Despite the late-night sleep interruption, Brick was up before dawn the next morning. He had a full day ahead of him that included a meeting with his banker, a teleconference with his marketing guys, and lunch with the woman who helped him with his books. He was afraid he already knew what the last was about. The rumor going around town was that the Bartons had split up and Donna was moving to Denver. Donna Barton helped a dozen businesses in town with their books. If there was something to this rumor, he wouldn’t be the only person looking for help. Since finding it in town this time of year when everybody already had everything they could handle was tough, Brick wanted to get a jump-start on the process and get his dibs in ahead of everyone else if necessary.
First, though, he needed to make a run into town to load up a breakfast basket with warm cinnamon rolls at Sarah Murphy’s bakery. He planned to tuck a gift certificate for a couples massage at the Angel’s Rest spa in the basket with the rolls and leave it for the honeymooners as an apology for last night’s disturbance.
He sauntered into Fresh Bakery just as the sky began to lighten in the east and was surprised to discover the town’s veterinarian behind the counter instead of her mother. “What’s the deal?” he asked Lori Timberlake. “You having to moonlight to keep the lights on in the kennel these days?”
“Not hardly.” Knowing her friend, she poured Brick a cup of coffee. “Based on the hours I’ve been working of late, we have more pets than people here in Eternity Springs. And by the way, rumor has it that Donna Barton might be leaving town.”
“I heard.” Brick gave the aroma wafting from the cup an appreciative sniff. “This almost smells as good as the cinnamon rolls. Your mother is a goddess, Lori.”
“I know.”
“So what does bring you to Fresh this morning? That husband of yours jonesing for cinnamon rolls?”
Lori laughed. “Always, but he left for the Rocking L before the rolls came out of the oven today. Campers arrive this morning.”
“Ah. Bet Chase is excited.”
“Excited and nervous. He talked Mom into donating cookies for the welcome reception, and since I was awake anyway, I figured I could put in a few hours here to help her. She’s been working her fanny off getting the house ready for the prodigal son’s return.”
“Devin’s coming for a visit?”
“Actually, I’m not sure,” Lori said, her expression turning speculative. “He hasn’t come right out and said anything, but when he was home for Christmas I got the sense that he might be thinking of moving back.”
“Your parents would love that. Might put a crimp in my style, though.”
Lori shot him a puzzled look and he further explained, “Your brother has that Aussie accent that makes the ladies swoon. He’s serious competition for me. I might not—”
She interrupted him with a snort. “As if you have a hard time getting a date. Is there a single, single woman in town who you haven’t dated at least once?”
Brick made a show of pursing his lips and rubbing the back of his neck. “Celeste won’t go out with me. I’ve asked her a dozen times.”
Lori rolled her eyes. “Celeste is at least forty years older than you.”
“Hey. I don’t age discriminate.” He paused a beat, then asked, “Does she have a daughter, do you know? Or a granddaughter?”
“Brick,” Lori chastised.
“How old do you think Celeste is, anyway?”
“Who knows?” Lori said. “Somewhere in the seventies, I’d guess, although she has the energy of a twenty-year-old.”
“I hear you. I could barely keep up with her on that Hike to the Heavens fund-raising climb up Murphy Mountain that she and your dad organized last weekend. By the way, how successful was that project? Did they meet the goal?”
Lori’s green eyes brightened. “Exceeded it by twenty percent. They raised enough to replace all of the pews at Saint Stephen’s and resurface the parking lot.”
“Excellent news. Your family does a lot for this town, Lori.”
“They’re not the only ones. Chase told me that your family has offered to host the campers at the North Forty for the Fourth of July again. That’s wonderful.”
The North Forty lay along the shore of Hummingbird Lake and was the first piece of Colorado property the Callahan family had purchased after the reconciliation between Branch Callahan and his four sons—Matt, Luke, Brick’s father, Mark, and the youngest, John Gabriel, who went by “Gabe” in Eternity Springs.
Names and the Callahans were a fluid thing.
Gabe lived in Eternity Springs year-round with his wife, twin daughters, and infant son. Branch and his other three sons all had built vacation homes on the North Forty property for their families. They visited often and most summer weekends found at least one family group in attendance. It had become a Callahan family tradition for the whole clan to spend the Fourth of July in Colorado and officially host Eternity Springs’ fireworks show over Hummingbird Lake. Last year they’d invited the Rocking L campers down for a picnic and the event had proved to be a roaring success for family and campers alike.
