The weather forecast for the Fourth of July predicted morning showers that would continue through midafternoon. Celeste assured the worried organizers of the inaugural Eternity Springs Independence Day parade that skies would clear off by the time the event was due to begin at ten.
The sun came out at nine thirty, and by quarter to ten the sky was a bright, heavenly blue.
The Eternity Springs Community School band led the parade playing John Philip Sousa and behind them filed anyone who wanted to participate. Locals and tourists, campers from the Rocking L summer camp, Stardance Ranch RV Resort, and nearby national parks joined in to march, ride bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and horses. Participants walked dogs, pushed baby strollers, drove motorcycles, golf carts, four-wheelers, and scooters. The Chamber of Commerce entered a float celebrating the town’s history and Angel’s Rest sponsored one featuring red, white, and blue angels.
“Go figure,” Patsy said to Liliana when she spied it. “Whoever would have guessed Celeste would do angels?”
Because Celeste was scheduled to ride on the Angel’s Rest float, she asked Lili to do her a favor and drive her Caddie and Shasta in the parade. Delighted at the opportunity, Lili agreed. The vintage trailers paraded by Tornado Alleycats members were bound to be a big hit, but she expected the Murphy family businesses entry, the Fresh and Refresh float, to win the parade’s first prize. Who could compete with cute little kids throwing cellophane-wrapped cookies to the crowd from a deck boat on a trailer?
Lili took her place in line at the end of the vintage trailers. Celeste brought Nic Callahan and her twin daughters by to ride in the classic convertible with her. “We need wavers,” Celeste explained. “Can’t have a car in a parade and not have somebody in the backseat waving.”
“I’m glad to have the company,” Lili replied.
It was true. The Callahan twins were dolls. At eight years old, Meg and Cari wore patriotic T-shirts and shorts, with red, white, and blue ribbons tied around their ponytails. They sat on the car’s backseat and giggled while they practiced their “princess” wave—hand cupped, fingers together, movement back and forth rather than up and down.
Nic sat up next to Lili and grilled her like a hot dog.
“So, the day before yesterday was interesting. I didn’t know that you and Brick had become so close. How long have you two been dating?”
Lili shot her a look. “We’re not dating. It’s not like that.”
“It sure looked like it to me.”
Frowning, Lili kept her gaze on the trailer in front of her in line. “I don’t recall seeing you at the sheriff’s office. I thought you went straight to the breakroom to work on Sugar.”
“Oh, I did. I saw all the Twitter pics. The YouTube video, too.”
“Mommy! Mommy!” Meg called from the Caddie’s backseat. “You’re not waving. You need to wave, too.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Nic offered the crowd lining Spruce Street a wave.
The girl continued, “You don’t have to wave, Miss Lili, because you’re driving.”
“Gotta be safe,” Lili said, glad for even a temporary interruption.
Quite temporary, she realized when Nic focused her laser-eyed attention back on Lili. “Well?”
“Brick and I are just friends.”
Nic shook her head knowingly. “Brick is everyone’s friend. But he doesn’t look at everyone the way he looks at you. No, Liliana. You mean something to him.”
Thankfully, the inquisition ended when the noise level surrounding them increased due to fact that the Bear Cave Bikers pulled in behind them on their motorcycles.
Liliana completed her participation in the parade without further interrogation, and the squeals and giggles from behind her combined with the happy excitement of the crowd and the chance to drive such a splendid … land yacht … made for an enjoyable morning. The activity helped her forget about the stresses of the previous two days.
When they finally left the sheriff’s office Brick had wanted to take her to dinner with his family, but she’d begged off. He’d dropped her back at the Ranch, where she’d checked on Patsy, eaten a bowl of cereal for supper, showered, and gone to bed. Yesterday had been an exercise in avoiding her cell phone, e-mails, and even knocks on her trailer door by paparazzi and tabloid reporters and bloggers.
The news that had arrived last night that Hollywood’s newest heartthrob had been spotted in Aspen with the wife of a professional football player ended Lili’s fifteen minutes of fame. She couldn’t have been happier.
Following the parade, she joined Patsy and the throngs of shoppers taking advantage of the three hours that retail shops and restaurants would remain open before closing for the official town festival out at Hummingbird Lake.
