One Sweet Day I Found You: A Sweet Romance Book 1

by Jillian Walsh

  The barnyard had a wide-open feel so visitors could mill about and interact with the animals, many of which wandered freely about the grounds. Small children chased chickens and lambs while parents, phones at the ready, chased the children.

  The barnyard was divided into chicken coops and turkey sheds, another smaller barn, a little silo, a milk house, and another stable. Most of the buildings were a charming cherry red.

  Courtney was like a kid in a candy store.

  Nick motioned toward the tiny goats. “I’ve never seen anything so cute in my life. Look at them.” He held up the bag of food he’d purchased at the gift shop entrance. He pulled out some feed and scattered a little on the ground. Almost instantly, three baby goats moved in and started to nibble.

  Courtney squatted down to pet the white one. “Oh, my gosh: I’m so in love.”

  Nick squatted down and called to the goats. “Here you go, kids. Come and get it.”

  “Excuse me—did you just call these goats your children?”

  “What?” Nick laughed. “Baby goats are called kids. Come on, you knew that?”

  “Oh, that’s right. I did know that. Did you know a baby kangaroo is called a joey, by the way?” Courtney stood up and Nick followed.

  “I did, actually. Did you know another name for a baby goat is a billy?”

  “I did not know that one. But now the fairy tale makes more sense. ” She wiggled an eyebrow at him. “You’re like a walking Wikipedia.”

  Nick stood up, too. “Hey, I’ll teach you all the words I know for livestock. Just ask.”

  Courtney grinned again. “Are there really that many?”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  “And where did you acquire all this knowledge? I took you for a city boy.”

  “Oh, I’ve done my share of country living. Give or take.”

  Courtney handed one of the goats some hay and waited for Nick to go on. The goat took it and chewed.

  “No, seriously, I’m lying. I grew up in the suburbs and spent a lot of time in Chicago. Almost everything I know about farm animals comes from television and grade school.”

  Courtney made a face. “Hey, at least he’s honest.”

  Nick laughed.

  They went to see the piglets next. Some were nursing while others roamed about small, fenced-in pens inside the barn, grunting and shaking their little behinds and looking altogether adorable. Courtney reached down to pet one, but it was quick and dashed away before she got close.

  Outside, Nick grabbed some hay from a bucket. He held it out and clicked his tongue and an enormous, chocolate-brown steer ambled over. It took the hay from him through the rail fence and chewed. Nick patted it on the snout and Courtney snapped a picture.

  “You may be a city boy but you look like a natural here. Should I start calling you Farmer Nick?”

  “I might answer to that.”

  Courtney grinned.

  Nick picked up another handful of hay and fed it to the steer.

  They popped into the stables next and Courtney let out a quiet squeal. “Oh, my gosh—kittens!”

  There were kittens of all shades. Children and their parents were holding most of them while other kittens played on little platforms of varying heights.

  Courtney found a black one with white markings on its nose and ears and gently picked it up. Tucking it close to her chest, she let out a long, contented sigh. “Okay, now I’m really in love.”

  Nick kept a straight face. “Are you telling me that goat kid back there was just a passing thing?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

  Nick laughed.

  Another minute or so went by. “Here, this pains me, but you should really have a try.” She lifted the kitten gently from the crook of her arms and handed it over to Nick.

  Nick took it carefully and leaned against one of the stalls, softly cradling the little creature.

  Courtney sighed. Now, this was a picture she would remember. She moved in close to pet the sleeping little angel in his arms.

  Nick looked up. “You know, this is kind of therapeutic.”

  “Isn’t it?” Courtney whispered. She reached out and scratched the kitten behind the ears. It purred softly.

  She imagined those strong arms of his holding her close. She sighed and stepped back.

  Not thirty seconds later, a red-haired, pigtailed little girl who Courtney guessed was about seven years old walked up and planted herself dead center in front of Nick. She stared at the little black kitten.

  “You almost done?”

  Nick looked at the girl, then at Courtney, then back at the girl.

