The conversation flows through nursery expansion plans, Rachel's determination to keep working at the ranch despiteMason's concerns, and Cody's insistence on building a crib himself.
After dessert, Rachel pushes back from the table and reaches for her keys. "I should get home before Evie convinces Mason she needs ice cream for dinner."
I stand and pull her into a hug. "I'll come by the Lazy Fork tomorrow."
"You'd better." She squeezes me once more, then turns to kiss Gran's cheek. "Thank you for dinner."
"Drive safely, dear," Gran says.
I walk Rachel to her truck and watch her taillights disappear down the drive before heading back inside.
Gran is already making her way toward the stairs, one hand on the railing. She pauses, glancing at me. "I'm so glad you're home, Charles. To have you and your sister together again…" Her voice catches. "It's more than I dared to hope for."
"Goodnight, Gran."
"Goodnight, dear."
I make my way to the balcony outside my bedroom with a whiskey in hand, staring out over the land.
My eyes burn and my shoulders ache, but I'm not ready for sleep yet. The pastures stretch out before me in shades of silver under the moonlight. Somewhere in the barn, Wade is finishing up for the day, his gruff voice carrying faintly on the breeze.
I rest my head back and let my gaze drift across the night sky. The stars look different here, brighter somehow, more scattered across the darkness than they ever were in Kentucky. My attention wanders toward the eastern edge of the property, where the faint glow of lights in the distance marks the vast vineyards of Willow Sage Winery. Wade had pointed them out when we walked the property line.
I roll the whiskey glass between my palms. Tomorrow I'll head over to the Lazy Fork to see Rachel and the family. No morehauling trailers across state lines and turning right around. No more planning visits weeks in advance. It's just twenty minutes down the road now.
That thought takes me somewhere I wasn't planning to go. An old Ford truck on the shoulder, a blonde braid swinging with every failed attempt at that tire iron, and blue eyes sharp enough to cut a man down where he stood. She said we'd see each other around Stone Creek. Maybe then I’ll finally get her name.
Chapter 3
The drive to Lazy Fork Ranch takes me through rolling hills dotted with live oaks and fields of bluebells just beginning to show their spring colors. I notice them this time. The wildflowers. The way the morning sun catches dew still clinging to the grass. I've driven this road more times than I can count, but always with my mind on trailer hookups, delivery schedules, and return routes. By now, I’m usually planning the drive back to Kentucky.
But not today. For once, my truck bed is empty, there’s no paperwork on the passenger seat, and I don’t have a mental checklist of which horses need what when I get there. It’s just me driving to my sister's ranch to visit.
The white gate stands open, and I guide my truck down the long drive toward the massive main lodge that dominates the property. Stone and timber construction rises three stories high, looking like three double-story houses mashed together, connected by a wrap-around balcony circling the entire second floor. Behind the lodge, the barns and paddocks stretch across acres of prime grazing land, disappearing into the rolling hills where cattle and horses graze in small clumps across fenced pastures that seem to go on forever.
Alice Freeman appears on the porch before I even cut the engine, her silver hair catching the morning sun and her smile as welcoming as ever. Burt emerges from the main barn, wiping his hands on a rag as he crosses the ground in long strides. His weathered face creases into a grin beneath his ever-present Stetson, and he raises a hand in greeting.
"Charlie Hayden, as I live and breathe," Alice calls out, already coming down the steps with the quick, sure movements of someone who's never learned to slow down. "It's about time you visited." She pulls me into a hug that smells like cinnamon and coffee, her arms squeezing tight enough that I have to brace myself.
"Alice, it's great to see you," I reply, returning the embrace.
Burt reaches us, extending his hand with the firm shake of a man who's spent his life working the land. "I heard you got the last of your horses in. How'd they take to the new place?"
"They're all settling in as if they'd been there all along," I answer. "Your recommendation on Wade Faulkner was spot on. He's got a way with the animals and the hands that makes the entire operation run smoother than I ever expected."
"Wade's good people," Burt agrees, his thick Texan drawl warming the words. "I've known him since he was training his first horse. Has your grandmother been treating him right?"
I grin. "She gave him a raise, upgraded his cabin, and redesigned the tack room. According to Wade, she also informed him he's been storing feed wrong for twenty years."
Alice laughs. "That sounds like Eleanor. I need to get over there for a visit now that she's recovered from the move. How is she doing?" Concern fills her expression, the lightness giving way to the look of someone who's watched a friend fight through something hard.
"She's thriving," I answer. "The move energized her in a way I haven't seen in years. Seems to have given her a purpose anda project to sink her teeth into. She's got the household running like clockwork, and I swear she looks ten years younger than she did when we were still in Kentucky."
"That's wonderful to hear." Alice links her arm through mine and steers me toward the lodge. "Now come on inside. Rachel's got Evie at the table for a snack, and Mason's checking on the new arrivals in the south barn."
The central heart of the lodge stretches up two stories, with soaring ceilings and a massive stone fireplace dominating the great room. Through the windows, I can see small cabins scattered between oak trees in the distance.
Rachel glances up from the kitchen table where she's attempting to convince my niece that her peanut butter crackers are for more than just play.
