Soaring with Fallon (Big Sky 4)

“They’re great,” he says. “We’re breaking ground on the new house this month. I’m hoping to move in next year.”

“Gray mentioned that you hired him.”

“Of course, I did,” he says. “Gray’s the best.”

“Did the other lake house sell?”

“Not yet. I’ve been holding onto it because Alex likes the movie theater.”

“We do have a movie theater in town, you know.”

He laughs and shrugs. “Yeah, well, it’s not the same.” He checks his watch. “I have a conference call in a half hour.”

“I have to go back to work, too,” I reply and pay our tab, then follow him outside. “Since you still have the old place, we should have a pool night soon.”

“Absolutely,” he says with a nod. “And we can do a lake day with everyone. Boats and swimming. The works.”

“Sounds fun. See you.”

I climb into my truck and drive toward the house, my head already at work. I need to look in on the owlet that’s been so sick. I don’t know what’s going on with it. We’ve tried everything. Part of me wonders if its failure to thrive is because it lost its mother.

I’ve seen it in bonded pairs. It just tears out your heart.

I drive down my lane, but rather than driving past the farmhouse to the sanctuary, I stop cold, surprised to see a strange woman sitting on my porch.

I park and hop out.

“Can I help you?”

“Oh, you must be Noah,” she says with a smile. “I’m Lacey. I just came to see Fallon.”

“Are you a friend of hers?”

“No,” she says, uncertainty on her face. An uneasy feeling settles in my belly. “I’m her mom. I thought I’d surprise her.”

I feel my eyebrows climb in shock. “This will definitely surprise her.”

She swallows hard. “I know I should have called first, but she would have told me not to come, and well, I just thought it would be nice to see her.”

“Well, she isn’t here right now. But she should be here soon. Would you like something to drink?”

“Water would be nice.”

“Why don’t you have a seat on the porch, and I’ll get you some.”

It doesn’t feel right inviting her into Fallon’s home without Fal knowing that she’s here. I don’t know how she’ll react to seeing her mother.

Something tells me she isn’t going to be thrilled.

I hurry inside and grab a couple of bottles out of the fridge, and when I return to the porch, Lacey is sitting in a chair, nervously wringing her hands.

I see the resemblance now. Fallon is petite like her mom and has the same dark features. But Lacey’s eyes are brown.

“Thanks,” she says when I pass her the bottle. “So, are you her husband?”

How sad is it that a mother doesn’t know if her daughter is married or not?

“I’m her boyfriend,” I reply. I hear Fallon’s Jeep driving up the road. “I think that’s her.”

“Great,” Lacey says, but the nervousness is still there as she stands.

I watch as Fallon parks and hops out of the Jeep. When she approaches and looks up to see us, she scowls.

“Lacey?” she asks. “What are you doing here?”

“Surprise,” Lacey says, tossing her hands into the air. “I saw on Instagram that you’re in Montana now, and I thought I could use a vacation.”

Fallon rolls her eyes, but then she narrows them at me. “Wait. Did you invite her here?”

“Hey, this has nothing to do with me.” I hold up my hands in surrender. “In fact, I have a sick owl to see to, so I’ll leave you to it.”

I walk down the steps and offer Fallon the other bottle of water. I lean in and press my lips to her ear.

“If you need me, I’m right across the pasture. I can be back in twenty seconds.”

She smiles up at me.

“I’ll be okay. But thanks.”

“I won’t be long.” I nod at Lacey. “Ma’am.”

And with that, I leave, wondering what the conversation will be when I’m gone. I’m anxious to get back, just in case Fallon does need me.

Chapter Eleven

~Fallon~

I shouldn’t have accused Noah of inviting Lacey here. He wouldn’t betray my trust like that. I guess it was a knee-jerk reaction, seeing my mother after talking about her with Noah just a few days ago.

I don’t like coincidences.

“Hello,” I say and climb the porch, then sit next to her. She smiles, the lines around her tired eyes deep.

“Hi,” she says and licks her lips. “I know this is a surprise.”

“You could say that,” I reply with a nod. “What brings you to Cunningham Falls?”

She frowns. “Well, you do, of course.”

I tip my head to the side, truly confused. “Me?”

“It occurred to me the other day that I haven’t seen you since your grandma’s funeral,” she says, smoothing her hands down her thighs. It suddenly makes sense. “So I looked you up on social media and found your yoga business. Fallon McCarthy isn’t a super common name.”