“Ever made love in a horse stall?”

“No, but I’m plannin’ on it right now,” she said. “Before we do this, Raylen, we need to talk. I know we’ve only known each other as adults for a few weeks, but where are we going?”

The noise coming through the monitor told them that Danny Boy was restless.

“Guess we woke the baby,” Raylen said as he flipped the light back on.

“Need to check on him?”

“Maybe for a few minutes. Stay right where you are, and we’ll talk when I get back,” he said as he opened the gate and headed over to the next stall.

She yawned. “I should go.”

“Stay a little while. You said that we need to talk,” he said.

She got to her feet and followed him out of the tiny stall. “We will, but not now. Danny Boy needs to have your full attention. Good night, darlin’. Please come to supper tomorrow evening. Aunt Tressa and Blaze are making Italian food in my big kitchen. Bring Colleen with you.”

He checked on Danny Boy and then walked Liz out to her truck. “You sure that’s wise?”

“Everyone at the carnival liked you,” Liz told him. “Mama even wondered if you’d like to travel, and Aunt Tressa said there would always be a place for you in the carnival.”

He grinned. “No, thank you. I could never leave this area. It’s home. I wasn’t talking about me, darlin’. Is it wise to invite Colleen and Blaze? Should we encourage or discourage whatever this is between them?”

Liz opened the door and turned to face Raylen. “Honey, Colleen might find out that Blaze is way too much for her to handle if they spend time together.”

Raylen put an arm on either side of her and caged her against the door. “Or he might find out the same thing.”

She raised up on her tiptoes, kissed him, and said, “Good night, Raylen. It’s a quarter till twelve, and my truck might turn into a pumpkin if I’m not home by midnight.”

Chapter 22

Liz could hardly believe her ears when her mother waved from her truck window and yelled, “It’s just beautiful, Lizelle!”

That Marva Jo had agreed to set foot on Haskell’s land was a miracle. She’d never quite forgiven her brother for leaving the carnival. Liz had envisioned all kinds of scenarios when her mother arrived, but pure old joy wasn’t a part of any of them.

By the time the last flatbed had parked, Liz had jogged out to the barn and was making the rounds, showing them the barn, where the electrical outlets were, and where the portable bathrooms were placed out to the north of the barn. When Marva Jo and Tressa crawled out of their trucks, they didn’t stop to get their trailers set up but headed straight to the barn. Liz ran ahead of them so she could see their faces when they saw the tree and all the presents.