by Tina Michele
“They know.”
“Well, let’s hope they load themselves calmly and politely.”
“Well, Harold and the goats will, but I already know Leland is gonna be an ass about it.” Willa snorted as she laughed at her own joke.
Kyle gave her a look and rolled his eyes. “That was so stupid,” he said, but chuckled anyway.
Willa put the lead on Harold and walked him up into the trailer, latching the gate behind him. They repeated the process with each of them, putting Harold and Leland in their own stall, the two llamas in theirs, and the sheep and goats filled up the back. The kids had a different idea, it seemed. Every time Kyle managed to get them blocked in on one side, someone escaped out the other side by jumping on and over the bigger adults. At one point, Willa had to step back because she was laughing too hard to be of any use. With the use of all their arms and legs, Kyle and Willa managed to block them in long enough to close the gate with everyone inside.
“That went pretty well, I think,” Willa said, still fighting the giggles.
“Well, it could’ve been worse,” he said. “That’s it, Will. Let’s blow this Popsicle stand.”
Willa checked the cover on the chickens one more time, and then each of them loaded up into their trucks. Willa waited for him to pull out onto the road before following along behind him.
In less than ten hours, they’d be pulling in to their new farm, and for the first time in her life, Willa would no longer live in Florida. She wondered if this was what Haven had felt like when she decided to move from the only home she’d ever known. It was a mix of excitement and trepidation. Her eyes filled with tears as she passed familiar landmarks and old haunts on her way out of town. She didn’t know if she’d ever be back, but without a reason to return she imagined not. Haven would’ve been the only reason.
* * *
Haven stood on the curb with her luggage looking for anything that resembled a silver Ford Explorer. She determined that far too many people drove silver vehicles. Haven checked her phone again to make sure the volume was up and that she hadn’t missed any calls or messages. That’s when she heard her name.
“Haven!” Corey shouted as she came around the front of the truck with her arms wide open.
“Corey!” Haven welcomed the offer of a giant hug.
Haven couldn’t believe that it had already been almost eight months since she’d last seen Corey at her gallery opening in Denver. She would never forget it. She had made close to $80,000 in sales and commissions that night. Bianca had promised her a hundred percent of the profit. It was enough money for a strong down payment on the property she had dreamed about. It was all going to happen, and Corey was there to help make it so.
“I’m so excited!” Corey said, putting Haven’s bag into the back of the truck. “Are you tired? If you are I can take you to the house to relax, or if you’re not we can get started.” Corey chattered at a thousand miles per hour.
“I’m all right. It’s a two-hour time difference. I probably won’t fall asleep until tomorrow if I’m lucky,” Haven said.
“Still not sleeping, huh?” Corey asked, pulling away from the curb.
“Nah. I haven’t slept an entire night going on four years now. Except for…eh, it’s been a while.” Haven was going to say since Florida, but thought otherwise. She knew that Corey and Willa had remained good friends since camp, and she didn’t want to make things awkward.
“Okay. Well, I have three properties I have to show you. Maybe four, but I’m not sure if we’ll have time today for all of them.”
“That’s fine. I’m here all weekend.”
“I know! This is going to be so much fun!”
Haven was very much looking forward to the adventure. She had gone over and over the listings that she and Corey had narrowed down over the last few weeks. They all had so many great features that she was looking for that it was nearly impossible to decide without seeing them in person. Haven hoped that once she got there and saw the property that she would feel a connection or something of the sort, and she would know.
The first property on Corey’s list was over a hundred acres with a lake, two springs, and plenty of pasture land. The old barn would need to be taken down, but Haven could use the timber to build other things. The price was well within her budget, and that would leave enough to construct several of the buildings herself. “It has such amazing views, I wish I didn’t have to start from the ground up, though.”
The next property had fewer acres than she wanted, and no streams or springs, but it did have a three-acre lake. The other plus was a main cabin and a middle-aisle barn in great condition. She would still have to bring in the containers for the cabins, and her own place, but she felt a very positive vibe with this property.
“I like this one a lot. But the next one is my favorite. It was part of a multi-listing. The previous owners broke it out into separate parcels to make it easier to sell,” Corey said.
Haven shuffled through the listings pages that she had printed out. “Is this 608 Winding Ridge?” She agreed with Corey. This was a gorgeous property. It was the one she kept going back to every time she looked through the papers.
“Um, no. That one…it’s been sold,” Corey said. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” Haven said. She couldn’t have been more disappointed by the news. Her heart sank as she looked down at the beautiful pictures on the page.
“I’m sorry. But this next one is just over on the next ridge. The views are just as spectacular, I promise.”
“Okay. Just one more though.” Haven felt the jet lag kick in, spurred on by the devastating blow that she was too late in making a move on that property. It would’ve been perfect. A quaint cottage built in 1895, a well kept, six-stall barn with a loft, and an actual river as its eastern border.
“Okay. This is the last one.”
