Zach leaned over. “There are a lot of farms in the area.”
“I can see that.”
People waved and kids chased candy into the streets.
Rena’s old Girl Scout troop marched by, followed closely by the Boy Scouts. Now it was Karen’s turn to impart wisdom. “I see the boys are all chasing the girls.”
Zach acknowledged with a wink that shot straight to her belly.
After the third flatbed rolled by Karen called out her observation. “I take it American made trucks are the only ones allowed in the parade.” There were Fords, Dodges, and Chevys but not one Toyota anywhere.
“You got it,” Joe called from the other side of Zach.
The next Ford that passed had a sticker on it from the dealership. In the window was a sign that read: GET A FREE GUN WITH PURCHASE OF THIS TRUCK. If that wasn’t a testament to the small town, she didn’t know what was. There were Junior Miss Monroe floats, Junior Miss Hilton floats, and Class of 1993 with the high school colors on the truck drove by, too.
In the center of the parade, Michael’s “float” slowly made its way.
Karen removed her cell phone from her pocket to snap a picture. Hannah and Judy had outdone themselves with spreading all the flowers he’d had delivered the day before. The crowd cheered on the famous son, and Michael tossed candy and waved with his huge Hollywood smile.
Surrounding his float were a handful of what Karen assumed were friends of Hannah’s and Judy’s who walked around handing out roses to the older women lining the streets. There were plenty of isn’t that sweet, and how nice comments as his float puttered by.
Hannah and Judy jumped off the float and hand delivered flowers to both Janice and Rena. Then Judy handed Karen a gift box and laughed.
The whole family glanced at her as she opened the velvet-lined jewelry box. Inside was a white gold bangle with two rows of small diamonds. It really was pretty but nothing at all like something she would wear. She did, however, know someone who wore exactly this kind of jewelry. Karen glanced at Michael and offered a little wave.
“Hey, Rena. Michael has something for you.” Then with a grand gesture, Karen handed the box over Zach’s and Joe’s laps and gave Rena Michael’s gift.
Michael gave her a playful smile and shook a finger in her direction before the float continued on.
“My God, Karen, I can’t take this.”
“Sure you can.”
Zach was watching her, as was Joe. Janice just smiled and acted as if Karen giving away Michael’s gifts was an everyday occurrence. Sawyer, if Karen wasn’t mistaken, was trying to hide a laugh.
Rena tried to hand it back. “I can’t.”
Karen brushed against Zach as she pushed it back. “If you don’t take it, I’ll just give it to someone else. I think Hannah’s a little young for it…Judy might want it, though.”
“But Mike…”
“Michael knows I won’t keep it. Trust me. He’d want you to have it.”
Rena gave up on the argument, placed the pricey I’m sorry gift on her wrist, and stuck her arm out in front of her to admire it.
Once their party tuned back in to the rest of the parade, Zach’s lips hovered close to her ear. “What was that all about?”
“Gifts to say you’re sorry don’t work with me.”
Zach craned his neck to see the tail end of Michael’s float. “Is that what all those flowers were about?”
“Yep.”
Karen couldn’t help the smile on her face.
Zach kept a slight distance from Karen the rest of the day.
Mike, Hannah, and Judy joined them after the parade was over, only to usher them all to the courtyard outside the park. There, the mayor of Hilton presented the road sign that would go up on the highway a quarter mile before the exit.
Zach actually thought his brother looked uncomfortable when they unveiled the sign. HILTON, UTAH…CHILDHOOD HOME OF MICHAEL WOLFE…stood out in bold letters.
Someone from the school newspaper snapped a couple of pictures, then Karen asked that the entire family gather around the sign with Mike so she could get a shot.
“You should be in here, too,” Hannah said to her.
Karen wouldn’t have it and insisted that Mike and the rest of them scoot in close.
They walked around the town and shopped with several local vendors who painted or did some kind of artsy craft. Every so often, Zach would feel a set of eyes on him and he’d turn to find Karen watching him.
What he found interesting was how Mike was seldom by her side. He’d laugh beside her and then easily be drawn away. Zach had overheard Mike tell Rena that the bracelet looked good on her, reinforcing Karen’s words about how he hadn’t expected Karen to keep it. After watching the two of them with each other for over an hour, Zach then focused on Joe and Rena.
They juggled the kids between the two of them, but would often hold hands or sneak in a little kiss now and then. Even his father dropped his arm around his mother’s shoulders from time to time.
Zach guessed that maybe the fight between the Mike and Karen had caused the rift, but the more he thought about it, the less he remembered if they ever interacted like a loving couple.
They didn’t, but they also didn’t act as if they were a bickering couple.
So what did that leave?
Zach wasn’t sure, but he’d figure out what was going on between the two of them while they were up at the cabin. Observing from the sidelines was one thing…living with them would be completely different.
Chapter Sixteen
The road to the cabin wasn’t paved. In fact, it seemed to Karen that the next several days of her Utah vacation were either going to be organic to the point of dust-filled hair or in traction from the ride alone. In comparison to the vacations she’d had in the past couple of years, this was just this side of backpacking it in the high country of the Sierras.
Joe drove Rena and the kids up in one truck while filling the back of his rig with most of their luggage and food supplies. Zach drove another truck pulling a trailer with a couple of quads and motorcycles. Hannah and Judy tagged along with their older brother while Karen and Michael rode with Sawyer and Janice.
“Did you ever camp as a kid?” Janice asked Karen once they turned onto the dirt road.
“No.”
“This isn’t camping,” Sawyer pointed out. “It’s a cabin with a roof and a bathroom. Not exactly roughing it.”
Michael glanced at her. “Compared to LA, it’s like pitching a tent.”