Blue Ridge Sunrise

by Denise Hunter

  She drew a deep breath and readied herself. There was nothing simple about a conversation with her dad. He was the king of subtext. She used to let it get to her, but she was a grown-up now.

  “Trying to work up your nerve?” Daddy asked, not taking his eyes from his task.

  Zoe stepped into the room and wondered if the sudden chill was her imagination or if the room really was five degrees cooler.

  “Hi, Daddy.” She squeezed Gracie’s hand. “Say hi to your papaw, Gracie.”

  “Hi, Papaw.”

  His eyes flickered to Gracie, and Zoe had the urge to step in front of her daughter.

  But he merely nodded. “Hello, young lady.”

  Zoe resisted the urge to wipe her sweaty hand down the side of her jeans.

  Her dad fixed his eyes on the papers. “What brings you by in the middle of the day? Figured you’d be toiling away in that orchard of yours. Or are you finally ready to give up?”

  Too bad you didn’t get that law degree and set yourself up in my air-conditioned office.

  “Cruz is handling that end of things.”

  He scowled at the mention of Cruz. “I heard the latest scuttlebutt about—” His gaze flickered off Gracie. “Her paternity. Had to hear it from Brady.”

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve been the one to tell you, but I’ve been busy with the orchard, and then I got sick.”

  “I’d like to say I was surprised.”

  Zoe cleared her throat. “I’ll admit I made a few mistakes, but things are looking up now.” She held up the bag of food, ready for a change of topic. “We brought you lunch. Your favorite . . . pastrami on rye and potato salad. Thought we could take it to the park and have a little picnic. Like we used to. Remember?”

  He spared her a glance. “You should’ve called. I have a brief to prepare for a deposition.”

  I don’t have time for you.

  Her chest squeezed tight, but she forced a smile. “Well, you have to eat . . .”

  “I usually just snack on an apple nowadays while I work.”

  Even your food’s not good enough.

  Her skin suddenly felt so warm she wondered if her fever had returned.

  This wasn’t about a brief or a deposition or about her dad’s diet preferences. This was about him punishing her for leaving without a word. For getting pregnant out of wedlock. For embarrassing him and disappointing him many times over.

  But she wasn’t the young girl who so easily took the bait. She was a single mother who was strong enough to face the past. “Well . . . I’m singing with Last Chance tomorrow night at the Rusty Nail. You should stop by.”

  He shuffled his papers. “We’ll see.”

  She knew what that meant. “Daddy, maybe we should talk about what happened. Not now of course . . .” She glanced down at Gracie. “But soon.”

  He cleared his throat. “There’s really nothing to talk about, but you’re welcome to check my schedule with Luanne on your way out.”

  You can leave now.

  She swallowed against the growing knot in her throat. Her feet itched to retreat, but she forced them to take a step forward—only close enough to set the bag on the edge of the desk.

  “Well . . . in case you get hungry.” She backed toward the door. “We’ll get out of your hair.”

  On the way out she was glad to find Luanne gone from her desk. Stepping out into the warm day she drew a deep breath of fresh air and wondered how two minutes with her dad could make her feel as if she were suffocating in shame.

  chapter twenty-eight

  He was stupid to check on Zoe in the middle of the day. She’d texted him this morning that she was feeling good today, but that didn’t stop Cruz from running over to the house at lunch anyway.

  He was checking in on Gracie, not Zoe. At least that’s what he told himself as he pulled up the drive. Her truck wasn’t in its usual spot, however, and neither was Miss Ruby’s.

  He frowned at the deserted house, excusing the sinking feeling in his stomach as disappointment over missing Gracie. He had to admit it had been fun to spend the evenings with her this week. She was a playful and happy child. She only got cranky when she was tired, but the promise of a bedtime story usually ensured her cooperation.

  He was putty in her hands. The little girl could flutter her eyelashes with the best of them—and she was only four! She was so much like her mother.

  And at fifteen Zoe had been a real handful, he reminded himself. Sneaky as all get out and able to charm the bees out of a tree.

