Once More Into The Sunflowers
A s Della drove with Ward through town and onto the back road that led to one of her favorite places in the entire world, she couldn’t believe it had been a year since she’d first come to Wires Crossing. A busy, bizarre, breathtaking year that had started because she’d found roses from a stalker and ended with her finding love with a man who gave her a field of sunflowers.
Their happy faces bordered the road to Hellerick Farms like a welcome chorus, and they were as beautiful as she remembered.
“Thanks for taking time out for this,” Della said. She flashed a happy smile at the man she loved. “I know tonight is going to be a lot of work.”
“Not really,” Ward said with a half shrug. He’d been quiet today. Unusually quiet. He’d never been chatty, but today he’d barely managed a dozen words.
“Are you okay? You look…pale. Are you coming down with something?”
He shook his head.
She wasn’t sure which question he was shaking his head at. “We don’t have to stay long. I’ll just take a quick peek and then we can head home and you can take a nap or something before the concert.”
“No need.” Ward took the turn for Hellerick Farms and parked next to the ticket booth. The area was surprisingly empty, but it was still early in the day, and the apple festival had officially opened, so maybe people were busy.
“Hmmm.” She slid out of the truck, drinking in the backdrop of trees dressed in fall colors and couldn’t help getting distracted.
“October is the best month of the year,” she announced.
Ward’s lips twitched with amusement. “You won’t be thinking that if it snows. They’re predicting three inches over the weekend.”
“Yes, I will.” She snuggled into the sweater she’d layered on this morning. “It’s beautiful here when it snows.”
“Cold isn’t great for sunflowers.” He took her hand and led her toward the entrance to the farm.
She glanced at him. His shoulders and back were tense and ready for a fight. He was on high alert. She’d seen him in that danger-danger-danger pose several times over the past year. She just hadn’t expected to see him look like that here, in their hometown, in a sunflower field.
Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe it brought up bad memories for him. Or maybe it was his usual make-sure-nothing-gets-to-my-girlfriend protective mode because they were in an unsecured location. Her public life did make things harder for him.
It was why she’d wanted to come back for the for the apple festival. So he could relax.
Well, one of the reasons.
She bumped his shoulder. “Hey. It’s okay, right? Nobody knows we’re here. There’s no way the snap rats figured out we were coming here today. They all think we’re still in LA, and Annie’s pretending to be me at that party to make sure. I’m just Lucy, right?”
“It’s fine,” Ward agreed. He said it with a little shrug, like he was shaking off the tension.
“So what will they do at the festival if it snows? It won’t be canceled will it?”
“It’s only been canceled once, after 9-11.” Ward glanced up as if reassuring himself that the few clouds overhead wouldn’t suddenly dump a blizzard. “It’s been delayed a week for weather before, but they really don’t like doing that because people plan their trips a year in advance. Not to mention it messes with Aunt Martha’s holiday theater schedule.”
“Good.” She started to head to the ticket booth, but there wasn’t anyone there.
Ward gripped her hand a little tighter and pulled her toward the entrance path. “I already bought tickets.”
“Oh.” She glanced back at the empty booth. “How did you do that? We’ve only been in town a couple of days and we’ve spent most of the time at Sevens.”
“I texted her.”
That made sense. Kind of. Hellerick Farms did seem like a cash-is-king kind of place.
They reached the main path that branched off to the field, the maze, and the food court without seeing anyone, which seemed strange.
“It’s really quiet here today.” Della glanced around. The birds twittered in the trees and she could hear the sound of a small plane in the distance.
“Yes.” He shrugged. It was the second shrug since they left the house.
He wasn’t the shrugging type.
Della glanced at the food court where the circle of trucks waited. She could see workers inside them, but there were no people in line.
All the tables were empty.
“Where is everybody? I mean, I know the festival is on but surely there’d still be kids here.”
“Avoiding the weather, maybe.”
She squinted up at the sky. There were clouds, but they were more fluffy than stormy. “It’s not snowing yet. It’s not even that cold. And isn’t this the last weekend for the flowers?”
“Think so.”
“Last year there were tons of people for the last weekend. There were kids all over that maze. Now there’s nobody.”
He made a noncommittal noise.
“You’re a man of many words, Warden. Don’t let anybody tell you different.”
Ward winced but didn’t say anything, proving her point.
Della veered toward the food court, but Ward pulled her toward the path that led over the hill instead.
“Aren’t we going for cotton candy?”
“Not yet. Let’s do it after.”
Della narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s going on?”
