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Jill opened her mouth, presumably to ask another question, but a baby’s wail filled the air, distracting all of them. Clarissa had never been so thankful to fade into the background, and when Spencer returned, he seemed even more quiet and more reserved than before.
Still, his hand in hers was firm and welcome, and as the food started coming off the grill, he brightened, introduced her around to more of his friends, and perked up once the chocolate came out.
Once they’d eaten far too much, and the fire started to die, she stood out of the way as he hugged his friends good-bye. He took her hand, and they drove back to Sweet Water Falls Farm and their side-by-side cabins.
“Thanks for coming with me,” he said as he turned from the highway onto the dirt lane that went down a decline. “Did you have fun?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. “I did. Your friends are fun.”
“Yes,” he said too, nodding. “They are.”
“Why did you leave that ranch?” she asked, though he’d told her before. “You seem to really thrive there.”
“It was just time,” he said, making the right turn to take them toward their houses. His headlights caught on the trees, shrubs, and machinery along the way, and as they came over the rise that then went back down to their little meadow of a community, he jammed on the brakes.
“What?” she asked, throwing her hands out to catch herself against the dashboard.
“There’s a truck parked in front of my house,” he said. He looked from it to her. “Who could that be?”
Clarissa peered down the road too. She’d been at the farm forever, and she knew every truck, car, and farm vehicle. This was none of those. “I don’t know that truck,” she said. “Let’s go see.”