“We’re glad to do it,” Brick replied, perusing the contents of the bakery’s display case. “The family has as much fun as the campers. Besides, entertaining the kiddos gives my dad a good excuse to make the fireworks show even bigger. The man loves making things blow up.”
Lori grinned with appreciation. “Last year’s show was ridiculous.”
“This year’s will be even better. He’s got a lead on a company out of Louisiana that supposedly does a spectacular job—and will let him help.”
“I heard rumors about a homemade ice cream contest.”
“That’s my aunt Torie’s project,” Brick said, distracted from the bakery case as Lori’s mother swept into the room carrying a tray of muffins fresh from the bakery’s oven. “She’s been in a panic ever since word hit town that Jared Kelley wouldn’t be reopening the Taste of Texas creamery this summer. Good morning, Sarah.”
“It’s a justified panic,” Sarah Murphy observed. “Good morning to you, Brick.”
“Whatcha got there?”
“Blueberry pecan muffins. Want one?”
“Hmm … I’d better take a couple dozen. No, make that three dozen. And three cinnamon rolls, please.”
“Hungry this morning, Callahan?” Lori asked with a grin as she topped off his coffee.
“After the night I had, you’d better believe it. In fact, I’ll have one of those cinnamon rolls to eat now if I may.”
Brick laughed aloud when mother and daughter’s eyebrows flew up in an identical show of interest. “Ladies, please. It was completely innocent. On my part, at least.”
He summarized the events of the early-morning revelry, describing his guests in general terms but leaving out the fact that he had a previous relationship with one of the Tornado Alleycats. So to speak.
Liliana Howe. Now there was a blast from the past. He talked to her brother occasionally—usually during the Series—but they seldom, if ever, talked about family. From what Brick knew of her and the Howe family, the last place he would have expected to find Liliana was camping with an all-female club. At his campsite.
The arrival of new customers, tourists headed for a morning of trout fishing, interrupted his tale, so Brick carried his cinnamon roll and coffee to one of the half-dozen small tables available for dining inside of Fresh. He took a bite of a roll and savored the flavor of cinnamon and yeast and sugar for a reverential moment. He was lifting a second forkful to his mouth when the front door opened and another large group of customers filed inside. At the back of the line, a mixed group of locals and tourists, he spied his friend Claire Lancaster.
Brick grinned at her. “Good morning, Mrs. Lancaster.”
“Good morning to you, Mr. Callahan.” The owner of the town’s holiday shop, Forever Christmas, beamed a smile as brilliant as sunshine reflecting off the snowcap on Murphy Mountain.
Brick did a double take. He’d always thought that Claire was an exceptionally pretty woman—he’d had a thing for redheads all his life—but this morning the woman positively glowed. If she’d been a man rather than a woman, he would have made a joke about getting laid. She was still a newlywed, after all, having married this past Valentine’s Day. But he sensed her mood involved something more than a lusty roll in the hay with the town’s talented handyman.
He folded his arms, tilted his head, and studied her. “Okay, Claire. What gives? I’d ask if you won the lottery, but since you’re already rich as Midas I don’t think that’s it. What has you beaming so bright I need shades?”
If anything, she only glowed brighter. “It shows?”
“Something shows.”
She strolled over to his table, swiped a bite of cinnamon roll, then popped it into her mouth. “I’m pregnant.”
“Claire!” Grinning like a wild man, Brick stood and picked her up by the waist. He twirled her around, laughing, then kissed her hard on the mouth.
She giggled like a schoolgirl as he set her down and dipped his head, touching his forehead to hers. “I’m so happy for you and Jax and Nicholas. That’s a great family you’re growing there, sugarplum.”
“I know. I’m so blessed. Nicholas is beyond excited.”
He kissed her once again, then observed, “Another Maternity Springs baby. I think the city council really should post a warning on the city limits sign.”
“You’re not the first person to say that.” Claire glanced over her shoulder toward the line that had shrunk to only two people during her interaction with Brick. “Ooh. Let me go, Callahan, so I can get in line. I’m starved and there’s another group of people about to come inside.”