Haven was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole thing as they drove to their next destination. She was hoping that the next time she got out of the car that she would’ve found a place to call home. Her future. Her happiness. But as the sun began to set, Haven hadn’t yet found what she was looking for. It was a feeling that always seemed to be just beyond her reach, and she didn’t know why. It was as if every time she got close to finding her forever it was taken away from her. The only difference this time was that it hadn’t been Willa who took it away.
They pulled onto the property, and Haven sat up in her seat. They crossed a bridge over a swift running river. The drive opened into a gorgeous green pastures lined with old timber fencing on either side of the road. When the road forked, Corey turned in the direction of a beautiful red barn and several matching outbuildings. Beyond the buildings stood a small ranch house with wraparound porch across from acres of tilled fields ready for planting.
“Corey, this is incredible, but there is no way I can afford this.”
“Oh. This isn’t the property. This is the half that was bought a couple months ago. They own the right-of-way to the parcel back that way.” Corey pointed back to where the road had forked. “I just need to let them know we’re here.”
“Oh.” Haven was once again disappointed. She had no doubt this place was well beyond her budget, but it was certainly beautiful. It was also a bit more farm and less camp than she was looking for, so that helped ease the sting.
“I’ll be right back,” Corey said, getting out of the car and walking up to the house.
Haven watched as a man answered the door and Corey pointed back toward the car where Haven was waiting. As he stepped down from the porch, Haven’s stomach jumped into her throat. She squinted and blinked several times over, but her eyes saw just fine. It was Kyle Bennett. “What the fuck?” Haven said as she got out of the car and walked toward them.
Corey and Kyle met her halfway between the house and the vehicle. “This is—”
“I know who this is, Corey. What is going on?” Haven said, choking on the knot in her throat.
“H
ey, Haven,” Kyle said.
“Kyle, what the hell is going on?” She glanced between him and Corey.
“Don’t be mad,” Corey said.
“I’m not mad. I’m confused, but that’s going to change in a second if someone doesn’t please tell me what is happening here.”
“I’ll explain it.”
Haven felt her knees buckle beneath her at the sound of Willa’s voice from behind her. She was afraid to turn around for fear of falling over. Tears filled her eyes and Corey smiled before covering her mouth with her hand. Haven felt fingers intertwine with her own and pull her around. She came face-to-face with the last person on earth she would ever want to see again, and her emotion turned to anger. “What are you doing here, Willa?”
“I live here.”
“We,” Kyle added.
“We live here. We bought it with the insurance settlement and profit from the Florida property when we sold it.”
“What?” When Kyle spoke up, Haven turned around toward him.
“We settled the damages and packed it all up to come here. It was my idea, Haven.”
She turned back to Willa. “So why am I here? You wanted to gloat or something?” Haven felt like she was in a trap and snapped back around. “Corey?”
“It wasn’t my idea. Although I did help, obviously.”
“What about the property? The right-of-way? All a lie? Was that other land even really sold?” Haven wanted to scream. She wanted to cry.
“Yes. It was sold. But the right-of-way story is true. There is an adjoining hundred and thirty acres for sale, and they do own the right-of-way. Willa thought that—”
“It’s what you’ve been looking for, Haven.”
“What I’ve been looking for? How could you possibly know what I’ve been looking for, Willa? Every time we get anywhere close to what I’m looking for you run away, and break my… No, I can’t do this,” Haven said, waving her arms in defeat and starting back toward the car. The small pieces of her heart she had left were being crushed into dust. Nothing was safe from Willa, not her heart, her soul, or even her future.
“Haven, please.” Willa chased after her.
* * *
What had Willa expected? In spite of how she had hoped the situation would turn out, it was going as she should have guessed—badly. “Haven, please. Hear me out.”
“Hear you out?” Haven spun around to face Willa. “You want me to hear you out? You’ve got to be shitting me!”
Willa could see the anger that rose in Haven’s face as the tears filled her eyes. “I know. I don’t deserve it, but—”
“That is the understatement of the century. You destroyed me, Willa. Not once, but twice. You broke my heart so badly I thought I’d die. I blamed myself for years. Years!”
At some point, Corey and Kyle had snuck off back to the porch away from them. “I’m so sorry.” Willa reached out for Haven’s hand, but she jerked it away.
“Don’t touch me,” Haven said, crossing her arms close to her chest. “How can I believe anything you say, Willa? You promised me that you’d never hurt me again, but you did. Your sorry means nothing.”
“I know.”
“And you tricked me. All of you. You plotted this horrible plan to get me up here and then ripped the rug out from under me. That’s not all right.”
“It’s yours, Haven.”
“What?”
“The land Corey brought you to see. It’s yours, if you want it.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“The land that Corey brought you here to see. It’s ours. It was a split parcel, but they gave us a deal if we bought both. It’s mostly wooded, with a stream running to the Green River. It has a lake and a great clearing, perfect for the cabins, and—”
“Stop, Willa. You bought me property?”
“Yes. Well, no. It came with this property. We were going to let it go until I saw it, and I knew it was for you.” Willa could see everything Haven had ever dreamed laid out on those 130 acres.
