“Yeah-huh! I have the card in my backpack. I can go get it and prove it to you.”
“It’s true,” Luke says from behind me, clasping my shoulder, and then he opens the smoker for a peek, but I swat at his hand.
Annabelle inhales sharply, clearly disappointed in me, and points toward us. “Daddy! That’s assaulting an officer!”
“It’s okay. Luke gave me a ‘get out of jail’ card too,” I throw back at her and cross my arms. I have several of the cards in a Monopoly game that she doesn’t need to know about. I fully plan to use them in the future. “And also, I agree with Uncle Zane. You don’t need to be stealing cookies, especially before we eat lunch.”
Zane walks over to me, gives me a fist bump, and whispers, “Justice isserved.”
Behind us, we hear a frustrated huff escape from Annabelle as she hops down from the trampoline. Luke, however, must have every intention of turning my daughter against us, because he takes off running, snatching Annabelle into his arms. He hands her a cookie and, somehow, is able to flash us his badge as he makes a beeline toward the cabins.
“He might as well have been flipping us the bird,” Zane grumbles beside me.
“That has to be an illegal way of showing a badge,” Ashton’s deep voice catches our attention.
Zane smiles at his friend and gives him a firm handshake. “Hey, man, I’m glad you showed up.”
“Me too,” I add, shaking his hand.
“Ah, you just wanted some of my morels. I hit the jackpot this year.” He chuckles.
Ashton moved to Covewood about eleven years ago to reconnect with his dad, and about five years ago, we hired him to work for us. He’s made a great addition to the company with his impressive work ethics. He and Zane hit it off instantly, and I’m glad my brother found a good friend.
“Hey, there she is!” Zane beams at someone behind me.
I turn and see Olivia and Raine making their way towards us. My body instantly reacts to Raine, a zip of electricity whipping through me as soon as she’s near. I turn towards her and my eyes trail her body. She’s wearing a long pink dress that flows against her ankles. Her hair's hanging down in natural waves past her shoulders, and sitting against her chest is the rainbow necklace.
She gives me a shy smile and waves in greeting. She looks at Ashton and reaches out a hand. “Hi, I’m Raine.”
“Oh,theRaine. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Ashton announces.
“All good things I hope.” She adds, glancing at me shyly.
Ashton gives her his signature charming smile before eyeing me. “Yes Ma’am. It's nice to finally meet you in person.Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some food I want to sample before everyone else comes over and steals all the good stuff.”
“Alright! Who brought the Morsels?” Olivia shouts and follows him.
“I brought some sourdough cookies,” Raine says, eyes flowing up and down my body, and I catch the hint of pink growing on her cheeks.
“Please tell me they’re like the ones Johanna would make,” I ask excitedly.
“They are. She had some discard left in the fridge,” she says, her voice cracking, my heart cracking with it. People have always told me that time heals all wounds. But not this one. Not yet.
“I like this look on you,” I announce, trying to change the subject, and give her another once-over.
“What?Little House on the Prairie?” she jokes and pushes her hair behind her ear.
“It’s moreyou. Like, the old you, anyway.”
“How’d I look before?” she asks curiously, her brows raising.
“When you first came to town, you were all ‘city business woman.’ Now you’re…” I wave my hands in front of her, unsure of what to say.
“Maybe I should dye my hair bright pink again?” she tosses back, and I laugh.
“It kept me on my toes, not knowing what color your hair would be each time I saw you back then.”
I reach out and catch a strand of loose hair between my fingers. She tenses slightly but keeps her eyes locked on mine. Despite the heat outside, goosebumps prickle against my skin, especially when her mouth parts and her eyes land on my lips.
