Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0)

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  “She’s right.” Brooke nodded.

  “Thanks.” Kate was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think I want to go to the market today.” She wasn’t ready to see her dad’s office. Not yet.

  “That is just fine.” Brooke rose and went to the coffee pot. “Refills all around?” she asked.

  Kate smiled. “Yes. Thanks. And just because I’m not up for going to the market today doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about it.” She patted the seat next to her. “Sit back down and let’s talk about it. I mean, it’s March. Isn’t it almost time to open?”

  Brooke burst out laughing. “You’ve been in the South for too long.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We could still have another snow,” Riley explained. “Weren’t you here for that nasty blizzard a couple of weeks ago? There’s no guarantee it won’t be the last. Most of the produce that will be sold isn’t ready yet, so the market won’t open for the season for another month. I’ll have to look at the calendar, but I think April 15th is slated for this year’s big grand opening day.”

  “Oh. So what am I supposed to be doing, market-wise till then? I have zero ideas about what should be going on now.”

  “That’s why we’re here,” Brooke said. “To help walk you through it all. Uncle Henry gave us a crash course in all things market management several months ago.”

  Kate shook her head. “He thought of everything.”

  “He wanted this to be easy for you,” Brooke explained. “Last month, he took me out for breakfast and went over things. He wanted you to know that you don’t have to do things exactly the way he did. He was very clear about that. He wants you to take on the market and make it your own.”

  She frowned. “What kinds of things could I possibly do to make it my own? And what if I don’t want it to be my own?”

  Riley laughed. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to make those decisions for yourself.”

  Decisions. This whole trip, this whole situation boiled down to decisions. “So how does it all work? I mean, it’s been forever since I had anything to do with it. And even then, I only helped out some. I didn’t make any of the decisions or handle any of the stuff that went on behind the scenes. Are there rules in place for people who want to sell items?”

  The sisters exchanged a look.

  Riley cleared her throat. “The rules are that to have a booth at the market, you have to be selling something you produced. I think you’re supposed to live within a certain radius of Arcadia Valley, but you’ll have to check the bylaws. Some people sell produce, some sell things like fresh flowers, others sell plants. Then there are those like me — I sell homemade dog and cat treats made from all natural ingredients. Most of those ingredients are purchased locally. There are people who make and sell jams and jellies and stuff like that. There are a couple who sell farm eggs.”

  “I’m one of those,” Brooke said. “I have eggs for sale and I also have information about buying chicks from my farm. I do several hatches a year and always sell some through the market. Those are ordered though. I don’t bring the chicks with me.” She laughed. “At least not usually. I also sell soaps and lotions that I make from goat milk. The milk comes from my own herd. So I guess it’s safe to say that everything you can buy there is something grown locally or something they made from something grown locally. There are a few exceptions, of course.”

  “That sounds good,” Kate said. “There’s a big farmers market in Atlanta that I go to pretty often when it’s open. It always made me think of you guys.”

  “That’s sweet,” Brooke said.

  “About how many vendors do we have?”

  ”I think there are somewhere around thirty vendors. That’s capacity, at least for now. Uncle Henry always wanted to expand someday. The spring to summer season is typically full. It runs from mid-April through mid-October. Last year, your dad tested a fall to winter season that started in November and ran till just before Christmas. It was a couple of Saturdays in each month and it was called the Arcadia Valley Holiday Market. It went over pretty well and I think everyone is hoping that will happen again.”

  Kate jotted down the dates on a pad of paper that she’d had on the table. November was eight months away. She wouldn’t still be in Arcadia Valley long enough to run the holiday market. Would she? “I can see how that would be very popular.”

  “The holiday market is one example of how there are exceptions to the locally grown rule. For that one, Uncle Henry allowed craft vendors to sell things. But it couldn’t be stuff they’d bought just to resell. He told people there were flea markets and yard sales for that kind of thing.” Brooke grinned. “It had to be things they’d made. There were hand-carved ornaments, wreaths in every color combo you can imagine, and foodie gift sets. Dip mixes and that kind of thing. People really loved being able to support local vendors and do their holiday shopping all at the same time.”

  “So how do people get a booth?” Kate asked. “Is there some kind of application online?”

  “There’s a website, but it’s literally just one page of text and a photo.” Riley grinned. “Uncle Henry used to tell us that if you ever had the time, you could really whip it into shape.”

  The pangs of guilt came so often that Kate was beginning to get used to them. “I’ll take a look at that. It would probably be really good if there was a way for vendors to apply online. And also to have vendor and product lists. Oh, and social media.” She didn’t want to admit it, but the prospect was kind of exciting to her. “I’m assuming he has passwords and domain information somewhere in his office?”

  “Yep.” Brooke nodded. “He has everything very organized. I think it will be pretty easy for you to look through all his notes and files and take over.”

  “If you want to take over,” Riley said quietly. “And we aren’t pressuring you, I promise.”