It was a bittersweet time for Lili. She made a point to enjoy shopping with Patsy, but when the older woman went a little crazy in Forever Christmas buying gifts for all the Alleycats Lili had to fight back tears. She was glad when the time came to migrate out to the lake for the canoe races.
She’d registered in the female-only race, assuming she’d be paired with one of the Alleycats. Instead, she discovered she was slated to partner with Maddie Callahan.
Wow. This was her week to mingle with celebrities.
She’d known from local gossip that Brick’s aunt Maddie was the infamous Baby Dagger, daughter of rock royalty Blade.
“Hello, partner,” Maddie said, waving the pairing sheet and smiling brightly. “How lucky am I to get you on my team! We’re going up against Torie and Lori. You have to watch out for my sister-in-law. She may be tiny, but she’s strong as an ox. I really want to beat her because of what’s at stake.”
“You care about the trophy?” Lili asked.
“Well, sure. Although what really matters is loser washes pots and pans tonight. We do mostly throwaway stuff, but the pile is still high. I’m not a fan of dishwater. Besides, I like to win.”
Waiting to board the canoe for their race, Lili caught her first glimpse of Brick since he’d dropped her off at her trailer the night before last. Based on gossip going around the campground yesterday, he had spent the day at River Camp smoothing things over with his guest, fielding phone calls, and basically doing damage control. According to Sharon Cross, matters at the RV camp weren’t running so smoothly, either.
Sharon had walked into the office yesterday and overheard Josh on the phone quarreling with Courtney. He’d acted seriously upset until he spotted Sharon, ended the call, and pretended nothing was wrong.
Brick didn’t appear to be concerned about anything as he sauntered toward Maddie with his father—or was it his uncle Luke? The two men were twins.
Luke, Lili deduced when the older Callahan said, “Red, how about a kiss for good luck?”
Then he bent Maddie back over his arm and kissed her senseless.
“Daddy, stop it! You’re embarrassing us again.”
Another set of identical Callahan twins—a dominant family trait, apparently—who were a little older than Gabe and Nic’s girls and redheaded like their mother squealed in disgust. “He’s always doing that,” the girl dressed in white said.
“It’s humiliating,” the one in blue added.
“Hush, urchins,” Luke Callahan said. “I want to introduce you to Ms. Howe. Liliana, these are our daughters, Samantha…”—the girl in white wiggled her fingers—“… and Catherine.”
“Nice to meet you,” Catherine said.
“Hello.” Samantha beamed a smile toward Lili, winked at Brick, then smiled innocently toward her mother. “You’re right, Mom. She is pretty. I’ll bet Brick’s in luuuuv.”
Brick lowered his sunglasses and studied his cousin. “So, Sam, you still crushing on that boy who—”
“What boy?” Luke demanded.
“Nothing, Dad,” Samantha was quick to say, shooting Brick a glare. “You better get in your canoe, Mom. The race is about to begin and you don’t want to give Torie a head start.”
Brick smirked at his cousin, then helped Luke steady the canoe as Lili and Maddie took their places. When they lifted their paddles and pointed toward the starting line, Luke called, “Good luck, beautiful ladies.”
“He is such a flirt,” Maddie said with a sigh. “They both are.”
Lili couldn’t argue against that.
“So, how long have you and Brick been dating?”
Again Lili protested the assumption, and when Maddie dismissed her much like Nic had she seriously considered diving over the side of the canoe. She wasn’t even surprised when Matt’s wife, Torie, asked her the same question after taking the seat beside Lili at the children’s concert.
So later that afternoon upon arriving at the North Forty for the Callahan cookout and the fireworks show, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She tracked down the last Callahan wife, Annabelle, and said, “I’ve been secretly dating Brick since I was nine years old. His tree house was the bomb. I gave him my virginity there and have since borne him three sets of twins.”
Annabelle looked up at her and grinned. “I knew I’d like you, Liliana. But that’s not the question I was going to ask.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No. I was going to ask you how long you’ve been in love with my husband’s son?”
The question took Lili’s breath away. It was a question she’d never had the guts to ask herself. Nevertheless, she answered it honestly. “Since the day he offered me his high school letter jacket.”
* * *
Brick greeted his mom and pop with bear hugs. Cindy and Paul Christopher looked rested and relaxed after their Alaskan cruise, and as always Mom got teary eyed when she saw Brick. “Oh, Mark. You get more handsome every time I see you. Look at you.” She reached up and played with the ends of his hair trailing below his collar. “I like the longer hair.”
