by Liz Isaacson
“I know all about that,” she said.
“Then you know what they’re mad about.”
“The newspaper article said they wanted to buy the extra acres jointly.” She joined her brothers in making lunch. “Why didn’t we let them?”
“That’s a question for a ghost,” Mack said.
Frustration filled Celia. “So we’ll never know.”
“And there’s nothing we can do,” Lennox said. “I’ve been across the street…I don’t even know how many times. I took Owen a wedding gift when he and Aleah got married. Every time they had a baby, Ophelia made them dinner. I leave presents on their doorstep at Christmas.” He shook his head. “That is one angry man.”
“So there’s no hope,” Celia said.
“Hey, I don’t care if you date Zach,” Mack said. “I think it’s pretty great, actually.” He nudged Celia with his elbow. “Like this burger.”
“What made you want to start dating again?” Lennox asked, just before taking a huge bite of his burger.
“I’m lonely,” Celia admitted. “And I saw my friend find someone and get married—”
“Amanda Whittaker,” Mack said.
“And I thought maybe I should try to find someone again,” she said. “It’s been nice, not sitting home alone with just Grizz, knitting.”
“Oh, I don’t even want to know what you’re doing with Zach in the evenings.” Mack laughed, but Lennox just watched Celia.
“It’s not us you’ll have a problem with, sis,” he said after he finally swallowed. “It’s Owen Zuckerman.”
Celia nodded, because she knew her brother was right, and she had no idea what to do about it.
Celia felt like she was on a violent roller coaster that just kept going up and down, down and up. Round and round. First the conversation with her brothers yesterday. And now lunch with Zach’s son today.
Zach had texted to say he’d gone to the grocery store and had all of the ingredients, and he just needed her to put everything together into something delicious.
She pulled onto the road that led to Saltgrass Farm, glad the garage was already open, and she could drive right in. Before she could even get out of the car, the door opened, and Zach came out.
Opening the door, she stood and received his embrace. “Hey,” she said with a laugh. “I guess you’re as nervous as I am.”
“A little,” he admitted. “I don’t see my kids a whole lot, and it’s been so fun to have Paul here.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.” Celia smiled up at Zach, and it felt like it would be the most natural thing in the world to kiss him. Time paused for a moment, and then he stepped back, a flush moving into his face.
Maybe he was thinking the same thing as her. She followed him inside, glad when he took her hand just inside the house. “Paul,” he said. “This is my girlfriend, Celia Armstrong.”
His son rose from the table, where he’d been looking at his phone. He looked so much like his father, with different pieces from Zach’s ex-wife, obviously.
“Celia,” he repeated, a smile spreading across his face. “It’s good to meet you.” He came forward and extended his hand toward her.
Celia shook it, joy moving through her. Such a feeling of love and a sense of home permeated this house, and she basked in it. “So good to meet you. Your father speaks of you often.”
“Oh, great,” Paul said with a laugh and a look toward his dad. “I’m sure that’s not good.”
“It is,” Zach said. “Only good stuff.” He went into the kitchen, and Celia followed him.
“All right, boys,” she said. “What are we having for lunch today?”
“I told him you made the most amazing potato salad,” Zach said.
“And he said that went so well with sloppy Joes,” Paul added.
Celia nodded and turned to Zach’s fridge. “I see how it is. You guys have this scripted.”
Zach started to laugh, with Paul joining in. They sounded so similar, and Celia missed her daughters more in that moment than she had in a while. She’d been talking with Reagan more often, and her boyfriend had one more final interview before a date would be set.
Celia couldn’t wait to hear what Dale and Reagan would decide to do. Reagan had already been looking at dresses, and she thought the shopping would go quickly once they had a date.
“Paul, what are you studying in school?” Celia asked.
“Engineering,” he said. “But I think I’m going to switch to computer science.”
“Oh, that’s a big field right now,” Celia said. “The men I work for own Springside Energy, and they code robots and stuff to find the natural gas.”
“Really?” Paul came over to the bar and sat down. “That’s so cool. I love robotics. I was in the robotics club in high school.”
Celia smiled at him as she started peeling potatoes. “Why choose engineering then?”
“You know what? I don’t know.”
“You’re young,” Zach said. “Switch if you want.”
“I probably will in the fall,” Paul said. “Maybe Springside Energy has internships or something I can do this summer.”
“I can talk to Graham,” Celia said. She nodded to the pot. “Zach, will you fill that with hot water and put it on the stove?”
“Sure thing.” He did as she asked, and it was wonderful to be in the kitchen with him, working together, with his son nearby. It almost felt like a family, and Celia wanted this moment to become her reality so, so badly.
She peeled and cut, boiled and mixed, and an hour later, she sat down with Zach and Paul for lunch. The conversation was easy, and she loved listening to Zach tell stories of his kids from his younger days.
Celia laughed, and she held Zach’s hand, and everything felt so right. Paul’s phone rang, and he said, “I’ll be right back.”
“I can see the name on that,” Zach called after his son. Paul just laughed as he went down the hall toward the guest bedrooms.
“What was the name?” she asked.
