Chapter 17 #2
The wind picked up around them, carrying the smell of sage and wild grass. Above, the sky deepened from orange to violet, the first stars beginning to appear. A semi passed on the highway, its wind wake buffeting them, but neither moved.
“Tell me what happened.” He took her hands in his, needing the contact. “In the interview. What made you realize?”
Claire drew a breath that shuddered slightly. “I want to build a life, not a career. And I can’t build a life in Billings when my heart is in Covenant Creek.”
Luke pulled her close again, tucking her head under his chin. “Noah said something last night. He said I was afraid you’d pick your life over me, which meant I’d decided I wasn’t worth the choice.”
“You’re worth it.” Her arms tightened around his waist, and the feel of it pushed out the last of his fear. “You’re so worth it.”
“I sat in your driveway last night trying to talk myself out of coming after you. Telling myself I should respect your decision. That if you wanted to go to Billings, I had no right to ask you to stay.”
They stood wrapped in each other while the last light faded from the sky. Cars passed occasionally, their headlights sweeping across the prairie, and prompting Luke to take a step back. “We should probably deal with your car.”
“Probably.” She tucked her arm around his and walked with him to the driver’s side door. “I’m not sure I care right now.”
He smiled and kissed her temple. “I’ll call Hank’s Towing. Let him deal with it while you ride back with me.”
“I like that plan.” She popped onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for coming after me. I’m sorry I made it a big deal. I can’t promise I’ll never let my emotions run away with me, but I can promise that I love you.”
Hearing her say the words brought a spot of blinding joy that bled into every part of his heart and mind.
He could barely talk to Hank because of the smile stretching his cheeks, so he kept it short and all business, rattling off the mile marker and the car’s tag so Hank would know he had the right vehicle.
Once Hank promised to be there in thirty minutes, he hung up and guided Claire to his truck, opening the passenger door and helping her up before circling to the driver’s side.
Claire slid across the bench seat until she pressed against his side, and his arm came around her automatically, like they’d been doing this for years. She tucked her head against his shoulder with a contented sigh.
“I have a confession.” Her fingers played with the button on his shirt, and she stared hard at the movement. “I’ve been imagining what this would feel like. Being with you like this. Getting to touch you.”
Heat flooded Luke’s face. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She tilted her head to look at him.
“Then I have a confession too.” He ran his fingers through her hair. Once. Twice. Three times. “I’ve been wanting to do this for weeks. How is it so soft?”
Her laughter trickled out, and he couldn’t resist kissing her one more time while they waited.
They kissed until headlights appeared in the rearview mirror and a deep horn blared, signaling the tow truck’s arrival.
Hank was efficient and professional, asking minimal questions while he hooked up Claire’s car.
Luke gave him the address for the garage in Covenant Creek and then they were alone again on the side of the highway with nothing but starlight and each other.
He cranked the truck. “Ready to go home?”
“Yes.” Claire kissed him, soft and sweet. “More than ready.”
The drive to Covenant Creek had none of the frantic rush of the trip toward Billings.
It was unlike any drive he’d ever experienced.
Claire sat beside him, her hand in his, and talked about everything and nothing.
She told him about Robert Thomas’ surprise when she turned down the job, the moment in the conference room when she’d realized she was in the wrong place, and about calling Granny Mama from the parking garage to tell her she was coming home.
Luke told her about the ranch meeting that had turned into an intervention, including Dad’s story about him and Mom. He even managed to admit—without letting pride shut him down—about driving north with his heart in his throat and a prayer he couldn’t articulate beyond her name.
The miles disappeared, the distance between Billings and home rushing faster than he thought possible.
When the lights of Covenant Creek appeared on the horizon, he let the weight of it all crash over him, then lift.
They’d done it. They had faced the hard thing and come out the other side as better people and, God willing, a couple.
“I should take you straight to Granny Mama’s.” He slowed as they entered town. “She’s probably worried.”
“She told me to take my time.” Claire’s smile turned mischievous. “And I’m starving.”
“Well, then. What do you say about going on a date at the Brand Iron?”
“Our first official date?” She tapped her finger against her chin, her smile widening. “I’d say sign me up for a steak and potatoes.”
Luke turned onto Main Street. The Brand Iron Diner appeared on the right, its windows warm and welcoming in the spring darkness. The parking lot was full. Unusually full for a Tuesday night.
His stomach dropped. “Claire.”
“What?”
He pulled into the lot and put the truck in park. Through the diner windows, a sea of familiar faces. Mom and Dad sat at one table. Caleb, Graham, and Noah at another. Rachael Bennett and Agnes Pruitt shared a booth. People from church and the community programs crammed into Miss Jo’s diner.
And they were all watching the parking lot.
“Oh no.” Claire’s hand flew to her mouth, but she laughed so hard her shoulders shook. “Did you tell anyone you were going to Billings?”
“No. You?”
“Just Granny Mama.”
“And Granny Mama talks to everyone.”
Claire shrugged. “This is going to be interesting. I’m not going to let a little crowd keep me from my steak. How about you?”
Luke looked at the woman who’d challenged everything he thought he knew about himself and made him want to be better. “They’re going to find out sooner or later. Much as I’d rather have you all to myself, I guess it’s not a bad thing to go ahead and get this part over with.”
He loved her so much it scared him. And for the first time in his life, he held his ground against the feeling.
“Come on.” He opened his door and came around to help her down. “Might as well give them something to talk about.”
They walked into the Brand Iron Diner hand in hand. The bell over the door chimed, and conversation stopped. Every head turned. Miss Jo stood behind the counter with a coffee pot in her hand and a knowing smile on her face that could have lit up the whole county.
“Well now.” She set the coffee pot down with a decisive clink and propped her hands on her hips. “Look what the cat dragged in. You two up to something?”
Luke’s ears burned. The familiar warmth crept up from his collar, and he resisted the urge to reach for the back of his neck. Claire’s hand tightened in his, and he drew strength from that simple contact.
Before he could answer, Agnes Pruitt’s voice cut through the silence from her booth. “About time, Calloway. Some of us have been waiting months for you to get your head on straight.”
Nervous laughter rippled through the diner.
Luke’s gaze found his family’s table. Mom had both hands pressed to her mouth, tears already streaming down her face.
Dad sat beside her with one arm around her shoulders, his expression proud and pleased.
His brothers wore matching grins, and he couldn’t wait to tease them, promising their time for love had to be coming up soon.
Luke cleared his throat. His free hand found the back of his neck despite his best intentions, rubbing at the tension there, but he kept his gaze steady as he looked around the room.
“I’ve been thinking about happiness lately.” His voice carried clear in the silent diner. “About what it means. What it looks like. I thought it was about control. About having systems in place and managing variables and making sure nothing went wrong.”
He looked at Claire. Her eyes were wet again, but she smiled at him with such open affection that his breath caught.
“Turns out I was wrong.” He squeezed her hand. “Happiness is Claire. It’s having someone brave enough to call me out when I’m being an idiot. Someone who sees who I could be and loves me anyway. Someone worth driving to Billings for. Someone worth risking everything for.”
The diner erupted with claps, cheers, and whistles. Mom burst into full sobs, and Dad pulled her in close to his side to whisper in her ear. Miss Jo whooped from behind the counter and clapped harder than anyone.
Graham let out a cheer that probably violated noise ordinances.