Hill Country Reunion

“Oh, and my wife and kids are going into town for Sunday school and church this morning. Christina would be happy to introduce you around.”

Tripp chewed his lip. Juniper Bluff was a small town. How likely was it that Diana went to the same church? Nope, not quite ready to risk running into her again. “Maybe next time, after I get a little more organized.”

“Sure thing.” Seth clucked to his horse and continued along the lane. “Let me know if you’re interested in that trail ride.”

“I will. Thanks.”

While Tripp finished breakfast, the nickering of horses, birdcalls from the treetops and the scent of cedar in the air lulled him into the deepest sense of relaxation he’d felt since before he started veterinary school. Man, did he need this! After a couple of debilitating flare-ups within the last several months, his doctor had warned him that if he didn’t significantly reduce his stress level, keeping the Crohn’s under control would be next to impossible.

From beyond the trees came the sounds of doors banging and children’s laughter. The campers must be up and about. Tripp took the commotion as his cue to go inside.

As he set his breakfast dishes in the sink, his cell phone rang. The display showed his little sister, Brooke’s name and number. “Hey, sis.”

“Hey, yourself. All moved in yet?” Much more a morning person than Tripp would ever be, she sounded way too perky for 6 a.m. California time.

“Getting there. How’s it going with Mom?”

Brooke’s long sigh drained all the lightness from her tone. “Not so good, Tripp. She’s trying hard to be positive, but the dialysis routine is wearing her down.”

Tripp sank into the nearest chair and massaged his eye sockets. Fighting kidney disease for the past few years, their mom seemed closer than ever to losing the battle. “How’s Dad handling it?”

“He’s struggling. Yesterday I caught him behind the garage crying his eyes out.”

The image of his father breaking down brought a catch to Tripp’s throat. “I’m glad they moved out there with you, but I feel bad I can’t be of more help.” As the only family member who’d tested close enough to be a potential match for kidney donation, he felt even worse. The Crohn’s made him ineligible. “Maybe I should have transferred to a vet clinic near you in Los Angeles instead of staying here in Texas.”

“No, Tripp, you’d hate it here. I would never have relocated to LA if not for Jeff—and then right when I thought the jerk was about to propose—” A gulp left the rest of her statement unspoken. “Tripp, I’m sorry. Our situations were totally different.”

“It’s okay. I get it.” But he could have done without the reminder of how he’d ended things with Diana. Best to change the subject. “You still like your job, right?”

“Definitely.” A smile had returned to her voice. “Getting promoted to accounts manager for an advertising firm has been my dream since college. So whenever I start fixating on...other things...I remind myself of the story of Joseph in the Bible where he tells his brothers, ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.’” Her tone softened. “You need to believe that, too.”

“Yeah, most days I try.” The thing was, Tripp had never wanted to hurt Diana, not in a million years. His Crohn’s diagnosis had hit him hard, though, and he felt he had to come to grips with it on his own before even considering bringing that kind of baggage into a relationship. During those difficult early months of two steps forward, one step back, as he learned to live with the disease, he’d convinced himself he’d done Diana a kindness by letting her go.

“Hey, bro, I really called to find out how you’re doing. Do you like the new clinic?”

“Nice people, a lot less stress. I think it’ll be a good fit.” Except for one tiny detail. “Uh, Brooke?” Back to the subject he didn’t seem able to avoid. “Did you happen to remember Juniper Bluff is where Diana Matthews is from?”

“Diana—oh, wow! It’s been so long I’d forgotten.” A concerned pause hung between them. “Does she still live there? Have you seen her?”

“Yes, and yes. She runs her own bakery and coffee shop, Diana’s Donuts. My new partner took me there for coffee yesterday.”

“Yikes. Was it ridiculously awkward?”

“You could say so.” Their second encounter at the supermarket deli hadn’t been much easier.

“Maybe this is your chance to clear the air. I still can’t believe you never told her why you ended things. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep your secret?”

“I know. It wasn’t fair.” He plowed his fingers through his hair. “But she’s got her own life now. After all this time, what if telling her the truth only hurts her more?”

“Or...what if it gives you two a chance to fall in love all over again?”