  Kate smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it. I’m going to stay for a little while at least. I do want to take care of the house and office and at least get the market going. I can figure out my next move after that.” It was becoming more and more obvious that she would need to pray hard for guidance in figuring out her next steps.

  “What about your work? Your life in Atlanta?” Brooke finished her coffee and took the mug to the sink.

  “My boss agreed to a month-long leave of absence. I know Dad kept saying I might need to stay here a year or whatever, but when Drew and I went over the plans the other day he told me it wouldn’t take long. He thinks two months tops, and that all hinges on how quickly I decide on some things.” She doodled on the notepad. “So I guess Dad got mixed up. The ‘it might take a year’ quote was when Dad was going to do a lot of the work himself. Drew was trying to keep him realistic because he says lots of times people who decide to do big DIY projects end up taking a lot longer than they expect.”

  “Oh, I am so that kind of person,” Riley said. “I got this bright idea that I could do all the work on my dog boarding building myself.” She shook her head. “It was a Class A disaster. I ended up having to hire someone to do the work anyway.”

  Brooke laughed. “Riley is addicted to those HGTV shows that make it look easy to remodel your bathroom in a weekend. And guess who she calls to bail her out?”

  “And guess who is always more than happy to jump in and boss me around?” Riley asked, laughing.

  Kate had forgotten how fun the two of them were. “So Olivia never comes home for a visit?”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Don’t even get me started. She thinks she’s so fancy just because she lives in New York and has been on TV.”

  “I must have missed that,” Kate said. “I didn’t realize she was on TV.”

  “She’s been doing some kind of morning food segment every now and then for a station there. But she’s really wanting to get a gig on one of the national morning shows. And honestly, knowing Olivia, she’ll make it happen somehow.” Brooke cleared the table of coffee mugs. “In fact, this casserole I brought over
for you is one of her recipes. Some kind of cheesy hash brown bake thing.”

  “Sounds delicious. Just put it in the fridge. I’ll have it later.” She smiled. “I really appreciate it. I know you both have a lot of stuff of your own to do, especially on a Saturday. This was really nice.”

  “You’re welcome. And actually you have us at your disposal for the day. Is there anything we can help you do?” Brooke asked. “To get ready for the renovations I mean.”

  “Or if you just want to get out of here and go shopping or to a movie or something, we’re good for that, too.” Riley grinned at her sister’s dirty look. “Hey, I’m the baby. I can always be easily persuaded to go have fun.”

  Kate laughed. “I appreciate both the offer for help and the offer to help me run away from it all.” She thought for a moment. Truthfully, there were some things she’d been dreading facing alone. “I wouldn’t mind some help with Mom’s closet. All her stuff is still there. I really need to go through it and donate most of it. I’ll see if Grandma wants to look through it before I send it to Goodwill.”

  Brooke patted her on the back. “Of course we will. Mom and Dad are keeping River for me today. They knew you’d need us.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

  Kate led them to her parents’ bedroom. “It may be an all day job,” she said, opening the closet door. “And Dad’s stuff needs to be gone through, too.”

  “We’re here as long as you need us,” Riley said.

  Kate would have to say an extra prayer of thanks for her cousins and their willingness to help her. The idea of doing this alone was more than she could bear.

  * * *

  The next morning, Kate waited in the parking lot at Arcadia Valley Community Church. Riley had texted her when she’d left her house, so Kate knew she should be there any moment.

  Riley pulled her old truck in the spot next to Kate’s dad’s Volvo. She wore a long bohemian style skirt and a pretty sweater. Her long, dark hair hung in waves around her face. “Ready?”

  Kate nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” She’d skipped the last couple of Sundays. It had been too much to face in the wake of her dad’s sickness. She’d live streamed her church in Atlanta instead. But it was time to get back to living, and for her, part of living meant attending services and working on her relationship with God.

  They went inside and found seats. The rest of her family had gone to the earlier service this morning. Kate remembered Riley telling her Drew went to church here, but to a different service than she did. Did that mean he’d already come and gone, too?

  The song leader began to lead Amazing Grace and Kate couldn’t help but think of the church in Atlanta she’d told Drew about. Just like that day when she’d walked into a church after being away so long, today she had that feeling again. After a few more songs, the minister began to speak.

  “In Jeremiah, God tells us that He has plans for each of us. He lets us know that those plans are big ones — plans to give us hope and a future.” The minister let the words sink in. “The entire passage in Jeremiah 29 is one of those that should give each and every one of us so much comfort. Have you ever looked at your life? Really looked at it with a magnifying glass?”

  Kate shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Every now and then, she was pretty sure God put her in places He thought she needed to be just so she could learn something valuable. She just knew this was one of those times.

  “What do you see when you examine your own life? Not the life of your neighbor. Not the life of your sister, brother, or friend. Your life. Do you spend time dwelling on the past? Do you hold on to grudges and find yourself unable to forgive those who have wronged you?”

  A few ‘amens’ came from the audience.

