Page 57 of Honeycombs & Homecomings

She laughed. Sketchy investors was a bit much, but whatever. He’d always been able to make her laugh, no matter how stressed she was. She grabbed his hand, and spoke on impulse. “I’m sorry I told you to go home. I didn’t mean it. Harvest Ranch is your town too. It’s your home. And . . . I want you here. And, as much as it pains me to admit, I’ve needed you here. You saved my bacon.” She swallowed the lump forming at the back of her throat. “And maybe this time when you leave, go back to your life in Santa Ana, we could keep in touch?”

Cash had lots of smiles. An amused smile, a cocky smile, and irritated smile, an arrogant smile, a nervous smile, a smile that said ‘that’s cute’ and on and on, and she’d been reminded of many of them since he’d blown back into her life days ago, but for the first time, he gave her a smile, the smile, that he’d given her the night he’d asked her to prom. A smile full of relief and . . . joy.

They headed to the stairs, and a laugh burst out from behind her.

She glanced over her shoulder. “What?”

He waggled his brows. “Nice stinger.”

***

She wanted him in her life. She needed him. Jo had said those words to him . . . more or less.

And they replayed themselves over and over as she put on her black puffy coat. They replayed themselves as they left the store, and she’d slipped her hand into his. They replayed themselves all the way through the entrance to the festival, no issue with his costume, the lights above the entrance guiding them through to the festival like stars glittering in a dream. But it wasn’t a dream. She was here, and she wanted him in her life. She needed him.

“Congrats, you two,” some guy said as they walked by hand in hand.

Cash nodded, and Jo blushed to her roots, the red of her face nearly outdoing the red of her hair. He was going to miss that. The blush, and the reason for it.

He laughed as they headed down the main path leading past food vendors on one side and craft vendors on the other. Monster Mash sounded from the loudspeakers back by the community center where a Halloween stomp was taking place. If Cash recalled rightly, there’d be line dances, country swing dancing, all mixed in with random flailing about when Halloween songs came on that went with the first two types of dancing. He’d always enjoyed that part of the festival. The final stomp.

Jo shook her head. “How come you’re not embarrassed.” She frowned and threw up her free hand. “Right, because you’re leaving. You won’t have to deal with the fallout of our broken engagement of three days.”

And if he stayed, she wouldn’t have to deal with that at all.

He frowned, wondering where that thought had come from. After this was over, he was going to tell her how he felt, and hopefully she’d return the sentiment—but they couldn’t keep on pretending they were engaged. It’d been years since they’d seen one another and they’d changed. They needed to get to know one another again.

On a small chuckle, she dropped her head to her hand. “No one’s going to believe me that this was all a charade. They’re going to think I’m lying to protect myself from gossip.”

He gave her hand a little squeeze.

Despite being almost nine pm on the last night, or maybe because it was the last night, the place was still packed—even more so than what the two nights he’d been here before had been. Each food vendor had a line, and each booth at least one person looking around as the vendors were trying to close, and everyone wore a costume. He’d known they’d be in costume, but hadn’t thought about how that could make this whole thing more difficult. The loan sharks and Allie would have to be in costume, too.

They’d almost reached the end of the vendors when someone called out.

“Allie?” Brandon Carroll, in all his tall cowboy glory, ambled over.

“Brandon,” Jo said, gracing the man with one of her glorious smiles. “How are you?”

Cash fought back his irritation, despite wondering what it was she saw in this guy, and then reminded himself that he’d invited the man.

Brandon took Jo’s free hand and kissed it. “I tried your honey. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything sweeter or more satisfying with my morning tea than that.”

“Really?” Jo asked, straightening her spine. “Thank you so much. We’ve worked hard to perfect it.”

There was that pride. Cash could’ve kissed her right there and then. He loved seeing that in her and over something she’d worked so hard to achieve.

Brandon took off his hat and signaled to her outfit. “So, you’re the . . . queen bee?”

Jo nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of a silly costume, but you can’t really see all of it . . .”

Cash felt a sudden jolt at the idea that she might take her jacket off and show the man. Not that the outfit was all that revealing or even immodest, but it was hot. He’d been glad when she’d put her big ol’ jacket on. He didn’t want anyone ogling her, let alone Brandon. He reached out a hand to shake. “Thanks for meeting us here.”

Brandon smiled, a smile that reminded Cash of a twanging guitar. All ease and coolness.

Brandon looked him up and down. “What are you?”

Cash pointed to Brandon. “I’m—I’m a cowboy.” He felt suddenly self-conscious staring at Brandon, who was wearing an outfit almost identical to his own with a black leather motorcycle jacket. The difference between the two was that Brandon looked like he belonged in the clothes. “How’d you get in without a costume?”

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