Brick followed the path of her gaze and through Fresh’s plate-glass window, his stare collided with another’s. Lovely Liliana. Judging by the sour look on her face, she woke up on the wrong side of her trailer this morning.
* * *
“Some things never change,” Lili said to Patsy as she saw Mark in a lip-lock with a redhead.
“Why do you say that, dear?”
“Our summer landlord.” Lili nodded toward the window and the couple inside. “When he was a teenager, he couldn’t keep his hands off of a redhead.”
Patsy reached for Fresh Bakery’s front door. “Hmm … maybe before we head back to camp I’ll stop by the drugstore and buy some hair dye to touch up my roots.”
Lili couldn’t help but laugh as she followed her friend inside the bakery. She was tempted to throw her arms around Patsy and give her a kiss. She had a way of making everything seem better.
Lili had been cranky as a bear when the alarm went off this morning, but she’d dragged herself out of bed, thrown on her running clothes and sneakers, and exited the trailer to meet Patsy at the spot they’d designated the previous day. She’d been both surprised and amused when Patsy said she wanted to make a pit stop at the bakery in town before taking their walk.
“I like to walk off my meals rather than exercise,” she’d said. “So sue me.”
Hitting a bakery for breakfast was just the sort of decadent thing Lili would never have done in the past, so she was particularly game for the idea. Leave it to her rotten luck to begin her day with “sugar” that had nothing to do with calories.
Lili knew better than to hope that they could get in and out of Fresh without interacting with redhead-ready Romeo, so she braced herself as he turned to them and said, “Well … this is a surprise. I expected you ladies to sleep until noon.”
“Not us.” Patsy waved a dismissive hand. “Life is too short to spend it in bed. Unless you have somebody with you, of course. And you’re doing something much more fun than sleeping. You’re up early yourself, CDD. I hope that means you share the same philosophy.”
The redhead looked at Mark. “CDD, Brick?”
“It’s nothing,” he was quick to say.
“Now, Brick.” Patsy slipped her arm through his and announced, “We’ve dubbed him ‘Camp Director Dreamboat.’”
The redhead laughed, as did the two women behind the bakery counter. Lili quickly lifted her hands in surrender. “Not me. I have nothing to do with this.”
“Camp Director Dreamboat,” repeated the redhead. “It fits you, Brick.”
“It does,” the younger woman behind the counter added. “Although loyalty makes me say that it fits my husband better. Chase is an actual camp director, after all.”
“And he is a dreamboat, too,” the redhead added. “But you’re pretty dreamy, yourself, Brick.”
“That’s enough. Let me introduce you to two of Stardance Ranch’s guests, Patsy Schaffer and Liliana Howe.” He gave a brief explanation of each local woman’s occupation, then added, “Patsy is one of the campers here for the whole season, so I imagine you’ll see her from time to time. Liliana, how long are you staying with us?”
She hesitated, unwilling to commit herself to anything considering that the circumstances had changed the moment she recognized Mark Christopher. Derek hadn’t called her yet, but that didn’t mean anything other than Mark hadn’t called her brother first thing this morning. Finally, she said, “My plans are flexible.”
Patsy reached over and patted Lili’s arm. “She’s going to stay the summer. She just hasn’t realized I’ve talked her into it yet.”
Lili gave a noncommittal smile and a shrug. Mark informed the local women, “Lili and I went to high school together.”
“Oh?” Lori asked, her eyes lighting with interest. “Now that’s interesting news. You can give us the whole scoop about the pre-Callahan days. What was his name again?”
“Christopher. Mark Christopher.” Lili glanced from Lori to Mark, then back to Lori again and asked, “I’m curious how he came to be known as Brick.”
The three Eternity Springs women shared a look and a laugh. Lori said, “If you’re around town much this summer, you will likely meet one of the Callahan brothers. Ask them how he came about the nickname. Or if you really want to be entertained, wait until his grandfather comes to Colorado for the Fourth of July holiday and get him to tell the story.”
“Hey, can’t I get a little respect around here?” Brick glanced at Lili. “Since my dad is named Mark, I tried going by ‘Chris’ for a while. When one of my uncle Luke’s kids said my name, it sounded more like ‘Brick’ than ‘Chris.’”