“Anne,” Zach said. “But when he got here, he told me his girlfriend’s name was Poppy.”
“Oh-ho,” Celia said, still laughing. “There’s so many stories here.”
“Oh, there are.” He brought her closer. “But first, I want to hear about your lunch with your brothers.”
Celia snuggled into his side and allowed the warmth from his body to flow through hers. She hadn’t had such strong feelings for a man in a long time, and she sure did like them. She liked that she wasn’t home alone, and that she hadn’t knitted in weeks.
“My family is fine with us dating,” she said. “It’ll be Owen we have to convince.” She went on to tell Zach about Lennox taking gifts across the street, and Zach shook his head.
“I can’t believe that.”
“You can’t believe Lennox took them gifts? Or that Owen wouldn’t receive them?”
“A little of both, actually,” he said. “My brother is very stubborn.” But to refuse Christmas gifts? Zach wasn’t sure.
“Oh, I’ve seen some of that Zuckerman stubbornness,” she teased.
“You think so?” Zach kneaded her upper arm, and a wild streak moved through Celia. She turned to look up at him, sure he would close the distance between them and kiss her. She pulled in a long breath in preparation.
“Celia,” he whispered. His eyes dropped to her mouth, his desire clear.
“Yes?”
“I am not stubborn.”
She giggled as Zach swept his cowboy hat off his head, a clear preparation to kiss her. Everything in Celia started to tingle.
He lowered his head….
“Dad,” Paul said, rushing back into the room. “That was my friend Anne, and her dog had her puppies.”
Zach practically catapulted from the couch, jostling Celia in the process. The heat from her body filled her whole face, and she turned away from Paul. She stood up and straightened her clothes, almost desperate to leave. Embarrassment filled her as she s
tarted cleaning up lunch while Paul and Zach talked about the goldendoodle puppies.
“Just tell me how much,” Zach said, and Celia smiled to herself as she put a lid on the potato salad and put it in his fridge. Zach loved dogs and horses, but mostly dogs.
She glanced over to where his lay by the sliding glass door, flopped down on the floor, asleep. She often brought Grizz with her to Zach’s, but she hadn’t brought her pup today.
With the kitchen clean, and Zach and Paul still going strong about the puppies, Celia stepped over to Zach and slipped her hand into his. “I’m going to head out.”
“You are?” He looked at her, surprise on his face.
“Yeah, you’re here with your son.” She put a big smile on her face and tipped up onto her toes to sweep a kiss across his cheek. He leaned into the touch, and a rush of satisfaction moved through Celia.
He wanted to kiss her too.
Maybe when his son left town, she could make that fantasy a reality.
Chapter Twelve
Zach walked down the snow-packed lane, this one almost as familiar as his. He’d worked Finn’s farm enough to be comfortable among the barns and stables, even if they were in the wrong places.
He fed the chickens, all five dogs waiting patiently outside the door of the henhouse. He checked the heat lamps, and everything seemed to be fine for the birds.
Finn hadn’t left town, but Amanda’s son had adopted another baby, and they’d gone to stay with Eli and Meg for a few days. Finn claimed there wasn’t anything so magical as being a grandfather, and Zach could only take his word for it.
“Come on, guys,” he said to the canines, glad he had them for company out here. Finn’s farm sat on the outer outskirts of town, and Zach felt like no one could possibly hear him if he needed help. His farm was right in town, with neighbors on both sides, and even then, he felt somewhat isolated.
Finn’s racehorses were doing just fine too, and Zach got them all fed and watered for the day, checked with the groom to make sure they’d get out of their stalls, and wiped the sweat from beneath his hatband.
Working two farms took a lot of hours, and he was glad his son had left the previous day. Celia wouldn’t be coming until Saturday, as she was up at Whiskey Mountain Lodge, cooking up a storm for the Whittakers as they celebrated the new baby.
She’d invited him to the lodge on Sunday, and a river of nerves flowed through Zach. He wanted to go—and he would—but there would be a lot of people looking at him. Sizing him up. Making a judgement on whether they thought he was good enough for Celia—someone they’d known for a long time and loved.
His stomach growled by the time he finished the chores at Finn’s farm, and he swung by a drive-through for a mushroom and Swiss burger before returning to his own place. The scent of Celia’s perfume hung in the air, though she hadn’t been there for twenty-four hours.
He glanced to the couch where he’d been a moment away from kissing her, and his imagination sprang to life. He didn’t want to wait until Saturday to kiss her. And he certainly couldn’t do it at the lodge on Sunday.
While he ate, he tapped out a quick message to Celia. Can I bring you guys dinner tonight?
As soon as he sent the text, a rush of stupidity ran through him. The reason she wouldn’t be coming back to Dog Valley until Saturday was because she was cooking for the Whittaker family. She didn’t need him to bring more food.
I mean, never mind, he sent quickly, his brain trying to find something else to say. Are you staying at the lodge tonight? Maybe I can bring you dessert or something after a long day in the kitchen.
What he really wanted to do, he couldn’t say. But he wanted to see her, and he felt confident that the next time he did, he could kiss her.
I would love a peanut butter attack from Sweets. Her text made him smile, and even his food didn’t distract him as he texted her back.