Mom was the only person who’d never given in to his nickname. “I’m a mountain man, now. It keeps me warmer than the military cut.”
They discussed the flight from Seattle and the drive from Denver. Then Mark and Annabelle spied the new arrivals and came over to exchange greetings. Watching the friendly exchange between his two sets of parents, Brick was struck once again about how lucky he’d been when it came to families.
Families. That reminded him. He began looking around the grounds for Josh and Courtney. He knew Josh was here. He’d spotted him down by the fishing pier earlier. Come to think of it, he didn’t think he’d seen Courtney all day.
Then as if his mother was reading his mind, Cindy Christopher asked, “Where’s your brother? And Courtney? I’m so looking forward to seeing her. It’s been years.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Every time I see Josh he’s on the opposite of the compound from me. And I don’t know what’s up with Courtney. I haven’t seen her in a couple of days.”
Annabelle spoke up. “Josh was in the dance hall a few minutes ago. I suspect he’s still there. A few of the Alleycats were giving a pole-dancing demonstration.”
Brick’s brows winged up and she added, “Kidding. Just kidding. I heard they give lessons, though. Quite an interesting bunch. Anyway, we’re almost ready to serve dinner. Josh is up there helping.”
“That’s no surprise. He always was good about helping in the kitchen,” Cindy Christopher said, slipping her arm through Brick’s. “Do you have any surprises for your parents, Mark? A new girlfriend perhaps?”
Playfully, he thumped Cindy’s nose. “It’s nice to know I can always count on you, Mom, and that some things never change.”
The look in her eyes went from teasing to serious. “I want you to be happy, Mark. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. But I think you need that special someone in your life for you to find that happiness.”
“I love you, Mom.” It was always the best dodge that he could throw out, Brick knew. “Let’s go track down Josh and Courtney. You can pester them about their love lives.”
Cindy asked him what he knew about his siblings’ love lives as he led his parents toward the dance hall where volunteers manned the buffet line serving the Callahan family’s traditional Fourth of July feast—smoked brisket, chicken, and sausage, beans, grilled corn on the cob, mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, fresh watermelon, and more salads than Brick could count. For the younger crowd and others so inclined, they had metal skewers and a tray full of hot dogs ready to roast over the fire pit.
Josh Tarkington spied the Christophers and a wide smile broke across his face. “Well, the world travelers have returned.”
The trio exchanged handshakes and hugs and spent a few minutes catching up before Branch Callahan rang the dinner bell and, like ants at a picnic, children began to swarm into the room. They’d serve the Rocking L campers first, then guests, then family. “I need to man my spoon,” Josh said to Paul. “Y’all save me a spot at your table, would you?”
“Sure,” Paul said.
“What about Courtney?” Brick asked. “Where is she?”
Josh glanced toward the door and his brow furrowed. Unease fluttered through Brick. “Josh?”
The man gave his head a slight shake, then gestured toward the line already twenty kids deep and stepped away without answering. What the hell?
Josh took up his place behind the potato salad and mac and cheese. Brick decided he’d go assist with the baked beans, right next to his brother, but just as he took half a step forward Uncle Gabe called his name. “Wienies are proving popular. Will you help me supervise the skewers?”
Brick nodded, gave his brother one more puzzled look, then followed his uncle outside to the fire pit.
For the next nerve-wracking hour, he supervised children aged two to twelve with sharp metal skewers and fire. By the time everyone had been fed, he needed a beer. Badly.
He grabbed one along with a plate of food and made his way down toward the lake to the picnic tables where his family invariably congregated. He joined Chase Timberlake, Jax Lancaster, and Devin Murphy at a picnic table to enjoy his beer and brisket and talk baseball while watching the children’s games that were about to begin.
Liliana had pitched in to help there, he saw. She, Claire, and Lori had organized a game of tag divided into age groups. Soon the property rang with shouts and laughter and giggles and the barking of happy dogs. After tag they played other schoolyard games and at some point someone broke out footballs and Frisbees and some of the older children—Brick included—joined in the play.
And as the evening progressed, everyone waited for fireworks to begin.
* * *
In the dance hall’s bathroom, Patsy Schaffer coughed one more time, then reached for another tissue and wiped her mouth. The bright red staining the white of the tissue wasn’t lipstick, unfortunately.