An almost but not quite innocent half-grin lifted his face. “We’re visiting the sunflowers.”
“There’s no people here.” She glanced back at the empty food court. Had he kicked everyone off the farm for security reasons? “It’s a little creepy, don’t you think?”
“Creepy?” He frowned at that, just a little.
“Yes, creepy. There should be a lot of people. It’s like aliens came and snatched everyone. There could be a ship hiding just over the hill.”
His eyebrows raised. “You think an alien spaceship is in the sunflowers?”
“I think there could be.” She stopped walking, forcing him to stop with her. “You didn’t close the farm so we could visit without worrying about security, did you?”
Something flashed across his face, there and gone in an instant, but she caught the glint of crafty planning in his eyes.
“Warden.” She put as much stern disappointment into her voice as she could manage. “That’s so wrong. People come from all over for this weekend.”
He pulled her close for what she thought was a kiss, but instead, he put his lips next to her ear. “Do you trust me, Lucy?”
“Always.” To prove it, she kissed him.
Since there were no people around, she lingered in the sensations that being so close to him always produced. Her hands brushed against the rough stubble on his cheek, his face so familiar she could have recognized him by touch alone.
The faint scent of spice in his cologne always made her want to breathe him in, and the warmth from his hands on her back and waist made her feel like there was nothing in the world that could come between them.
The combination left her feeling protected.
Cherished.
Safe.
When they finally pulled away from each other, her lips were tingling and her warden’s eyes had that sleepy, sexy, let’s-explore-each-other-more glint in them.
“We don’t have to stay,” she whispered. “We can go home, go upstairs, and find something to do that involves less…layers.”
He gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead. “No. We’re here, and I know you want to see the flowers.”
She considered that, then had to grin. “I do. I really do.”
His shoulders dropped a little of the tension he’d been carrying. “Good.”
Ward drew her onto the path that led over the hill and into the sunflowers. Ward seemed to be letting her set the pace, so she took her time. When they crested the hill, she stopped and stared. A sea of deep yellow flowers raised their faces to worship the sun.
The thick carpet of gold and green led to a forest painted with reds, yellows, oranges, and deeper greens.
She leaned against him. He put his arm around her shoulders like he always did when she snuggled into him. It was an automatic reflex that she loved.
There was so much she wanted to say to him. So much she wanted to make sure he knew. She was so very grateful she’d found him, that he’d found her, and that they were standing here together.
She wanted a thousand days just like this. She wanted to come back here and stand like this with him every year for the rest of her life.
She almost said something. She almost asked him if he would spend the rest of his life with her. She didn’t need a ring. She didn’t need marriage. She just wanted a promise. A simple yes-I’m-yours-forever, sealed with a kiss.
She wasn’t sure what stopped her. They’d been together a year. There was no good reason for not spilling her heart out right here, right now. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her.
“Ready for a walk?”
Maybe later she’d tell him all that. There was time. A lifetime, really. “Sure. You have the clippers?”
“Of course.” He pulled them out of his back pocket and flipped the safety off. “Let’s go that way.”
He gestured to the right.
Her heart went all fuzzy. “You remember our spot?”
“I’ll never forget our first kiss.”
“Almost kiss,” she amended. They’d played this game many times.
“Close enough.” He kissed her again, this time soft and sweet and over far too soon. “Walk with me.”
The first time he brought her to the sunflowers, she’d been so entranced with the place that she ran ahead of him. This time, they walked into the field of gold together.
“I don’t remember exactly where we turned off last time. Do you?”
Ward lifted his chin. “Just past that little sign.”
When they reached the sign, Ward led her away from the path and into a row bordered by giant flower stalks. Most of them reached well above her head, and even though it was the end of the season, there were a ton of blooms left to choose from.
She pointed at one. “Let’s start with that one.”
After several selections, she couldn’t help herself. She spun to face him, her arm full of flowers, and blurted out what she’d been thinking. “We should do this every year.”
He stilled as if her words had frozen him to the spot. There was a lot of thought going on behind his bottomless brown eyes.
“You’re aware that whatever you’re thinking, it’s not making it to the outside world, right?” she teased.
“Come on.” He gestured at the row ahead. “There’s something I want to show you.”
“Okaaay,” she said as she dutifully followed, shifting the long stems so she could see where she was putting her feet. “We really should bring a little wagon or something to carry these. I want enough to fill the house, and they won’t all fit in my arms.”
“They won’t have to.” Ward stopped. His face was filled with purpose and maybe a hint of concern.
“Okay. That’s it. I know something’s wrong. I can see it all over your face.” She caught a glimpse of something behind him and craned her neck to see.
