Page 68 of Luna

Nik, the coward, had disappeared and left Hunter to face his parents alone.

Harley John retrieved luggage from the back of the car and set it on the front walk just as Luna sailed out of the house, carrying her bag. She wore a summer dress he hadn’t seen before and a hat pinned at a jaunty angle on her head.

Hunter had completely forgotten she was heading back to town that evening to return to work for Caterina. It seemed Laila and Rachel intended to stay to help serve the meal and wash the dishes, which was good because Dally would likely take to her room and refuse to come out the rest of the evening.

Aware he was filthy, sweaty, and probably smelled as rank as a Billy goat, Hunter broke into a jog, intent on speaking to Luna.

His mother’s face brightened when she saw him, and she held out her arms to him. Unable to bypass her without appearing unforgivably rude, he gave her an enthusiastic hug that swept her off her feet and knocked her hat askew.

She laughed and hugged him back, then playfully thumped his shoulder, sending a puff of dust and wheat chaff into the air. “Land sakes, son, you sure know how to make a mother feel welcome. How are you?” She placed a gloved hand on his cheek and looked at him with a warm smile.

“Good, Mama. If you’ll excuse me just one moment …” He darted around her and ran over to the auto where Harley John was giving Luna a hand into the front seat. “You’re leaving.”

Luna nodded. The smile she pasted on didn’t reach her eyes. She looked sad about departing, but with his parents there, it was for the best. If he had anywhere to run off to, he’d surely head there now. In fact, the thought of sleeping on the floor at his house even with rodents running amok sounded more pleasant than listening to Dally and his parents butt heads over his sister’s obstinance. For a brief second, he considered asking Harley John if he could bunk with him. However, he concluded running away wasn’t the responsible grown-up thing to do, no matter how much he wished he could rush off with Luna and Harley John.

“I’m so glad you could be here during wheat harvest, Luna. Thank you for all your hard work. Did Dally pay you?”

Another head shake. “It’s not necessary. I wanted to help.”

“No. You earned a wage for all your hard work. I’ll get it to you soon.”

There was so much he wanted to say, but the only thing that came to mind in that moment was don’t leave.

“Aw, just give her a smooch already so we can get out of here before the fat hits the fire,” Harley John said with a knowing smirk.

Hunter glowered at his friend, but leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Luna’s cheek, leaving behind a smudge of dirt. He would have wiped it away, but he was so filthy he knew he’d only make it worse. “I’ll catch up to you later.”

“I’ll look forward to it, Hunter.” Luna lifted a hand in parting, then Hunter turned around and faced his parents, who were studying him like he was some new invention they’d never seen.

“Who was that?” his mother asked as Harley John turned the auto around and left. “She looks like Caterina.”

“One of her cousins from New York. Luna has been here all summer. I think I mentioned her in my last letter.”

“Oh, yes, you did write about going to an Italian restaurant to do research for Caterina. I just assumed …” Dacey snapped her mouth shut and looked to her husband.

Braxton stared at Hunter, as though he couldn’t quite figure out what to say to him.

Hunter nodded politely to his father. “It’s nice to see you, Dad. Welcome back.”

“Thank you, son. It appears we’ve timed it perfectly to not only arrive in time for the meal, but at the end of harvest. Did the ranch have a good yield this year?”

Hunter and his father talked about the wheat yield, what the going rate was per bushel, and the equipment Rowdy thought would help make things more efficient next year as they walked around to the back door of the house.

Corni nearly dropped the pitcher of lemonade she was carrying when she spied them. She passed the pitcher to Rowdy, then engulfed Dacey in a big, warm hug. “Oh, it’s so, so good to see you. I miss you two being here all summer.”

“We missed being here as well.” Dacey’s tone was slightly strained, and Braxton scowled.

Hunter couldn’t explain it, but he felt the tension in the air coil around all of them like a spring about to break and fly off in an unexpected direction.

Nik had disappeared, and Hunter knew he’d given Dally a warning that their parents had arrived. In fact, as he faced the kitchen, he saw her look out the window, her eyes as wide as saucers before she pulled her head back inside.

“Let’s all wash up and then we can eat,” Hunter suggested, cupping his mother’s elbow with his hand and guiding her up the back steps. His father kept in step close behind them. Corni chose to stay outside, out of the range of fire. He might have taunted her about being a coward if the entire harvest crew hadn’t been watching their every move. Thankfully, Rachel and Laila were too busy filling glasses with lemonade and water to notice anything else taking place.

Nik appeared at the door, his face and hands washed although the rest of him was as dirty as Hunter. “Welcome, welcome!” he said, giving Dacey’s cheek a kiss, then reaching out to shake Braxton’s hand in greeting. “We didn’t know you were coming.”

“We wanted to surprise you,” Dacey said with a wide smile. “Surprise!”

“Oh, it certainly is a surprise,” Nik said, stepping back as Hunter trailed his parents into the house.

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