“That’s not what his grandfather will tell you,” Sarah Murphy said with a wink. “All the Callahan men have nicknames. Brick’s dad, Mark, is Devil. His uncle Luke is Sin. And since the older generation in his family thinks Brick’s stubborn and hardheaded…”
“A head as hard as a brick?” Patsy asked, amusement in her tone.
Brick rolled his eyes and Sarah nodded.
Lili didn’t try to smother her grin. “I suspect my brother, the Christopher family, and most everyone else in Norman would agree. Mark, remember that time you got stopped for speeding and—”
Mark interrupted. “It’s too early in the morning for dirty laundry, Liliana. Could I bribe you with a cinnamon roll to keep your mouth shut? It’s a good deal, I promise. Sarah’s cinnamon rolls are sinful. My treat—for both of you ladies.”
Lili wanted to crow. He didn’t know it, but he’d just presented her with the perfect bartering opportunity. “As much as I’d love to try one, I’m afraid I’d better not indulge myself.”
“I’m going to indulge,” Patsy said. “However, I’ll buy my own. Those rolls are why I’m here, in fact. I’ve read the reviews on your Web site, Sarah, and I knew I’d have to try them early in my visit. This morning seemed like the perfect time. I thought I’d take a couple back to camp with me, too.” She showed the women a sheepish smile and added, “I’m afraid our group got a little rowdy last night. I want to give a little peace offering to the honeymooners.”
“Great minds think alike,” Mark said with a laugh. “I had the same idea.”
“Let me do it, please. We were the troublemakers. And I truly do want to beg your pardon for disturbing the peace last night. It will not happen again. I’m afraid we got caught up in the first-night giddy, and once Lili made her announcement we all just went a little crazy with excitement.”
“What announcement?” Mark asked.
Lili knew she’d better put a stop to this right now. She took a step forward, placing herself between Mark and Patsy. Frowning at her friend, she said, “Patsy, may I remind you, what happens in the trailerhood…? Maybe you should place your order so we can get back and finish our walk before we meet the girls to go shopping.”
“Yes.” Patsy patted her arm. “Of course. What was I thinking?”
“What announcement?” Mark repeated.
Lili ignored him and smiled at the redhead. “So, Mrs. Lancaster, you own a Christmas store? It’s open year-round?”
“Call me Claire, please. And yes, Forever Christmas is open daily, with the exception of the usual holidays. If you’re shopping in town, I hope you’ll stop by. We’re on Cottonwood and Third.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
“Liliana,” Mark began.
“You know what I just thought of?” she told him. “Do you remember that time you and my brother prank called—”
“Liliana!”
Lori Timberlake laughed out loud. “Oh, this is gonna be a fun summer.”
Mark gave an exaggerated sigh, then addressed Sarah. “Is my order ready?”
“It is. Are you paying or shall I put it on your account?”
“My account.”
“You have an account at the bakery?” Lili asked, thinking it unusual.
Sarah explained, “He’s in here all the time without his wallet.”
Mark shrugged. “It’s the halfway point on my run. A man has to refuel.”
“With muffins?” Patsy laughed. “Now, that’s my kind of exercise.”
Mark took the white bakery bags Sarah Murphy handed over, thanked her, then exchanged a few softly spoken private words with Claire Lancaster before saying a general good-bye and exiting the bakery. As Lili followed Mark, she heard Lori say, “So, do we get to know what that hug and kiss was all about, Miss Christmas?”
Lili did a bit of dodge-and-dance with a group of four headed into the bakery as she exited, so Mark had rounded the back end of a white pickup truck and was approaching the driver’s side door, “Mark? May I have a word with you?”
He halted and glanced over his shoulder, an easy smile gracing his lips. “You might as well go ahead and call me Brick, Lili-fair. My dad is in town enough that if you say ‘Mark Callahan’ everyone will be thinking of him.”
Lili-fair? Despite herself, Lili’s stomach did a warm little flip. What happened to “Freckle-Sticks”?
“So, what is it you want to ask me?”
Now that the moment was upon her, she didn’t quite know what to say. Despite his talk of dirty laundry, she knew she, on the one hand, couldn’t embarrass him with tales of his past. He, on the other hand, could destroy her. Fifteen years hadn’t dulled her mortification regarding the bus incident. Not that she thought he’d actually bring it up, but the fact that he could took the teeth out of that bartering idea she’d had.