  “If you find yourself in that position, you need to take a step back. Remember that your journey is all part of a greater plan. Sometimes on that journey, there will be disappointments. Sometimes, you will get knocked down. Friends, that’s okay. God doesn’t promise us that following Him will be easy. He doesn’t promise not to give us more than we can bear.”

  There were definitely days that Kate didn’t know if she could handle one more thing. And then inevitably something else happened.

  The minister held up a hand. “Raise your hand if anyone has ever told you that. If anyone has ever seen you go through something hard and said something like ‘Don’t worry, God won’t give you more than you can bear.’ Friends, that is not true.” He shook his head. “You will certainly go through things that you can’t bear alone. You will go through things that you will only successfully get through by having faith in Him.”

  He pointed toward heaven. “Don’t you even try to bear the hard stuff without God by your side. Because that is certainly not what He intended.” He smiled at the audience. “In Matthew, Jesus said Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He nodded. “And that is exactly what I hope each of you remembers when you leave here today. You’re not in it alone. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. When you are weary, when you don’t think you can take one more step — lean on Jesus. He is your safe place.”

  Kate smiled at the thought.

  “And look around. Your brothers and sisters are here for you. Lean on them, too. That is how you get through the hard times”

  Even though Kate and Aiden had been dating for two years, she hadn’t shared the tough parts of life with him. If fact, for the most part she attempted to handle them herself. But that had to stop. Just like the minister said, she needed to lean more on Jesus. And now that she was surrounded by family and old friends, she’d have to learn to lean on them, too.

  She definitely needed to make some changes in her life.

  Chapter 6

  “Wow,” Kate exclaimed. “This looks amazing.”

  Drew beamed. He’d opted to start the renovation work in the master bathroom just because it seemed like the least invasive of the plans and it wouldn’t impact Kate too much. Mr. Groves had only given him a couple of instructions: a soaking whirlpool tub and a new shower. Katie had decided on everything else. Her taste was very simple and classic. “I’m glad you think so. The tile you picked out looks perfect with the wall color. If you decide to sell this place, a renovated master bath will go a long way for you.”

  Katie walked around the room, admiring things. “My mom would have really loved this. You do great work.”

  He grinned. “Thanks.”

  “So what’s next?”

  “Probably the flooring. Have you settled on what you want yet?” The last time he asked, she’d been torn between a light and a dark hardwood.

  “Almost.” She shrugged. “I’m a sucker for a pretty floor, so I want to be sure I choose correctly.”

  “Take your time,” he said.

  She led him down the hallway to the kitchen, then stepped to the back door and opened it. “Sam!” she called. “Come here, boy.” She turned back to Drew. “I haven’t admitted it to Riley yet, but I kind of love having a dog.”

  “They’re great company,” he agreed. “I’ve considered getting a pet over these last couple of years but I just haven’t quite made the commitment yet.”

  She frowned. “Commitment is not for everyone, that’s for sure.” She opened the back door again.

  Sam burst into the kitchen and promptly sat for a treat.

  “He may be a little spoiled already,” Kate admitted. “But I think he deserves it.”

  “Absolutely.” He watched as she got the dog settled on his dog bed near the back door. When she’d introduced him to Sam earlier in the week, he’d been surprised she’d agreed to take on any more responsibility. But he was glad she had the dog. He’d noticed the bedding on the couch was gone today. He hoped that meant she’d transitioned to a real bed, and if a giant yellow lab had something to do with it, then that was great. “Do you want to look at any flooring samples or anything?” he asked. “We could run to a couple of stores if you
want to take a look at something besides just the samples I have on hand.”

  She frowned. “I don’t know. I kind of think it will only make the decision harder if I go to a store and look at a whole bunch of different styles.”

  “Fair enough.” He grinned. “You always did have a tough time making decisions. Remember how long it took you to choose your baby picture for the yearbook senior spotlight? Or the time your mom let you pick out your own fifteenth birthday cake from the bakery and you ended up getting a variety of cupcakes so you didn’t have to choose a flavor?”

  She laughed. “I’d forgotten both of those things. How in the world do you have such a good memory?”

  “I remember all the good stuff,” he said softly. “You and I racked up a lot of memories.”

  The smile left her face. “We really did. Most good, some bad.”

  “That’s to be expected though. No one is only going to have good times.” He wished the same thing he’d been wishing since that day in Mr. Boyd’s office — that he could read her mind.

  “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “How about I make a flooring decision tonight? I’ll let you know first thing in the morning which one I choose.”

  He nodded. “That sounds good.” He cleared his throat. “Did you know that almost every time the past comes up, you immediately change the subject to the renovation project or the market plans? Why is that?”

  “Maybe I’m not ready to talk about it.” She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to act around you yet.”

  “Okay. How about this. How about we just try and get along and get the house and market office finished? And if we have some fun along the way and get to be friends again, that’s great. And if we decide to pretend we just met and there’s not a whole lot of history between us, that’s okay.”