I trail off as I hear a vehicle outside, followed by boots stomping up the porch stairs.
“About now,” I finish.
Oakley looks amused, but his attention diverts to the front of the house as my daughter comes storming through the door. She walks right up to Oakley, punches him on the shoulder, and then gives him a fierce hug.
Oakley grunts under the force of her attack, his eyes wide. “Jesus, Wendy. Look at you. You’re up to my chin now.”
“Yeah, well, I grew up a lot while you were off playingWizard of Oz.”
“Kansas,” I mouth to him.
He squeezes my daughter tighter, his eyes slipping closed. “It’s good to see you, Wen.”
“You, too,” she says, voice cracking. “You’re not leaving again.”
“Christ,” he mutters, eyes opening and finding mine. There’s a small smile on his face. “You two are just alike.”
Wendy finally steps back, quickly swiping at her face. Oakley shakes his head as he looks her over. She’s grown a lot in the years he’s been gone. From a gangly just-teenager to the seventeen-year-old she is now. She’s looking more like a young woman every day, and it’s obvious Oakley is surprised by the change, not having seen the day-to-day evolution as I have. Pictures aren’t the same.
“So,” Wendy says almost defensively, hands on her hips, “youarestaying, right?”
“I am,” Oakley answers.
“Good.Where’s Bell?”
As if hearing her name spoken, Bell comes trotting down the hall. Wendy rushes over, throwing herself against the miniature cow, cooing up a storm as Bell’s tail swishes, the bovine’s eyes half closed in bliss.
Oakley looks my way. “I think she missed the cow more than me.”
“Likely,” I tease.
He glances down at his closed fist, confusion on his face for a moment before he slowly cranks up his middle finger. “Ah, there it is.”
I grab a pillow from the couch and toss it his way. Oakley laughs as he swipes it out of the air, sending it careening back in my direction.
“What’s for dinner?” Wendy asks, ignoring the antics of two forty-some-year-old men who should know better.
Oakley gives Bell a surreptitious look. “Steak?”
“Oh good Lord,” I mumble, heading for the fridge. Luckily for everyone, I find a few ribeyes inside, as well as some bell peppers. “Get the grill going. We’re doing kabobs.”
Oakley doesn’t argue, practically bounding out the back door to light the grill. My eyes catch Wendy’s. She doesn’t need to say a word for me to understand the smile at the corner of her lips.
We’re both glad Oakley is back.
We eat outside, Bell grazing in the yard as the three of us sit at the picnic table on Oakley’s patio. I’ll need to head home soon—to my temporary home at the ranch. But for now, I kick up my feet on the bench seat near Oakley, content to savor this moment I wasn’t sure I was going to get again.
The sun is low in the sky. The wind is blowing gently. If I squint, I can almost see pixies flitting on the breeze. Almost.
My best friend is home.
Maybe that’s magic enough for me.
Chapter 6
Oakley
Darling Ranch looks the same as the day I left.