As Willa and Kyle made the move to North Carolina, Willa found herself fantasizing about the possibility of Haven moving and starting her camp there. Willa even imagined how she could help achieve her goals. When Corey informed her that Haven was coming out to look at property to start her camp, Willa finally believed in fate again. This was going to be her last chance to get back together with Haven, and this time she would do whatever she had to make it last a lifetime.
“There’s no way I can accept that.”
“You can. I’ll sell it to you. At a very reasonable price, too.” Willa could see Haven’s demeanor begin to change. She saw the possibility in her eyes, and Willa’s heart lifted. But as quick as it came it was gone.
“No, Willa. This is insane. I ran across the country to get you out of my life, twice.”
“And I moved six hundred miles hoping to make this work. I’m all in, Haven. I want to be with you. Forever. I don’t want to run or hide or push you away ever again. I may have lived through cancer, but it’s not a life without you in it. I love you, Haven.”
Haven’s tears ran down her face and Willa ached to brush them away. She hesitated at first, but when she reached out to touch her face, Haven didn’t pull away. Her eyes fluttered closed and Willa stepped toward her. When they opened, Haven was staring into hers.
“How do I know I can trust you, Willa? How do I know this is real?”
Willa folded Haven’s hand into hers and dropped to her knee. “Because I love you, Haven Thorne, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. No one knows how much time we have left, but no matter how long that may be, I don’t want to do it without you.” Willa’s heart raced and pounded in her chest. She didn’t know if it was her hands or Haven’s that were shaking. When she reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring, Haven gasped. “Will you marry me?” Willa held her breath waiting for Haven’s answer. Seconds seemed like hours, and she began to lose hope with each passing moment.
Haven covered her mouth with her hand and stared down at Willa. “Willa…I…” Haven’s words caught in her throat.
“Please, Haven, I need you.” Willa grabbed Haven’s hand and held it to her chest where her aching heart pounded. “I’ve done so much running from everything in my life, because I didn’t want to fail. I didn’t want to fail you, and I didn’t want to disappoint you if I couldn’t fight the cancer and win.”
“Oh, Willa,” Haven said, dropping to her knees before her. “You could never have disappointed me. You are a fighter. You are the strongest, and most obstinate, woman I’ve ever known. It kills me to this day knowing that I couldn’t be there for you when you needed me the most.”
“I didn’t want to need you, Haven. I didn’t want to need anyone. But I do need you.” Willa’s stomach turned and tumbled. She had finally realized there was no one else on earth that she wanted by her side through sickness and health than Haven. “I need you, and I want you by my side every day for the rest of our lives. No matter how long that may be. I’m so sorry for hurting you, and I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I will show you every day how much you mean to me. Please.” She let the tears stream down her face, and Haven’s soft hands cupped her cheeks and brushed them away.
“Promise me, Willa. Promise me that no matter what happens from this point forward, you and I are in this together, win or lose.”
“Haven, I can’t promise that I won’t do everything in my power to protect you. But I know that by pushing you away I wasn’t saving anyone, least of all you. I can’t imagine living even one more day with you by my side. I promise, my love, with every breath I have, we are in this together.”
“Then yes. I’ll marry you,” Haven said, her own tears flowing freely.
Willa slipped the ring onto her finger and they jumped to their feet. She took Haven into her arms. “And I promise I’ll never let you go again. I love you.”
“I’ve loved you my whole life, Willa Bennett, and I alwa
ys will.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Haven stood on the front porch of the main lodge as she had many times before, watching as the SUVs pulled up the drive. Her excitement was palpable, and she squeezed Wendy’s hand. “I love this part.”
“I know. Are you ready?”
“Of course,” Haven said as the vehicles came to a stop in front of the house. The doors swung open and campers began to pile out with their bags and packs.
Haven and Wendy went around to the back to start unloading the luggage when Willa stuck her head around the back end. “How exciting is this? It’s finally here, your first camp.”
“I know, babe.” Haven jumped into Willa’s arms. “How was the drive?”
“It was great. It’s a really fun group.”
“Oh, I can’t wait.” Haven’s entire body hummed with excitement.
She couldn’t believe that they’d made it happen. For more than a year, they worked their asses off building cabins, raising money, and getting the mountains of paperwork in order for what seemed like every agency in existence. Scrat had agreed to come out and work out all of the river running and permits. Wendy came to keep Haven’s head above water and to be her right-hand lady, while Corey handled all of the volunteers. Willa and Kyle had the farm to run as usual, but they would be handling the farm-related activities like horseback and trail riding.
Haven and Willa were happier than she could ever remember being. In the middle of all the chaos of starting the camp, they had made the time for a small, intimate wedding ceremony. Surrounded by their closest family and friends, they vowed to always depend on each other and never be afraid to lean on one another to get through the tough times in life.
For the first time in her life Haven felt like she was where she was meant to be. “Thank you.”
“For what, my love?” Willa said, wrapping Haven into her arms.
“For finding me and choosing me out of all the other stars in the sky.” They had lost and found each other so many times on their journey through life, but Haven knew in her heart they’d never be lost again.