Page 119 of Blue Jean Summer

Hallie, safe from Lewis’s disaster zone, beamed as she loaded more food onto the kitchen island. “I hope y’all are hungry. Lord knows I am.”

“Are we having people over?” Catherine asked as she looked at the massive spread. “You know the grand opening isn’t until tomorrow, and we don’t have to cook for that.”

Hallie pointed a spoon at her. “This is for you.”

Catherine laughed. “Me?”

I laid my hands on her shoulders and nodded. “We wanted to celebrate you. Mason and Levi will be up in a bit. Savannah’s on her way over.”

“I even invited Lewis and Warren,” Hallie said magnanimously. “Lewis said yes. Warren said no.”

Catherine huffed and put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t have to do all this just for me.”

“It was Hayes’s idea,” Hallie said.

“Snitch,” I grumbled, making both ladies laugh.

Savannah arrived with Mason and Levi hot on her heels. The six of us washed up and piled around the table. Zach slipped inside and had almost made it up the stairs when Hallie called him back down to join us for dinner. Lewis was the last to take a seat. If he was bothered by the news of the judge’s ruling, he didn’t show it.

When everyone had filled their plates, I picked up my glass of tea and stood. “I’m not one for speeches, but I’m grateful for all of you being here through Granddad’s passing. For keeping the estate running through all the changes.” I looked down at Catherine. “But I’m most thankful for you. And I’m so proud of everything that you’ve accomplished, for yourself and for the community.”

Catherine reached up and squeezed my hand, then raised her glass. “Cheers.”

Since Lewis was in attendance, the conversation was slightly more mellow, but still lively. Zach even piped up and gave his two cents once in a while.

Everyone pitched in to clean up. Well, everyone except Lewis. When the dishes had been washed to Hallie’s exacting standards, everyone dispersed.

Zach disappeared into his room. Levi and Savannah headed into town for drinks at Pony Up. Hallie and Mason seemingly disappeared into thin air. Before Catherine could slip away, I grabbed her hand and pulled her out the kitchen door.

She laughed as we ran around the house, toward the stables. “What are you doing?”

Thunder cracked overhead as billowing clouds rolled over the mountain ridge, cloaking the valley in darkness.

“One more surprise,” I panted as heavy raindrops the size of pebbles began to pelt us. Catherine laughed as we bolted through the downpour. Humidity soaked the straw-laden air as we made it into the stables, sharing sheepish smiles as we wiped the rain from our faces. I wrapped my hand around Catherine’s. She didn’t hesitate to slide her fingers between mine as I led her up the stairs to the loft.

The lights I had strung across the pitched roof glowed as the evening turned to starry twilight.

Catherine paused and looked around, taking it all in. I had hefted armfuls of clean blankets and pillows up to the loft, then rearranged the hay bales to make a nest of sorts.

“Are we camping?” she asked.

“Nah. Not all night. I just wanted to get out of the house with you.”

“You have a whole valley, and yet you chose the loft?”

I took her hand and led her over to the hay bale bed that had been lined with layers of blankets and surrounded by pillows. “I like being up here with you.”

Catherine paused and caught my eye. “I like everywhere with you.”

I toed off my boots while she did the same before climbing onto the blankets. “Hayes,” she said as she stretched out on her back and stared up at the glowing lights.

I lay beside her. “Yeah, sweetheart?”

“When is this going to stop feeling real?” There was a heaviness in her tone as she opened up to me. “It shouldn’t feel like this.”

I rolled to my side, then braced my body above hers. “I don’t think it’ll ever stop feeling real. Not for me anyway.”

Catherine tilted her chin up and brushed her lips against mine. “Can we pretend it’s real tonight?” There was hesitance to the request. Like she was scared I’d say no.