“I’ll start tomorrow.”
Willow beamed. “We can make the announcement at dinner in the lodge.”
Dinner was a mix of lively conversations among some groups of people, including the Malone women who’d taken over one corner of a long table, and a less energetic crew at the other side of the room, including that man Zee had seen before.
Carmichael, Church had called him. He gripped a fork but didn’t eat. Instead, he stared out the window at the light fading over the ranch. Zee was pondering if he had found a new friend in the land, a way of healing he never expected, the same as she did.
As she surveyed him, he looked up and met her gaze.
Her heart clenched at the shadows visible in his eyes even from here. The man had endured unspeakable things, that much was clear. Her heart went out to him.
Because of Matt and belonging as a military wife, she felt like all these men were her family. They looked out for each other, and for each other’s families too.
She threw him a little wave, and he gave her a slight nod that she would have missed if she hadn’t been studying him so closely.
Church touched her elbow, and she turned. “You okay?” he asked, low.
“Yes.”
“Let’s get in line at the buffet.”
They did, moving slowly behind a tall, broad vet. He said a few words to Church about getting to dinner late and missing out on the pork chops.
“Pope, this is Zee.” Church’s introduction brought the man’s attention to her. He had the most striking blue eyes and was covered in tattoos, including his knuckles.
She tried to catch what the letters there spelled but couldn’t make them out without staring. “Hi, Pope.”
He gave her a nod. Though his expression was pleasant, he also bore bruises of fatigue under each eye, making her think that whatever demons haunted him didn’t let him sleep. It tugged at her heart as much as Carmichael’s story.
“Zee is holding a new class for the lodge.” Church picked up a dinner roll and set it on his plate.
“Oh yeah? What are you teaching?” Pope asked her.
“Yoga. At sunrise.” She was a little nervous it was too early and no one would wake up for a silly old yoga class.
“I’ll be there. I watch the sun come up every day anyhow.” His lips quirked, but it looked like a wince.
“I can’t wait to see you there.”
They joined the Malone women for dinner, and Zee was introduced to the big group. Each member of the family was lovely and gracious to her. Navy was seated in a booster seat and there was an infant strapped into a reclining seat next to a woman named Layne. She introduced the baby as CJ—short for Carson Jr. after his father.
“You’ll meet them all soon,” Layne said with a smile.
Zee nodded, astonished that everyone was so welcoming to a stranger. When they started talking about a big fall festival on the ranch that upcoming weekend, she couldn’t help but be intrigued. They discussed decorating the lodge and the house, as well as planning the best days for hayrides and bonfires.
Fern brought up harvesting the pumpkins in the community garden and making pies and roasting pumpkin seeds. Zee didn’t fully understand the work but it all sounded like fun.
“You’ll love it here in the fall,” a stunning woman named Shiloh told her. “It’s the best time of year.”
Church listened while he ate, adding nothing to the conversation, but Zee could see he was interested too.
She caught his attention. “Have you participated in the fall festivities?”
He paused in eating. “It’s my first fall here too.”
Her chest warmed at the thought of being cuddled against Church’s side as they bounced through the field in a wagon towed by a tractor.
She smiled. “It sounds like fun. Will the new operators in training be allowed to come?”
