by Liz Isaacson
“Oh, she’s hanging in there.” Mack exhaled, put a strained smile on his face, and returned to his sandwich.
“Coffee?” Lennox asked as if he owned the place. He got out a mug before Zach could answer, and he figured he could sip some coffee while Celia finished packing.
“So you’re going to Cheyenne,” Mack said.
“Yes,” Zach said. He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he just stood there. Lennox poured the coffee and nudged the mug closer to Zach.
He picked it up and reached for the sugar spoon.
“Seems serious, doesn’t it, Lennox?” Mack asked as if Zach had left the room.
“Fairly serious,” Lennox agreed. “Especially considering Celia hasn’t dated anyone in so long.” He sipped his coffee as Mack took a bite of his sandwich. Their voices sounded casual, but Zach felt like he was walking on live coals.
“I suppose,” Zach said. “It’s her daughter, and Reagan’s important to her.”
“Reagan and Ruth are everything to her,” Mack said.
“I have two daughters, too,” Zach said. “I understand the feeling.” He sat down at the bar and put two spoonsful of sugar in his coffee. “And a son.”
Lennox smiled at him. “How’s your brother?”
The breath left Zach’s body. “He’s…about the same.” He offered an apologetic smile and picked up his coffee.
“How’s that going to work out?” Mack asked.
“I don’t—”
“Ready,” Celia said, arriving back in the kitchen. She exhaled and looked at the three of them. “You guys literally never stop by.” She pushed a palm against Mack’s shoulder. “Go back to the farm. I’m leaving for Reagan’s graduation.”
She met Zach’s eye. “Are you ready?” Nerves lived in her expression, and he grinned to reassure her.
“So ready.” He left his coffee mug on the counter, hoping Lennox would clean it up. He picked up Celia’s bag and added, “I’ll be in the truck,” thinking she’d want a moment to talk to her brothers.
Sure enough, she stayed behind while he towed her suitcase out to the truck. He’d buckled his seatbelt and started the truck before she came outside. Once she was in, he backed out of the driveway to find both of her brothers standing in the doorway, watching them.
“They’re nice,” he said, his voice much too high.
“They’re maddening,” she said. “I’m so sorry. They just showed up, and I couldn’t get them to leave.”
“You could’ve texted.” He cut her a look, a chuckle coming from his throat. “I’m not upset.”
“They like you.” Celia beamed back at him. “Lennox actually said he thinks it’s great we’re seeing each other.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” She pulled out her phone and glanced at it. “And we’re only a few minutes late leaving.”
“We’ll be fine,” he said. They weren’t leaving the state, but Cheyenne was still five and a half hours from Coral Canyon. They’d stop for lunch in two of those and have the rest of the afternoon to get there. They couldn’t check in to their hotel until four anyway, and they had plenty of time.
“Tell me more about Reagan,” Zach said, still so nervous to meet her daughters.
“She’s bright,” Celia said. “She’ll size us up in about four seconds, so you’re going to hold my hand, remember?”
“I always want to hold your hand,” Zach said, grinning at her.
“She’s the easy-going daughter,” Celia said. “She likes a good party, and loud music, and plenty of candy.”
“So she came from Brandon,” he said. “As you don’t really like any of those things.”
“Hey,” Celia protested. “I like a good party.”
“As long as there aren’t too many people there,” he said.
A beat of silence passed before she started giggling. “Okay,” she said between the laughter. “As long as there aren’t too many people there.” She quieted, and Zach loved the comfortable silence between them.
“She definitely came from Brandon,” Celia said. “He was the fun parent, for sure. I was the one who made them eat vegetables and put their cereal bowl in the dishwasher.”
“Heck, I barely do those two things,” Zach said. He suddenly had the very real thought that he’d like Celia in his house, taking care of him. He’d even eat his vegetables.
“Ruth is a little bit more like me,” Celia said. “She likes taking care of details, and she studies hard, and she’s a little quieter.” She smiled to herself, and Zach watched her more than the road in front of him.
