Goodnight Moo

By the next day, there were no traces of the FBI or their surveillance cameras. Brynn learned the arrest and events were all over the news. But she chose not to turn on the computer or watch TV. She’d lived it and didn’t want or need a review.

She was surprised people were still hanging around, not that she minded. Not at all. But Wes’s family didn’t seem like they were about to leave anytime soon—and neither did her sister. Brynn was getting stronger every day, but she enjoyed Becky’s company. So she wasn’t about to complain.

She’d missed having her sister close by. True, Richmond wasn’t on the other side of the country. But it was far enough away that Brynn couldn’t just visit for the day, carefree, popping in whenever.

“Brynn, there’s something I need to show you in the make,” Becky said.

Uh-oh. They’d been keeping her away from the make since her concussion. She figured they were trying to spare her something. Something that would have stressed her out or upset her.

“Okay,” Brynn said, getting up off the couch. Romeo leaped down, too. The cat had been snuggling up next to her in a near-perfect round ball. “Sorry to disturb you, Romeo.”

She and Becky walked outside into the humid, hot day. “Whew, it’s awful out here,” Brynn said. “What’s in my make?”

“It’s a surprise.” Becky led the way and opened the door.

Brynn stepped into the make and blinked her eyes. “Surprise!” the voices of a crowd rang out. She blinked again. Who were these people? They looked vaguely familiar.

Wes stepped forward. “Welcome to your cheese contest. We decided to reschedule it and hold it here.”

Brynn’s face heated and mouth dropped, but something in her chest bloomed.

“We couldn’t let the contest be ruined by a bunch of crazies,” Becky continued. “So these are the folks from the first contest. And it’s just as official.”

“Next year, we’ll have it at the fair, no problem,” Wes said.

“With security, though,” Brynn responded.

He laughed. “Of course.”

The crowd spread as she walked through her make—the place where she created her cheese. The long tables now held other people’s blocks of cheese, with their tags explaining the cheese. It looked beautiful!

Willow stepped forward. “We didn’t suppose we’d surprise you.” She smiled. “But we managed.” Brynn hugged her. Willow was so much better than at the start of this mess. Brynn said a little prayer to the universe that she’d be okay after witnessing the tractor “accident.”

Beyond where Willow stood was Schuyler—and she was with a date. Maybe. Was she?

“Hey, Schuyler, were you in on this, too?” Brynn walked over to her and hugged her.

“We all were. Wes didn’t give us a choice.”

Brynn eyed the guy next to her. He waved like he knew her. Wait. Was he—

“Do you remember me, Brynn? I’m Deacon, the FBI agent Schuyler knocked down.” He grinned. “Told you I fell in love.”

Brynn laughed and Schuyler elbowed him. “I told you to stop saying that.”

Wes interpreted. “Enough with the socializing, ladies. Let’s get the show on the road. Here’s the first cheese. You start here. And I’ll start on the other side.”

“Bossy!” Schuyler said.

“You gotta be around here,” Wes answered.

Brynn drew in air. It smelled so cheesy in her make that she could have sworn she’d died and gone to cheese heaven. And then the first cheese she tasted was the cheddar she adored. She doubted any of the others were quite as good—but she was willing to keep an open mind.

Cheese after cheese. Some better than others. Others way worse than most. What she would expect. For many of these cheesemakers, cheese was a hobby they were just starting to pursue. It made her heart glad some folks were as enamored with cheese as she was. It was so easy to go and buy cheese from the store or farmers’ market. It took a special sort of person to feel inspired enough to try it on their own. And Brynn was surrounded by them.

The cheddar won, hands down, with a Parmesan coming in a close second and a Swiss third. Many honorable mentions were given and the next thing she knew she was signing people up for classes. Not in the plans. Not yet. But it would be okay with just this small group of people—as long as the list didn’t get any larger. And the income was much needed.

After the event, Willow and Schuyler and her date and Wes, Nathaniel, and Max stayed to clean up. Brynn’s sister pulled out a bottle of iced champagne and Wes passed out glasses.

Wes stood on a crate. “Friends and family, we have much to celebrate here tonight. The first ever Shenandoah Springs cheese contest was a success. Finally. After a bit of a rocky start.”

Brynn’s face burned as she tried to hold back tears.

“We are all together. Healthy and free. Thank you all so much.” Wes’s voice cracked. “Thanks so much for standing by me during my rough patch.”

“Hear, hear!” Brynn said as she raised her glass. Never had a toast meant so much to her.

The next day Brynn received a dozen yellow roses. She choked up when she read the card. It was from Chelsea and her family, thanking her for her discretion and apologizing to her for the way they behaved.

I’m so sorry to involve Jewel, but I thought it would be a great hiding place for the chips. I didn’t know he’d been spying on me and saw me do it. I’ve made terrible mistakes I hope to never make again. But I thank you and hope you will forgive me.

Brynn held the card to her chest. We all make horrible mistakes. It’s what we do after that matters.

She pulled out her new cell phone and called Chelsea to invite her and her family to dinner.