Page 13 of Luna

When Elizabeth finished with the flowers, she returned to setting tables.

“Have you worked here long?” Luna asked as she folded napkins into a cone shape and placed one on each plate at a table while Elizabeth set out the silverware just so.

Elizabeth glanced at her and nodded. “I started in September. It’s a good job, and Caterina is tough but fair. My husband was killed in August in a train accident. I took this job in hopes of keeping a roof over my son’s head, but we ended up having to move in with my parents anyway. It’s been good for William to get to know his grandparents better. He’s only two, and my mother has been gracious about watching him while I work. Someday, I’ll have my own home again. Until then, we have a safe place to live where my son is loved.”

“I’m so sorry, Elizabeth. It is so hard to lose one you love,” Luna said, then gave the young woman an impetuous, understanding hug. They both pulled back with tears in their eyes, then returned to work.

By silent agreement, they changed the subject to upcoming events in town. Elizabeth encouraged Luna to consider joining one of the organizations in Pendleton to meet more people. There was a group that quilted. Another that prepared baskets of food and clothing for the needy. There was even a group that gathered just to discuss their favorite books.

So many opportunities awaited her, but Luna wasn’t quite ready to step into any of them. Not when she wanted and needed time to adjust to living in a new place full of so many things previously unknown to her.

Although Caterina and Kade, Ilsa and Tony, and their children had all visited New York City a few times, Luna had never traveled out West. Despite the stories they’d shared and the letters they’d written, she hadn’t been prepared for how much different life seemed in Pendleton.

Not that any of it was bad. Just … different.

Luna finished helping Elizabeth, made sure the water pitchers were full of ice water, then watched as Caterina bustled to the front doors, unlocked them, and pulled them back, welcoming the first customers of the evening with a friendly smile.

Within ten minutes, Luna was busy pouring water and coffee, racing back and forth between the kitchen and tables, and wondering how Caterina could keep up with the hectic pace five nights a week.

But the woman seemed to be in her element, running her kitchen with a tight yet creative hand. The fragrances from the incredible food Caterina served took Luna back to her mother’s kitchen. She could almost see her at the stove, stirring a pot of bubbling, aromatic sauce to serve over a steaming plate of tortellini.

Jerking herself from her musings, Luna lifted four breadbaskets and carried them out to tables. She noticed one group had left, so she hurried to take their dirty dishes to the kitchen, tidy the linens, and reset the table.

“You’re doing great,” Elizabeth whispered as she hastened past Luna with her hands full of plates to be served to a waiting table of three.

Pleased, Luna smiled and continued doing her best. She was just setting napkins on top of plates at a table set for two when Hunter walked in with two couples. Luna immediately recognized Nik Nash. Without thinking, she rushed across the restaurant to give him a big hug.

“Luna! Look at you!” Nik’s exuberant hug lifted her off her feet. He set her down with a laugh and pushed her back, although he kept his hands on her elbows. “You’ve grown up!”

“So have you,” she said, grinning at him. He looked exactly like the boy she’d known, only now he was a man. A doctor who was well thought of in the community, at least from what she’d heard last week and at the picnic she’d attended at his parents’ home Sunday afternoon following the church service.

She’d hoped to see Nik and his wife at the picnic, but Aundy, his mother, had said Nik was out on a call, and Dally wasn’t feeling well. With the number of people who had gathered at Nash’s Folly for the picnic, Luna didn’t have time to be too disappointed as she was introduced to a multitude of new faces, including Aundy and Ilsa’s brother, Lars, and the children from the orphanage he and his wife, Marnie, managed. There were neighbors, like Riley and Bertie Walsh and their beautiful little girl, as well as friends, such as the Hill, McBride, and Elliott families.

The food had been plentiful and became a blending of cultures and traditions with everyone contributing to the meal. Luna had eaten until she thought she couldn’t hold another bite, then Aundy had announced they had three flavors of ice cream. Luna had sampled every flavor.

The afternoon had been full of fun and frivolity, and the experience had made her feel like part of an extended family instead of just a visitor in Pendleton.

Now, though, she was thrilled to see Nik. He’d always been so kind to her in the years he’d lived with Aunt Angelina and Uncle Franco at their store. For a time, she’d had quite a crush on him, but he was so much older she eventually outgrew it. That’s when she’d fallen in love with Matteo.

Lest memories of her lost love dim the joy in seeing Nik, she shoved them aside and widened her smile.

“Is this beautiful woman the talented trick rider I’ve heard so much about?” Luna asked, moving from Nik to hold out a hand to a woman with rich auburn hair, teal-colored eyes, and a warm smile.

“Dally Nash,” Dally said, taking both of Luna’s hands in hers. “It’s so nice to meet you, Luna. I’m sorry we weren’t at the picnic Sunday.”

“She’s mostly miffed she missed Aundy’s ice cream,” Hunter said, leaning around Dally with a teasing smirk and tipping his head to Luna. “It’s good to see you again, Miss Campanelli. You are looking well.”

The last time he’d seen her, she’d been dirty from traveling on the train for days, not to mention the fact that she’d fainted. She certainly hoped he saw marked improvement in her appearance.

Hunter wore dusty cowboy boots, denims, a deep blue shirt with a pale blue neckerchief, and a dark gray vest. He hadn’t shaved since she’d met him on the train last week, and the growing beard on his face along with his hair that still needed a good cut gave him a rather rakish appearance.

Then he grinned, and her gaze latched on to the hint of a dimple in his cheek. The cowboy was certainly handsome. Charming. And all wrong for her if she’d been interested in a romance, which she absolutely was not.

“It seems you’ve met Hunter,” Nik said, then motioned to the couple behind them. “Let me introduce you to Rowdy and Cornelia Logan. Rowdy runs the B Bar D Ranch, and Cornelia keeps up the house and helps with the cooking.”

“I try to help with the cooking, and today was not one of my better attempts, so here we are for dinner.” Cornelia smiled at Luna, then offered Dally a sheepish look.

“Don’t be hard on yourself, Corni. It was probably an old stringy rooster to start with, and not your fault the chicken dried out.” Dally patted the woman’s shoulder. “I was craving a plate of Caterina’s ravioli anyway.”

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