Maria nodded, smiling like a bobblehead clown. “I did.”
The pie slipped off the fork and landed on his shoe. He stared at her, his thoughts suddenly as pureed as apple filling. “Did she bring the pies herself?”
“Who?” Jesse asked, his eyes darting between Maria and Dane.
Ed whacked him with his cloth napkin. “Dane’s lady friend, you dolt. Hilary, right?”
“Yes.” Maria lifted her chin toward the direction of the barns. “Kelly took her for a tour. She asked to see the goats.”
Dane nodded, his mouth dry.
“She showed up about an hour ago, looking for you,” Maria continued. “I—”
But Dane didn’t stick around to hear Maria finish the sentence. He was outside again, jogging in the direction of the goat barn, not feeling the stinging rain this time, his unbuttoned jacket flapping behind him.
He pulled open the door and blinked, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. At the far end of the barn, silhouetted against the opening to the pasture, were two figures in hooded raincoats standing at the inside corral.
“Surprise,” Kelly whispered when she met him halfway down the aisle. Maria’s daughter wore the same impish grin as her mother. “I’ll let you finish the tour,” she said over her shoulder as she headed out of the barn.
Dane stood there, looking at Hilary, who seemed frozen in place too. He couldn’t quite believe she was here. Slowly, he walked toward her as if a sudden movement might cause her to fade away like an apparition. She pushed off her hood when he came closer.
“Hello,” she said. Her eyes, brightened by the dim light, swept over him before she focused again on his face. There were the fleeting dimples. He missed them. Her expression showed a mixture of emotions fighting for control.
“I had no idea you were coming.” There was a tremor in his voice too. Dane cleared his throat. “I would have been here.” He stopped within an arm’s length of her.
A tremulous smile lit her face. “I didn’t want to get in the way if you were busy. And I was a little nervous. I was going to leave the pies and call you from the road.”
He let out a short bark. “That would have killed me if I didn’t get to see you.” He took a step closer. The skin at the base of her throat rippled as she inhaled.
“This is on the way to my sister’s,” she said. “I’m going to stay with her for a while.”
Dane reached for her hand. It was soft and warm and she squeezed his when they touched.
“Is everything all right?” he asked. She looked happy but he wondered if there was trouble with Jorie.
“Everything’s fine,” she said, looking him up and down again. “I forgot how good you look when you’re wet.”
He chuckled while he pulled his shirt collar up to wipe the rain from his face. A surge of warmth spread through him. Hilary was here. She’d come to see him.
“I’m taking a little ‘me’ time. It’s been a while since I went home.” She tilted her head, her eyes searching his face.
He wanted to ask her what changed, making her want to leave the farm in Redville when it was almost crunch time for opening the inn. What had Jorie thought about her taking off? Did Jorie know that Hilary and her traveling pie shop would stop to see him? These and other questions popped into his mind as he stared at her.
“And I’ve missed you,” she said, taking the last step to close the space between them. Hilary’s other hand traveled up his arm to rest on his shoulder. Her bottom lip quivered. “A lot. Texting wasn’t doing it for me anymore.”
That was all he needed to know.
Dane cupped her face in both hands. “I missed you too,” he whispered. “So much.”
The kiss was like a slow-motion clip. Hilary leaned toward him. Their lips met with perfect choreography. He closed his eyes and reveled in the delicate touch of her mouth against his. Dane half expected cheers to erupt or a choir of angels to burst into song, but the buzzing in his ears would have drowned it out. Her lips were butter soft and moist, more tantalizing than he imagined in his daydreams since they’d seen each other last. His arms went around her, pressing her against his chest, and Hilary responded by conforming to his body like a puzzle piece. Behind them, the goats bumped against the corral fence, making soft snorting noises, oblivious to the significance of the moment in their quest for food.
They’d have to wait.
He and Hilarysat inside the screened porch long after everyone scattered, listening to the rain pound the metal roof and sharing an impromptu dinner of baby greens and other vegetables from the garden, a good balance after eating more than half a pie. Dane took her plate to the kitchen when they’d finished, then came back onto the porch, turning on some bluegrass before he sat down again. He’d been listening to it ever since the band played at Blueberry Point Lodge since it took him back to that night. Dane scooted his chair closer to Hilary so their knees touched.
“I really debated about telling you I was coming,” Hilary said, wrapping the gauzy blue scarf tighter around her neck. The blue made the color of her hair all the more richer. It was cooler than usual for early July. The rain brought a welcome cold front on its heels. Dane had since ditched the flannel he wore earlier, but goosebumps rose on his arms from the chill. Or maybe it was the present company affecting him.
He shook his head. “Had I known, I would have put off the truck appointment another day.”
