“It’s so good to see you.” Mom hugged me and then held me at arm’s length, her dark eyes piercing. “What’s wrong? More bad news about the stolen dresses?”
Mom had nearly been frantic when I’d told her and Dad about the burglary of my shop. I leaned in for another hug. “No. I figured I’d better come see what you and Jenna have cooked up for Sylvia Rockfort’s wedding. I probably won’t be able to come back until the end of the summer.”
“You’re not going to miss the Fourth of July!” Mom tugged on my arm, and I followed her to the porch. “I’ve already planned the family picnic, and your dad just bought new water guns for our annual soak-fest. I can’t believe you’d be so busy you’d have to miss out on our family celebration.”
My mom was always so dramatic, but Rupert did put on a great celebration for Independence Day, and my family had attended every summer for forty-three years. Farmers tend to stay close to home during the growing season, and my dad was no exception. The few vacations we did take were planned around grain and potato harvest. Besides, once my dad spent money on a boat we could use on the Snake River, less than ten minutes from our home, we didn’t need to go anywhere else.
But at least my announcement had diverted her from grilling me about why I’d suddenly come home. “Mom, I have two weddings before the end of June, and people are just starting to find out about Natalie and Brock. I expect a lot more bookings once word spreads.”
“Oh, how is Natalie? She always looks so pretty in the tabloid pictures,” Mom gushed. “I hope you’ll let me create something for her wedding.”
“Natalie is as sweet and down-to-earth as they come. Brock’s lucky to have found her. I just hope the reporters don’t infringe on their happiness.”
Mom gave me a pointed look.
“And yes, I’ve already given her your portfolio of centerpieces.”
Mom punched the air and gave a whoop. I laughed. She did have a knack for pulling together extraordinary decorations. Fishbowls with the bride and groom’s name etched in the glass with rose petals floating on the water and a live beta fish swimming in it was just one example of her foray into the creative world of weddings. When a bride was looking for something unique, I’d find it after a brainstorming session with my mom.
The hook where my dad hung his cowboy hat caught my attention. “What’s Dad up to?”
“He’s out back checking the fence.”
I followed Mom across the great room into her spacious kitchen that overlooked the backyard and horse pasture. She and Dad had remodeled five years ago, knocking out a wall and doubling the size of the kitchen. My mom’s favorite part of the remodel was the large room just off the kitchen which had become Craft Central.
I could see the top of my dad’s cowboy hat bobbing along the irrigation ditch as he restrung electric fencing on the digger links that lined the bank. A part of me longed to kick off my shoes and run outside through the lush green grass in my bare feet. The poplar trees towered over the pasture, and I wondered how far I could climb, given the chance. I’d spent plenty of days with my brother scrambling up those trees and shouting across the open fields at the top of our lungs.
Thoughts of my big brother warmed my heart, and I turned from the window to the direction of his house. He and Jenna had built a new home two years ago on the eastern edge of the farm only half a mile from my parents. My brother knew how lucky he was, so it was hard to feel anything but happiness for him, even though a small part of me wondered when I would have a family of my own.
“Are Wes and Jenna around?”
“I already invited them to dinner so you could play with Bryn.”
I grinned, and Mom laughed. “What did you bring her this time?”
“Well, this visit was kind of spur of the moment, so I grabbed a box of Reese’s Pieces from my stash.”
“I’m sure Jenna will love that.”
“I can share with Jenna, too. Wes is probably out spraying, right?”
“Yes. He loves listening to those epic fantasy novels on his iPod while he works.”
I had given Wes his iPod Touch for Christmas with a subscription to Audible and a special pair of noise-cancelling headphones that he wore in his tractor. The machinery was so incredibly loud that he couldn’t hear a thing otherwise. He worked long days, spraying all the five hundred sixty acres planted in potatoes and grain each year with a tractor equipped with a huge spraying contraption that spanned twenty-five yards.
“I’m glad he likes it. And I’m glad we can all get together. It’ll be fun to hang out.” I put my arm around my mom. “Do you want me to help you make supper?”
“You mean we have to eat?” Mom looked longingly at her craft room and then frowned at the kitchen. “I wanted to show you my latest creation.”
“If we set foot in that room, it’ll swallow us whole, and then Dad will be hungry and grumbling about his need for a personal chef.”
We both laughed. “You’re right,” Mom said.
