She walked him and Caleb out the front door. Lily skipped around the pots and flats of plants grouped on the driveway.
“Looks like we need a search party to find Lily in all these flowers,” Jack said, pretending to look for his niece.
“Uncle Jack. Aren’t they pretty? These are blue.”
“You’re prettier. Give Uncle a kiss goodbye. Daddy and I are leaving now.”
He scooped up his niece into his arms and got a smacking kiss from her. He turned to Jenna with a wide grin. “I want one of these.”
“When you get back, we’ll work on it some more.”
“My favorite part,” he said with a wide grin. “Count on it.”
Caleb kissed and hugged his daughter. “You be a good girl for Jenna. Mommy will be here after lunch.”
“Can’t I come, too? I want to take the horses to their new house.”
“No, Sunshine. I need you to take care of Mommy. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Caleb kissed his daughter on the nose and handed her over to Jenna. He kissed and hugged Jenna too. Jack punched him in the shoulder as they walked to the waiting truck and horse trailer. They both waved at the girls as they drove from the barn down the long driveway.
Jack watched Jenna from the truck mirror as long as he could. As he and Caleb passed through the gates onto the main road, his gut tightened. He wanted to go back, stay with Jenna, protect her. He scolded himself for not trusting her and the guards on the property. He couldn’t stay with her every moment. Still, something ate at him, and he wished he could relax and know everything would be all right. She’d be fine. Nothing happened the dozen other times he left for one errand or another. This time was no different. Right?
Chapter Thirty-Four
* * *
JACK HADN’T TAKEN care of the flowerbeds around the house, so the only things alive were a few hardy bushes. The flowers Jenna had ordered would brighten the porch and patio out back. He’d told her over and over again to think of this as not just his home, but hers too. Difficult to believe after moving from place to place for so long, nothing ever felt like hers. So she had finally settled in and decided to add a few touches. She loved to garden and wanted to spruce up the outside. She’d start there before choosing a room upstairs to turn into a nursery for the baby.
Jenna and Lily finished planting the roses, snapdragons, columbine, dahlias, and daisies in the front yard. Lily liked watering the best. She’d sprayed Jenna a few times for fun. The beds in front of the long porch were beautiful and would be even better next spring. The winter cold would kill some of the flowers, but she would replant whatever didn’t survive. For now, they would enjoy it while it lasted.
Lily chased a butterfly. Sally chased Lily. Jenna loaded the wheelbarrow with flats of lovely white, pink, and red impatiens to brighten the back patio and the shaded areas close to the house. What a lovely picture it would make from the back windows off the Great Room.
Jenna came back around the house to fetch the blue and pink hydrangeas that would go behind the impatiens and in front of the trees. The large bushes would be a lovely showpiece in full bloom. Jack would love the blue of the hydrangea flowers. She loaded the six plants and headed for the back of the house.
“Lily and Sally, come in back with me. We’ll finish the big plants before lunch.”
“Okay. I want to plant the blue ones first.” Lily skipped behind Jenna.
“Six bushes, we’ll do one blue then one pink. That way we’ll spread out both colors.”
“They’re so pretty. I like the front.”
Late in the morning, Jenna knew Lily was getting hungry. She watered the hydrangeas they had already planted while Jenna put the last one in. The row of bushes improved the backyard considerably.
“Once the impatiens are in, the view from the patio will be gorgeous.” That earned a smile from Lily.
She and Jack would have to sit and enjoy the backyard more often. Maybe she’d buy a few Adirondack chairs to put out on the lawn so they could sit and enjoy the garden. It’d be nice to sit out at night and look up at the stars. She thought about the night she and Jack had sat on the back of his Camaro by