Her Cowboy Reunion

He raised his, just as slowly.

And then their fingers touched.

She didn’t look at him.

He didn’t look at her.

But his hand wrapped around hers like it had all those years ago, feeling both right and wrong. Maybe more right than wrong, and that took him by surprise.

It might have been the quickest grace he’d ever said. Anna would have scolded him. She’d believed that taking a few minutes to thank the Lord wasn’t something to be rushed, but savored.

Not tonight.

Not with Lizzie’s soft, long, slim fingers tucked in his, churning up memories he’d tried so hard to forget. Tried—and failed. Because all it took was the touch of her hand and that warm, sweet smile to bring it roaring back to life once more.

Chapter Three (#u29fe8c63-17b9-51bb-9be1-f130d86df8b4)

“Dad!” Zeke clapped a hand to his forehead as they finished Cookie’s meal of thick, robust stew and fresh, warm bread. “Is it campfire night tonight? Remember? You promised.”

“I did say that, yes. Wick cleaned out the fire pit earlier. So we’re ready to go.”

“Then this is like the best day ever!” Zeke turned Lizzie’s way. “We couldn’t have campfires when the weather was really bad.” Wide eyes stressed the word really and his voice did the same. “But now we can!”

The last thing Lizzie wanted to do was elongate an already impossibly long day by going to the first campfire of the season, but when Zeke sent her an imploring look, she caved.

She and Corrie crossed the yard about an hour later, heading toward the warm, inviting glow of the wood fire. Corrie had brought a shawl, because the spring evening had taken a chill. “I haven’t been to a campfire since you gals were in that equestrian group back in the day.”

Neither had Lizzie. Heath Caufield and campfires hadn’t been on her radar a dozen hours ago. Now they were. “I should be working. There’s a lot to learn.”

“Although there is much to be said for getting to know those we’ll be working with,” suggested Corrie. She pulled the woven shawl tighter as they approached the fire pit tucked on a broad graveled spot below the house.

Brad and Jace stood and relinquished their seats on the bench the moment they spotted the women. Lizzie started to wave them back. Grabbing a spot on the thick log would be fine for her, but Heath caught her eye.

He shook his head slightly.

Just that gentle warning to accept the offered gesture, so she did.

Zeke rounded the fire and came her way. “You came!”

“It was a hard invitation to resist, Zeke.”

His grin was reward enough, but he made things even better by proffering a small brown paper bag. “Cookie brought stuff for s’mores, but I don’t like them so he gave me cookies instead. Do you like cookies?” He was quick to include Corrie in his generosity as he held the bag open. “I didn’t like grab them with my hands or anything so they’re pretty clean.”

“A pretty clean cookie sounds like the best offer I’ve had all day, Zeke.” Lizzie had spent two days sitting in a car, driving cross-country, and she’d been studying the horse financial records for hours. The last thing she should do was add empty calories to her already messed-up daily fitness plan, but looking around the ranch, she figured her step tracker was about to get a serious daily workout. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” He smiled up at her, eyes shining, as if sharing a cookie around the campfire was the best thing ever. When she bit into the broad double chocolate chip cookie, she couldn’t disagree.

“You made a wonderful campfire even better, my friend.” He giggled as he handed a cookie to Corrie, too. When she fussed over how good it was, the boy’s grin grew wider.

Endearing. Joyous. Carefree.

A dear boy, a delightful child. Gazing at him, she wondered what their little boy would have been like. Would he have gotten her eyes? Heath’s hair? Would he have had Heath’s inner strength and the Fitzgerald writing skills? His grandmother’s fine heart and gentle spirit?

Corrie laid a hand against her arm and pressed closer to whisper in Lizzie’s ear. “You are wearing your heart all over your face, darlin’.”

She couldn’t help it. Not at this moment. And then Zeke patted her knee. “If you like Cookie’s chocolate cookies, wait ’til you try the peanut butter ones with the most special chocolate frosting ever.”

“They can’t be as good as these.” She made a face of doubt and the boy wriggled.

“I think they are!”

So sweet. So bright. Innocence and hope, a perfect blend. She met his gaze. “I do love chocolate the most.”

“And potatoes.”

Heath’s voice brought her attention around. Three people sat between them, creating a good distance. Enough, she’d thought.

But it could never be enough, she realized when he lifted his eyes to hers. She read the pain in his expression. For his lost wife? For his motherless child? Or was it her presence causing that angst? “I still love potatoes. I blame my Irish heritage. They haven’t come up with a potato I don’t enjoy.” The reply was for Heath, but she kept her attention on his son.

“My dad loves ’tatoes, too.” Zeke leaned against her leg, keeping back from the fire. The boy’s warmth felt good against the cooling air. “I do a little bit, but mostly I like everything.”

“A boy with a healthy appetite is a wonderful thing.” Corrie smiled at him. “Your daddy had a great appetite when he was younger, and look how big and strong he got. I think you’ll do all right, Zeke Caufield.”

“You knew my dad when he was little? Like me?”

Corrie shook her head. “Not that little, but young enough. Your dad and your grandpa worked with me a long time ago.”

Heath stood quickly. He motioned to Zeke, ignoring Corrie’s statement. “Bedtime.”

“But I’m not even a little bit tired.” Zeke braced his legs and met Heath’s gaze across the fire, looking like a miniature version of the strong man facing him down. “Can I stay up with Miss Lizzie and Miss Corrie for just a little bit? Pleeease?”

Heath said nothing.

He didn’t argue. He didn’t get bossy. He simply met the boy’s gaze. In less than half a minute, the boy trudged around the fire and thrust his hand into Heath’s.

“Say good-night.”

“Night, everybody.” Chin down, the little cowpoke walked away. He didn’t fuss and didn’t fight. He obeyed his dad, as if trusting him to make the right call even though he disagreed.

It felt good, watching them. And different. Their branch of the Fitzgeralds didn’t win any parenting awards. If it hadn’t been for Corrie’s love and dedication... Lizzie leaned over and kissed Corrie’s round, brown cheek. “I love you, Corrie.”

Corrie kept her gaze forward, on the fire and on Heath and his son. “I love you, too. And no matter what happens here, it is good to break away from the past, Lizzie-Beth. To forge ahead.”

“An Idaho ranch wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” she whispered back when a handful of bleats broke the night air. “But a stable full of horses is more of a dream come true than a punishment right now.” She studied the flames for drawn-out seconds. “It’s an unexpected twist in a winding road, that’s for sure.”

“What we’ve got in mind and what the good Lord’s got planned don’t always agree, but that’s what makes life interesting. Sometimes it’s a collision course. Other times it’s a wide, beautiful curve.”

“I think our family has more experience with the collisions.” A smallish log had rolled off the fire’s edge. She leaned down and prodded it back into place. “Is that our destiny or our curse?”