Mandy couldn’t get over how excited he was. “That’s awesome! I’m happy it’s all coming together.”
“Me, too.” He took a drink of his soda. “We still have a way to go, but at least it all seems feasible. We’ll probably need a website for the business. I’ve had some ideas for a while. Maybe I can show them to you at dinner in the next couple of days?”
“That sounds great.”
He rewarded her with another big grin. As they continued to eat, Mandy marveled at what a great team they made. They’d only been married four days, and she was getting used to his company. Considering how determined she was not to give her heart over to any man, this level of comfort probably wasn’t a good thing. Preston said something that made her laugh, and she pushed her ponderings to the back of her mind.
~
Preston shifted his cell phone from one hand to the other as he locked the workshop behind him a week later. “I’m glad Dad seems to be better now.”
“Me, too. He knew he needed to rest but was still going crazy.” His dad spoke in the background and Mom laughed. “Yes, and taking me along with him.”
Preston smiled. “I’m glad you both survived.” He’d called his parents to talk to them for a while and to see how his dad was doing. They’d all thought about getting together last weekend, but Dad ended up with a minor cold. Not a big deal normally, but ever since the kidney transplant, it made Preston nervous anytime Dad didn’t feel well.
“We’d love for you and Mandy to come over for dinner next week.”
“Let me talk to her and see what kind of guest schedule we have. That’d be great, though. Can I get back to you tomorrow with a date?” Preston walked towards the house. He hadn’t been by to see them since he and Mandy had gotten married almost two weeks ago. He felt bad for the lack of visits, but his parents both assured him it was good he was spending time at the B&B and with Mandy.
“Of course. We’re thinking about you both.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m looking forward to seeing you. I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“We love you, too.”
They said their goodbyes and Preston hung up.
He and Mandy had gotten into a routine where they ate dinner together almost every night. He went in through the back door but there was no sign of Mandy in the kitchen, dining room, or living room. Concerned, he headed upstairs and found her sitting on the floor of her bedroom with her laptop. If the scowl on her face was any indication, things weren’t going well.
She must have heard him approach because she looked up in surprise. “Hey! Oh no. What time is it?” She glanced at the clock on her laptop and stood. “I’m sorry. I completely lost track of the time. I’ll bet you’re starving.”
Preston walked into the room. “I’m sure you are, too.” He took in the blues and yellows decorating the room and thought it perfectly matched Mandy’s personality. He motioned to the computer. “What’s going on?”
Mandy sighed as she sank onto the end of the bed, the laptop balanced on her lap. “I’d been dreading it, but I finally went through the books Granny kept.” She closed the laptop and put it down, retrieved a notebook, and rejoined Preston. “I’m amazed she and Papa kept this place running as long as they have. I knew things were tight but had no idea it was this bad.”
Preston took the notebook and scanned it. She wasn’t exaggerating. The financial outlook for the B&B looked grim. He sat down on the bed. “Were they relying on funds from summer to carry them through the rest of the year?”
“Except for a couple of holidays, it sure looks like it. We didn’t have nearly the business this last summer that we usually do. Granny’s heart just wasn’t in it. We’ve had one cancellation, and there are only two reservations in the books for the next month and a half and both are next week. That’s pathetic, even for this time of the year.”
He hated the tone of dejection in her voice. “I’m sorry, Mandy. I had an idea. I don’t know if it’ll help, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Oh?” She took the notebook and tossed it onto the small desk against one wall. “I’m all ears.”
Preston angled his body to face her more. “You remember those boats I told you I found in the workshop?” She nodded. “I was thinking we could finish the other one and include boat rentals with the stay here at the B&B. Make sure we have life jackets on hand, have guests sign waivers, and they could rent a boat for an hour. We don’t even have to charge for it. The boats might bring in more business if we advertise it.” He paused, trying to gauge Mandy’s reaction. She was deep in thought. “What do you think?”
“That’s a great idea. We can take some pictures and add them to the website. I want to finish the website for your business, too. We can even link to that, show that the boats they can rent were handmade and each one of a kind. It might make a good segue into what you craft. Maybe it’ll drum up some sales for you, too.” The weariness fled her eyes as she seemed to sift through ideas in her head. “Did you decide on a name for the business?”
He was glad she liked his suggestion. And the idea of tying it to the new business was a good one. Truthfully, Preston wasn’t sure any of this was going to help the B&B in the long run, but the defeated look on Mandy’s face had disappeared. That was good enough for now. “I was thinking of calling it Yarrow Woodworking.”
She smiled. “I like it.”
They took her laptop downstairs and ate sandwiches while they went over some last-minute website details and chatted about Yarrow Woodworking. Preston hoped there’d be a day when she considered it their business instead of only his.
He had an idea, though. If everything went according to plan, he hoped to get Mandy away from the B&B and remind her what it was like to relax and enjoy life. He just had to wait until Sunday morning to put it all into play.
Chapter Ten
“I shouldn’t leave. What if someone drives in and wants to rent a room?”
Preston handed Mandy’s phone to her. “Then we put a sign saying to call you and that someone will be back as soon as possible. How many walk-ins do you usually get?”
