A Family After All. Kathy Altman

she demanded, one hand on her hip. “Because you’ve been in jail?”

      He nodded, and she exhaled loudly.

      “Whew,” she said. “That’s okay, then.” Her grin outshone the flashlight’s beam. “We’re perfect for each other...because I’ve been in jail, too.”

      * * *

      IVY’S EARBUDS SERENADED her with the latest from Nickelback, which helped mask the mechanized roar of the Bobcat. Up and down the aisle between the bedding stalls she drove the loader, pushing manure, sand and wastewater toward the opening in the floor at the back of the barn. The opening led to a storage chamber underneath, where a horizontal auger pressed the manure into a pit. Thus Ivy had year-round access to her own fertilizer supply. She sold some of it, too—Parker used it for her greenhouses.

      One more run down the center and she could start rinsing away the remaining manure with the pressure washer. Yeah, it was a dirty job. A twice-a-day one, too, because 110 Jerseys produced a lot of poo. Not as much as Holsteins, oddly enough, which was one reason Ivy was letting her Holstein population fade out. Sixty percent less poo to push.

      Wade had teased that she enjoyed this part of the job way too much, but it made her feel good, spiffing up the place for the girls. She’d switched from organic bedding to sand for that reason—it was cleaner for the cows. Not that the barn stayed clean for long. Jersey girls knew how to party.

      She steered the Bobcat out of the barn and into the sunlight, planning to park it near the milking shed, which was next up for a cleaning. She and Dell had already mixed the feed, fed and milked the cows and the calves, and washed the milkers after settling a cow into a separate pen when she’d come up lame. Ivy planned to check her out as soon as she finished with the Bobcat—hopefully, the poor animal had nothing more than a stone lodged in her hoof, which would easily be fixed with a hoof pick and a foot bath. But with Ivy’s luck, the prognosis wouldn’t be so straightforward. Already this morning she’d discovered she’d forgotten to order supplements and a truckload of sand. It had also slipped her mind that she’d agreed to board a friend’s horse for two weeks, and she didn’t have a stall prepared yet.

      More mucking. Yay.

      She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Castle Creek’s librarian waving at her from the driveway. In fact, the big man was waving at her so hard he was creating a breeze. Ivy turned off the engine and jumped to the ground, glanced down at the sorry state of her boots and jeans, and shrugged.

      No one should expect a dairy farmer to look fresh or smell sweet.

      “Noble Johnson.” When Ivy reached the paved drive, she peeled off her right glove and held out her hand. “What’s my favorite python wrangler up to these days?”

      Noble grinned, and despite the day she was having, Ivy found herself grinning back. With his massive frame and shoulder-length hair, the same white-blond as hers, he did not resemble the stereotypical librarian. Or book minder, as he liked to call himself.

      The sound of an engine signaled someone else coming up the drive. Noble and Ivy both watched as Allison’s gray Camry came into view. Allison parked beside Noble’s pickup and Ivy bit her lip.

      She had an apology to make.

      “My snake-herding days seem to be behind me,” Noble said, and turned back to Ivy. “Joe hasn’t called to report any more exotic critters hiding out in his walls.” Allison walked up and he flashed her a smile. “But I do hear your motel menagerie will soon be expanding by one.” He pulled Allison close in a one-armed hug. “Congratulations.”

      “Thanks, Noble.”

      When Allison turned to Ivy, the latter spread her arms, revealing all her sweaty, dirt-streaked glory. “I’d hug you, but...”

      Allison laughed and held up her hands. “Thanks. I’ll pass.”

      “Decided on names yet?” Noble rubbed his chin. “I can give you a few suggestions.”

      “Let me guess.” Allison winked at Ivy. “For a boy, Perry.”

      “That’s right.” Noble’s face beamed with pleased surprise. “Can’t do a boy a better honor than naming him after ol’ Oliver Hazard.”

      “You told me all about the Battle of Lake Erie, remember?”

      Noble nodded and narrowed his eyes. “Now, for a girl...” He tapped a finger against his chin and ignored the mock trepidation on Allison’s face.

      “How about naming her after Mary Boone?” he finally suggested. “She was born in Erie and was a huge influence in the New York art market in the ’80s.”

      “Mary or Perry,” Allison mused, and patted his brawny shoulder. “Not bad. Tasteful, even. I was expecting something along the lines of Cornelia or Epenetus.”

      “I have taste.” Noble sniffed, running a palm down his lime-green velour tie.

      Ivy eyed his pristine khakis and burgundy button-down shirt, which provided an interesting backdrop for his tie. “You are looking spiffy today.”

      “If you’re impressed now, you should stop by the library tomorrow. Check me out in my suit and tie.”

      “What’s tomorrow?” Ivy asked.

      He frowned. “The new-member reception for my book club, remember? That’s what the cheesecake is for.”

      Ivy clamped both hands on her head as a prickly heat surged up her throat and into her cheeks. “The cheesecake. Oh, Noble. I forgot all about it.” His crestfallen expression made her feel worse.

      “That’s okay,” he said slowly. “I’m sure I can pick something up from the diner. Unless...”

      She ignored the panic roiling in her belly and concentrated instead on the fresh hope in his eyes. “Yes. Absolutely. I’ll make it tonight and drop it off before the reception tomorrow.”

      By the time Noble finished pumping her hand in gratitude, her shoulder ached. After he left, she turned to Allison as she rubbed the sore spot.

      “I owe you an apology. I should have called you yesterday to follow up after the meeting. I really am happy for you and Joe.”

      Allison reached out and squeezed her elbow. “I know you are. But I’m the one who should apologize. I should have told you first, in private. Instead the words were coming out of my mouth and I couldn’t take them back and I knew I’d done a hateful thing. Please forgive me.”

      “You were excited. Of course you were excited—having a baby is a big deal. You were surrounded by your friends and you wanted to share your news. There’s no need to apologize for that.” When Allison quirked an eyebrow, Ivy let loose a sigh. “Okay, fine. Yes, I was hurt you hadn’t told me first. Now that we’ve both said we’re sorry, can we call it even?”

      “Ivy. I was there. I saw your face. There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

      Ivy’s arms and legs felt suddenly heavy and she shivered.

      Allison gave her arm a final squeeze and stepped back. “If you ever want to talk about it,” she said softly, “I’m here.”

      “Thank you,” Ivy muttered, and cringed when she barely recognized her own voice. She cleared her throat. “You do realize I’m going to throw you one hell of a shower?”

      “I’m counting on it.”

      “I never did ask about Joe. How’s he handling all this?”

      Allison’s smile was a beautiful thing to behold. “He can’t wait. He’s already changed his mind three times about the paint for the nursery. The good news is, he gets to do the painting.” She poked Ivy in the shoulder. “Now. About those cheesecakes. Want help making them?”

      “Them?”

      “If I’m