She blew out a quick breath and decided to lay it on the line. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“Sure. What can I do? Is there a problem with your campsite?”
“No. It’s fine. Actually, what I’ve seen of Stardance Ranch so far is very nice. I’m looking forward to my time here.”
He waited. She tried to search beyond the twelve-year-old living inside her to find the confident twenty-nine-year-old she was before her parents ripped the rug from beneath her.
“Liliana?”
“Don’t call Derek,” she begged.
He leveled a steady look upon her that silently demanded further explanation.
“Please. Don’t tell him I’m here. The family knows I’m safe, but they don’t know where I am. I’d like to keep it that way. I’m almost thirty years old. They don’t need to know where I am every minute of every day.”
Mark folded his arms and leaned against his truck. “Having a little family conflict in Leave-It-to-Beaver-Ville?”
Lili blinked in surprise at the mention of the old TV show, unable to recall the last time it had come up in conversation. She was a fan of old sitcoms. She watched Leave It to Beaver reruns embarrassingly often. In fact, whenever current events took a grim turn Lili found she gravitated toward 1950s-era television for her entertainment escape. Beaver Cleaver had been the youngest member of a quintessential suburban family, the stories told heartwarming and refreshingly innocent.
Snapping her fingers, she said, “That’s who you reminded me of, Mark. Eddie Haskell.”
“Sleazy Eddie? Seriously? Obsequious to June and Ward but a troublemaker when he hung with Wally? I must have misheard you, then. I thought you just asked me for a favor.”
Liliana grimaced. “Oops. Sorry. I apologize.”
Actually, she’d always thought Mark was more the heartthrob Robbie from My Three Sons.
“Yes,” she quickly continued, “life has become a bit stressful in … what town did the Cleavers live in … May-something?”
“Don’t remember. Let me Google it.” Mark pulled out his phone and a moment later said, “The town is Mayfield. No mention of the state.”
“In that case, let’s say it’s Mayfield, Oklahoma. I’ll bet you didn’t know that Wally and the Beaver had a sister, did you?”
Mark made a show of rubbing the back of his neck. “Quiet girl? Tall and skinny?”
Dryly, Lili said, “With freckles.”
“Yeah. I remember her. Heard she grew up lookin’ good. Real fine. So what … Ward and June aren’t happy with her these days?”
“Not much.” Despite the spurt of pleasure his compliment gave her, a sudden lump of emotion formed in Lili’s throat and she swallowed hard. “She’s disappointed them.”
Mark snorted. “It took her this long? As I recall, Ward and June set a ridiculously high bar. So what happened?”
She shook her head. “It’s not a story for a street corner.”
“A campfire, then.”
She hesitated. “Perhaps. In the meantime, can I count on you to respect my privacy?”
He frowned and considered the question. “Is Derek gonna call me looking for you?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Then I don’t see a reason I’d need to volunteer anything. Do you?” he asked with a shrug.
“Not at all.” She touched his arm, her smile sincere. “Thank you, Mark.”
“You’re welcome.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “Although I figure it counts as a favor, so you owe me.”
“Fair enough.” She glanced down at their hands. He hadn’t let it go. He’s holding my hand! Lili dragged her thoughts back to the favor. “I won’t tell anyone in Eternity Springs about the time you put shrimp into the hubcaps of the principal’s car.”
He laughed. “Oh, man. I haven’t thought of that in years. Remember how it attracted all the stray cats in the neighborhood? Good times, good times. Derek and I were … what … thirteen? Fourteen? The principal deserved that, you know. I don’t care that he graduated from the University of Texas. The principal of an Oklahoma public school can’t go around town saying he’s pulling for the Longhorns on Texas–OU weekend!”
“You have a valid point.”
“Damn skippy.” He casually brought her hand up to his mouth, kissed it, then released it and opened the door to his truck. “Don’t fret, Freckle-Sticks. Your secret is safe with me. Now, I’d better get moving. I have a full day on my docket.”
He was in the truck with the engine started before she managed to say another word. Behind her, the door to Fresh opened and Patsy stepped out into the brisk morning air.
Lili watched Mark Callahan’s truck turn a corner and grumbled, “I like ‘Lili-fair’ a whole lot better.”