“So do I.” Amy’s tone was firm. “Gran’s great-grandchildren should be able to enjoy this cottage as much as Brett and AJ and I did when we were kids. Elizabeth and Tabby should have their names on the engagement tree without staring at a bunch of backyard fences.”
“What are you saying?”
“I want to buy your property on this side of the road.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“But I am. It’s the only way to protect the cottage and what AJ and Shelby still own of the Misty Willow property.”
“Have you talked to AJ about this?”
“I plan to. Actually, it would be helpful if he bought the land back near the creek. Then I’d only have to purchase the frontage.”
Tess inwardly sighed as she considered Amy’s idea. At first glance, it seemed a win-win for both of them. But in reality, for Tess, it was only a short-term solution. Tapley might not buy the property on the west side of the road if he couldn’t have the property on the east side too. She needed his money to have enough for a fresh start after the mortgage was paid.
Feeling Amy staring at her, Tess met the young woman’s gaze. A light shone in her eyes that Tess hadn’t seen since she was a girl. “I didn’t know you were sentimental about the land.”
“Neither did I until Logan told me about Dylan’s plans.” She momentarily lowered her eyes. “I know now why Shelby feels the way she does about her grandparents’ legacy. I feel that way about Gran’s. This cottage may not have the same sense of history and grandeur as Misty Willow. But Gran loved it here. I’ll sacrifice anything to keep Dylan or anyone else from spoiling it.”
“I wish I could say yes, Amy. I really do. But—”
“There’s more.” Amy retrieved a folder from the kitchen counter, pulled out a brochure, and handed it to Tess.
“Is this the clinic you went to?” Tess asked.
“Mmm-hmm.” Amy took the brochure and opened it. “Look at this. They offer equine therapy.”
“Did you participate in this?” Tess asked in surprise.
“No. I couldn’t . . . not then.” She sat on the edge of her chair and leaned close to Tess. “Don’t you see? There are all kinds of equine therapy these days. For eating disorders, for kids with autism, for speech problems. And it’s all great. But what about the kids who just want to ride but never have a chance? Kids from the city whose parents can’t afford lessons and boarding fees. Wouldn’t it be great if they had opportunities to ride too?”
“I’m not sure what you’re suggesting. To start anything like that would take money I don’t have. And it wouldn’t generate any income.”
“Don’t you see? A foundation protected Misty Willow. Why can’t a nonprofit save Whisper Lane?”
“But I don’t know anything about running a nonprofit.”
“You wouldn’t have to. I would.”
“Amy, you can’t be serious.”
“Why not? I have connections. I know how to raise money.” She gave an embarrassed laugh. “True, I didn’t help much with the Heritage Celebration, but that’s only because I was still being a brat. But I’ve planned major events before. I’m organized and—”
Tess laughed and held up her hands. “Enough already. I get the picture,” she said gently. “And I saw you handling the crowd at the Heritage Celebration. You’re a poised, sophisticated, and intelligent woman.”
“Then you agree we can do this?”
Tess shook her head in resignation. “A group wanting to do something like this would look for donated land. I can’t do that.”
“This would not be a shoestring operation,” Amy said, her voice pleading. “Even if we couldn’t outright buy your property, we could lease it. You’d stay at the house, help train the horses, oversee the activities. And get a steady salary. Please tell me you’ll think about it.”
“Have you talked to Gabe about this?”
“I haven’t discussed it with anyone. There’s too much to do, too many details to work out. I want to be able to answer every single question, address every single objection, before we go public. So for now, it’s just between us.”
“I’d like it to stay that way till I make a decision. And I promise. I will consider it.”
“That’s all I ask.” Amy’s gleeful expression lit up her face. “I know we can do this, Tess. I just know it.”
She sat back in her chair, tucking her feet beneath her. “Your turn. What did you want to talk about?”
Tess gazed out the long row of windows, whether for guidance or inspiration or assurance she was doing the right thing, she couldn’t say. Puffs of clouds accented a brilliant blue sky and the trio of silver birches gracefully swayed in the gentlest of breezes. “Something that might seem difficult to hear at first. But I hope you’ll be glad to know.”
“You’ve got my attention. What is it?”
“Yesterday you mentioned a conversation your dad had with Rusty.”
“You mean about Marigold?”
Tess barely nodded as she prayed for the right words. “I’m sorry, Amy. That’s not what they were talking about.”
“They had to be. What else could it have been?”
“They were talking about forgiveness. And about grace.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your dad was tired and broken, both emotionally and spiritually. He didn’t want to fight with your mom anymore, but he felt like they were trapped on some strange kind of merry-go-round. Having the same arguments again and again.”
“You’re telling me Dad was asking Rusty for marital advice?” Amy’s tone bordered on skepticism. “They’d gone to counseling and it never helped.”
“He wanted to try again.” Tess bit her lip, then glanced out the window. The day’s quiet serenity soothed her spirit and gave her the courage to go on. “That’s why he was on that plane, Amy. He and your mom were taking the first tentative steps toward a reconciliation.”
