Luna longed for what they had—a powerful connection with someone you trusted completely. The key word there beingtrust.
She glanced sideways at Boone.
Her head was solidly on board with the idea of trusting him. Convincing her heart was another thing altogether.
“My mom’s amazing.” He reached out and set his hand over his sister’s. “She’s not too different than you—tough but fair. And she and my dad never let a day go by without telling me they love me.” He gave her hand a little squeeze and released it. “They tried for a long time to get pregnant, but it just didn’t happen. Then, after years of waiting for their turn, they found out about me and adopted me two weeks after I was born. By then, they were both in their mid-thirties and had been married almost ten years.”
“I’m so glad they found you,” Calliope said.
“And I’m glad I foundyou.” He smiled. “Oh, and when you’re ready, my folks would love to meet you and Lucas.”
“Seriously?” Calliope’s head lifted off her fiancé’s shoulder. “I would totally love that.”
“Great, we’ll make it happen.” Boone was so relaxed and comfortable with everyone.
The tender moment between a newfound brother and sister was so special to witness. Especially since Calliope was very particular about who she exposed her softer side to.
“Does their ranch have a name?” Luna was fascinated by everything about his childhood and wanted to know more. “The ones I’ve seen on TV all have a name, so I was just wondering.”
“It does. It’s called Wind River Ranch. Their land is bordered on one side by a mountain range, and the Wind River cuts through the center of the property.” Boone slid his plate away and crossed his forearms on the table. “It was a great way togrow up.” His voice softened, and he looked out across his own property. “There’s nothing like sleeping out under the stars during a drive, on your own land, with a hundred head of cattle munching on grass fifty feet away.”
Luna followed his gaze, and her breath was taken away by what she saw.
The sun had begun to inch its way down and peeked through the tall trees all along the high part of his land. The pasture where Sassy and Patience lazily grazed was dappled with a bright reddish-gold color pouring through the trees at the top of the ridge. Above that, in the higher, darker part of the sky, stars had begun to twinkle.
It was beautiful and unlike any sunset Luna had ever witnessed.
The sound of Hawk’s voice pulled her from the view.
“I agree about sleeping under the stars.” Hawk grew up on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in western Montana, not far from where The Farm was located. “I’m happiest when I’m outside and am lucky my girl feels the same way.”
He put his arm around Charlotte and pulled her close.
“I love camping. We even got engaged during a camping trip.” Charlotte and Hawk gave each other a loving look. “It was the most perfect engagement ever. Hawk got down on one knee by this beautiful river where he and his granddad used to camp and fish when he was a little boy learning how to track.”
“It was great being included in that.” Calliope nudged Hawk with her elbow. “You done good, dude.”
She and Lucas had gone with them on the camping trip and had been just as surprised by the engagement as Charlotte.
“I’ve never camped before, but I’m willing to give it a try.” Marigold turned to Viking. “I assume you’ve camped before.”
“I have, and, if you really want to try it, I’ll happily take you,” he said.
“Sweet!” She snuggled into his side, and his very long arm automatically went around her.
Luna felt like the odd man out. She’d never camped a day in her life, had never slept under the stars, and wasn’t sure she ever wanted to. Spiders and snakes? No, thank you.
“Luna, do you like to camp?” Boone asked.
Shoot! He just had to ask, didn’t he?
Would he think less of her if she said no? They were all super into the outdoors and might think she was a priss or something. It was bad enough they were all so much more skilled and physically fit than her. Not that Luna was a complete slug or anything; she could just never keep up with all of them. Her talents were in other areas, like computers and inventing things.
“I don’t know. I’ve never camped before.” She opted for honesty, leaving out the part about the spiders and snakes. “The opportunity never really presented itself.”
She was pretty sure being kidnapped and kept at an isolated, guarded compound in the mountains of Montana didn’t count.
“You should try it.” Charlotte snapped her fingers. “I know!” She looked around at everyone, excitement on her face. “We could all go together.”
