Country Wishes

by RaeAnne Hadley

  But she knew they couldn’t afford a ranch in Millflower. Even if they got a full offer on the ranch, the amount of money they would have down wouldn’t be enough for a ranch. Combined with the fact that Jack would be taking a cut in pay to become an electrician again made it impossible. She just had to accept the fact that her life was changing. She was turning a new chapter in her life. The least she could do was handle it with grace and show her girls that things change. Fighting, fussing and throwing fits didn’t make it easier, just made it harder.

  She would still allow herself to grieve; she would just do it in private, away from watching eyes.

  Her reverie was broken when her phone rang. She sighed, not recognizing the number. It was probably another looky-loo to see the house. She was already tired of people wandering through her home but it had to be done.

  Even though they couldn’t see it, she pasted a smile on her face and answered the phone.

  “Jack should be home any minute. May I get you more coffee?” Rena smiled at the couple sitting at the table.

  “Yes, please. It’s delicious.”

  Rena heard Jack’s car pull up and grabbed the pot of coffee from the machine. “There he is.”

  She met him at the door and gestured towards the guests. “Jack, you remember the Jenkins, don’t you?”

  He walked over and shook Mr. Jenkins hand. “Yes, nice to see you both again.”

  Rena cleared a spot at the table and had Jack sit down. “The Jenkins has made us an offer on the house. Five thousand less than the asking price.” She looked at Jack and gave him a slight nod to show she thought the offer was good.

  He nodded back and looked at the couple. “That sounds fair. I think we can agree to that.”

  Mr. Jenkins cleared his throat. “There’s just one thing. We already sold our house; we need to close as soon as possible.”

  Rena and Jack smiled at each other and nodded their heads. “That is not a problem. We can have the contract drawn up right now. You can take it to your bank this afternoon. We will start packing immediately.”

  They quickly filled out the contract and had both parties sign. After making copies, they said their good-byes to the Jenkins and closed the door. Rena threw her arms around Jack.

  “Less than a week! We sold the house in less than a week!”

  “I just can’t believe it. It doesn’t seem real. Everything is happening so fast.”

  “I told you. You need to have faith and believe.”

  “You were right…this time.” He laughed as she punched his arm. “But I love you and your Lucy ideas.”

  “Jerk. I love you too.”

  “Just think. In less than a month we will be living in a new town, with more opportunities and warmer weather. We are going to be so busy this summer.”

  “Yes we will. We need to start looking for houses.”

  “I was thinking about that. You sure you want to buy right away? I think we should rent, just for a bit. Check out the area and see what we like.”

  “Ugh. The idea of moving again doesn’t thrill me.” She shook her head, already picturing all of the work.

  “Yes, but think of it this way, it might be the last time we ever have to move. So two times in six months and then never move again?”

  “Hmmm. When you put it that way…okay. I’ll start looking for rentals.”

  “Nice. Okay, now to start packing. Where to start?”

  “Jack, I’ve been packing since we started fixing up the house. Why don’t you start in the garage and I’ll start in the tack room. The kitchen will need to be last. We can’t afford to eat out three meals a day until we move.”

  “Smart thinking. I knew I married you for a reason.”

  “Smart ass. Go get to work. I can hardly wait to tell the girls when they get home from school.”

  She drove into town and stopped at the park. Walking to the wishing well, she brushed the tears from her eyes. “I want to thank you for granting my wish. I know Hopeful is loved by so many people and you’ve given us an interesting life the past few years. It’s just not for us and I’m grateful that you sense that too. I’ll always have love in my heart for your gift and for this town. Thank you.”

  She smiled and rubbed the stone on the ledge of the well. A new chapter in their lives was about to begin.

  Chapter Seven

  Five Months Later

  Rena shook her head as she scrolled through the real estate listings on the website again. She honestly tried to find homes in town that she liked but they either sold before they could even see them or there was so much work that needed to be done that they couldn’t justify the payment.

  They had been renting a beautiful home for the past five months and she was grateful that the landlords allowed them to have their dogs. She was also thankful for the location of the house. Even though it was zoned in the city, the subdivision was new and their backyard faced a thirty-acre hay field. The west of the subdivision was a sixty-acre corn field. She knew it was the perfect way to get used to living in town.

  But instead of getting easier, she found it more difficult. She took drives through the countryside getting to know the area, picking up flyers from ranches listed for sale. While searching for homes on the websites, she would quickly pull up ranches, just to see what was listed. Often times she would think of ways to try and convince Jack that even though they may not need three hundred acres, maybe a little would be good so they could continue raising chickens and a couple of cows.

  Then she would stop herself. She had made a vow that it was Jack’s turn to live the life he wanted. He had lived the country life for twelve years with her; he deserved to have more than just five months. And to be honest, his cut in pay was a little more painful than what they had expected. She hadn’t been hired on with the school district but she kept applying. She had sold a couple of her smaller novels and the royalties had helped but they both knew they couldn’t be counted on. It gave her more time to write and she had finally completed her novel and sent it in to two large publishers.

