Page 70 of Bailey

“Oh, right.” Cash’s nerves made it hard for him to keep all the pieces of this homecoming straight, and the next thing he knew Lark was striding toward the front door and opening it. He figured he better go with her, and he got to his feet and followed her down the hall and right out onto the front porch. She squealed as she went down the front steps, calling, “Momma! Daddy!” and she danced right into her mother’s arms.

Jet and Wade emerged from the back seat of the rental truck, and Cash grinned at the nearest of Lark’s brothers and moved into Jet for a hug. Lark and her momma rocked back and forth as they continued to hug. So it was Jet who faced their father and said, “Daddy, this is Lark’s fiancée, Cash Young. Cash, my daddy, Marv.”

Cash painted on his championship bull-riding smile and stepped forward to shake Lark’s father’s hand. “It’s so great to meet you, sir.” He gushed. “How was the flight?”

“Good enough,” Marv said, his grip firm in Cash’s hand though he looked beyond tired. He faced the house while Wade came around the front of the truck, and Lark and her momma continued chatting about something.

“It’s real nice to be home, though.” A long sigh fell from Marv’s mouth, and Cash moved into Wade and gave him a hug too.

“I bet it is, Daddy,” Jet said. “Let’s get you unpacked.”

Cash moved with the two brothers as they headed toward the tailgate. Just then, a dark red SUV pulled into the driveway, and Wade whooped, bypassing the luggage in the back of the truck in favor of his girlfriend’s car.

“Theresa is here,” he called.

Lark grabbed onto Cash’s arm and pulled him toward her mother. “Momma, you remember Cash.” She beamed at him with all the warmth of the sun, when he was usually the happy-go-lucky smiley one in their relationship.

“Of course I do,” Maureen said. She moved into Cash and gave him a tight squeeze as well. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of our house and our Lark here.”

“I think she’s done that better than me, ma’am.” Cash chuckled, really enjoying the hug with Lark’s mother. His chest tightened, and Maureen seemed to know not to let go of him. He had no explanation for why his emotions had suddenly surged, because his daddy hugged him all the time, as did his stepmom, Faith.

Perhaps he was missing his mother, who still lived down in Utah, and he reminded himself that she’d be coming to the wedding in just one more short month.

Maureen finally released him, and Cash drew in a deep breath, his smile shaking slightly as he looked at Lark. She raised her eyebrows, and he gave a quick shake of his head, hoping she’d get the meaning that he would tell her later.

She worked at Bailey McAllister’s new veterinary clinic on the south side of town, and since her parents’ house sat in Dog Valley, she took the northern highway across town, and if she turned left from there, she’d get to Cousins Creek in only a few minutes. Instead, she turned right and headed to the vet clinic.

Still, it made it very easy for Lark to come by the ranch every day after work, and Cash found himself falling in love with her even more as she held his gaze and willingly gave him her strength.

“I guess I’m the only one helping Daddy unpack,” Jet practically yelled, and Cash turned toward the tailgate, where Jet had emptied all of the luggage and then climbed up into the bed of the truck.

“Momma, this is Theresa,” Wade said, and Cash suddenly didn’t want to leave this little huddle. “Theresa, this is my momma, Maureen.” He nodded to Cash and Lark. “I’m sure you remember Lark and Cash.”

“Of course,” Theresa said. Cash shook her hand and swept his lips across her cheek in proper cowboy gentleman style. Marv had gone inside, and Cash moved over to the truck and reached for a bag as Jet extended it toward him.

“We really just need to get it all into the garage,” Jet said. “Momma and Daddy have their overnight bags they can live out of until they’re ready to unpack everything else.”

“Yep, mine is right here,” Maureen said, and she lifted a bright pink bag, which Lark immediately took from her.

“Daddy must have his.” Maureen looked around. “I don’t see it anywhere.”

“We’ve got food inside,” Lark said. “Theresa, do you want to come help me get it out?”

“Sure,” she said, and the two of them headed into the house through the garage, with Lark’s mother right behind them. Cash stayed out in the driveway and helped get all of the luggage and boxes into the garage, where he and Lark had cleared a space for them a few days ago.

With the job done and Wade slamming the tailgate, Cash turned toward the house to go inside, and then he heard the urgent murmurings of his future brothers-in-law and turned back to find Jet and Wade with their heads bent together.

His heartbeat crashed through his body, and something told him to turn around and get back to them. He did, and he noticed a navy blue ring box as Jet opened the back door of the truck and put it in the cup holder in the door while Wade slipped something into his pocket.

“Are you asking her right now?” Cash found himself speaking in a hushed whisper too.

Wade swallowed and nodded as he glanced up to the front door. “It’s now or never,” he said. “I can’t do another year of long-distance dating, and she needs to know by the end of the month if she’s going to renew her teaching contract.”

“Plus, he’s totally in love with her,” Jet said, without a stitch of emotion in his voice.

Cash grinned at Wade and clapped him on the back. “What do you need me to do, brother?”

“I’d love it if you could help me and Jet move her down to Texas in August, when you come.”