Tripp hadn’t so much as hinted that Diana was still single, and now he wasn’t about to. Seemed like the perfect time to end the call, before his sister went any more hopelessly romantic on him. “How about you tend to your own love life and let me tend to mine.” Dismal as it was. “Bye, sis. Give Mom and Dad hugs for me.”

Later, as he arranged socks and T-shirts in the chest of drawers, his hand grazed the small velveteen box he’d never been able to part with, its contents an ever-present reminder of what he’d given up. He opened the lid for one more longing look at the classically elegant diamond ring nestled inside, while his sister’s parting words played through his mind. What if he and Diana really could find their way back to each other?

And how many more regrets would he carry through life if he didn’t try?

* * *

Closing the shop after the early Sunday morning coffee-and-doughnuts rush, Diana almost decided to skip church. Why risk running into Tripp again in case he tagged along with Doc Ingram?

But the past was the past, and she was a big girl now. Anyway, Juniper Bluff was too small a town to avoid Tripp for long—seeing him twice in the same day had proven as much—and she refused to rearrange her life on his account.

Even so, when Doc Ingram and his wife arrived without Tripp in tow, Diana relaxed slightly. She offered a friendly nod but couldn’t help wondering how much Tripp had revealed about their shared history.

Leaving the sanctuary after worship, Diana spotted Christina Austin, pregnant with twins and already showing. Her service dog, Gracie, stood faithfully at her side. The gentle golden retriever, who helped Christina deal with the aftereffects of the traumatic brain injury she’d suffered in a car accident a few years ago, reminded Diana yet again how an animal’s love and devotion could make a positive difference in someone’s life.

She ambled over to say hello. “Hey, lady, how are things at the ranch?”

Christina turned with a cheery smile. She held the hand of her seven-year-old stepdaughter, Eva. “It’s another Camp Serenity weekend. Need I say more?”

“Ah. That explains your handsome hubby’s absence. Did Joseph stay home, too?”

“No, he’s around here somewhere.” Christina’s glance swept the crowded foyer. “He had a question about his pony for Doc Ingram.”

Eva looped one arm around Gracie’s neck. “I have a pony now, too,” she told Diana. “Her name’s Candy.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Diana knelt to tweak Eva’s pale yellow curls. “Can I come see her sometime?”

“Sure. We’re gonna do a trail ride with the campers after lunch. Wanna come with us?”

Diana hadn’t had much time lately to take her own horse out on the trail, and the weather today would be perfect. She pushed to her feet. “What time are y’all heading out?”

“They’ll saddle up around one thirty,” Christina replied. “Seth can always use an extra hand to keep those energetic campers in line.” She patted her pregnant belly. “And I’m not much help these days, especially if it involves getting on a horse.”

“It does sound fun.” Diana checked her watch. She could easily grab a bite for lunch, run out to her parents’ ranch to load Mona in the horse trailer and make it out to Serenity Hills in time for the ride. “Okay, count me in.”

By one o’clock she’d stowed her saddle and other gear in the tack compartment of her dad’s one-horse trailer, already hitched to his pickup. Mona, her copper penny bay mare, looked eager for a change of scenery and pranced into the trailer with her head held high.

“Hope you settle down before we get there,” Diana said as she clipped the trailer tie to Mona’s halter. “I don’t need any extra drama this weekend.” Seeing Tripp Willoughby walk into her doughnut shop yesterday was about all the drama she could handle for the next, oh, fifty years or so.

At Serenity Hills, Seth Austin and his stable hands already had several horses saddled and tied to the corral fence. Waving to him as she passed, Diana pulled into a parking area next to the barn.

As she stepped around to the rear of the horse trailer, Seth ambled over and offered a friendly hug. “Christina said you’d probably join us. Need some help with Mona?”

“I’m fine.” Diana grinned toward the camp counselors struggling to buckle riding helmets onto the heads of several rambunctious campers. “Anyway, looks like you’ve got your hands full over there.”

“That’s the truth. Two more hours and we’ll have peace and quiet again.” Seth exaggerated a look of fatigue, but Diana knew how much he enjoyed the arrangement he and his grandparents, Bryan and Marie Peterson, had made with the San Antonio–based philanthropic organization that sponsored Camp Serenity. Besides saving the family from having to sell the guest ranch, the camp provided fun and adventure for kids who might otherwise never have the chance to get out of the city, much less to learn about horses and riding.