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Cameron waved.
Ghost went bounding toward them to say hello.
Rachel was smiling, and Lili was squealing in delight.
Then Rusty emerged from the Jeep, and everything after that began happening in slow motion.
Rachel saw the woman, and the wild red curls blowing in the wind, and saw the love on Cameron’s face and wanted to cry.
So this is who you are. And you’re so beautiful! Please like me. Please be my sister, my friend.
Lili’s mouth was open in a squeal, and then she saw the stranger. She swallowed the squeal, leaned a little closer to her mama, and stared in awe.
Cameron grinned. This was “the moment,” and Rusty was exactly the show-stopper he’d guessed she would be.
He dumped the armload of wood, brushed the chips off his coat and gloves, and went straight to Rusty and put his arm around her.
“Hey, everybody. Come meet my girl.”
Rachel waved and kept walking toward them, but then the moment she stopped, Lili bailed out of her arms and into Cameron’s like she’d been catapulted into the air.
“Lord!” Rachel gasped as she tried to grab for her, but Cameron was laughing.
“I caught her,” he said, and then kissed Lili’s cheek. “Rusty, this is my sister, Rachel, and this little grasshopper is Lili. Rachel, this is my forever woman, Faith Caldwell, also known as Rusty, for obvious reasons.”
Rusty was still reeling over the forever-woman comment, and hoped to God that Rachel Glass liked her.
“I’m so happy to finally meet you,” Rusty said.
Rachel beamed. “I’m happy to meet you, too. I was beginning to think there wasn’t a woman alive who’d slow this man down.”
Rusty threw back her head and laughed. “Oh lord…I didn’t slow him down. I just happened to be fast enough to catch up and strong enough to hold on.”
Cameron grinned.
Lili patted both his cheeks and said, “Cookies.”
“Not yet, Little Bit. See all this wood?” Cameron said.
She nodded.
“Uncle Cam has to unload it first. And this is Rusty. She’s my friend.”
“Russy,” Lili said, and then reached out and patted the top of Rusty’s head. “Pitty hair.”
Cameron nodded. “Yes, she has real pretty hair. How about you take Mama and Rusty inside out of the cold, okay? I’ll bring cookies in a minute.”
“Inna minute,” Lili echoed.
Cameron put her down, and when he did, she went straight to Ghost and locked her fist into his fur.
“ C’mon, Ghoss. Inside now.”
“As you can tell, this one thinks she’s in charge. Let’s go inside where it’s warmer. I have coffee,” Rachel said.
“I’d love some,” Rusty said, and gave Cameron a backward glance as they walked away.
He was watching them go. She knew he would be. That’s why she turned to look. He was waiting for her smile, so she obliged.