  They had set aside the money to put down on a house but their savings was slowly dwindling. Rental houses were expensive in Millflower and financially, they were struggling.

  The town itself was everything they had hoped for. They had been so busy during the summer that it seemed to fly by. Between hiking, fishing, biking, riding their horses and exploring the town, they started to have to schedule “down” days, where they would just stay in PJ’s all day and watch movies, too exhausted to move.

  She knew they had been blessed to find a place to board their horses, just two miles from where they lived. It was affordable and the retired couple who lived there loved to spoil their horses. It was a blessing all in its own.

  Jack was working four days a week, ten-hour days but was home every night for supper and ever weekend. The girls were thrilled to have their father back. She was thrilled to be getting her husband back. Every day he seemed more and more like his old self. Mr. Hyde appeared less frequently and she had hope that one day he would be gone for good.

  All in all, this move had been a blessing for them and she refused to allow any of her sadness or negative thoughts get in the way.

  “Have faith, Rena that everything happens for the best and everything for a reason.” She told herself.

  She walked onto the back porch and sat in the chair. It really was beautiful down here, everything they dreamed of.

  She looked at the time and saw it was time to go pick up Shari from school. Anabeth rode the bus home with her friends. They both had tons of friends in the neighborhood and loved riding their bikes on the streets of the subdivision. So far, living in town had been a great experience for them. They still missed having their horses right there and would beg to go out to them often but they weren’t’ as sad as they were at first.

  Now, with the holidays approaching, she wanted to make it as special as possible. It was their first year in this new town and she wanted the memori
es and the magic to be just as momentous to them as it was to her.

  She jumped in her truck, getting ready to head out when Jack pulled up.

  She frowned and rolled down her window. “What are you doing home so early?”

  “They let us go. Waiting for the inspector to show up so we got to leave. Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to pick up Shari from school.”

  “Mind if I come? We need to talk.”

  She unlocked the door, queasiness filling her body. Isn’t that what someone says when they have something bad to bring up? Was it too late for them? Did he want a divorce?

  She tried to calm her voice and her nerves. “What’s wrong? What do we need to talk about?”

  “Nothing bad. Geez, you look white as a ghost.”

  “What do you expect me to think? That’s always what they say in the movies when they are about to break up with someone or they are going to die. You never start a conversation with ‘we need to talk.’”

  Jack chuckled. “Duly noted. Okay, I would like to talk to you about something. Is that better?”

  “Yes, better.”

  “I’ve been thinking about this house thing. I know you’re not happy. I don’t want to get as much acreage as we had before but I’m willing to consider some acreage. We can start looking at horse property if you’d like.”

  She tried to blink back the tears so they wouldn’t get into an accident. “I thought you didn’t want the work though?”

  “I actually miss having land to tinker on and really miss having a garden. The weather down here is perfect for gardening.” He grabbed her hand. “I’m actually a little bored on the weekends when we stay at home. Having a little room to stretch my legs sounds ideal.”

  She started laughing and crying at the same time.

  “Now what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  “Because I’m so happy. You make me happy. Thank you.”

  “You are such a freak. I just don’t understand women. You are all crazy.” He shook his head. “But you’re my kind of crazy. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too and I’m glad I’m your kind of crazy. Now let’s pick up Shari. I want to start looking at places!”

  She was finding the same thing with rural properties as she was in town. The ones that were in their price range needed so much work that it would cost more than they could afford to buy and fix up. The ones that didn’t need fixing up were either out of their price range or too far away from town.

  “What the hell?” She fumed. She had spent all day Monday and Tuesday looking for property while the girls were in school and Jack at work. They were pre-qualified for a house but nothing was popping up in their price range.

  She looked at her Border collie and ranted. “I don’t understand this. Everything went so smoothly to get down here. It was obvious we were supposed to have moved. So why are we running into this problem? I don’t get it.”

  Her dog wagged her tail and licked her hand. Rena ruffled her fur. “I know you don’t like it in town any more than I do. What am I missing?”

  She turned back to her laptop and went back to her listings. Maybe if she changed the criteria something new would pop up. She clicked on her changes and submitted the new information. The same properties showed up and she shook her head. She searched the screen for any changes and noticed there were more listings than what had popped up before.

  “What do we have here?” She scrolled to the last page and glanced over the information. Her heart beat a little faster and she clicked on the very last listing.

  “Forty-acre horse boarding facility, indoor arena, round pen, twenty paddocks, wash rack and large corral. Oh my god, this would be incredible. Maybe this is what was waiting for us.”

  She emailed her realtor and scheduled a showing for that afternoon. If it looked like a potential property, she’d schedule another showing for Jack. This could be exactly what they were looking for.

