Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
TJ tried not to steal glances at Lila as they drove, but it was difficult.
She’d filled out over the years, and he’d forgotten how pretty she was.
He was surprised she wasn’t married yet.
But then, growing up in a town like Clear Creek, where everyone knew everybody else, made finding a match tricky.
Maybe it was because she’d gone to school with the same crowd from kindergarten through high school.
Even if she’d gone off to a university, most people ended up back here anyway.
“I forgot how far out your folks’ ranch was,” Lila said, breaking into his thoughts.
“Back in the day, on horseback maybe,” he said with a grin.
She laughed. “Yes, but how often did you ride to town?”
“Sometimes we’d make a day of it,” he said. “We’d ride in when we were kids, stop by Dunnigan’s Mercantile in Old Town, buy candy, then head to the park to go swimming.”
“You could probably still do that,” she said. “There’s a section marked for horse trails at the park.”
“Is there? Maybe I’ll haul the horses down and ride. I don’t fancy riding all the way from the ranch.”
“No, I suppose not.” She sighed and looked out the window.
“You’re worried about them, aren’t you?”
She turned to him. “If you’re talking about Tilly’s elderly help… yes. You saw the disaster they made a few days ago.”
He laughed. “They’re learning, Lila. You don’t have to worry. It’s not that hard.”
“Yes, but… to them it seemed to be. Good grief, they acted like they’d never seen an espresso machine before.”
He chuckled again but didn’t argue.
It wasn’t long before they turned down the long drive leading to his family’s horse ranch.
The sprawling property still impressed him.
And he’d grown up on it. There was the big two-story ranch house, and several smaller homes.
Arenas, barns, outbuildings, and acres of fence pasture stretched toward the hills.
“This is incredible,” Lila breathed.
“Yeah,” he agreed, glancing around. “A lot of work. Not that I’m lazy. That’s not why I became a marine biologist, just so you know.”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s not,” she teased. “But still, how could you leave all this?”
“Have you met my mother?” He laughed, parked, and hurried around to open her door. She let him help her out.
“How very gentlemanly of you. England’s taught you well.”
He laughed and motioned toward the main house. “Come on. My mom will be thrilled I brought company, but we can’t stay long.”
“Of course not. I’m not leaving Irene and Grandma alone any longer than I have to.”
He laughed again and led her inside. The house was immaculate yet cozy, and smelled like cookies.
They found his mother in the kitchen, pulling a tray from the oven.
“TJ! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, goodness gracious is that Lila Comfort?”
“It is, Mother.” He gestured toward Lila. “We’ve come to borrow that little freezer in the garage. You’re not using it anytime soon, are you? And we need the air popper too.”
“Why?” she asked, glancing between them. “What do you need them for?” She set a cookie sheet on a towel on the center island.
“It’s just temporary,” Lila said quickly. “For ice cream, and movie night.”
“Ice cream?” Mrs. Jones started transferring cookies to a cooling rack.
“Yes,” TJ said. “The temporary crew at Pleasant Beans is baking pies, delicious ones. The apple is especially good.”
“Well then, of course. You can’t have pie without ice cream.” She wiped her hands on her apron, went to the refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of bright-pink liquid.
TJ blinked. “What is that?”
“Fruit-punch zero-calorie beverage. I’m sure you both want a drink before getting to work.” She poured two glasses and set them down before either could object.
“Mother,” TJ started, but she raised a hand.
“Be a better host,” she scolded lightly, then headed for the garage. When she returned, she was dusting her hands again. “The freezer’s behind some cardboard boxes. They’re easy enough to move, but you’re not putting that dusty old thing in my car. You’ll have to clean it first.”
“I’m not taking your car,” TJ said. “I’ll borrow Ethan’s truck. We need to stop by Tilly and Jack’s and grab a few things from their garage.”
He turned to Lila. “Speaking of which, we’d better call her aunt and let her know we need to get into it.”
“Oh, sure, just a minute.” Lila took a sip of punch, pulled out her phone, and walked to the far side of the kitchen to make the call.
His mother sidled closer, lowering her voice. “My goodness, TJ, what a beauty she’s turned into.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he said evenly.
“You should take her out while you’re here.”
“Mom, don’t.”
“Well, why not have a little fun while you’re in town?”
“I don’t need to date anyone to have fun.” He squeezed her shoulder gently. “I know you’d love to see me settle down, but I’m leaving. It makes no sense.”
“You should at least get to know the girl,” she persisted. “The Comforts are nice people. All of them, and you know it.”
“Yes, of course they are.”
Lila pocketed her phone. “All set. We need to meet her in an hour at Tilly and Jack’s.”
“Perfect.” TJ drained his glass and grinned. “Come on, let’s get that freezer cleaned up and loaded into Ethan’s truck. Where is Ethan?”
His mother started dropping spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet. “Probably in the arena, raking the footing.”
“Okay, thanks. Come on, Lila.”
