“Thanks, Anna. Thanks for everything,” Sam said returning her hug and talking into her ear. “You and Jake might want to think about giving this a try.”
Anna smiled at her brother’s teasing and joined in with the others waving them off, tossing rose petals and blowing bubbles. She felt a solid warmth behind her and turned to smile into Jake’s familiar blue eyes. Maybe Sam didn’t have such a bad idea after all.
Jake wasn’t sure what it was about weddings, but he was feeling unusually sappy and sentimental. When he saw Lisa looking at Anna before she tossed the bouquet, he was ready to tackle anyone who got in the way. It probably didn’t help that he was wild about Anna and already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That and he still wanted to find out about that glue.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jake pulled off the highway and drove a few miles until the road made a sharp curve. Instead of taking the curve, he turned onto a nearly hidden gravel road that wound around to what used to be one of the prettiest little places he’d ever seen.
That it had been in his mother’s family since the 1930s didn’t hurt his affection for the farm either. Everyone referred to it as Grammy’s place. Although Jake’s grandfather passed away before he was born, he remembered coming out here to see Grammy many times as a young boy. When she died, his mom and Aunt Bobbi inherited the place, and Bobbi insisted Maggie keep it for Jake. When he turned 21, Jake inherited eighty acres of pasture land and orchards, a large barn with an attached corral, a shop, tool shed, green house, rose bower and a sweet cottage style home, complete with a wrap-around porch and three dormered windows.
Not ready to be responsible for all that yet, Jake leased the property, rented the house and enjoyed the additional income. His renters moved out in July and now, in the middle of September, Jake was knee deep in returning Grammy’s place from rack and ruin.
The first time he went out after the renter’s left, he just stood and looked around for a while, envisioning what the place must have looked like new, what it could look like again with some tender loving care. He wanted this to be a home for Anna. With all the fuss going on about Sam and Lisa’s wedding, Jake continually found himself thinking about making Anna his bride.
Those particular thoughts had little to do with how much passion she stirred up in him and much more to do with how much he really loved her. The way she laughed, the way she teased him, talked to him, made him feel like he was the most important person in her world. She’d become his best friend, he dreamed about being her lover, and he couldn’t imagine a future without her in it.
Jake had walked up the steps, noting a few boards that needed replaced, unlocked and opened the front door. A blast of hot, putrid air smacked him in the face and he had all he could do not to gag. He’d told the renters no pets, but obviously they chose not to follow that directive. Pulling his handkerchief over his nose, he left the front door wide open and stepped inside.
What a monumental mess. Garbage littered in the corners, mouse droppings were everywhere and the carpets held huge, horrid stains. The doors were scratched, holes marked several walls and it appeared there had been a small kitchen fire with some of the cupboards bearing scorched marks. Jake walked around opening all the windows that he could and stepped back outside.
Googling a number for the county garbage service on his phone, he called and asked them to deliver a commercial-sized dumpster as soon as possible. This was going to be a bigger project than he imagined. Going back to his truck, he pulled out a notepad and pen and started making a list of everything that needed repaired, replaced or restored.
When Jake wasn’t working or with Anna, he started spending every spare minute out at the house. Wanting this home to be not only something he would love but Anna as well, he began playing a game with her called “If I had a home...” and let her fill in the blanks. Sometimes they would go wander around Home Depot, looking at paint colors or tile, doors or windows, or fixtures like tubs and sinks. It was easy to fool her when they’d run so many errands for Sam and Lisa as they remodeled Sam’s apartment. She thought it was a fun game and had no idea Jake was carefully recording all the information she shared.
Before he got too carried away, he had an inspector come out to make sure there wasn’t termite or water damage, that the foundation was still solid, and other architectural aspects of the house were safe. Jake tested the well water himself and had the septic tank pumped.
The house wasn’t huge, but it was roomy and he hoped it could be homey again. In the days since he first ventured in the house, he had yanked out all the rugs, caught the mice, pulled out the cabinets and counters, stripped down the woodwork and scraped off years of wallpaper and paint. And that was just the house. There was still the barn, shop and outbuildings that desperately needed attention. Everywhere he looked it was a disgusting mess. He should have paid more attention and drove out on occasion to check on the renters. Instead, as long as they sent a rent payment, he assumed all was fine. Pure stupidity on his part.
In mid-August, his permits received approval and the materials for the roof, all new windows and doors as well as gallon upon gallon of paint had been delivered. He was scheduled to have central heat and air installed. Lumber was stacked up to replace all the rotten boards, sheetrock was ready for interior wall repairs and he had floor plans to add a new master suite at the back of the house. Beautiful hardwood floors had been in hiding under the filthy carpeting, needing stripped and refinished.
Family and friends surprised him on a Saturday in late August when he arrived early at the house to discover his parents, his aunt and uncle, Clay, Callan, Josh and Jenna there, standing on the porch, ready to work. He didn’t have the heart to tell them it might collapse beneath them. Before he had a chance to say anything, pickups started rolling in the driveway. Clay invited what seemed like half the county to come help and by the time they finished up that first work day, Jake couldn’t believe the transformation.