“Maybe one a month. Sometimes fewer.” And never on a Sunday. Mandy knew she was losing this battle. Preston surprised her this morning when he’d suggested they go to church together for the first time since they’d been married. After that, he wanted to take a picnic and try out a canoe, paddling it down river before stopping to eat lunch. The adventure of it all sounded wonderful, but Mandy’s practical side insisted she should stay at the house. And it wasn’t only because someone might stop by. It’d been two weeks since the wedding, and Mandy could tell she was softening toward Preston. The whole prospect was scary. How could fourteen days with Preston threaten twenty-six years of swearing away marriage?
But the look on Preston’s face told her he wasn’t about to back down. She could stay at the house, alone, missing Granny and Papa, or she could go with Preston for the day. Her heart was in danger either way. In the end, the hope in his eyes as he kept his gaze on her face made it impossible to say no.
“Fine.”
“Yes!” He grinned and pumped a fist, bringing a smile to Mandy’s face as she shook her head at him. “Okay, church is in about an hour. Meet you down here in forty-five minutes?”
“I’ll be here.”
Once ready, they grabbed some muffins left over from the day before and headed into town.
Mandy had to admit she’d been dreading going back to church since Granny’s funeral. All she could picture was the service and the overwhelming attention of the congregation during one of the most difficult moments of her life. She expected those emotions to come back, but as Preston pulled his truck into a parking spot, nothing but peace flooded her spirit. Sorry, God, I should’ve come back before now.
Preston came around to open her door. Their hands found each other’s in such a natural way, Mandy wasn’t sure who had initiated the contact. They entered the sanctuary together.
Mr. and Mrs. Yarr
ow spotted them and waved from a row toward the middle. Preston and Mandy waved back, but he moved to steer her in a different direction.
Mandy leaned closer so she could talk over the music playing in the air. “We can sit with them if you’d like. I don’t mind.”
His eyebrows lifted. “You’re sure?”
“Of course.”
A pleased look crossed his face, and he offered her a smile that reinforced her decision. Mrs. Yarrow gave her a warm hug and Mr. Yarrow offered a nod of approval. Mandy listened as the three chatted about the last week. She knew that Preston had usually had dinner at their house once a week before they got married. As far as she knew, he hadn’t since. Did he feel obligated to stay around the B&B now? Family was important, and she didn’t like the thought he might not be seeing his family for fear of offending her.
She was still thinking on the subject when worship began. After the message and a final prayer, the congregation stood to gather their things. Mrs. Yarrow turned toward Preston and Mandy. “We’ve got a roast and potatoes in the slow cooker if you two would like to join us for dinner tonight. We know the offer is last-minute. If you have other plans, we certainly understand.”
Preston hesitated and the thoughts Mandy had been parsing through earlier came back. She wanted him to know he could spend time with his family. “I don’t think we have any plans for tonight, do we?”
He studied her face as though trying to figure something out. “No, we don’t.” Then he mouthed, “Are you sure?” She gave a subtle nod. He smiled and turned back to his parents. “That sounds great.”
They finalized the plans before heading back to the parking lot. He flinched as the warm air met them at the door. It was October, and Preston was more than ready for some cooler weather soon.
He reached for Mandy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for everything you did in there.”
“You’re welcome.”
Half an hour later, they’d picked up sandwiches from Mandy’s favorite deli and were back at the house. After changing and then packing a cooler with the sandwiches, chips, and drinks, they headed back outside.
Preston took the cooler from her. “I’ve got the canoe and everything else we need out at the dock.” He led the way. Dressed in cargo shorts and a navy-blue T-shirt, he looked like he was ready for almost anything. Mandy had to hurry to keep up with his long strides as they crossed the grass to the dock.
As they approached, the sun bounced off the golden hues of the canoe Papa had built. Mandy always admired the beauty of the cedar strips used to craft it. She’d gone on several maiden voyages with her grandfather to test different boats, and she could still see the pride in his eyes as the vessel had sailed just as he intended. “Papa would like your idea of offering canoe rentals to the guests.”
Preston turned his head to look at her. His eyes looked sad, but the corners of his mouth lifted. “I hope so. He did such beautiful work, and it took years for him to gather the materials for each one. It’d be nice if people enjoyed these instead of having them sit in the workshop.” He paused when they reached the docks, and Mandy wished she knew what he was thinking.
He’d worked with Papa all the time. She imagined this trip probably brought up as many memories for Preston as it did for her. She stepped forward until she stood at his side. “You okay?”
“I am.” He surprised her by taking her hand in his and pressing a kiss to her wrist before letting go again. “We’d better sunscreen up and get this adventure under way.” He winked, and this time Mandy couldn’t ignore the flutter in her chest.
~
Mandy gave a little squeal as Preston pushed the canoe into the water and hopped in. The boat rocked back and forth before settling. Mandy’s wide eyes and the way she gripped the sides told him how nervous she was. He couldn’t halt the grin on his face. “I won’t capsize this boat. If I remember right, that’s your specialty.”