As Tess spoke, Amy’s expression lost its skepticism. Now she was aloof, almost detached.
“Why didn’t he say anything?” she asked, her voice so quiet that Tess could barely hear her.
“You and Brett had already been hurt so much by their animosity. They didn’t want you to get your hopes up in case they couldn’t work things out.”
“But what about Gran? They would have told her, and she never said anything.” Her voice rose an octave, and she pressed her lips together.
“To the best of my knowledge, the only people who knew were Rusty and me. And their counselors.”
“So,” Amy said haltingly as her eyes reddened, “if they had come back, we might have been a family?”
“I’d like to think so.”
Neither of them spoke for several moments. Tess listened for God’s voice in the silence as she prayed for Amy’s heart to find comfort in what might have been.
In the dusk of the evening, as fireflies flitted around the sloping yard, Amy told Brett what Tess had told her earlier that day.
“Do you think it’s true?” she asked him.
He sat in a lawn chair, elbows on knees and hands clasped in front of him. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I do.”
“Why?”
“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Otherwise, why did he go?” Brett leaned back in frustration and tapped the chair arm with his thumb. “Why fly to New York with your ex-wife, her brother, and his wife? I never understood it.”
“I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon,” Amy said. “I finally admitted to myself how mad I was at him for not coming back.” More than that. She practically hated him for breaking his promise, and his death had been a final rejection. Irrational thoughts, yes, but she couldn’t get past them. They were so strong, so real, that she scarcely tried.
Those weren’t thoughts she could share with Brett or anyone else. Instead she had kept them buried, even during therapy sessions at the clinic.
“Are you glad Tess told you?” Brett asked.
; “Yes. I think I am.” Dad’s effort to make amends with Mom gave Amy a reason to forgive him. Perhaps she should have forgiven him anyway, without a reason except that she loved him, but that had proven too hard when grief threatened to swallow her whole. As the months passed, her lack of forgiveness had become so deeply ingrained, she no longer recognized it for what it was.
Dusk turned to twilight while they talked. In the dim light, Brett’s features weren’t as discernible as they had been, and the blinking lights of the fireflies were even more noticeable.
“What about you?” she asked.
“It matters,” he said. “The pain. It seems a little less heavy.”
“I know what you mean.”
Even in the darkness, she could tell the instant he flashed his dimples at her. “Get packed. You’re spending the night with us.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.”
“Come on, Amy. Let’s have a game night. Celebrate the family we have instead of mourning the one we didn’t.”
The invitation did sound more appealing than being alone with thoughts that wouldn’t settle down. She absolutely didn’t want a repeat of the last time Brett had left her after a serious conversation.
“Can we play Settlers of Catan?”
“If we must.”
“Then I’ll come.”
“Great. I’ll call Dani and let her know.”
Amy started to rise but shifted toward him as she ran a strand of hair through her fingers. “I want to believe that Mom and Dad would have married again. That they would have been happy.”
“I want to believe that too.”
“Do you think I’ll ever be happy? The way you are?”
“I think you could be.” He purposefully gazed across the road toward the stables. “That’s up to you.”
Not only up to her. But maybe, if her plan worked out, she’d find happiness again at the Hearth.
33
Late the next afternoon, Gabe tightened the spark plugs on the Ford F-150 and signaled for Amy to turn the ignition. The engine sputtered, cranked, then ignited and held. He made an adjustment, then stepped back with a smile. “What do you say? Shall we take her for a spin?”
“Are you sure this thing will hold together?” Amy said through the open door.
“Nope. That’s why it’s fun.”
She gave an exaggerated sigh and scooted across the bench seat to the passenger side. “Let’s go.”
With a smile, he slammed shut the hood, stored his toolbox behind the seat, and climbed in.
“I’m still not sure how I got roped into this,” Amy said. “I only came over to talk to Tess.”
“Lucky for me she went to town and I was here.”
“I expected you to be out on a tractor somewhere.”
“Usually I would be. But Jason wanted to go with Cassie to her OB appointment. So I got time to spend with my baby.” He patted the rotting dashboard.
“You really love this heap, don’t you?”
“Rusty taught me to drive in this thing. We took it camping a few times. Hauled hay and feed, even a pig once.”
“I’m glad I missed that experience.”
Gabe stopped at the end of the drive, then glanced her way. Never would he have thought she’d be in this truck with him the first time he drove it. This was a day he’d never forget, and he wanted to tuck each moment of it deep into his soul.
“Where should we go?” he asked.
“Surprise me.”
He drummed for a moment on the steering wheel, then caught her gaze. “I’ve worked up a bit of an appetite getting this thing to run.” He let the rest go unspoken, watching closely for her reaction.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“You serious?”
“I am,” she said. “Believe it or not, I’m starving.”
He checked the gas gauge. “Not sure we can make it all the way to town, but Boyd’s isn’t that far, is it? Rusty and Tess took me there a few times when I was a kid. Great idea having them cater the Heritage Celebration. I think I gained ten pounds.”