Pulling himself together, he focused out the windshield and kept his thoughts away from how he might crash and burn in front of her two daughters later that evening.
Hours later, they’d arrived in Cheyenne, checked in to their hotel, and he’d changed into one of those pairs of slacks he’d brought with him. Celia had just texted to say her daughters were downstairs, and Zach left his hotel room to find his girlfriend coming toward him.
“I’m so nervous,” he said, deciding to just get his feelings out in the open.
“Relax,” she said, slipping her hand through his arm. “They’re going to love you.”
“You think so?”
She beamed up at him, reaching up to touch the brim of his cowboy hat. “I mean, you’re handsome, and kind, and sexy….” She let her voice hang there, and Zach leaned down to kiss her.
Her touch calmed him, and he lost himself in their kiss for a moment. He pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, realizing he’d lost his cowboy hat at some point. “Celia,” he whispered.
“Mm?”
“I think I’m falling for you.”
She swayed with him, simply holding onto his shoulders like she needed him to stand. He wanted to dance with her through everything in his life.
“I really like you too,” she finally whispered. “But my phone has buzzed about six times since we’ve been standing here.” She cradled his face in both of her hands and gazed at him, so much adoration in her eyes that Zach almost got lost in them.
A quick elevator ride downstairs led them to the lobby, and he secured his hand in hers as they moved toward the revolving doors that marked the exit.
Two women stood from a couch, and Zach saw Celia in both of them immediately.
“Mom!” Reagan squealed as she launched herself at Celia, and Zach let go of her hand so she could hug her daughter.
He stood there, lost amidst all the laughing and hugging and exclaiming. Finally, Celia stepped back to his side and put her hand in his. He squeezed as she said, “Girls, this is my boyfriend, Zach Zuckerman.” She smiled up at him, and Zach grinned down at her.
Then he extended his free hand toward Reagan. “Hello,” he said. “I’ve heard so much about both of you.”
Reagan’s smile was bright and still on her face, but she was definitely appraising him, probably right down to the tonalities in his voice. She shook his hand and said, “Nice to meet you, Zach.”
“And you.” He faced Ruth, who also wore a smile. She was definitely much more like Celia, with hair almost the exact same shade and those big hazel eyes that Zach loved.
“Hello, Ruth,” he said easily.
“Zach.” She shook his hand too, and the two girls edged closer together, giggles coming from their mouths.
“Oh, come on, girls,” Celia said. “Ray, where’s Dale tonight?”
“He’s in the car,” she said. “Come on, he’s probably about to get towed. You two took forever to come down.”
“Yeah,” Ruth said. “Were you upstairs making out or something?”
Zach coughed, heat flaming right into his face, while Celia laughed.
“Well,” she said. “I haven’t dated in a long time.”
Zach wasn’t sure what that meant, but her hand tightened in his as they all started moving toward the revolving doors. Zach felt like he’d passed a major test, and he could only hope that his daughters liked Celia wh
en they finally met her.
Chapter Fifteen
Celia kept her eyes on the speaker, annoyance surging through her. Zach had definitely passed the test of meeting her daughters—they adored him—but he’d been texting for a solid twenty minutes now.
Sure, she was bored too, especially as the twenty-something in front of the mic said something she didn’t understand and the crowd started laughing. Well, the younger crowd, at least.
But he was the valedictorian, and she’d enjoyed most of what he’d said. Zach probably hadn’t heard a word.
“Everything okay?” she asked, leaning over to see if she could catch a glimpse of who he was talking to. Her heart had been beating a little too loudly since the text-fest had begun, her worries over Owen finding out Zach had not ended his relationship with her always in the back of her mind.
“I have a little problem on the farm,” he said, barely glancing at her. His eyes lifted, but they didn’t meet hers before he moved them back to the device. “First I was talking to Finn, and now I’m texting Owen.” He angled the phone toward her so she could see his brother’s name at the top of the screen.