She glared at him, but there was humor twinkling in her eyes. “That was not my fault.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” He picked up a paddle resting in the bottom of the boat. “If I recall correctly, you’re the one who tried to reach out and retrieve the paddle you dropped. If you hadn’t done that…”
“But it was your fault I dropped it in the first place.”
A bark of laughter escaped his lips before he could stop it. “I beg your pardon?”
“You threw that fish you caught at me and scared me to death. You knew it would freak me out.”
He could still picture the way she’d thrown her arms into the air and screamed. The paddle had flown out of her hands and into the water as a result. Scaring her like that hadn’t been nice at the time, but his seventeen-year-old self hadn’t been able to help it. Even if he’d known they’d get soaked and have to push the canoe to the riverbank, he still would’ve done it. His summers spending time with Mandy and her grandparents were still some of his favorite memories.
“Okay. Maybe I had a little something to do with it.” He waggled his eyebrows. “You gonna help me paddle here, or am I doing this by myself?”
She released an exasperated lungful of air and picked up the other paddle.
It’d been years since they’d ridden in a canoe together, but they quickly found their rhythm as they maneuvered their way upstream against the current. Within minutes, the sounds of the river water against the canoe and the birds singing filled the air. For the first time in longer than Preston cared to admit, the stress he carried around with him fell away. His body relaxed as they continued wordlessly, working as a unit to push the canoe around rocks and paddle against the flow.
“Did you see that one?” Mandy paused in her rowing and pointed to the circle of ripples ahead of them. “That was a big fish. I’m surprised you didn’t bring your pole.”
Preston always enjoyed fishing from the water, but today was about Mandy and spending time with her. “Nah. I didn’t want to risk a repeat performance.”
“Right.” She lifted the paddle in one quick motion, sending a sprinkle of water over Preston.
“Oh, you didn’t just do that.” He tossed his paddle into the bottom of the boat. With a hand on each side of the canoe, he rocked it back and forth.
Mandy squealed. She braced her feet against the bottom and held on to the paddle with both hands as though it might somehow help her. “Don’t you dare, Preston. I swear, if you make this boat capsize, I’ll…”
“You’ll what?” He stopped the rocking and waited for her response. “Well?”
Her face flushed, and she rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. But I’ll think of something.”
“I’m shaking in my boots.” He grinned when she pierced him with her patented Mandy glare. She had no idea how attractive she looked right now. The sun shone on her gorgeous hair and the worry that lately seemed permanently etched on her face had faded away. In its place, the smile that lit her eyes filled her face. It drew his attention to her mouth and the pair of pink lips that all but begged him to kiss her.
If he gave in to the temptation now, it’d guarantee a swim to the bank.
“Fine. For the sake of our lunch.”
“Uh-huh.”
They paddled for a while until Mandy’s energy waned. Truthfully, the muscles in his own arms were burning from the exercise he wasn’t used to anymore. “You ready to take a break and eat?”
“Definitely.”
They got the canoe close to the bank, and Preston stepped out, the cool water going to his shin. He pulled the canoe up the bank far enough to make it easy for Mandy to avoid the mud and get a foothold on the green grass. Once she and their cooler were safe, he pulled the canoe the rest of the way out of the water and then washed his hands off in the river. “There we go. The trek back will be a whole lot easier. We can mostly sit back and relax.”
“That’ll be nice.” They removed their life jackets and walked up the bank a short distance until they came to some shade cast by a large cypress tree. “How d
oes this look?”
“Looks great to me. I don’t know about you, but I worked up an appetite.” Preston withdrew a thin blanket he’d packed in the front pocket of the soft-sided cooler and spread it out on the grass. The light breeze made it necessary for him and Mandy to work together to get it somewhat flat. Once they did, they set the cooler on one side and then sat down themselves to keep it from blowing away.
They unpacked the lunch and ate. Mandy tapped the top of her sandwich appreciatively. “What is it about being outside that makes everything taste better?”
“We should do this more often. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to get away from everything, even if for a short while.” Preston took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “The canoe worked nicely. Your grandfather always was talented.”
“So are you.” She looked toward the river. “I’ve seen some of the things you made when you worked with Papa. I think you’ll make a name for yourself with Yarrow Woodworking.”
That meant a lot to Preston. “I hope so. I want this business to help us get back on our feet.” He almost said he hoped to one day be able to provide everything she could want but wasn’t sure how Mandy would welcome such a sentiment. “We’ll get there. We make a good team, you and me. We always have. We balance each other out pretty well.”
He watched his wife as she nodded thoughtfully. He wanted to gather her into his arms, and the very thought had his blood pounding like crazy. This, right here, was what he’d dreamed of for years. Everything was finally coming together with Mandy and the business. He knew she cared about him. Now he had to convince her it was okay to risk her heart. If she’ll learn to love me even a fraction of how much I love her, God, we’ll be okay.
“You’re right. We’ve always been a good team.” Her gaze shifted from his face to the river and back down at the blanket they were sitting on. “We should probably get all this cleaned up and head back. I want to make sure I have enough time to take a shower before we go over to your parents’ house. I’m a mess right now.” She packed things back into the cooler.
Marrying Mandy (Brides of Clearwater Book 1) Page 8