  The thought of Gracie following in her mother’s footsteps made him want to put a dead bolt on her bedroom door right now. And her windows. How many times had Zoe sneaked out of those late at night? To see him.

  If karma was a real thing, he was dead meat. They both were.

  He comforted himself with the thought that he had another ten years before he had to worry about any of that.

  Well, there was no sense waiting around here. As he reached for the gearshift his eye caught on something colorful by the door. Flowers, sitting on the porch table. The kind in a vase, delivered by a florist. He frowned at the large arrangement, thinking immediately of Kyle.

  But they could be from anyone. They could even be late sympathy flowers from a distant friend of her grandma or get-well-soon flowers from Hope or Daisy. Though upon closer inspection they looked like red roses—a veritable declaration of love. Zoe had two family members old enough to send flowers, and he could imagine neither Brady nor her dad sending them.

  He dithered only a moment before stepping out of the car, drawn by curiosity. Curiosity, not jealousy, he clarified to himself. A fair distinction.

  He took the porch steps and paused in front of the arrangement. An envelope from Oopsy Daisy stuck out from the blooms. The back flap of the envelope, he could see easily enough, was merely tucked inside.

  He scratched the back of his neck, his fingers itching to read the card.

  He cast a glance around. He was being ridiculous. It was a florist card, not an FBI file. And she was the mother of his child. If she was dating someone who was a potential stepdad to Gracie, he had a right to know, didn’t he?

  Okay, maybe not. But he was going to look anyway. He grabbed the envelope and slid the card out.

  I’m sorry, babe. Hope you’re feeling better. I miss you. Love, Kyle

  Cruz scowled. Kyle. So he was still holding out hope, and apparently Zoe was still talking with him. He wondered what Kyle was sorry for. There were so many possibilities. Had she confronted him about lying to Cruz back when?

  He looked at the card again. Oh, he missed her, did he?

  Well, where was Kyle while Zoe had been passed out on the couch this week? While she could hardly find the energy to get dressed, much less work or take care of Gracie?

  Off making a name for himself, that’s what.

  Didn’t Zoe see that? Probably not, if she was still communicating with him. It suddenly felt ten degrees warmer on the porch.

  Zoe turned into the orchard drive. There were two work trucks in front of the barn, Noah’s and the plumbing contractor’s. She’d take Gracie back to the house so Miss Ruby could watch her, and come back to unpack the merchandise that had arrived this week.

  She’d taken Gracie to eat at the park first, since her daughter had had her heart set on it. Zoe’d tried to project some enthusiasm into their outing, but after the encounter with her father it was a struggle.

  As she pulled up to the house she saw that Miss Ruby’s car was missing, and she remembered that the woman had run to the bank. Cruz’s truck was there, however.

  “Daddy’s here!” Gracie had already spotted him on the porch where he stood in his work clothes. His hair was mussed from the wind, his skin bronzed by the sun.

  Zoe lifted Gracie from her booster, and as soon as her daughter hit the ground she went running for Cruz. Zoe’s heart tugged at the sight of them together, and she pulled her gaze away from the embrace.

  As she took
the porch steps her eyes fell on a vase of flowers sitting on the table. Cruz’s eyes met hers as he stood from Gracie’s hug. Her daughter was rambling on about the slide at the park, but Zoe was too busy speculating about the flowers.

  “Where’d those come from?” she asked when Gracie took a breath.

  He hitched a brow. “Care to take a guess?”

  Fresh from her father’s rejection, she didn’t want to play this game, but some remote part of her hoped they were from Cruz. She reached for the envelope and slipped out the card.

  Kyle.

  She pursed her lips as her heart seemed to shrink in size. Of course they weren’t from Cruz. Why had she even entertained the thought? He’d been helpful this week, but he’d done it for their daughter. He’d shown no interest in her, and why would he after the way she’d betrayed his trust?

  Meanwhile Kyle was carrying out a full court press since she’d confronted him about his lies to Cruz, texting her every hour, calling every day, and now . . . flowers.

