Friday, Whip’s parents drove to Tucson for lunch with old friends. Addie stayed behind and spent the morning at Valley Adventures shadowing Robbie and his crew. After another session with Haley, Whip put in a full morning up and down, from mustangs to thoroughbreds, then headed into town to get lunch for the crew. He picked Addie up, and brother and sister walked the short distance to Gracie’s with Robbie and his partner, Hal Garard. They parted inside the door, Robbie and Hal to a table and Whip and Addie to the counter to pick up large bags of food and drinks. “Hey, you going to my sister’s tonight?” Robbie asked.
“Yup, bringing the whole family.”
“Great, see you there, then.”
“Thanks for this morning,” Addie said, looking at Hal. “It was really helpful to see you guys in action. Wish I could stay and go on one of your trips.”
“Any time,” Hal said, flashing a hundred-watt smile, his dark eyes twinkling.
“Leaving poor Greg in the dust already?” Whip whispered.
“Oh, you’re hilarious, brother dear. Come on, let’s get the food. I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving.”
They both grabbed two bags, and Whip headed for the door.
“Don’t you have to pay?”
“They run a tab.”
As they stowed the food in his truck, Bella came down the sidewalk from the park where she’d eaten lunch.
Addie waved. “Hi, Bella!”
“Hi, Kittredges!” she said, pausing.
Whip tipped his hat. “Hey.”
Addie stared at her companions, a puzzled look on her face. Finally, she broke the silence with “We’ve just picked up enough food to feed an army. You going home soon? You could eat with the crew.”
“Lucky crew… The food, I mean. Thanks, but I just ate, and I’ve got patients all afternoon. Are you enjoying your stay in Saguaro?”
“It’s awesome. Spent the morning with Robbie and his guys. What a great place that is. If Dad didn’t need me, I’d be tempted to move down here and beg for a job.”
Whip stood awkwardly by as they chatted about Valley Adventures. When there was a break in the conversation, he said, “We better get this food back.”
“Of course,” Bella said. “I’ll see you both tonight, then?”
“Sure will!” Addie said, hopping into the truck.
One more hat tip and Whip got into the truck. “See ya, Bella.”
As they drove out of town, Addie turned to him. “What was that? You guys are crazy about each other. Anyone can see that. So why the weird behavior?”
“Don’t want to talk about it,” he said, as they headed north on the Gila Highway.
* * *
Mountains of food were already laid out on tables along the third-floor deck when Tom, Grace, and Bella walked into his boss’s home. Ruthie called hello from the kitchen, and Bella turned to her brother. “I’m going to check and see if she needs any help.”
“I’ll come too,” Grace said. “Let the cowboys connect.”
Tom nodded. “Have fun. Give a yell if I can carry things out.”
Dressed in a frilly apron, their hostess moved back and forth from the small third-floor kitchen to the deck, each time with bowls and platters of food. “Hey, gals.”
“What can we do?” Grace asked.
“It’s a bigger crowd tonight. My parents and Spark came to keep the Kittredges company. This means my mom had Carmela cooking all day, and she’s brought a ton of stuff. Mom’s downstairs in the big kitchen sending all the food up the dumb waiter. She’s obsessed with the dumb waiter. If you want to help, bring things out to the deck. That’d be great.”
“Where are the kids?” Bella asked as they went back and forth from the small galley kitchen carrying enough food to feed the entire town.
“Willow’s home with two friends. They’ve got them somewhere.” Sure enough, at that moment, Harley’s oldest daughter ran through the room chasing Charlotte and Pickles, Lily Dillon in hot pursuit, followed by Willow’s two college friends. One, a tall brunette, looked into it, the blonde behind her looked ready to bolt. Bella smiled. Probably more interested in the cowboys everywhere, she thought.
Finally, Bella and Grace wandered off in one direction, Ruthie in the other, saying she needed to check on Admiral Leonora downstairs. “If my kids are in trouble, call my husband, would you?” she said as she headed down the stairs.
They found Tom on the lower terrace talking to Whip’s parents and Ben Morgan senior. The latter’s grandson, Ben the third, tore by, running after his buddy Jasper Larrabee, son of Kevin Larrabee, a successful local contractor married to Polly, the head teacher at the Morgan’s Run Cottage nursery and day care. Jasper and Bennie were the same age. Both had entered kindergarten the previous fall and were known as holy terrors, as they had been during their Cottage years.
“Hellions,” Ben Senior said, shaking his head. “I wonder where they’re off to now.”
“They’re adorable,” Sara Kittredge said. “And so lucky to be growing up in this magical place.”
“Sure are,” Spark Foster said, nodding as he joined them, handing Sara a white wine. “Now if we could just drive the mountain lions back into the mountains where they belong, we could breathe more easily. I wanted you to meet my daughter Amy and her little family, but they’re away visiting Jeb’s parents up north. He works for Maggie at the stables, and they have two kids, Toby and a newborn, Spencer Jake Barnes. They’re calling him Jake after Jeb’s dad. Bella delivered him. She’s a miracle worker.”
“Sure is.” Ben nodded. “And the baby boom continues,” Ben said. “Guess that’s inevitable with our big families.”
“Who is that beautiful woman with the infant on her hip?” Sara asked.
Ben smiled. “That’s our Maggie. Runs the stables at the ranch, and she’s married to our oldest, Ben. A great gal. She’s holding Cora, our newest grandchild, born just after little Pickles.”
“Is that her daughter walking beside her?”
“Yup. Emma. She’s my sweetheart.”
As they observed mother and daughters, Ben Morgan the second joined them, slipping his arm around Maggie’s shoulders.
“That’s my son,” Ben said, grinning.
“Oh my, he’s gorgeous. How many kids do you have?”
“Six,” the family patriarch said. “Four sons, but only Ben and Robbie live here. Sam’s in Baltimore and Kyle’s in New England. We miss ’em like crazy. Our daughters Beth and Ruthie live here. They run the ranch’s farm. Did you get out there yet?”
“No, but we’d love to see it,” John said as his wife nodded.
“We’ll make sure that happens,” Ben said. “You’ve met Ruthie, our hostess tonight, and that’s our oldest daughter, Bethie. She’s holding little Tucker, and his big sister Lily just flew by with the pack. I’m glad you got to see her husband Lang’s operation. He’s been very successful out here with Rambler Sports West.”
Bella excused herself and wandered off to say hello to Maggie, as did Grace and Tom. As the group continued to converse, Sara spotted her son coming down the steps from above. His eyes scanned the crowd until he spotted Bella. Spark noticed her gaze and said, “What do you think, Mama? Will those two ever get together?”
Surprised, Sara turned and looked up at him. “Oh Spark, darned if I know. My son’s sure not telling me anything.”
The tall sixty-four-year-old draped his arm around her shoulders. “If it’s meant to be, they’ll find a way.”
“Food’s ready,” Ruthie called from above, her handsome husband beside her. “Grab a plate, refresh your drink, and prepare to eat a lot! Harley’s cooked every kind of meat you can think of, and his ribs are to die for.”
“Well, who can say no to that?” John said. The group made their way toward the stairs.
In the rush to fill plates and find places to eat, no one except Sara noticed Bella and Whip greet each other and walk together in the opposite direction, skirting the herd of kids running in from the playground.