“You can thank AJ and Brett for that. It’s one of their favorite places.”
“Best pulled pork this side of the Ohio River,” they said in unison, then laughed.
“My dad liked to go there.” Amy stared out the windshield, her expression pensive. “We used to stop in sometimes after riding lessons. I loved their bread pudding. It’s all I wanted to eat.”
“I don’t want to bring up sad memories,” Gabe said. “Maybe we should think of somewhere else.”
Amy slowly shook her head. “I’m tired of coloring my happy memories sad and hiding them away. Besides, it seems right somehow. To go there in Rusty’s old truck. Remember the people we loved.”
“Boyd’s BBQ, here we come.”
“I know you need to drive past Misty Willow to get there. I’ll find the rest of the directions on my phone.” She tapped at the screen while Gabe fiddled with the radio until he found a country classics station. With the windows rolled down and the music turned up loud, they could be a country song.
Rusty’s truck. Pretty girl.
What more could a man want?
Amy fussed with her windblown hair, and Gabe finally stuck his Stetson on top of her head. She laughed, gathered up her loose strands, and tucked them beneath the hat. They blared the horn when they passed the bungalow and Brett’s ranch house, even though no one was outside to see them, sang along with the songs they knew, and threw their worries to the wind.
To think, only a few weeks ago, he knew little about his neighbors. Now they were his employers and, even better, his friends. Tess still worried about the future—and to tell the truth, so did he—but she no longer talked about selling to Tapley. Gabe prayed daily for guidance, for an answer. God hadn’t given him one, not yet. But he wouldn’t give up hope.
They arrived at Boyd’s and discovered it was classic car night. Since they were early, most of the owners were still setting up. Gabe and Amy wandered the lot, chatting with the owners about their treasured autos. A couple of them teased Gabe about his broken-down Ford, but he assured them he wouldn’t trade it for anything—not even one of their expensive restored vehicles.
After they went inside, the hostess appeared to show them to a table.
“Would you mind if we ate outside?” Amy asked. “It’s such a lovely evening.”
“Great idea,” Gabe said. “That way I can keep an eye on my truck. One of those guys out there might want to steal it.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Now, if it was my baby . . .”
“You mean that little blue bucket you drive around in?” He pretended to sneer. “That’s a sissy car.”
“I love that car,” Amy said. “But it is an indulgence.”
“What do you mean?”
“All I need is something to get me from Point A to Point B and back again.”
He tapped her temple. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Just thinking about stuff. Like what’s really important and what isn’t.” She gave him an endearing smile that caused his heart to swell. “Strange as it sounds, your Ford is more valuable than my BMW.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Because of its memories.” She reached for his hand. “We’re making a memory now.”
“One I’ll always remember,” he said. Seemed like memories were all he had to offer her.
Amy refused to calculate any calories as she savored her last bite of bread pudding, then ordered two servings to go, one for her and one for Tess.
“Must be as good as you remembered,” Gabe said.
“Even better. Sure you don’t want one for later?”
“I’m still waiting for another one of your famous lemon meringue pies. You did promise.”
Her stomach did a flip-flop. If she was ever going to do this, now was the moment.
“How late are you working on Sa
turday?”
“As late as Jason wants me to. Why?”
Immediately Amy’s planning wheels went into motion. She’d talk to Cassie, ask her to talk to Jason.
“I thought, I mean I wondered, if you’d like to go on a picnic with me. When you’re free.”
Gabe leaned back and stared at her. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“I am.”
“Will there be lemon meringue pie at this picnic?”
“Maybe.” Definitely. Though she had no idea how well a pie would travel in saddlebags. Maybe Tess could suggest something.
He made her wait a second or two, then his lazy smile spread across his face. “I’m honored.”
“Great. Let me know when you’re done for the day, and I’ll come over.”
“So you’re going to chauffeur me around in your fancy baby?”
“You’ll see.” She could hardly hide her excitement. How surprised Gabe would be when she led him to the stable and saddled Daisy. Once they were at the Hearth, she’d retrieve the tin and ask him to open it.
“What are you up to?” he asked, playfully suspicious.
“You’ll find out on Saturday.”
“It can’t get here soon enough.”
Once Amy had her to-go order, Gabe escorted her to the truck and slammed her door twice to get it shut. “Maybe you should sit in the middle,” he suggested. “I wouldn’t want you falling out.”
“That’s original,” she said. “I bet you broke that door on purpose.”
“If I had thought of it, I might have.”
She sat beside him, breathing in the mingled aromas of baking bread and roasted meat while the band’s golden oldies were piped through loudspeakers hung on the light poles. She’d probably been on hundreds of dates in her life, ranging from the movies at the old theater in town with Logan to more than one inaugural ball at the state capitol. But this might be her favorite.
Thinking of Logan shot a twinge of guilt through her conscience. It wasn’t kind to keep him hanging. But if things didn’t work out like she hoped on Saturday, if Gabe still meant to keep her at arm’s length—well, Logan had always been her back-up date. He never had to know he was also her back-up love.
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