“Okay, but what does that have to do with me being your wedding date?”
“I think I was being guided by destiny when I chose to stop at Lover’s Leap. I think that I was meant to be a light in the darkness of your anniversary day.”
“You were that, Boone, and I thank you for it. You’ve been a real blessing for me today. But today is one thing; lighting up my entire summer is something else. How do you figure taking me to your cousin’s wedding plays into the illumination process?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know how to explain it to her because he couldn’t explain it to himself. All he knew for certain was that he didn’t want to see her drive off into the sunrise tomorrow. He wanted her here. Next door. This summer. He wanted her next door when he brought home his new puppy, Lucky or maybe Ranger, and when he brought his new son, Trace, home. And he wanted that quite badly.
What he didn’t want was to scare her away. Judging by the look on her face, he was close to doing precisely that. Step carefully, McBride. “Look, the wedding date isn’t a deal-breaker. We can negotiate a more typical rental fee if you’d prefer.”
“I would.”
“Okay, then. How about I check with the chamber and get the average price for a long-term summer rental in Eternity Springs? Would you be agreeable to that?” When she hesitated, he pressed, “I honestly believe you’d enjoy spending time in and around our town this summer, Hannah. I’d be happy to have you as a neighbor at Serenity Cabbage.”
She grinned and shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that is such a stupid name.”
“I know. It’s why I love it. It’s a shame to have such a stupidly named, peaceful place sitting empty all summer. Tell me you’ll stay.” When still she hesitated, he added, “We have Uber now. They’ll deliver warm cookies right out of Fresh’s oven.”
Hannah pursed her lips. “Two weeks. Will you lease Serenity to me at the going rate for two weeks?”
He extended his hand. “Deal. With the option to extend.”
She shook it. “Deal. Starting tonight. That way, we won’t need to worry about changing the sheets on your guest bed before your family arrives tomorrow.”
He wasn’t going to argue that point. He was going to save his powder to make another run at getting Hannah to agree to be his wedding date. “Want to walk a little farther? If we follow the shoreline path about a hundred yards, there’s a spot that offers a fabulous view of the sunset. It’s shaping up to be a nice one tonight. Just the right amount of clouds to get some vivid color.”
“Sounds perfect. Lead on, sir.”
He led her along the lakeside path without speaking, toward the spot at the far end of the Serenity property where he’d replaced an old wooden bench with a pair of cushioned swivel rockers. Turned toward the west, one could watch the sunset. Turned toward the lake, one had a perfect view of the Callahan family’s North Forty compound. With wedding guests slated for arrival beginning tomorrow, the property bustled with activity, Boone saw.
“This is the spot.” He motioned for Hannah to take a seat if she wished while he picked up a pail half full of flat stones that he collected whenever he spied one. He had a dozen such pails parked along the shoreline of his property because Boone loved to skip rocks. “Looks like we’ve timed this pretty good,” he observed as he selected a stone. “The sky should be spectacular in the next ten minutes or so.”
He selected a rock and sent it skipping across the glassy surface of Hummingbird Lake. Three skips. Silently, he offered the pail to Hannah. She accepted the challenge.
“You’re good,” he said after she’d slung a five-hopper.
“Once upon a time, I lived on a lake. I found this activity the perfect blend of relaxation and challenge.”
“A woman after my own heart. We’re a perfect match.” He handed her a second stone. “Which reminds me. Look straight across the lake. See where they’ve built an arch right at the water? It’s the best sunset spot on the lake. That’s where my cousin Jackson will marry Caroline about this time on Saturday. Now that we have the Cabbage situation settled, mind if we revisit the wedding date question?”
Her second stone skipped four times. “You are persistent, aren’t you?”
“A dog with a bone, my mama says. So, yeah. I am persistent. I want you to be my date to the wedding events. You’ll be doing me a solid if you agree. In fact, it could be argued that doing so would be the flip side of the light-destiny thing.”
Reaching into the bucket for another stone, she paused and met his gaze, frowning in confusion. “I don’t understand. Is Saturday an anniversary for you? Are you saying that you need a light of your own?”
“No. Hannah. What I need is protection.”
“Against what?”
“Not what. Who. My mother. I failed to anticipate the effect that Jackson’s marriage would have on the woman, and she doesn’t even know about my other cousin Tucker’s big news. This call tonight was a tip-off. I have a Matchmaking Mama problem, and I need to nip it in the bud this weekend. Now, you’re going to repeat the suggestion that I call someone local, but here’s my argument against that. It’s a numbers problem. As in, we don’t have them. The truth is, I’ve already gone out with every eligible woman in Eternity Springs. All four of them. All four of them agreed that we are great friends, but not potential lovers. And my mother knows this.”
“You keep her updated on your dates?”
“No, but Mom made a visit to Angel’s Rest on a girls’ weekend trip with friends in April. She grilled Celeste, who spilled the beans.”
“Ah.”
“Say you’ll come, Hannah.”
He knew she was relenting when she fixed her gaze on the North Forty. “I don’t have anything appropriate to wear to a wedding. I wouldn’t know what to wear to this one.”
“Angel’s Rest has a boutique. Ask for Lisa. She’ll get you fixed up.” He sent the stone he held flying, a high arc, rather than a flat skip. Then he caught her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth. He kissed her knuckles. “Please? I promise to show you a good time, and I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
“A perfect gentleman?”
The doubt in her eyes put a bit of devilment into his. “As perfect as you want me to be.”
“Very perfect.” The dryness of her tone and the surrender in her smile telegraphed his victory. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Perfect.” Boone winked, then gestured toward the sky and repeated, “Perfect. Perfection.”
The western sky was a blaze of yellow, orange, and scarlet fading to rose, pink, and purple. “Yes,” Hannah breathed. “What a glorious sky.”
They watched silently, standing side by side, their hands linked, as the sun sank below the mountain ridge and colors faded shadows. But just when the brilliance appeared to be over, a brief, bright flare of gold burst against the evening sky. “Wow,” Hannah said.
Boone released her hand, wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and gave her a hug. “I think Nature just blew you a kiss to celebrate the end of your anniversary day.”