“I know,” I said. “It’s growing more and more popular each year. Willa has done an amazing job expanding it into more than just an apple orchard. Oh, there she is!”
I quickly walked over to where Willa was standing. Aiden was next to her, holding Ben on his shoulders while they talked to some people. When they saw us approaching, Willa and Aiden excused themselves and came rushing over. After giving me a hug, Willa hugged Kyle and then looked directly at Hudson.
“And you must be Hudson. I’ve heard a lot about you from both Greer and Candace.”
Hudson smiled and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Greer’s told me a lot about you and your husband. And this little guy.” He poked at Ben’s stomach, making him laugh.
I smiled. “Hudson, this is Willa, Aiden, and Ben O’Hara. Guys, this is Hudson.”
Hudson shook Aiden’s hand and then introduced them to his parents and Everly. We spent a few minutes chatting before we headed into the store, where Melinda bought some apples, as well as an apple pie.
After spending about an hour at the orchard’s fall festival, we headed out toward the mountains. Hudson wanted his folks and Everly to hike the Falling Waters Trail. Kyle was over-the-moon happy about hiking and practically skipped to the trailhead.
We stopped periodically along the way so Doug could snap photos. Everly had her camera as well, but I’d noticed that Hudson had left his back at the cabin. When I asked him about it, he said he wanted to be in the moment this time. Of course, that meant stopping and stealing kisses anytime we found ourselves alone on the trail.
“This is so beautiful,” Everly mused, snapping some photos of Stairs Falls.
Kyle walked up and stood next to her. “You should see it in the winter. It’s even more beautiful.”
Everly glanced at Kyle, then lifted her camera and snapped a picture of him staring out at the falls. He turned to her and laughed. The way they looked at each other had me wondering if there was something blooming between them.
“Kyle and Everly seem to be really connecting with one another,” I told Hudson when he reached for my hand to help me climb a boulder.
He glanced back at the two of them and smiled. “I think so. Everly is probably glad to be around someone close to her age. Most of the scientists she worked with were much older. Well…there was Rich.”
“Who was Rich?” I asked, walking around a puddle of water and starting up the next boulder.
“Her ex-fiancé.”
I glanced back over my shoulder, and when I saw that Everly was still out of earshot, I asked, “She was engaged?”
“Yep, she was. She met Rich in Alaska during a research trip.”
“Do you mind if I ask what happened?”
Hudson glanced over at his sister. I couldn’t help but notice the slightly worried expression he had on his face. He let out a breath and said, “I’m not really sure. Everly never told us why they broke up, and I don’t think it was on very friendly terms. Not sure if he cheated on her, but she’s hinted at it while talking to my mom.”
“That’s terrible. I hope that’s not the case.”
“Me, too, because if I ever see him, I’ll rearrange his face.”
His statement made me laugh. “Oh, big brothers.”
Hudson laughed, too, and took my hand. “Come on, my folks are getting ahead of us. Let’s leave Kyle and Everly to find their own way.”
We did just that and headed up toward Kinsman Ridge. Sure enough, Doug and Melinda were already there, and the only thing I could hear was Doug’s camera clicking.
“What’s he taking pictures of?” I asked, seeing Doug practically on the ground with his camera.
“A bird of some kind,” Melinda replied as she used her cell phone to snap pictures of the view. I turned to look at Hudson, and I must have had a bewildered look on my face because he smiled.
“We’re used to my dad doing this. Once in Yellowstone, he pulled over and started taking pictures of a moose calving. I’ve got to say, it was pretty cool to see. To this day, I still don’t know how in the hell he noticed it, especially since he was driving at the time. But he got the photos, and National Geographic published them in an article they did on the park. Half the photos in the article were taken by my father.”
“Wow,” I whispered, focusing back on Doug. “You must be so proud of him.”
Hudson smiled. “We are. Very proud. Now, if we could just get him to retire.”
I heard a small gasp from behind us and turned to see Everly and Kyle finally catching up.
Everly walked up beside me and whispered, “That is so beautiful.”
“I can imagine you’ve seen some beautiful places on your travels,” I replied.