Sighing, she leaned toward the mirror and studied the whites of her eyes. Were they more yellow than yesterday? Probably. The pain in her gut was definitely worse.
“Well, you knew to expect it,” she said to her reflection. Didn’t mean she had to like it, though.
She stuck her tongue out. “Cancer, you suck.”
She drew an enameled pillbox from the back pocket of her jeans and tossed back two small white pills. Then she pulled her red lipstick from the other pocket of her jeans, painted her lips, and pasted on a smile. She stopped beside the five-gallon jugs of beverages and filled a disposable cup with lemonade. So sweet. So delicious. Definitely a moment to savor.
Five minutes later when Celeste waved her to a circle of lawn chairs where she sat with Cindy Christopher and the Callahan wives, she gave no one any reason to think anything was wrong.
Taking the empty seat next to Celeste, Patsy observed, “What a beautiful evening, isn’t it?”
Celeste beamed a smile. “That it is.”
“I’m looking forward to the fireworks, but I’ll be honest. I hate to see this day end.”
“Every day is a gift.”
“So very true.” A slight smile played about Patsy’s lips as she added, “Some gifts are easier to appreciate than others.”
“That is our challenge, is it not? We must climb those mountains and conquer those hurdles that prevent us seeing the gift of each day.”
“I have a confession to make. Some days I don’t have the energy to climb and jump. Some days I want to lay down and surrender.”
Celeste reached over and patted Patsy’s knee. “May I offer a piece of advice?”
“Of course.”
“When the gift becomes difficult to recognize, look to your inner angel and accept the guidance she has to offer.”
“I don’t know, Celeste.” Patsy sipped her lemonade and considered her friend’s advice. “I reflect on all the mistakes I’ve made and … well … sometimes, my inner angel seems to be missing in action.”
“Then you are looking in the wrong place. You will find your angel not in worldly deeds, Patsy. You’ll find her when you focus on the accomplishments of your soul. Allow her to guide you, to be your support during those final climbs and jumps that will lead you back to the heart of your heart—the love and faith and goodwill that will be your bridge to heaven.”
“It’s an intimidating journey.”
“Only if you think you are making it alone. You’re never alone, Patsy. Don’t forget that.”
Patsy focused on the sunset beginning to paint the sky in hues of brilliant gold and vermillion, purples and pinks. “God’s promise.”
“His promise.”
“I’ll remember, Celeste. Thank you.”
“Thank you, my friend. Your friendship has been a gift to me and to many of us here tonight.” Celeste patted Patsy’s knee again, then gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “And speaking of friends and gifts … I’m reminded that different kinds of alone exist.”
She gestured toward the lawn where Liliana was in the process of diving in front of Brick to intercept a Frisbee Lori had thrown. “I believe those two are being blind to the gift in front of their noses.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Patsy said. “I don’t know who is more stubborn, Brick or Liliana.”
At mention of the Callahan name, Cindy, Maddie, Torie, Annabelle, and Nic broke off their conversation about the roses blooming in front of Branch’s cabin and turned their heads and attention toward the older women. “Who is more stubborn?” Annabelle repeated. “That’s easy.”
“Brick,” the Callahan wives and Cindy said as one.
“I don’t know,” Patsy said. “My girl is quite the hardhead herself.”
“I don’t remember a lot about her,” Cindy admitted. “I do know that the whole Howe family is a determined lot. They’re good people.”
That ruffled Patsy’s feathers a bit. “Well, they haven’t treated Lili very well through this work-related fiasco.”
“That I can’t explain. I’m surprised at Derek, though. He always doted on his little sister.”
“That I can explain,” Patsy admitted.”Lili is in the midst of a bit of a rebellion where family is concerned. High time, if you ask me. The girl is a pleaser who up until now has denied her dreams. She hasn’t told her brother what happened. She doesn’t think her parents shared the news with him, either.”
Celeste added, “She’s a dear, dear girl. She wasn’t born with wings, but she’s working hard at growing some. Brick probably isn’t aware of it, but he has been helping her in that respect.”
“So what’s the deal with them?” Torie asked. “The look he gave her the other day at the jail was absolutely steamy.”
Nic bent over and plucked a dandelion from the grass at her feet. “All I know is that I’ve watched him circle dozens of women since he moved to Colorado and this one is different.”
