Page 46 of The Mountain Echoes

She gives me a withering look. “Ever since Rami died, there’s been nonstop talk about the Delgado family—and half of it happens in my boutique. Short of shoving earplugs in and offending half my clientele, I get a front-row seat to the latest issue ofThe Wildflower Canyon Scandal Newspaperon the regular.”

But I consider what she said, and once again, I wonder about the stories Celine has told me and everyone in Wildflower Canyon about her sister

Maybe some of the old-timers would know better, but then again, Aria has been gone for?—

Why the fuck do you care about their family dynamics? Snap out of it, Mav. You’re helping out Celine so you can get Longhorn. And let’s face it, Aria is no one to you.

My phone buzzes, and I look at the message I just received.

Celine:Thank you so much for agreeing to be here, holding my hand during the will reading. I’m nervous about Aria’s reaction. It’s going to get ugly.

Me:I’ll see you in an hour.

I put the phone aside.

Joy raises both her eyebrows in query. “So…what doesshewant?”

“They’re reading Rami’s will today, and she thinks he may have cut her sister out. She’s nervous about how Aria will react and wants me there.”

“Christ,” Joy mutters. “That sounds like horse manure—and more than a little manipulative, don’t you think?”

I shrug. “I don’t mind being there for the will reading,” I say drolly, not quite denying her accusation. “It’s a convenient way to find out who Rami left what to—and who I’ll need to convince to sell me Longhorn.”

“Always eye on the prize?”

“Always,” I agree.

Joy looks at her watch and sighs. “I have a call with a buyer in fifteen.”

“I need to check something in the office for a minute before I head over to Longhorn.” I start to collect the plates and glasses.

We have someone who comes once a week to clean and do the laundry, but we do all our cooking and dishwashing. Neither of us is spoiled, and we like our privacy. I couldn’t live like Celine and Duke do with a housekeeper and others living in the house with them.

As I put the last dish in the dishwasher and Joy puts the food items in the fridge, she looks at me seriously. “Tell me something. If you were in trouble, who would you call?”

“You.”

She grins. “Besides me.”

I think about it. “Cade, Elena, maybe even Duke if push comes to shove. Kaz, though, he’s…weird.”

“So, not Celine.”

“Come on, she can barely take care of herself.”

Joy sighs.

“What exactly are you worried about?”

“That you’re going to marry?—”

“Whoa!” I cut her off. “I told you my interest in Celine is simple. I want to buy Longhorn.”

Joy exhales. “I just…sometimes get worried that I’ll lose you.”

I pull her into my arms and hug her. “Joy, there’s no world in which that’ll happen. You’ve got me until I don’t have breath in my body and maybe, somehow, even after that.”

I hear her sniffle. She pulls away. “Ugh! I hate getting emotional.”