  She stuck the envelope and card into the bunch of flowers and opened the door. Zoe raced past, heading to the bathroom.

  “Why’s Kyle sending you flowers?” Cruz asked as the screen door shut behind them.

  She gave him a look. “You read my card?”

  “You’re not considering going back to that idiot, are you?”

  Zoe pressed her lips together. Wow, everyone just had so high an opinion of her. Daddy. Cruz. Even Brady with his suggestions on how to handle her life.

  “Shouldn’t you be working?”

  “I won’t have him around my daughter. Not after what I saw. After what he did.”

  “I would never endanger Gracie.”

  “Good. Then you’ll tell Kyle to back off.”

  She bristled. “It’s not your place to tell me what to do, Cruz.”

  Their gaze clashed until the air between them felt taut with tension. His muscles in his cheek twitched.

  She had to have boundaries in place. Cruz had a say when it came to their daughter, but not when it came to her love life. She didn’t dare tell him that Kyle had been hinting about visiting her. Had been begging her to come back to the band. He’d apologized profusely for that night at the Rusty Nail and swore he’d never raise a hand to her again.

  “I’ve taken care of Gracie for four years,” she said finally. “I reckon you’re just going to have to trust me.”

  The corners of his eyes tightened.

  Oh well. She wasn’t giving up control of her life again. Not to her dad, not to Kyle, and not to Cruz.

  When Gracie entered the room a long moment later, Zoe let out a deep breath, relieved the conversation was over. At least for the moment.

  chapter twenty-nine

  Cruz had never been so glad to see a Friday night roll around. Part of him had wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over his head, but Brady wouldn’t leave him alone.

  That’s how he came to be sitting in the crowded Rusty Nail with his friend. Hope had taken a break and joined them. There was no live music tonight, but a country tune blared through the speakers. The smell of grilled burgers and onion rings made him wish service was a little faster.

  Hope looked like she was in heaven, cradling baby Sam in her arms, a bottle propped in her hand. She gazed down at the tyke with a wistful smile.

  He thought of Gracie and wondered what she’d been like as a baby. Zoe had shown him photos on the computer, but photos hardly scratched the surface. Did she have colic? What had she sounded like when she babbled? What was her first word? He’d never gotten to see her first steps or hear her baby belly laugh.

  He took a sip of his drink and forced the depressing thoughts from his mind. The image of those roses on Zoe’s porch immediately replaced them. Had she called Kyle to thank him? Did she still have feelings for him? What if Kyle talked her into leaving Copper Creek? After all, he could give her the music career she’d always dreamed of.

  “You should go dance,” Brady said over the music, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “There’s that girl you went out with a while back, the friend of Noah’s.”

  Cruz had given Brady a rundown of the disastrous date. He’d caught the woman in three lies over the course of two hours. And they hadn’t even been over anything important.

  “Why don’t you ask her to dance?” Cruz said. “She seems more like your type.”

  Brady’s grin fell, and Cruz felt a stab of guilt.

  Hope eyed Cruz over the bottle. “Low blow, dude.”

  “What’s wrong with you tonight?” Brady said.

  Cruz shouldn’t have made the reference to Audrey. Brady’d learned his lesson the hard way. “Sorry. I’m just in a mood. Your sister’s driving me batty.”

  “What’s she done now?” Brady asked.

  Cruz pinned Hope with a look. “Did you know Kyle’s still after her? He’s sending her flowers and stuff.”

  “Give her some credit,” Brady said. “She’s done with him.”

  “Then why on earth doesn’t she tell him to leave her alone?”

  “Kyle’s not really the type to take no for an answer.” Hope gave him a pointed look. “Anyway, since when do you care so much?”

  “I don’t want him around Gracie. You saw what kind of guy he is.”

  Hope smirked. “This is all about Gracie, huh?”

  Heat pooled in his cheeks, and he was glad for the dim lighting. He wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all himself.

  He was glad when the server appeared with their food.

  “Thanks, Lauren,” Hope said after the server unloaded her tray. “You can take your break now if you want.”