“He’s different for her, too,” Patsy said. “She’s let enough things slip. I think he’s owned a piece of her heart since childhood.”
“A piece of her heart … as in the l word?” Cindy sat up straight. “Does your Liliana love our Mark?”
“Yes, I think she does. I’ve watched them both. I think he has real feeling for her, too.”
“I agree,” Celeste said.
“Hmmm…,” said the Callahan women, and for the next few minutes the group of females studied the game of Frisbee taking place.
Annabelle said, “He’s so much like his father that it’s scary.”
“Has there a Callahan man ever born who didn’t fight falling in love?” Maddie wondered. “Even Branch will say that he and Margaret Mary didn’t have smooth sailing at first.”
“Hookups aside, Brick hasn’t been in a boat in years,” Torie said.
Eventually, Annabelle voiced the question that, based on appearances, the family members all were thinking. “Could it be that Brick is finally getting over She Who Will Not Be Named?”
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” Maddie said with a sigh.
“He’s always listening,” Celeste offered.
“In that case, I wish He’d give them both a swift kick in the…” Nic’s voice trailed off. “Wait a minute.…”
Annabelle met Maddie’s and Torie’s gazes. “She’s got that look in her eyes. Do you have an idea, Nicole?”
“I’m just … remembering.” She looked at Celeste. “Do you recall the night that Gabe and I got trapped together in your basement?”
“Of course,” Celeste said, preening. “That was one of our early romantic successes.”
Torie leaned forward. “Nic, I’ve never heard this story. Do tell.”
Nic waved it away. “Later. Then there was the time at Lori’s roommate’s wedding.”
Celeste’s eyes twinkled. “Her estranged parents got trapped inside Mistletoe Mine. It led to their reconciliation.”
Maddie looked at Annabelle. “Didn’t you and Mark get trapped in a closet in Hawaii and—”
“We hid in a closet.”
“But it did kick-start your reconciliation, didn’t it?”
Annabelle considered a moment, then nodded. “Yes.”
Patsy surveyed the Callahan wives and said, “I like you girls. You should consider joining the Tornado Alleycats. You, too, Cindy. You’d all fit right in.”
“I thought your membership was full?” Nic asked.
Patsy waved her hand. “That’s the good thing about being the one who makes the rules. I can change them when I want.”
Celeste rapped her knuckles on the aluminum arm of her chair. “Let’s stay on task, ladies. Is the proposal on the table to trap Brick and Liliana together someplace overnight tonight?”
“So fast?” Maddie asked.
“There’s no time to waste,” Patsy declared. “Every day … and night … is a gift.”
“There you go, girlfriend,” Celeste said. “So, the question is where and how?”
“Hmmm…,” six voices said as one.
“What about your little vintage trailer, Celeste?” Nic asked.
Maddie shook her head. “A big man like Brick wouldn’t be able to turn around.”
“Or roll around,” Patsy added.
“I have a thought,” Celeste said. “Isn’t this summer’s Callahan family project supposed to be the completion of a tree house?”
“Now there’s a thought,” Patsy said. “Lili has told me she’s been intrigued by tree houses ever since Brick and her brother built one when they were kids.”
Torie pursed her lips. “I like the idea of it. Our tree house is huge, but it isn’t nearly finished. They just have the base, the walls, the roof, and the sky deck.”
“Sky deck?” Cindy asked. “Mark’s tree house in our backyard had one of those for his telescope. He loved it.”
“Our tree house also has a temporary ladder,” Annabelle said. “One that can be removed.”
“Hmmmm…”
A slow grin spread across Maddie’s face. “A pile of blankets. A bottle of wine.”
Torie shook her head. “No. Champagne. Matt and I have a bottle of good stuff on ice in our room that I’m willing to sacrifice to the cause.”
“You are a generous aunt, Victoria,” Cindy Christopher said.
“I am, aren’t I?”
“But how will we lure them up there?” Annabelle asked.
“Hmmmm…”
Maddie suggested, “A dog? A kid?”
Torie waved a dismissive hand. “We will think of something. We always do.”
Cindy asked, “You don’t think they’d try to climb down, do you?”
The women focused on the game where Brick swooped in on Lili, wrapped his arm around her waist, and lifted her away and to the side, enabling him to snatch the Frisbee from her grasp. The couple both laughed.
Celeste shook her head. “I think both of them are ready to fly.”