  “Uh, is my time up?” he asked, half a grin escaping his face.

  The girl held out her arms. “Yes, please. Sir.”

  Courtney glanced around. Indeed, all the kittens were taken now.

  Courtney grinned. “Time to hand it over, fella.”

  “All right, I guess if I have to.” He smiled and released the kitten into the little girl’s arms. The girl took the kitten from him carefully and hurried off to show her sisters.

  Courtney gestured toward the door. “Let’s walk.”

  There was a trail that led around the farm, outside of the barnyard, gardens, and the fenced-in pastures. She had seen it on a map on the farm’s website yesterday.

  The pond was the first stop along the trail, and Nick and Courtney stopped to look at the tall grasses that grew alongside.

  “Listen to that,” Courtney said, and they both went quiet.

  “Frogs,” Nick whispered.

  “Yes!”

  “It doesn’t take much, does it?” Nick joked.

  “Nope,” she replied.

  They crossed a bridge and walked a little further until they came to a wooden platform with a bench.

  Nick sat down. “All joking aside, if I were you, I don’t even know where I’d start if I had to write about this place. It rocks. So, like, how do you make something like this into a blog post?”

  Courtney sat down beside him. She took off her mini backpack and swatted a mosquito. “It’s not going to be difficult to convince people to visit this place. I mean, who wouldn’t want to play with baby animals for a few hours? They’re so adorable.”

  “Right?” Nick nodded. “By the way, I saw your post about my shop. It was totally engaging. Great job. You made us sound really good.”

  “Why, thank you.” She flashed a playful grin and adopted a southern drawl. “I told ya you’d like it.”

  He laughed. “So how long have you been doing this?”

  “The job or the accent?”

  Nick laughed again and sat back, stretching out his arm on the back of the bench behind her. “You’ve carved out a pretty cool thing for yourself. I always thought that about Sam, too. He seemed to love his job. Loved going places that he might otherwise never go, finding out about things. Living off unique experiences.” Nick looked thoughtful. “Heck, he probably loves the new job, too. I like to see when people figure out what they’re looking for, what they want to do with their lives. You seem to have done that.”

  “Aw, thanks. That actually means a lot. It took some sacrifice to get here. I mean, it’s only for the short-term, but at least it’s steady for a while, and it’s turning out to be a great experience. So it’s a step in the right direction.”

  Nick crossed his arms. “Exactly. I get it.”

  She sat forward. “I used to have a steady nine-to-five job in Chicago. Copy-editing. And I learned a lot there. But after a while, it was just drudgery, and despite repeated requests, they weren’t going to let me write the stories, just catch the errors. I didn’t have a whole lot to lose at the time, so I gave my notice, and I left. Went out on my own. Started writing. Never looked back.”

  Nick looked into her eyes. “Really? That takes guts.”

  Courtney returned the look. “Thanks. I mean—it was the undoing of several other important parts of my life.” She made a face and rolled her ey
es. “But…let’s not talk about that right now.” She didn’t want to get into any stories about Austin. It was too soon and too dramatic.

  “Yep. I can relate.”

  “You’re not the type of person who’d be happy behind a desk for long, would you?”

  “Nope. You’ve got that right.”

  She waited to see if he would explain, but he turned and cast his gaze into the distance. She’d been trying to get a read on him all day, but Nick was no open book.

  “You want to walk some more?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  Nick stood up.

  Courtney followed. “Let’s go see what’s down this end.” She motioned toward the trail.

  A few minutes later, they’d walked past the marsh and through a small stand of trees. Soon, they reached a clearing where a series of nineteenth-century cabins and sheds stood—one, a granary and another, a sugar shack, which was used to produce maple syrup from the local trees. Courtney pulled her notebook out and jotted down a few notes.

  They strolled through the buildings. Each one offered a different little slice of the history of the area, and Courtney would use some of it in her piece.

  Finally, the trail circled back to the barnyard where they’d started.

  “Look! Ponies.” Nick walked over to pet one over the fence.