  “Okay.”

  Seconds later Cruz was tucking into his Bubba Burger, marveling in the flavors of grilled beef, tangy barbecue sauce, and fresh tomato.

  “Oh, my gosh, Brady,” Hope said, wrinkling her nose. “Your son stinks to high heaven. What did you feed him today?”

  Brady pushed his plate back, grabbing the diaper bag. “Give him here. I told Audrey not to give him apple juice, but she won’t listen. He’s had diarrhea all day. Never seen so many colors in a diaper.”

  “Thanks for that,” Cruz mumbled around a mouthful of juicy burger.

  Hope stood with the baby. “Sit tight. I’ve got this one.”

  Brady handed over the bag. “You’re the woman of my dreams, Daniels.”

  “Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say.”

  “Watch out for the up-the-back stuff,” Brady called after her.

  “Seriously?” Cruz swallowed the bite, his appetite diminished.

  “You have no idea.”

  No, he didn’t, since he’d missed out on Gracie’s baby years. But he didn’t want to think about that anymore tonight. Instead he grabbed a fry and watched Brady’s eyes follow Hope as she walked toward the restroom in the back corner.

  They’d known Hope forever. Though she was two years behind Brady in high school she’d been around a lot because she was Zoe’s friend and, more recently, because she managed the Rusty Nail on the weekends.

  She and Brady got along well and often teased each other, but somehow Cruz had never wondered about the two of them.

  “So why is it you’ve never gone out with Hope?”

  Brady spared him a glance in between wolfing down his burger. “She’s just a friend.”

  “What? She’s not cute enough for you?”

  “She’s a friend. Besides, I think Audrey’s scared me off women for good. I haven’t dated since the divorce. Haven’t even wanted to.”

  “Audrey’s a bad seed. They’re not all wily and manipulative. Look at your sister. She’s practically an open book.”

  “My sister . . . ? You mean the one giving you fits right now?”

  Cruz grimaced. “All right, so she’s complicated in other ways. But she’s all right. Most of the time.”

  “My attitude toward women right now would make Eeyore seem like an optimist. Wouldn’t be fair to subject myself on so
me nice girl.”

  Cruz smirked. “You’re right. Hope deserves so much better than you.”

  Brady smacked the back of his head.

  Cruz had enjoyed the last of his burger by the time Hope returned.

  She held baby Sam out to Brady. “Oh. My. Gosh.”

  “Told you.” Brady took the happy baby and held him over his shoulder, patting his back.

  “I’m just . . . speechless.”

  “Can I enjoy my meal please?” Cruz said.

  Hope plopped down and started on her salad as if she hadn’t just changed the world’s messiest diaper. “Sorry, but yowza. That added a couple years to my ticking maternal clock.”

  “He shouldn’t even be having juice yet,” Brady said.

  “Well, it’s a good thing he’s so cute. And he’s always so happy.”

  “You haven’t caught him teething yet. But yeah, he’s my little dude. Aren’t you, fella?” Brady kissed the back of Sammy’s head.

  “So what’s Audrey up to these days?” Hope asked. “Other than causing conflict, chaos, and confusion everywhere she goes, I mean.”

  “She’s working part-time at a boutique in Dalton.”

  “I thought for sure she’d move to a big city. She’s not really a small town kind of girl.”

  “She’d like nothing more, but she can’t afford it. She’s staying at her parents’ rental.”

  “I thought they didn’t get along,” Cruz said.

  “They don’t, really. They’re the most critical people I’ve ever met in my life. But she needed a place to stay, and they’re not using the villa.”

  “Do they see Sam much?”

  “I don’t know. Part of me hopes not. They did a terrible job raising Audrey, and from what I’ve seen they haven’t changed.”

  “Is she still trying to get more child support?” Cruz asked.

  “The court turned it down. I don’t mind paying my fair share, but she has to do her part too. I’ve thought about trying to get full custody.”

  Hope raised a brow. “Do you think Audrey’s a good mom?”