I spin her under my arm. “I like watching you twirl. Do you dance?”
She shrugs. “Not since high school.”
I hum a little two-step. “I love dancing.”
“Do you?”
I spin her again, then pull her in close. “One day, City Girl, I’m going to take you to a barn dance and it’s going to be the best night of your life.”
“Promises,” she says as I bump her into my chest.
I grin. “Absolutely.”
If my mother wonders why Hope’s cheeks are pink when we join them at the chickens, she doesn’t say it out loud.
Sooner than later, she’s going to find out about the baby, so a blushing woman is really just the tip of the iceberg.
But right now, Luna has bigger fish to fry. She’s trying to teach Bellamy how to pick up the chickens.
“They’re scary.”
“They really aren’t,” my mother says patiently. “And sometimes they escape, so you need to be able to grab them and return them to the enclosure.”
“He can do it.” Bellamy points at me.
I scoop up the nearest chicken. “Like this?”
Bella squeaks and puts her hands to her cheeks as the hen ruffles her feathers angrily at me. “So scary.”
“Nah, I’m the boss of them.” Then I put the chicken down, and she runs away. “You’ll have to practice tomorrow. It’s time to go see dragonflies now.”
“I’ll get Bellamy’s booster seat from the house,” Hope says. “Come with Mommy, please.”
Luna grabs my arm as they move ahead.
I look back at her. Almost as long as I can remember, she’s been half my size. But once upon a time, she was to me what Hope is to Bellamy.
So I wait for whatever she wants to say.
She doesn’t beat around the bush.
“Do you know what you’re doing with that girl’s heart?” she asks crisply.
“Yes.” My answer is immediate and without any doubt.
Luna looks unconvinced. “She’s been through a lot. You can’t hurt her.”
“I know. I won’t.” I rub my jaw. “It’s nice to see you with Bellamy, you know.”
“Oh.” Luna sucks in a quick, sharp breath. She presses her hand to her chest.
“Come here,” I mutter, yanking her against me for a tight hug.
She squeezes me back. “I always wanted to be a grandma,” she says as she pats my back. “But I never wanted to put that pressure on you.”
“So you like the idea of kids running around here, terrorizing your chickens?”
She laughs and pushes me toward my truck. “Go. Have a wonderful morning at the canyon.”
