Page 125 of Blue Jean Summer

Chapter 32

Hayes

String lights glowed overhead as donors, press, and honored guests milled around the Learning Cottage. Hallie beamed as everyone raved about the sweet potato biscuits stuffed with Virginia ham. She had paired them with little shot glasses of soup, making it the perfect small bite. Savannah had, seemingly, memorized my grandfather’s ledger and recounted the history of each batch of moonshine as she poured just enough for them to have a taste.

Behind the safety of the fence, Blanche and Dorothy were snuggled up in the pasture, blissfully unbothered by the prying eyes and “aww”s as people watched them with curiosity.

Maisey was delighted by the attention and soaked it up with each gentle pat and offered snack.

It was an all-hands-on-deck affair. Mason had parked himself beside Zach and was trying to coax him into talking without much luck. Levi had cleaned up and was stationed within arm’s reach of Savannah as he demonstrated how farriers care for horses, with Elvis as his trusty sidekick.

Watching it all from the edge of the tent was my wife.

I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her. “You did it.”

She squeaked in surprise, then laughed and leaned back into me. “We did it. All of us.”

“I’m proud of you,” I said as I pressed a kiss to her temple and rocked us back and forth. A faint memory floated through my mind as I caught a whiff of her perfume. It was the fragrance she had worn on our wedding day. “Granddad would have loved this.”

I would have done anything for him to be here to see it, but I knew he was watching over us along with my grandma and parents.

“He would have loved you being around here,” I said. “Bringing life back to the estate. Making it more than an equine facility. Keeping the gates open.”

“Catherine,” a regal-looking woman said as she approached with outstretched arms. “Or should I say, Mrs. Wilder.”

“Lori,” Catherine said as she straightened and stepped out of my arms and greeted the woman with a polite hug. “Thank you so much for coming this evening.” Catherine turned to bring me into the conversation. “Hayes, this is Lori Rodgers. She’s the head of the Miss Virginia organization. Lori, this is my husband, Hayes.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilder,” she said with a brusque handshake.

“Likewise. Catherine speaks very highly of her time with your organization.”

Catherine looked around at the turnout. “I hope I represented the organization and the state well,” she said. “It’s a shame I was just shy of completing this during my year of service, but it’s better late than never.”

Lori laughed politely. “We were lucky to have someone with your passion and dedication. To me, it’s the outcome that matters. I have a hunch that this is you just getting started.”

“I hope so,” Catherine said with near giddiness. “I think this is going to become something incredible.”

“Hayes, you’re a lucky man,” Lori said as she patted my arm.

I laid my hand on the small of Catherine’s back. “Yes, ma’am. I am.”

“Mrs. Wilder, I’m here with the Harrisonburg Gazette,” a plucky young woman said as she slipped into our group as Lori bowed out gracefully. “Do you have a moment to answer a few questions about the Learning Cottage?”

Catherine beamed. “Absolutely.”

The moment I stepped away from Catherine and headed toward Mason and Zach, I stopped in my tracks.

Lewis was here.

That wasn’t exactly a surprise. Lewis showed up wherever there was food and booze. The surprise was that he was talking to Robert Allen.

To my knowledge, the court ruling stood. Lewis’s attorneys had appealed the decision, but nothing had come of that yet.

“Mr. Allen,” I said as I neared the two of them with confident strides. “I’m glad you could join us this evening. Have you had a chance to look around?”

He offered a sympathetic smile as he used his handkerchief to dab the sweat from his forehead and neck. “I wish I had the time to. It seems your wife has really done something incredible here.”

“She has. I’m incredibly proud of her. I know Granddad would be proud of her as well.”