A wood pallet covered with a cloth of brown, gold, and red squares and two plush cushions had been placed in a cleared spot among the flowers. The makeshift table had been set for two with the speckled red dishes she’d seen at the home store on the square just yesterday. A rustic white vase filled with sunflowers along with small decorative pumpkins and a large wicker picnic basket created the kind of setting featured in magazines.
Enchanted, she wandered forward. “How did you do this? We’ve been together the whole…”
“Della.” His voice, low and deep and filled with emotion, stopped her.
She turned to find Ward on one knee, his hand extended toward her like an offering.
Or a promise.
Her heart stopped. Time stopped. The world stopped.
“Lucy.”
He took her left hand in his.
Her right hand fluttered up to cover her mouth.
“I want forever with you, Della. Marry me?” His eyes filled with tears that didn’t fall.
She gasped a squeak of excitement. This was it. This was what she’d wanted to hear…to know. He was hers. She was his. This was forever.
She’d thought a show high was the only thing that brought this much joy, this much excitement, this much belonging, but she was wrong.
This was all that and more. So much more.
She gripped his hand tight and nodded her vigorous approval.
“You know your words haven’t made it to the outside, right?” His lips quirked up.
“Yes!” She beamed at him. “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”
She threw herself into his arms, nearly toppling him. Laughter spilled out of her, along with tears. “I was going to ask you the same…okay not the same question but close to the same question.”
“I know.” Ward stood with her in his arms. “I was worried you’d get to it first.”
She pulled him in for a kiss that blazed like the sun. She tried to put everything she felt into it. All the love for him she’d built in her heart. The joy and passion he’d brought to her life. The delight in simple things like breakfast smoothies and really good songs that she shared with him every single day.
When they finally ended the kiss, his face was flushed and his eyes were half closed. He put a hand on the side of her face, gently caressing the happy tears away. “I have something for you.”
He showed her what was in his hand.
A small velvet box.
“Oh.” Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might escape. She put both hands on her chest to stop it.
He flicked the lid open to reveal a ring. It danced in the light, turning sunbeams into rainbows as Ward’s hand shook ever so slightly.
She stared at it. Just…stared.
The ring featured a round brilliant central diamond that split the sunlight into rainbows every time it moved. Art Deco-looking gold petals filled with smaller diamonds made it look like a delicate, sparkly flower. It took her breath away.
“Oh…” She tore her gaze away from the ring to find him watching her. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s you.” He slipped the ring on her finger, then kissed it. “I thought it might remind you of home. Our home. Here.”
Her heart leaped straight into her throat and stayed there. He’d given her a piece of herself she hadn’t even known was missing. The whole of everything she was, and everything they were, was wrapped up in that ring and in his eyes.
She clung to his hands, not wanting to let go of him or this moment. She saw their future together reflected in his eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Warden.” She giggled at the little frown her nickname always caused. “I’m a willing prisoner.” She looped her arms around his neck. “ Your willing prisoner.”
“Good.” He kissed her again and again, and the sun moved across the sky, and the world went on without them for a while.
Della was still floating when they joined the crowd at the Wires Crossing Apple Festival. She’d dressed in plain jeans and a Sevens shirt, and her hair was the pretty red that marked her as Lucy.
It didn’t help her blend in anymore because now she knew so many people in town.
They all knew the truth about who she was. Her story had been all over social media and the news, not to mention Wires Crossing’s famous gossip chain. It didn’t seem to matter.
She kept sneaking peeks at her engagement ring. The sun had set, but the ring caught the streetlights and played with them too.
Ward gave her hand a squeeze. “Worried it’ll disappear?”
“No.” She held her hand in front of her as they walked. “I just like the way it sparkles.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Brick jogged up from somewhere to the left. “Look at you flashing ice around like a snow queen.”
Della giggled. “Did you know he was going to do this today?”
“Pretty sure everyone in town knew. You didn’t think that field emptied itself, did you?” Brick’s wide smile was unapologetic and contagious. “Thought Ken was gonna bust something in the bar last night when you showed up with your family. He was dying to let this outta the bag but after last year…well, he knew his head would roll if he did.”
Della gaped at him, then Ward. “The whole bar knew? The whole town knows?”
“No,” Ward said with a dead-pan expression. “I’m sure the new guy down at the Circle K hasn’t heard yet.”
“Sure he has. That’s my cousin’s kid,” Brick said. “There’s no real secrets in this town.”
“Except this.” She waved her ring at him. “Right?”
