he’d run into her. “Come on,” he said to the dogs, getting them moving again. At least Winner had settled down now. “We have to stop by Uncle Griffin’s on the way home.”
Back in the truck, he said, “Call Jenna,” and the truck repeated it back to him.
“Hey,” she said a moment later, and he smiled.
“I’m done at Serendipity,” he said. “They’re going to send people to help us plant everything. Isn’t that great?”
“Definitely,” she said. A moment of silence passed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to Serendipity today? I would’ve come.”
Seth opened his mouth to answer, but he closed it again. “I thought you’d like to sleep in,” he finally said.
“Isaac’s up in a balloon,” she said, and he realized that her voice was being whipped by the wind as it tried to steal her phone. “So I was up early anyway.”
“Isaac’s in a balloon?”
“Yes.” She laughed. “And you should see him. Heights are really not his thing.”
“Let me guess,” Seth said. “His girlfriend asked him to go for a ride.”
“Luisa owns the party supply store,” Jenna said. “She provided five balloons for the festival this morning. And oh, the sunrise was beautiful.”
“You were up at dawn?” Seth asked, surprised by that. Jenna liked to sleep late; she hadn’t been shy about that.
“Yes,” she said. “I can do it once a year.”
“What about on Christmas?” he asked, enjoying this conversation. “You were never eager to get up early on Christmas morning?”
“Maybe.”
Seth laughed, because he sure did like this woman. “Well, next time you want to see a sunrise, come on over to the ranch. I’m up every day at dawn.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said. “Hey, I have to go. Isaac’s coming down, and he looks a little green.”
Seth couldn’t believe the tough surgeon who cut people up and fixed their insides couldn’t handle a little bit of height. “All right. Hey, are we still on for the cider tasting on Monday after work?”
“Uh, I think so?” Jenna said. “I’ll have to check a couple of things and let you know.”
“It was on your list.”
“Yeah, I’ll see. Gotta jet.” She hung up, and Seth kept on driving past the masses of people who’d gathered at the downtown park for the carnivals, the pumpkin carving, the children’s festival.
Something about that many people made him anxious, and he much preferred the tranquility of Chestnut Ranch. He thought of how Jenna couldn’t have children, and he imagined their lives together for the next thirty or forty years, just the two of them.
It was a nice picture.
Now, he just had to figure out how she felt about a second marriage.
Chapter Eighteen
Jenna smiled even though she was dying inside. She’d known the event after work on Monday was a baby shower for one of her friends from the school.
She thought she’d be strong enough to eat the pink-frosted cupcakes. Ooh and aah over the fancy bags and little onesies. Sip apple cider from plastic flutes.
She’d been wrong
So very wrong.
And she couldn’t leave, because she’d been nominated to write down what everyone had given Britney in those stupid gift bags.
She had her plastic smile on, but it wasn’t even enough to keep her panic from rising. And along with that, the familiar desperation she’d smothered but never really rid herself of.
Another sip of cider, and she needed to get out of there. If she left now, she might be able to call Seth and have him meet her at the apple cider tasting she’d marked for them to attend during Octoberfest.
And yet, she didn’t get up. Another gift got opened. Another round of squeals and Britney holding up the outfit like it was for her and she wanted to see if it would fit.
Jenna typed up a description of the outfit and who had brought it. The torture continued, and she surveyed the sea of bags still to go. Thinking quickly and knowing she’d have to explain, she sent a text to Seth. Please call me.
She’d barely had time to breathe before her phone pealed out its ringtone. “Oh, sorry,” she said, jumping to he
r feet. She was surprised she didn’t sprain her ankle she ran so fast from the room. And in heels too.
“Hey,” he said easily, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “What’s goin’ on?”
“I’m at a baby shower,” she whispered, her emotional dam about to crack. “I have to get out of here.”
“I’ll come get you,” he said instantly. No questions asked, and Jenna sure did like that. She liked that he was her safe place to fall—or call—when she was about to break wide open.
“I have my car,” she said, glancing over her shoulder as Kim came into the kitchen, where Jenna had escaped to. “Oh, that’s terrible. Yeah, I’m sure someone else can keep track of the gifts.” She practically yelled the words. “I’ll be on my way in two shakes.”
She hung up while Seth chuckled, but nothing had struck Jenna as funny. “I have to go,” she said to Kim. “Thank you for inviting me.” She hugged her friend. “Someone else will write down the gifts, right?”
“Petra is doing it.”
“Great.” She exhaled like she had a very full night in front of her still. “See you tomorrow.”
She strode toward the front door, a few women watching her. A couple waved, and then Britney pulled a frilly pink and yellow dress from a sickeningly cute bunny bag, and the crowd erupted into sweetness.
Jenna stepped outside, practically yanking the door closed behind her so it would slam. She felt shaky inside, and she leaned her head back and sighed.
It wasn’t quite dark yet, but night was falling earlier and earlier with every passing day. She’d just started her car when her phone rang again.
“Seth,” she said. “You saved me.”
“Did you make it out alive?”
“Barely.”
“Want me to come over?”
Desperately. “If you want,” she said, trying to make it sound like she was fine either way. But surely he’d heard the way her voice had wobbled on their previous call.
“I’ll bring you something,” he said. “See you in a few.”
Jenna let him hang up, and she drove slowly out of town and around the curved roads toward the one she and the Johnsons lived on.