She followed him into the garage. Boxes were stacked high around the little freezer, dust dulling its once-white top. “Here, help me with these,” he said. “They’re not heavy. We’ll stack them over there.”
“Okay.” She lifted the first box and set it where he pointed. He followed with another until they had the freezer cleared.
Lila studied it and smiled. “Oh, that’ll work just fine.”
TJ gave her a playful smirk. “Told you.” He found a rag, wiped the freezer down, then peeked inside. “Let’s take it out and clean it in the driveway.”
“Sure,” she said.
He opened the garage door, hefted the freezer onto one shoulder, and hauled it out. Once he got the hose going, he looked at Lila. “Grab some cleaner from the kitchen.”
It didn’t take long to wash and wipe everything down. When the freezer gleamed to his satisfaction, they crossed the wide barnyard to the biggest indoor arena. The scent of hay and horses hung in the cool dusty air.
Sure enough, his brother Ethan was on a tractor, raking the footing.
“Do your folks still give lessons?” Lila asked.
“Oh yeah,” TJ said. “We hold a lot of events here and plenty of training clinics.”
“It’s so quiet today,” she commented.
“Probably because everyone’s at another ranch for a clinic. I heard Mom and Dad talking about it this morning.” He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Ethan!”
His brother was rounding a corner, saw them, and waved.
“I haven’t seen your brothers in ages,” Lila said.
“Neither have I,” TJ admitted.
“Well, of course not, you’ve been gone.” She smiled. “Is it strange coming back after so long?”
He nodded. “A little. But not much changes around here, you know?”
“Oh, don’t I.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s why I’m bored.”
He glanced at her as Ethan slowed the tractor as he approached, dust swirling behind him. “Bored?”
“Yeah.” She leaned against the rail. “Nothing happens around here. Sometimes I wonder if I should move away.”
“What would your parents think about that?”
“Probably the same as yours,” she scoffed. “My mom runs into yours at the grocery store now and then, and all your mother talks about is you. She mentions your brothers too. Usually about how she wants to marry them off. Then my mother brings up me, and it turns into a matchmaking session.”
TJ laughed just as Ethan reached them and shut off the tractor.
“TJ, bro! What do you need?” Ethan climbed down, opened the gate, and slipped through. “Hey, Lila, what are you doing here?”
“We came to pick up the freezer from the garage,” TJ said. “We’re taking it to Pleasant Beans to keep ice cream in it.”
“Ice cream?” Ethan asked, eyebrows up. “Since when is Pleasant Beans selling ice cream?”
“Since Tilly hired elderly folks to help while she’s in Hawaii,” Lila said, crossing her arms. “They’re baking pies.”
“Pie?” Ethan grinned. “Yummy! I’m heading to Pleasant Beans!” He started toward the wide door, then groaned. “Oh, wait. I’m working.” He winked at them and turned back. “So what brings you out here, other than the freezer?”
“Mom’s big air popper,” TJ said. “And I need your truck.”
“Oh sure, bro.” Ethan fished a ring of keys from his pocket and tossed them over. TJ caught them easily and tucked them away.
“So, what else is happening?” Ethan asked, swinging his arms.
“We’re manning the Pleasant Beans booth at the Harvest Festival this weekend,” TJ said. “That’s why we need the truck. We have to pick up a few things for the booth.”
“Okay, just don’t scratch the truck.” Ethan headed for the gate. “Gotta get back to work, bro. See you at dinner.” He waved, hopped back on the tractor, and rumbled away.
“He’s always so happy,” Lila said with a smile.
“Yeah, that’s Ethan. We’re all different, but it’s amazing we get along as well as we do.”
“A good thing. My family gets along too, mostly, but Mom and I don’t always see eye to eye.”
“I hear that’s common between mothers and daughters,” TJ said. “I wouldn’t know. No sisters. Just brothers.”
They headed for the big doors and out into the sunlight. A white Toyota Tacoma waited nearby. They took it to the main house and loaded the freezer into the back.
“Okay, let me say goodbye to Mom, get the air popper and we’ll be off.” TJ jogged back inside for the air popper and grabbed a few cookies. He slipped them into a baggie, kissed his mother’s cheek, and hurried out again. She didn’t say a word, just smiled knowingly the whole time.
Now what was that about? He shrugged it off and helped Lila into the truck.
“All right,” he said as he climbed in. “Next stop, Tilly’s house. You know where she lives?”
Lila cracked up. “Oh yeah. We’re cousins, remember? I spent a lot of time there growing up. Her aunt said she’ll meet us there.”
He took in her smile and his chest warmed. “I need a cookie. Can you get me one?”
Lila pulled a cookie from the bag and handed it over. She took one for herself and bit into it. “Mmm, these are great.”
“Yeah, Mom makes the best cookies.” He took a bite. “I love chocolate chip.” He devoured the rest. “Hit me with another.”
She laughed and passed him one more.
They munched contentedly as he drove. The time slipped by in easy conversation about people they’d gone to school with and where life had taken them. Before long, the familiar edges of town appeared, and it felt as if no time had passed at all.