“He wants to know what I’m doing in Cheyenne.” Tension radiated from Zach’s powerful shoulders, and Celia hated that he was in this position.
“What’s the problem on the farm?”
“Flooding.” His thumbs moved quickly over the screen. “Owen and Xander are going up there now. They’ll keep me updated.” He pushed the power button on the side of his phone and stuck it in his breast pocket.
With a stretched smile, he lifted his arm around her shoulders and focused back up to the front of the huge arena, where the valedictorian was still talking.
“What did you tell them?” she whispered.
“Nothing.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and kept his eyes on the student.
Celia’s gut churned. But the valedictorian finally stopped talking, and applause filled the basketball arena. “Finally,” she muttered as the Dean of Education got up and announced that they would now be reading the graduate names.
Armstrong was very soon in the alphabet, and pride filled her with every name that got called. When Reagan Fawn Armstrong was finally called, she whooped and clapped along with the people in her row.
Dale’s parents sat down on the other end of the row, with several of his brothers and sisters there. Only she and Zach had made the trip for Reagan, as her mother was elderly, and her brothers had a farm to attend to.
But Dale’s family was from Cheyenne, and she appreciated them all being here. Of course, their son was graduating too, but she met Vivian’s eyes, noticing that the other woman was teared up too.
She couldn’t believe her oldest daughter was now graduating from college. Brandon, she thought. You would’ve loved to have been here.
All of these big moments in her life—in her daughter’s lives—were bittersweet. She was so glad and grateful that she could experience them. She’d never felt so much pride than when her daughters earned awards or trophies, wore special sashes at their graduations, or had something else to celebrate.
But those occasions also always reminded her that only half of the important people were there. Brandon couldn’t attend, though as the names continued to be announced, she felt his presence with her. There for a moment, then gone. Almost like he didn’t want to intrude on her life.
As soon as the ceremony concluded, Zach burst to his feet. “I need to call my brother real quick.” He leaned down and kissed her briefly. “I’ll meet you at the truck, okay?”
They’d driven themselves with Ruth, as Reagan had to arrive much earlier than them. She could barely nod before Zach was out in the aisle and taking the steps two at a time to get out before the crowd got too thick.
Celia watched him go, worry needling way down into her heart. She understood farm problems, having grown up on one. Adding in familial tension would only make things worse. She sent up a quick prayer for him, that he would know what to say and how, before she looped her arm through Ruth’s and started much more slowly up the steps.
“Where did Zach go?” Ruth asked.
“Oh, he’s got some flooding on his farm.”
“And he lives up in Dog Valley, right?”
“Yes.” Celia sighed, and Ruth leaned into her.
“You really like him, Mom.” She whispered it, almost like Celia’s affection for Zach was a secret.
“Yes,” she whispered back, serious as she could be. “I really like him.”
Ruth grinned at her, her eyes all-searching. “I’m so glad.”
“You are? You don’t think…I don’t know. That I’m too old to be dating?”
“Why would I think that?”
Reagan would’ve laughed and bumped Celia with her hip. Ruth just watched her mom as they finally reached the top of the steps and moved to exit the stadium.
“You deserve to be happy, Mom. And he obviously makes you very happy.”
“He does,” she mused, wondering how deep her feelings for Zach went. Just last night he’d admitted he was falling in love with her. He hadn’t used the word love, though, and she’d been careful not to as well.
But he kissed her like he was falling in love with her, and she kissed him back the same way. She enjoyed spending time with him, and she was disappointed when their plans fell through. He still hadn’t met the Whittaker boys, as the Sunday he was supposed to come up to the lodge had dawned with pinkeye in abundance up the canyon. Little Ronnie had it, and so did Brayden, and everyone had stayed home after church.
“Well, I’m glad,” Ruth said. They went outside, where they’d meet Reagan and Dale around the side of the arena, as they’d planned.
Celia tugged her jacket a little tighter against the breeze, surprised when Ruth stepped away from her and toward a man clearly waiting for her. She paused and stretched up to kiss him, and Celia pulled in a tight breath.