The “dung heap,” as he’d taken to calling the place, sported all new windows and exterior doors. The old porch boards were ripped up and replaced with new solid wood, steps were repaired and inside much progress was made as well. With a professional sander, the floors had been stripped down to bare wood in no time and were now ready to be finished. Walls were repaired, holes patched, and the new master bedroom addition was starting to take shape.
The best part was they all promised to come back for one more workday soon and today was that day. Jake was about to burst as he watched the trucks roll down the driveway again this warm September day, a week after Sam and Lisa’s wedding. He couldn’t believe how blessed he was by friends and family. His roommates were among those lending a hand and Jake was truly grateful for their help. Mark was a licensed contractor and had made getting supplies a simple process, not to mention all the knowledgeable help he provided. Paul, a certified electrician, brought in a crew and completely rewired the house, barn and shop and was installing wiring in the master suite today. There was a professional roofer, a plumber and several painters in the group of workers who took charge and made things happen.
The end of the day saw an amazing transformation in the place. Everywhere he looked he could see fresh paint. The house, barn and all the outbuildings were wearing coats of new paint along with new roofs. Weeds no longer threatened to choke out everything and the master suite was ready for a final inspection. The porch was repaired all around the house and a new portion completed outside the master suite. He still needed to paint every room in the house, stain and seal the floors and wait for kitchen cabinets and counters to be installed, but those were all things he could work on in the winter months. By spring, he planned to have the yard landscaped and everything move-in ready for Anna, if she would agree to be his bride.
Sitting outside in a folding chair next to his mom after most everyone had left, Jake couldn’t believe all the people who gave up another Saturday to come help him.
“Mom, I can’
t get over everyone being so generous with their time and talents. How will I ever thank them or repay them?” Jake asked, humbled by the kindness of the people who had labored so hard on his behalf.
Maggie smiled at her only child, who was no longer a boy but a man grown. “Oh, Jake. How many times have you done the very thing all these good people did for you today? How many friends have you helped? How many times have you dropped what you were doing to lend a hand? What goes around comes around, honey. Now it’s your turn. Accept the gift and be thankful.”
Jake leaned over and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Thanks, Mom. I still can’t believe how much work we got done today.” Having a sudden thought, he bolted out of his chair. “No one will tell Anna, will they? I still want it to be a surprise!”
“Everyone knows this is supposed to be hush-hush. Don’t worry, honey. Anna will love it. But are you sure you don’t want to include her in the plans? She might like to be involved, you know.”
“She is involved, in a round-about way,” Jake said, explaining the game he’d been playing with Anna.
Although Jake hadn’t said a word to anyone, the general assumption was that at some point, he planned to ask Anna to marry him. He hadn’t denied or confirmed the rumor despite being asked multiple times.
“So when are you going to get around to asking her to marry you, Jake? Don’t you think you could be getting the cart before the horse?” Maggie asked, with a twinkle in her eye. She had no doubt that Anna would say yes if that son of hers ever worked up the courage to ask.
“All in due time, Mom.”
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Jake called the Zimmerman house, hoping Anna wouldn’t be home. On the second ring, Sue answered.
“Hi Sue, this is Jake. I was wondering if you and Ken were busy this evening?” Jake was trying to sound casual and swallow down his nervousness.
“Well, no Jake, we’re just here at home. Did you need something?”
“Not exactly. Anna’s not home yet, is she?”
“No. She is working until closing tonight, so I don’t expect her for a couple of hours.” Sue was beginning to wonder what Jake was up to. She never could tell what was going through that handsome head of his.
“Would it be all right if I ran out to talk to you and Ken for just a minute? I promise it won’t take long.”
“That would be just fine, Jake. And you can take all the time you need. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is. I’ll see you soon.”
Jake thought it had never taken so long to get out to the Zimmerman farm than it did that evening. He felt like he was sweating bullets the entire drive. By the time he pulled up to the house, his stomach hurt so bad, he thought he might be physically ill. Knocking on the kitchen door, he held his hat in his hand and tried not to let his extreme state of nerves show.
Sue quickly answered the door and gave him a warm hug. “So, Jake, what can we do for you?”
Jake turned and shook Ken’s hand as he stood from his seat at the kitchen table, then waited for Sue to sit down before he joined them.
Taking a deep breath, he wasn’t exactly sure what to say. He rehearsed it in his head a dozen times, yet now, sitting here at the Zimmerman’s table, he found himself tongue-tied and scared. Buck up, ol’ boy. You can do this.
“I’m sure you both know by now that I care a great deal for Anna. More than a great deal, actually. I … I’m in love with her and I would like to ask her to marry me. I wanted to get your permission first. So may I please marry your daughter?”
Ken and Sue smiled at each other, hoping like everything that this was what Jake wanted when he called earlier. He had already become like a son to them and nothing would please them more than to have him marry their baby girl. But that didn’t stop Ken from teasing Jake.