“Truth,” Brick agreed. “Nobody’s seen the ring. He wouldn’t even show it to his dad.”
Ward lifted his chin. “It’s your ring. Not theirs. You get to see it first.”
She adored that stubborn streak of his when it was pointed at other people. “I can only imagine how many people tried to get a peak at it.”
“Your sisters were particularly relentless,” Ward grumbled.
“Lizzie can be pretty bossy when she wants something,” Della agreed.
He shook his head. “Not her. Mattie.”
Della frowned at that, surprised. “Mattie? My Mattie was relentless?”
Ward snorted out a laugh. “She’s quiet, but persistent.”
She thought about that. Mattie had changed quite a bit since they were all kids.
They all had, really.
“So I take it she said yes,” Brick said with a wide grin. “Come on, Lucy, show me the rock.”
She held her hand out for him to inspect the ring.
Brick blew out a whistle. “Damn fine ring, Storm. Damn fine. Hell. If I ever find my own something-something, I’m going to have to up my game.”
“Lucy,” Aunt Martha called out from the nearby cotton candy tent. “Is that the ring I heard so much about I see on your hand? Get on over here and let me see.”
Della glanced at Ward. “She’s heard about it?”
Ward grimaced. “The planning was mine, but the execution was a group effort. It was the only way I could get the field empty.”
“Yeah and enough security to keep it that way for four hours.” Brick’s grin smacked of satisfaction. “My team kept the side road clear and directed traffic over to the highway.”
“Your…team?” Della’s gaze swiveled from him to Ward. “How many people were in on this?”
“Not now,” Ward said. “We better go say hi to Aunt Martha.”
“Okay, but I want more details.” Della gave Brick a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for helping him make the day so special. I’ll never forget it.”
“Anytime, Lucy. Anytime.” Brick tipped an invisible hat to them. “I have to go see a man about backstage security. Catch you two lovebirds later.”
They only had to stop twice to say hi to people on the way to the cotton candy tent, where Aunt Martha waited for them with her arms crossed, tapping one foot.
“You going to keep me in suspense all night? You know we have a show to do soon.” Aunt Martha gave Ward the side-eye, but Della knew her well enough now to catch the glint of amusement in her eyes. “You two are such local celebrities now. You get to keep your Aunt Martha waiting.”
“Never,” Ward said as he bent to kiss her cheek. “Just saving the best for last.”
“Smooth talker. You learned that from me.” Aunt Martha beckoned him closer. “I’m not last because I know you haven’t shown your daddy this ring yet. And don’t think you’re getting away from here without a hug. It’s been too long between visits.”
“We saw you yesterday,” Ward said, but he gave his aunt a bear hug anyway, which made Della smile.
Aunt Martha made appreciative noises. “That’s better. You’ve done us all proud. I mean that. I’m glad you found your someone. Especially if it means we get to see you more often.”
Aunt Martha released him to turn her attention to Della. “Come on now, Lucy, show me what we all got hot and bothered about.”
Della held out her hand. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from all the smiling, but she didn’t think this would ever get old. She felt like a celebrity, but not in the usual fake-friends-use-you-then-dump-you way. This wasn’t Della Bellamy fame. No, this was someone’s-daughter-with-great-news-to-share fame. It was princess-for-a-day fame…the kind everyone experienced when they got engaged.
Wires Crossing had adopted her. She was always going to be Lucy to them.
Aunt Martha eyed her ring as if she were a jeweler, or maybe a jewel thief. “Well done, my boy. Very nice.” She lifted her gaze to meet Della’s. “You take good care of our Donovan, Lucy.”
“I will.” She impulsively threw her arms around Aunt Martha. Their hug felt warm and welcoming, and Della sank into the feeling of comfort the older woman provided. “I love him so much.”
Aunt Martha patted her back before releasing her. “You two get on, now. You best check in with Ralph and Elyse and let them congratulate you before you head over to the stage. Lucy, your sisters are inside the courthouse. We set up a curtained hallway from the side entrance over to the stage so you don’t get mobbed. Your security people were worried about getting the audience too excited too early.”
“I’m sorry. I know it’s probably going to be a spectacle.” Della winced at the extra work she knew their little surprise visit to the festival had caused.
“We have it covered, Aunt Martha. Don’t worry,” Ward said.
“I know you do, sweet boy.” She patted his arm. “And don’t you worry. We know how to behave in this town. Besides, we have code names all worked out just like they do for the President. It’ll be fine. You two scoot.”
They both gave her a kiss on the cheek, which turned into another hug.