  She picked up the girls from school and headed out to the property. She had been excited all day and tried to keep herself distracted by doing busy work. The house was spotless and the laundry caught up.

  The girls had also been excited about seeing the property. The idea of having their horses back with them was thrilling and they babbled excitedly back and forth.

  Rena was thrilled that it was only four miles from downtown. Country property in town it seemed. Five minutes from the hustle and bustle as opposed to thirty minutes they’d had to drive when they had the ranch in Hopeful.

  They pulled up to the drive and everyone ooh’d and aaah'd. The indoor arena was surrounded by large trees and the driveway took them right past the freshly disked outdoor arena. She drove up to the parking area and waited for their real estate agent. Someone was working a horse in the indoor arena and another horse was tied in the crosswalk. Rena got shivers of excitement as she looked around.

  Her real estate agent showed up and Rena could barely hold herself back as they went through the property and the house. She imagined the place under her care, picturing and planning activities and duties.

  She scheduled another showing to include Jack and they made their way home. She sent the girls out to play and started on a business plan. She was disappointed to receive an email from their mortgage person saying they couldn’t finance the property because not only was it unique, but they didn’t do business loans. She was given the names of other lenders and she quickly emailed all of them.

  She didn’t realize how fast the time had flown by until she heard Jack walk in the door, the girls already excitedly telling him about the ranch. She took a deep breath and grabbed what she had done on the business plan. She knew she had to present this carefully; it was going to put them almost a million dollars in debt.

  She smiled at him even as he gave her a stern look. “Hi honey. Welcome home.”

  He glanced around the house. “The house looks great. What’s this ranch the girls are trying to tell me about?”

  She threw a look at the girls and told them to go back outside to play. They quickly shot out the door, knowing they had spoken to daddy too soon.

  “Well, I was looking for property when I came across this.” She placed the listing sheet in front of him on the dining room table, and then set the business plan beside it. While he was reading the listing sheet, she quickly went through all of the pros regarding the business.

  “It’s already generating income. It has a rental house on the property; the people have been there for over five years and would like to stay. There’s a trainer there who pays this amount every month and I talked with him. He would also like to stay if we bought the place. There are over twelve empty paddocks that are ready to be filled but the owner’s want out. They are moving out of town so they aren’t taking in any new clients. We could fill this place and there’s plenty of room to add more stables or paddocks. And they have all of this acreage in hay. They grow their own hay so they don’t have to pay for it. This place is perfect. And eventually you wouldn’t even have to work as an electrician, other than on the ranch.”

  “Take a breath babe. It’s an awful lot of money.”

  “Yes, but the income it generates now is enough to cover the payments. Once we get it full, we will actually be making a decent profit.”

  “So when can I see it?”

  “I set it up for tomorrow after you get off from work. Is that okay?”

  “Yep. I’ll go look at it. I’ll keep an open mind.”

  “Thank you babe! Thank you so much.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t agreed and we haven’t been approved for financing yet. Let’s just take it one step at a time.”

  “No problem. One step at a time. I need to go finish the business plan. The banks want to see it.” She grabbed the papers and headed back to the desk in their bedroom.

  He watched her retreating form. “But what about supper?”

  The weeks flew by and trying to get approved for the stables
was proving to be challenging. Because of the uniqueness of the property, more hoops had to be jumped through that with a normal purchase.

  Rena tried her best to get the proper paperwork to the bank in a timely manner, keep up on the household chores, run the girls to their after school activities and prepare for the holidays. She had to put her writing on hold because there were fewer hours in the day than there were responsibilities she had to take care of. She would get back to it soon. Maybe after the holidays.

  They had a wonderful Thanksgiving and they were now preparing for Christmas. She finished scanning and emailing the last of the documents to the bank then sat back in her chair. She’d done and sent everything they had requested, it was now in their hands.

  The loan officer had warned her that with the holidays and the shortened banking hours, they probably wouldn’t have a decision to her before the first of the year. She tried not to be disappointed, patience was never her virtue, and hoped that the business of the season would keep her happily distracted.

  The girls were filled with excitement and the house smelled of pine and fresh cookies. This was the first year in five years that they would have Christmas Eve and Christmas day together. Jack had always had to work on Christmas Eve, sometimes not getting home until Christmas morning. This was going to be a year they would never forget.

  Christmas morning started very early. The girls were bounding in Rena and Jack’s bedroom before the dawn was even thinking of showing. Groans were replaced with giggles as the girls excitedly exclaimed how Santa had been there and they had to see what he brought them or it would be rude.

  Jack sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. “You girls can go on out and see what Santa left but you can’t open anything yet. Let your mother and I get dressed and brush our teeth.”

  “Woo hoo!” Shari screamed then flew out of the bedroom.

  “Hurry up though, okay? I don’t know how long I can hold Shari back from ripping open those presents.”