“Well, I don’t know if that would be such a good idea,” Ken said, trying to ignore the crestfallen look that swept across Jake’s face. Sue pinched his leg under the table, but he was having too much fun to stop now. “How do you plan to support our daughter?”
“Well, sir, I… um… well, the truth is, I already have a house on eighty acres I’ve been remodeling. It belonged to my grandmother. I’m paying as I go for all the work on the house and my pickup is paid for, so I wouldn’t be bringing Anna into a situation that involved any debt. I’m a good manager of my money and I’m gainfully employed. I have great insurance and benefits and those would extend to Anna. She would be welcome to work in town or at home or do whatever she wanted to,” Jake rattled on, suddenly feeling like he was on a job interview.
It was starting to feel awfully warm in the kitchen. Sweat was trickling down his back and he wasn’t sure when his throat had ever felt so dry. It was all he could do not to squirm like a second-grader in the principal’s office.
“I see,” Ken said. He hadn’t had this much fun in years. He was going to have a bruise where Sue kept pinching him, but it was worth it. “What about your personal habits? How do I know you’ll set a good example for Anna as the head of your home?”
“I don’t gamble, smoke or do anything illegal. I was never a big drinker, but I quit altogether and stopped running around with the party crowd months ago. My life has changed so much since I met your daughter. As you know, I’ve been attending church nearly every Sunday with Anna. Most folks would tell you I’m an honorable kind of guy. I try to do the right thing and lend a helping hand when I can.”
“And you think all this makes you deserving of our daughter’s hand?” Ken asked, sounding stern and judgmental. He didn’t realize he could be such a good actor.
This was not going at all how Jake had envisioned. He assumed Ken and Sue would be thrilled, tell him yes and he’d be out the door. Instead, he felt like he was being examined under a microscope and found quite lacking.
“Well, sir, I don’t think there is anything I can have or do that would make me deserving of Anna. She’s too good for me and I’ll tell you that straight up. She’s sweet and innocent, honest and kind, fun and wonderful. She’s a hard worker, stubborn, independent, and just about all-around perfect for me. I love her with my whole heart and the best I can offer is that I’d try every day to make her feel loved and appreciated. Try to be a man deserving of her love.”
Sue was sniffling by now and reached over to smack Ken on his arm. “That’s enough of this nonsense, Ken.”
Ken rubbed his arm before turning a huge grin on Jake. “I’m just funning with you, son. You’ve got our blessing. You’ve had it all along. Did you really think I didn’t know what kind of soil we’ve got up in the northeast corner?”
Jake’s head whipped up. He wasn’t sure he heard Ken correctly, but when both Anna’s parents started laughing, he joined right in. “I’d never have pegged you for a matchmaker, Ken.”
They chatted a bit and Sue gave Jake a warm hug as he prepared to leave. Ken shook his hand and slapped him on the back. “I know you’ll take great care of our baby girl, Jake. We’ll be proud to welcome you into the family.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jake said, feeling like a half-ton weight had been lifted off his chest. “I do have two favors to ask, though. First, I want the house to be a surprise for Anna. Please don’t say anything to her about it. I have a bit more work to do before I’m ready to show it to her.”
“We can keep it a secret,” Ken said. “What’s the second favor?”
“Please don’t tell her I came this evening. I want her to be surprised when I propose.”
“Oh, Jake,” Sue said, a light glowing in her eyes, “I can promise you she will be completely surprised.”
When Jake left, Sue turned to Ken and popped him again on the arm for good measure. “What were you trying to do, you ninny? Scare him off? Anna would never forgive us!”
“This is the only time in my life I’m going to have some young buck come beg for my daughter and I wanted to enjoy it. And I did,” Ken laughed, before growing thoughtful. “But he sure didn’t have to come ask us or tel
l us all the things he did. Just makes me like him even better. That had to be intimidating and he faced it head on. I knew I picked just the right fellow for Sugar.”
Sue laughed at his comment. “You picked him yourself, did you? Don’t you think Anna and Jake may have had something to do with it?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Anna, can you make time to see me tonight?” Jake asked, leaning against the library collection box on a warm afternoon in early October.
“Jake, I don’t see how…” Anna said as she gathered books and placed them on the cart.
“Please,” he asked solemnly, helping her dig out the remaining books. The look in his eyes said more than the one word he spoke.
“Okay, but just for a while and no funny business, fancy boy.” Anna had been working long hours since one of the regular librarians was on vacation and they were also busy on the farm getting in the final harvest. She was exhausted, but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to spend time with Jake.
Jake grinned at her. “Can you come out to Mom and Dad’s after dinner?”
“Sure,” Anna agreed. When he smiled at her like that she had a hard time denying him anything.
Jake pushed the cart up to the library door for her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Wear your boots, Sugar, and bring a jacket.”
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Anna had been out to Maggie and Tom Chandler’s place a few times with Jake. Their farm was small, more of a hobby as Tom liked to call it, but boasted a beautiful modern home that was warm and inviting.
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