Page 147 of Sunkissed Colorado

That’s convenient, I thought angrily. “But instead of staying at the scene, Leo took off again. And Pickering was there too. Keeping an eye on Paula, gathering up more blackmail material. He could’ve stopped her, and he didn’t, and you could’vedied.”

“Tommy was also drunk,” she pointed out. “But now that Chief Nichols knows about the blackmail, she promised she’d investigate whether they can charge him with it.”

Sounded like not nearly enough punishment to me. But I waited for her to continue.

“Leo turned himself in because he knew things had gone too far, and his mom needs help. But he wanted a chance to explain everything and apologize. He begged me for mercy for his mom. Leo insists his mom didn’t really know what she was doing. He wants me to talk to the police and the district attorney and ask for leniency.”

“Will you?”

“I already did. Chief Nichols promised they’d be careful bringing Paula in. I don’t want anyone else to be hurt. If she needs help, I want her to get it.”

My chest tightened with how much I loved this woman. Even after everything she’d been through, she was showing me what forgiveness looked like.

Zandra leaned against me, her voice thick with sadness. “I’m heartbroken for Jessa’s family. I wish it could’ve somehow been different. It was just a terrible situation, and we’ve all been suffering all these years.” She took a shaky breath. “But now I can see the end of it.”

I tightened my arms around her.

“I’ll always wonder if someone else was there at the creek with Jessa. But I have to let go of that night, and it finally feels like Ican.”

“I’m proud of you, Z.”

We sat in comfortable silence, watching the sunflowers sway. The afternoon sun warmed our faces.

“Callum?” Zandra’s voice was soft.

“Yeah?”

“I feel like I haven’t apologized enough for the way I acted the other night. When you emailed my grandfather about the general manager job, basically handing it to me, I got scared you’d change your mind and resent me. I was just scared of losing you.”

“I get it. I won’t go behind your back again though, okay? I understand where you were coming from.”

“But afterward I said,This is why relationships with coworkers are a bad idea. I didn’t mean it. Well, maybe I did, because it’s messy and complicated. But I guess I’m a big fan of messy and complicated. Also areallybig fan of annoyingly charming men who won’t leave me alone.”

I grinned. “That works out well for us.”

“It does.”

Then I remembered the other thing we still hadn’t discussed. “Uh, so, I called Grayden the other night.”

She inhaled sharply, sitting back. “What?When?”

“Same night as the fire. I went to see Grace. We talked. Ended up calling Grayden together, and I left him a voicemail. It dropped to low priority with you in the hospital and everything else happening.”

“Has he called you back?”

“Not yet. He sent a quick text, saying he’d really like to chat soon once things calm down. I guess Grace let him know I had other things going on. But when he does call, I’d like you to be there with me. If that’s cool with you. Moral support, I guess.” I felt sheepish saying that. But how many times had Z opened up and been vulnerable with me? I owed it to her to do the same.

“Of course I will.” Zandra put both hands on my face, pulling me in for a kiss. “Callum, I love you so much. I couldn’t have gone through any of this without you. You’ve been my anchor through everything. I want to be yours too.”

Here in this field of wildflowers, with the worst finally behind us, I could see our future stretching ahead. I assumed Zandra would be general manager of Hearthstone. I’d go back to bar manager. And we’d keep living together. The rest of the details would work themselves out.

From where I was sitting, it looked pretty damn perfect.

THIRTY-NINE

Callum

A week later,a line of people trailed all the way down the block from Hearthstone. Locals, tourists, folks who’d made the trek from every corner of Hart County to support the brewery.