“How long were you away at school?” She knew Hannah was attending college in Colorado, working on her veterinary degree. She and her husband had returned to Chance Creek for the holiday break.
“This is my second year into my bachelor’s degree. I’ve got so long to go.” Hannah led the way toward a well-plowed lane where they could walk more easily. The sun was out but a cold wind whipped the ends of her hair around. Sunshine was grateful to be outside, but she figured their walk wouldn’t be a long one.
“You sound energized, though. I’d expect you to be exhausted.”
“All the younger students are.” Hannah laughed. “You should have seen them at the end of exam week; they looked like they’d scaled Mt. Everest.”
“But not you?” Sunshine matched her strides to Hannah’s, her spirits rising the more they walked.
“I know how lucky I am to get to pursue my dream. I never thought I’d get the chance, you know? Now I am, thanks to Bella. Every morning I wake up and have to pinch myself all over again.”
Sunshine had to grin at her exuberance. “And Jake’s going to school, too?”
“Yes. I’m so proud of him. I uprooted him to Colorado, you know. It wasn’t his idea.” She laughed at the memory. “I wasn’t sure how that cowboy was going to do at school, but he’s showing me up.”
“Really?” Hannah was right; Jake had looked like the quintessential cowboy in his rugged jacket, boots, jeans, work shirt and hat this morning. Blond like his brother, Rob, he was handsome and athletic, but he didn’t look like a scholar.
“Uh-huh. Once he made up his mind to go, he didn’t look back.”
They paced along the snowy lane. Around them, the whole world was quiet, as if they were the only ones alive. Not a single bird flew nearby and no one was working outside, either.
“It’s colder today,” Sunshine said.
“I think we’re due for a change in the weather soon. I heard we’re going to get more snow.”
Sunshine squinted up at the blue sky. Apart from a layer of haze, there wasn’t a cloud in it. “Hard to believe.”
“Wait until you wake up tomorrow.”
Sunshine’s phone rang and her heart fell. She knew without looking who it would be: Carl. Again. Didn’t the man have anything else to do but drive her insane with his pestering?
She pulled the phone out of her pocket and answered it. “What now?”
“I need to know your answer,” Carl said.
“And I need more time.”
“How much time?”
Sunshine sighed and looked around her. The landscape held no answers. “One more day. Two at the most.”
“You’re killing me.”
“That’s the best I can do.” She cut the call, pocketed the phone and caught up with Hannah who had gone on ahead. They walked in silence for a few steps until they came to a fence surrounding one of the pastures. Finally Hannah spoke.
“So you’re renovating a ranch and forming a rock band. Should I be hurt that I wasn’t invited?”
Sunshine’s mouth dropped open. “No one’s supposed to know that!”
“No one does. Rose just told me this morning and she told me not to pass it on to anyone else. She said since I’ve got free time I should help you today at the house. Sounds like everyone else is pretty busy.”
“You don’t have to,” Sunshine rushed to say.
“I want to,” Hannah assured her. “I want to join your band, too. I play bass guitar, you know.” She scanned the horizon like Sunshine had a minute ago. “But I am curious. Is Chance Creek where you want to be?”
“Yes,” Sunshine said. “I mean, I think so. I mean, of course.” She scrambled to make sense. “It’s just—I want to do something big with my career. I have all these ideas. I think I can carry them out here…” She trailed off again.
“Can I give you some advice?” Hannah leaned against a fence post.
“Why not? Everyone else has.” She smiled to show she saw the humor in the situation.
“Don’t be a miserable wife. And don’t be a miserable mother. Be real. Speak up about what you want and need.”
“I’ve done that. I asked Cole to step up and help with the children when we have them. I told him I want both a family and a career and he’s going to have to be part of that equation.” Sunshine shoved her mittened hands in her pockets. The cold was beginning to penetrate her heavy jacket.
“What did Cole say?”
“He asked for time to think about it.”
“Well, that’s something.”
“I guess I wish it didn’t require thought.”
“One plus about Chance Creek is that both of you would have a lot of support here. That’s what I love about this town. Community isn’t a word we give lip service to. It’s real.”
“I’m beginning to understand that,” Sunshine said. “After all, everyone has opened their homes to us. I appreciate that. I guess we could have stayed at the ranch I bought.”
“But that would have ruined the surprise. Besides, there will be paint fumes soon, right?”
“The painters are coming tomorrow to do the interior,” Sunshine confirmed. “I’ll have to stay out of it for a couple of days. The kitchen is still going to need a lot of work, but the rest of the place will be clean and painted.”
“Cole’s a lucky man,” Hannah said, turning back toward the house.
“I hope he realizes that.”
“Everything’s changing,” Jake said to Cole as they drove along the snowy roads into town. Once again Cole was directing someone to the restaurant he’d bought. He hoped Jake approved as much as the others had. If his conversation with Sunshine last night hadn’t been weighing on his mind, the day would be just about perfect. The sky was a hazy blue, a brisk wind had cleared the cobwebs from his brain, and he was looking forward to getting his hands dirty and doing useful work in the company of a friend.
“In what way?”
“People aren’t going to blindly eat what farmers and ranchers produce anymore. They’re asking questions. They want the best they can get.”
Cole nodded. He’d heard talk like that for a while. “People keep telling me not to get into beef.”
“Yeah, the market’s pretty saturated.” Jake kept his eyes on the road. “But you know what we don’t have around here?”
Cole perked up. That was exactly what he needed to figure out. “What?”
“Eggs. Free range eggs.”
That wasn’t what Cole expected to hear. “I don’t know anything about chickens.” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, either. Ranches were for beef, not eggs.
“You could learn, easy. I mean it, Cole. Have you seen what people pay for eggs raised without antibiotics? It’s highway robbery.”
Cole rubbed his face. He had noticed some high prices in the supermarkets. In fact, he’d made fun of those eggs. “What’re they made of? Gold?” he’d asked Sunshine.
“At least the chickens who lay them aren’t raised in gulags,” Sunshine had retorted.