Ranch with Evie and Penny’s father, and Maureen was taking her kids trick or treating. So she could only gather Raynelle, Luanne, Devlin, Penny, and Evie into the kitchen to tell them.
“Why did you bring us to the kitchen to help you, Reba?” Raynelle flipped the long black hair of her Cher wig over her shoulder and glanced around. “There doesn’t seem to be anything you need done in here. Except maybe slice that apple pie.”
“Actually, that pie’s for Valentine.” Reba had made it using her grandmother’s special love potion recipe. If it turned out Valentine didn’t love her, she planned to force him to eat every last crumb.
“Then why are we here?” Devlin asked. “Is ‘helping in the kitchen’ code for something else?”
Reba laughed. “Actually, this time, it is. I have something to tell you. I’m leaving for New York tomorrow.”
“Hallelujah!” Evie gave her a big hug while the other women seemed confused.
Reba finished returning Evie’s hug before she cleared up their confusion. “I’m in love with Valentine Sterling and I’m going to New York to see if he loves me too.”
Luanne’s eyes widened. With the Dolly Parton fake eyelashes, they looked twice as big. “I knew it! I knew there was something going on between you two.” She hurried over to hug Reba. “And don’t you worry about him loving you. If you want, I’ll come over and give you a Lulu makeover before you leave. If it got Devlin a Double Diamond bad boy, I figure it will get you one.”
Every one of her friends came over to hug her and wish her well. Which made her misty eyed. She was going to miss all of her wonderful friends. The only one who didn’t hug her was Devlin. She stood back still looking confused.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Why would you go to New York when Valentine is here?”
Reba stared at her. “Valentine is here?”
Devlin nodded. “He’s been staying out at the Double Diamond. I thought everyone knew.” She looked at Penny and Evie. “Logan and Cru were there painting the barn with him this morning.”
“Logan never mentioned a word about Valentine still being here.” Evie scowled. “That’s what I get for marrying a man who doesn’t talk much.”
“Cru didn’t say anything either,” Penny said. “And he talks nonstop. Which means our guys are up to something.”
But Reba didn’t care what they were up to. All she cared about was that Valentine was still there. She grabbed her truck keys off the hook. “Can y’all help my aunt with the party? I’m going to the Double Diamond.”
“You don’t worry about a thing, Reba,” Evie said. “We got this.”
“That’s right,” Penny said. “You go get that man. We want you to be one of our Double Diamond sisters.”
“Dammit straight we do,” Devlin said.
“It’s damn straight, honey.” Luanne corrected her.
Reba laughed as she headed out the back door. She passed numerous guests who had staked out the garden to catch Granny Dovey’s ghost and a couple of high school kids making out in the hammock. She waved at the guests, but ignored the kids. She was on a mission to get her man and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her.
But something did stop her. Right before she got to the side gate that led to the parking lot, she caught sight of something white and billowing disappearing down the winding path that led to the gazebo. At first, she thought it was the sheet she had asked Ty and Mike to put up. But then the snap of cotton in the wind had her glancing up at the sheet draped in the tree above her.
Which meant the billowing white she had seen was . . .
She wanted to talk to Valentine in a bad way, but she couldn’t pass up the one and only chance she might have to see Granny Dovey’s ghost. She hurried down the winding path and ran smack dab into her. Reba dropped the pie and her car keys as arms surrounded her with the scent of musty old mothballs. Which was what she figured a ghost probably smelled like.
But when she drew back, it wasn’t the ghostly face of her grandmother she saw.
“Valentine,” she whispered on a puff of surprised breath.
His familiar topaz gaze took in her face. “Reba? What are you doing in the garden? I thought you’d be inside with your guests.”
“What are you doing here? I thought you had gone back to New York.” She suddenly noticed the gray