Page 64 of Horn of Plenty
“Who?” she asked the man who shared the same sky-blue eyes as she and Jamie did.
“Your mother and your brother. I like to think that they’re up there, watching over us. Sending us signs so we can do good by each other. What’s done doesn’t always have to be done. We have the capacity to grow and learn and change. I’m proud of you, honey.”
She smiled through her tears. “Let’s go home, Dad,” she said, but the man didn’t move as a curious expression bloomed on his face.
“Not quite yet,” he said, glancing over his shoulder.
“Dad, I need to talk to Cal. I love him, and we’re together—at least, we were. Please don’t shoot him,” she added with a chuckle.
“Why don’t you talk to him now,” her father offered, looking like the cat who ate the canary.
She frowned. “What’s going on?” she pressed when a woman shrieked.
“It’s him! It’s the farm porn!” another called.
It couldn’t be!
She eyed her father, who gave her another very Elias Muldowney no-nonsense shrug, as the click of cell phones snapping pictures peppered the air. She’d been so engrossed in conversation with Chelsea and her dad that she hadn’t even noticed that a decent-sized crowd had tuned in for the Farm to Mabel Heart-to-Heart Hour.
But she didn’t give the throng of bystanders another thought when Cal emerged from the mass of farmers’ market shoppers encircling her.
“Hi,” he said, giving her that handsome, million-dollar farmer smile she’d missed so very much.
“Hi,” she echoed.
He glanced at the crowd. “I can see why you like it so much in New York. They treat you like a celebrity here. Or maybe these people are admiring your floppy sombrero.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “It’s a sculpted wide brim—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “A sculpted wide brim dramatic floppy hat.”
She took another look at the crowd and couldn’t get over the number of people watching their exchange. But she couldn’t hold back. She needed to tell him what was in her heart. And she had to do it now.
“I owe you an apology, Cal,” she said with a deep sigh.
He took a step closer. “No, I’m the one who owes you an apology. You were right, Mabel.”
“Excuse me! Coming through!” came a voice as someone pushed their way through the crowd.
She glanced past Cal and nearly fell on her ass when none other than the creep with twoC’s and oneE, Lucce, cut through the swarm of people. He was clad in black but looked decidedly less full of himself.
The man caught his breath and mopped the perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand. “Sorry, I ran all the way from the hotel.”
She pegged Cal with her gaze. “What’s he doing here?”
Cal clapped Lucce on the shoulder, and the sweaty weasel of a man flinched. “We met at the hotel, and I remembered that you told me that he’d treated you badly. So, we had a chat. Isn’t that right, Lucce?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Would this be the kind of chat that you had with any boy who looked my way when I was in high school?”
A wide grin stretched across Cal’s face. “Jamie and I got pretty good at scaring off those guys.”
She rolled her eyes.
Lucce cleared his throat. “It’s nice to see you, Mabel. I apologize for my behavior when we first met.”
“Wow!” she said, catching Cal’s eye.
He tossed her a wink. “Pretty good, huh?”