  “Oh, they’re so cute,” Courtney gushed. “But these are miniature horses.”

  “There’s a difference?”

  “Trust me, I know my miniature horses, Farmer Nick.” Courtney grinned. “They’re smaller than ponies. Slightly different proportions, too.”

  “Okay, I guess I’ll take your word for it.” Nick scratched the little horse behind the ears. “Trust the journalist. Inquiring minds ought to know.”

  Courtney laughed.

  Outside the gift shop, which led to the parking lot, Nick stopped under the shade of some trees. “So, do you think you’ve got all you need for the story?”

  “Yeah, as far as my own perspective on it—for sure. But I’ve got a quick interview lined up here today, too. I’m supposed to let them know at the gift shop counter when I’m ready and they’ll send someone out to talk to me. I told them I’d be here around this time.”

  “Oh, okay. Great. Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” He dug around for his keys.

  Courtney stuck her hands in the back pockets of her shorts. “So, thanks for coming here with me. It was a lot of fun. And you saved me from feeding the chickens all by my lonesome.”

  Nick looked shy all of a sudden. “I’m glad to help. Thanks for asking me.” He found his keys and rocked back on his heels. “I had fun.”

  “Cool. I’m glad.” Courtney tilted her head forward a little and looked up at him through her lashes. “So…”

  The ball was definitely in his court now. She had done her best to send it flying back in. Did it land inside the lines?

  “So,” Nick said, “do you still want to get that drink sometime?”

  Score.

  Courtney raised her head and smiled. “Absolutely. That would be great.”

  Now, don’t be vague this time, she silently begged. Puhleeze.

  “Okay, cool.” Nick cleared his throat. “How’s Friday night?”

  Courtney smiled big. “Perfect.”

  Ten

  “Does Ash always follow you around like this?” Courtney glanced behind Mrs. Brady as they ambled along the trail to the lake. It was a cloudy Friday afternoon but the temperature was comfortable. Courtney had spent three hours at the office this morning discussing projects and was glad to steal an hour outside.

  “Why, yes. He does. It’s strange, isn’t it? Thinks he’s a dog, I imagine.”

  Courtney laughed. “I wonder if you could teach him to fetch like a dog?”

  Mrs. Brady stopped to lift a foot carefully over a small rock on the sandy path, holding out her hand so Courtney could steady her.

  “You’re not going to believe this, dear, but he actually does play fetch. Mr. Brady used to throw a stick for him in the yard! It was the strangest thing. That cat would run right out and grab it—bring it back to him! It used to make us laugh. He’d do it over and over again.”

  She had a distant look in her eye. “I haven’t tried that with Ash in a long time.”

  Courtney heard the sadness in her voice but recognized Mrs. Brady’s ability to look past the grief of her husband’s death.

  “Aw, that’s so cool. A cat that fetches?”

  “You’ll have to try it with him, see if he’ll still do it.”

  “I will.” Courtney watched the cat, who dawdled along a few paces behind.

  “But yes, Ash always takes my walks with me. Matter of fact, he usually follows me around the house, too. Keeps me company. Of course he’s asleep a lot of the time, but I’ll take it! So am I.” She laughed.

  Courtney loved to listen to Mrs. Brady talk. The woman was remarkably cheerful, considering she’d become a widow just under a year ago.

  A gull flew overhead, and they stopped to watch, then continued along.

  “Now, tell me. Did you and Nicholas have a nice chat the other day? I saw you two outside your door.”

  Courtney blushed, and cast her gaze to the ground. “Uh, yes. He seems very nice.”

  “He most certainly is. And he’s a good catch! Needs a girlfriend, too, if you ask me. He’s getting too old to be all alone.”

  Courtney giggled. “I thought he was only twenty-six or twenty-seven.”

  “He is! Twenty-seven, I believe. I was married with two children by that age, my dear.”

  Courtney grinned.

  They reached the edge of the shore and stopped to take in the scenery. Soft waves lapped at the sand and water fowl milled about in the shallows in search of a meal.