Done. What time would work?
I’m not staying at the lodge. My place. Seven-thirty?
Her place—somewhere he hadn’t been yet. His heart pounded as he typed out three letters—yes—and went back to his lunch.
The hours between lunch and seven-thirty disappeared like smoke, and before Zach knew it, he had two huge ice cream shakes in the cupholder beside him as he navigated the quiet streets of Coral Canyon.
Her house came into view, and it was a normal, red-brick structure at the end of the block. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but this wasn’t it. She’d placed a wreath of bright, spring flowers on the door, probably an omen of hope that this long winter would end.
After turning into the driveway, he took his time gathering the ice cream before he stepped into the darkness. Her front door opened before he could knock, and she said, “Bless you,” as she took her ice cream from him.
“Long day?” he asked with a chuckle, following her right inside her house. It felt like everyone inhaled and held their breath, including Grizz, the house, the town, the state, the universe.
He looked around, again not sure what he expected to find. Dozens of pictures of Brandon? A house frozen in time as she mourned the loss of her first husband? A mess? The furniture from her parents’ house?
What he saw was a living room on his left that was tastefully decorated, an upright piano against the far wall. Did she play? How had he not known that?
Behind the couch, the house expanded into a dining room and a kitchen, and yes, there was one family picture, obviously taken years ago, of Celia, Brandon, and their two little girls.
“Come in,” she said. “It’s freezing outside.”
Zach hastened to close the door behind him, embarrassed that he’d frozen and then started staring. He passed a hallway on his right that clearly went down to bedrooms and bathrooms, and a set of steps went down to a basement from the far end of the dining room.
“Do you play the piano?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I taught both of my girls too. A few other children right after Brandon died, and I was trying to figure out how to pay bills.” She flashed him a smile, and he realized it was one of the only times they’d talked about her late husband.
His once-best friend.
“Cooking turned out to be more profitable,” she said. “And I didn’t have to get up at five-thirty in the morning to do it, or work after school when the girls were home.”
He nodded, glad she’d found something she liked that she could use to support herself. At the same time, something very male inside him wanted to take care of everything for her.
“This is a nice place,” he said.
“Thank you.” She handed him a couple of paper towels and added, “I want to sit in the living room and relax.”
Zach wanted that too. She did look tired, and his fantasies about kissing her started to wither. Quickly, before they could truly go, he said, “Can I hold that for a second?” He took her shake before she could protest and set it on the counter with his. “It’s good to see you.”
He gathered her in his arms, glad she came so easily and so willingly. His heartbeat skipped around, landing in weird places. “I think we got interrupted yesterday.”
“We did?”
Zach didn’t see what could possibly interrupt them here, but he swept his cowboy hat off his head and pulled back from her a little. “Yeah. You have to know I was about to kiss you yesterday.”
A smile touched that beautiful mouth, and Celia ducked her head. Zach touched his lips to her forehead, encouraged when she leaned into the pressure. He moved his mouth to her cheekbone, and slid it over to her ear. Her hands slipped across his shoulders, sending sparks down his spine and into his hair.
Every touch flamed with electricity, and Zach kissed a spot on her jaw before hesitating for one last moment.
With his eyes drifting closed, he barely touched his lips to hers, expecting a shower of fireworks—and getting them. He hadn’t kissed a woman in a long, long time, and all he could do was hope he did it correctly.
By the way Celia pressed into him and kissed him back, Zach thought he did.
A couple of hours later, he pulled himself from her couch with the words, “I should go, sweetheart.”
She moaned and held onto his hand. “Just stay a little longer.” She’d said that twenty minutes ago too, and Zach had stayed. Number one, it had been a while since someone had wanted him to stay, and number two, he could sleep when he was dead.
But he didn’t want to die that night on the drive back to Dog Valley, so he leaned toward her and kissed her again. There had been a lot of kissing after he’d landed that first one well enough, but she no longer tasted like peanut butter and chocolate.
She’d made coffee, and he’d asked her to play the piano for him, and she’d detailed more about Reagan’s upcoming wedding plans. Dale hadn’t gotten the job in Texas, and he’d narrowed it down to two companies—one in California and one in Ohio. As soon as a decision was made, a date would be set, and Celia would be off to the races with planning.
“I should really go,” he whispered against her lips. “I have two farms to take care of in the morning.” And he’d be driving back and forth, because he couldn’t make any of the animals wait for breakfast, not when he’d practically rushed through their dinnertime so he could bring Celia ice cream.
She kissed him, which kept him right where he was on her couch. He obliged, because wow, kissing Celia made everything inside him come alive. All the pieces that had been dark for so long glowed with life, and he experienced a joy he’d thought he never would again.
“All right,” she finally said, her voice more like a sigh. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
“I can bring you something tomorrow night, too,” he said. “Have you been to that new cookie place? They even deliver.”
“Surprise me,” she said with a smile, and Zach stood up. Grizz lifted his head, but he didn’t move from the spot at the end of the couch. Zach gave the puppy a pat and headed for the front door.
“Seven-thirty again?” he asked, turning back to Celia.
