She gave me a knowing look and bumped me with her hip.
“Full story later,” she declared, then, before I could demur, she called, “Right, kids, who wants to take a go at a pottery wheel?”
Emma raised her hand, bopped repeatedly, and even though it was likely she had no clue what a pottery wheel was, she yelled, “Me!Me!Me!Me!”
“The good thing about all of this, tonight, they’re gonna crash so hard, Brett and I can play high school basketball stud and his cheerleader,” she said under her breath to me.
I snorted.
“Can I hold Tonks’s lead?”Liam asked me.
“She’s my new baby, and I’m happy for you to do that, but only if you let me help,” I replied.
“I can let you help,” he said.
We shared Tonks’s lead.
And I did everything I could not to search out the Stony Bluff Animal Rescue tent so I could catch a look at Hutch again.
I did not best that feat and saw him talking to yet another criminally handsome Misted Pines mountain man.This one had a baby on his hip, a mini-me little boy at his side who looked to be about ten or so, and a gorgeous blonde tucked to his other side with his arm slung around her neck.
They seemed really friendly.
I couldn’t imagine grumpy Hutch with friends.
Then again, I couldn’t imagine him whooshing twenty basketballs for a little girl.
And he did.
He also sang beautiful, sad songs.
Honestly?
I didn’t know what to do with that guy.
Everything he said shouted,Back off!
But everything he did said something else entirely.
I wasn’t going to come up with any answers standing there stupidly staring at him across a big parking lot.
And anyway, he might catch me stupidly staring.
So instead, I got stuck in and then I got muddy.
Hours later,after Abigail and I got down to business and talked three artists (one who made the most beautiful glass nightlights, another who stitched gorgeous quilts, and the last who wove remarkable baskets) into stopping in the shop to consider our vendor contract, the Buckner family walked me to my truck.
Emma’s little girl butt was on her daddy’s arm, she was flat out against his chest, head on his shoulder, drooping.
Liam still had some steam, but he was powering down.
So I got a big hug from their mom, a one-armed one from their dad, and finally, a curious look from their mother after she glanced into the driver’s side window of my car.
“Fun day, guys, see you later,” I called as they moved away.
Emma waved at me from over her father’s shoulder.
“Bye, Miss Mabel,” Liam called.