  Mrs. Brady directed Courtney to a bench nearby. “Let’s go sit for a minute.”

  Courtney helped Mrs. Brady settle on the seat. “Well, you’ll be happy to know Nick and I have a little date tonight, then.”

  “Is that right?” A look of satisfaction crept across Mrs. Brady’s face. “Well, that’s delightful. I hope you kids have a nice time.”

  Courtney thanked her.

  “But don’t stay out too late.”

  Courtney grinned and promised she wouldn’t.

  “Great to see you, bro.” Kenny grabbed Nick by one hand and threw an arm around his other shoulder, pulling him in.

  “It’s been too long, man. I’m so glad you stopped in. Nick hadn’t seen his brother in six months.

  “Me too. We have to catch the ferry in about two hours. Worked out perfectly.”

  Kenny and his girlfriend, Gloria, were taking a few precious days off for a romantic getaway on picturesque Washington Island, which sat just north of the Door County peninsula in Lake Michigan. Heritage Bay was an easy stop along the way.

  It was midafternoon and in between peak times at the shop, and since another employee was working, Nick went on break. He stood with Kenny and Gloria around an otherwise empty Inlet Outfitters while they relayed the latest crazy stories from the hospital.

  Kenny had called and said he wanted Nick to meet his new girlfriend. Gloria was a first-year resident like Kenny. They’d been dating for five months and it was starting to get serious. Kenny said he hoped Nick would like her.

  Nick approved. He hadn’t seen his brother behave so attentively to a woman in, well—possibly, ever.

  And it looked as though Gloria was just as smitten. Nick hoped it would work out for the long term.

  After the chitchat, Kenny glanced at Gloria. “Hey babe, we should get going soon, but I need a few minutes with this guy.” He punched Nick lightly on the arm. “Brother talk. I won’t be long. Would you mind waiting out in the car for a few minutes?”

  “Not at all,” she said agreeably. He tossed her the keys and she gave Nick a hug.

  “Bye, Nick. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I hope we see you again soon.”

  “Great to meet
you, too, Gloria. Hey, and have a great time this week.” They watched her leave.

  “I like her. I’m happy for you, man.” Nick leaned back against the front of the counter.

  “Thanks. She’s something else.”

  “So what’d you want to talk about?”

  Kenny cleared his throat. “Listen, Nick, it’s been hard with you gone. Dad really wants you back. Wants you to reconsider your decision about school.”

  Nick’s eyebrows shot up. This was new. Nick had been away for a year now and his father had barely said two words, apart from a phone call last week, which hadn’t gone well.

  “I know he can be a real jerk sometimes, but his heart’s in the right place. I didn’t really understand it when we were younger, but, man, I get it now. It’s not easy, doing what he does.”

  Nick listened. “I know. But why can’t he just chill out and let me do what I want? Let me decide my own life?”

  “Because he sees things differently than most of us. And he wants what’s best for you.”

  Nick shook his head. “How does he know what’s best for me? We don’t agree on a lot of things—obviously. And he can’t seem to look beyond his nose to appreciate a different point of view. He just loses his patience with me.” Nick stood up from the counter and shoved a hand in the pocket of his shorts.

  “Nick, he’s a busy man. His stress levels are over the top. Been that way for years.”

  Nick understood. Heck, it was half the reason Nick didn’t make it through med school. He kept trying to picture the end product of what all of his hard work would bring him, and the only thing he could imagine was a stressed-out, overwhelming daily struggle.

  “And believe me, I get it now.” Kenny took a deep breath. “I just wish you would cut him a break when he gets like that.”

  Nick shrugged. “I’m not holding anything against him. I’m just living my life. Anyway, tell him to chill. Stress levels like that aren’t good for him. He should know better than anybody. Does he ever think about that?”

  Kenny leaned back against the store’s counter, crossed his arms, and looked Nick in the eye. “Of course he does. Anyway, he asked me to relay a message to you.”