“Ruth.”
Her daughter turned to face her, pure joy on her face. “Mom, I wanted you to meet someone.”
“This man you just kissed, I’m assuming.” She didn’t like surprises, and Ruth didn’t normally either. But she put a kind smile on her face and once again wished Brandon were there with her.
Or Zach.
One of them, so she’d have someone’s arm to hold onto. To anchor her. Someone she could go through tumultuous things with and not be alone.
“Brandon, this is my mother, Celia.”
She could barely breathe. “Brandon?”
“Yes,” Ruth said, still lit up from the inside. “We’ve been seeing each other this semester. Mom, this is my boyfriend, Brandon Thompson.”
He swept her into a hug, his smile genuine and his spirit good. Celia smiled and patted his shoulder. “So nice to meet you,” she said. “And you didn’t say anything.” She laughed at her daughter, because keeping a boyfriend a secret was so like her.
“Well, Reagan’s had a lot going on.” Ruth shrugged. She’d always let her older sister overshadow her, and it made Celia’s heartstrings sing.
“She certainly has.” Celia grinned at both of them. “Will you be coming to the wedding, Brandon?” The name only stumbled out of her mouth for a moment.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, pulling Ruth tighter against his side. “We’ll be there.”
The wedding was still six weeks away—and Celia had so much to do before the day arrived—but the confidence in Brandon’s voice suggested he really liked Ruth. No wonder she was practically glowing.
“Where did you two meet?” she asked as they all started walking again.
“Brandon is the TA in my—”
A shriek drowned out the last word in Ruth’s sentence, as Reagan-the-Tasmanian-devil had spotted them. She grabbed onto Ruth and Celia at the same time, while trying to jump up and down.
The conversation paused as congratulations were said, hugs given, and cards exchanged. Dale lined up with his family, and Reagan snapped their picture with
several cell phones.
“Where’s Zach?” she asked at the same time Celia realized she’d have to be in a picture too—alone.
She didn’t want to do this alone. She’d invited him specifically to be with her during times like this. And to meet her daughters, but still.
“He had a phone call,” she said, feeling stupid. She pulled out her phone. “I’ll call him and see where he is.”
There were plenty of other pictures to take, and if he would pick up the line, maybe he could get back here for one with her and her daughters.
But he didn’t answer. Not the first time, or the second.
Frustration and a bit of humiliation filled her, but she stood between Reagan and Dale and smiled like she’d just won an amazing award. She stood with Reagan alone, and grinned. She got a picture of just her and the girls.
They eventually all headed for the parking lot, and Celia still hadn’t gotten a text or a call from Zach. He was tall enough though, that she could see him standing, his back to them, by the tailgate of his black truck, his phone still stuck to his ear.
“I’ll call him,” she heard him say from a few vehicles down. “Just hook it up, Owen. It’ll be fine.” Heavy annoyance carried in his voice, and Celia slowed her steps.
“I’m going to go with Brandon,” Ruth said. “We’ll meet you at the restaurant.”
“Okay, dear,” Celia said, barely registering that her daughter had left, and she was now alone to face Zach.
“I know it will flood his property,” Zach said. “It’s what happens every year. The dangers of living down the slope, you know?”
Celia arrived at his side, and he looked down at her. “Owen, I have to go. Just do it, and text me when it’s done. I’ll call Jonas.” He hung up and looked away, a storm swirling on his face.
“You’re going to flood Jonas’s property?” She’d spent enough time at Saltgrass Farms to know Jonas Crenshaw was the neighbor to the west who owned all the land behind Zach’s farm.
“We use his fields for runoff,” Zach said, practically biting out the words.
“You use his fields for runoff.” Celia wasn’t sure why she was arguing with him, other than her own annoyance at him running off and leaving her had resurfaced. She walked between the cars to the passenger door. “The dangers of living downstream could be that you don’t have access to your water rights anymore.”
