by Jaclyn Hardy
“Evan’s about six months old and cute as a button. Laura’s been reading to him every day because she’s bored out of her mind. Works for her and for Rachel.”
Mandy shook her head. She’d missed so much and hadn’t even realized it. She tiptoed toward the family room and poked her head in. Laura lay on the couch with a baby next to her. She was reading a children’s book complete with voices.
“Wow, those high school drama classes have really paid off.” Mandy leaned against the doorway.
Laura gasped. “When did you get here?”
“Yesterday.” Mandy sat on the end of the couch.
“And you didn’t come see me?” Laura raised an eyebrow.
Mandy cleared her throat. “That was the plan, but then I slept all day and night. Apparently driving almost nonstop across the country isn’t the best idea.”
Laura tried to sit up before finally lying back on the couch. “Sorry, you’re going to have to come to me for a hug.”
“Sounds fair.” Mandy hugged her best friend. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too. Now spill. Why are you really here?” Laura set the book down that she’d been reading and repositioned Evan on her lap.
Mandy scooped Evan up in her arms and sat back down. “Lots of reasons, really.”
“Not good enough.” Laura pushed herself up to sitting and swung her legs around so she could stand. “Ahh, thanks for taking him. My legs were falling asleep.”
“Any time.” Mandy made Evan smile by pulling a few silly faces. She missed her nieces and nephews she used to babysit.
Laura stretched her arms. “Thomas came home cranky and quiet. That never happens. I can only assume it had something to do with you.”
“Are you saying I make people cranky?” Mandy knew it was a pathetic attempt at avoiding the inevitable. “We actually had a great time together. And I think that’s the problem. I went home to New York, and he came back here. End of story.”
“Except that now you’re here and he’s here and you’re not together. Why?”
Mandy stared down at the sweet baby in her arms. She wasn’t sure she knew the answer to the question. “I . . . I dropped everything. My perfect job, my gorgeous apartment, New York City, for, well, I don’t even know. A dream? So, what if it doesn’t work out? What if I’ve upset him enough that he wouldn’t even want to date me because I just gave up everything. I mean, I’m homeless. I’m going to be sleeping at the hotel for forever because I don’t have a place. And the real estate agent can’t find a place for me to start my store—”
“Hey, Mandy?” Laura asked.
Mandy jumped and realized tears were pouring down her face. She breathed to try to calm down. “Yeah?”
“Calm down. You can stay with me. I think Justin will be thrilled to know I’m not at home by myself. Work will happen. I know the owner of the store in town pretty well. We can work things out until you have a building of your own. And judging by Thomas’s mood, I don’t think you lost your chance. Give everything a little time.”
“You’re right. As always.” Mandy picked up Evan and hugged him close. “I can’t believe you’re going to have one of these soon.”
Laura rubbed her belly. “I can’t either. But if she doesn’t come soon, I might just pop.”
Mandy laughed. “You might be right. Which reminds me. I’d love to do a baby shower for you. If it’s not too late.”
“Really?” Laura brightened. “I’d love that. I have to admit that being away from all of my friends has made it kinda hard. People here are so sweet, but a baby shower hasn't even come up.”
“Well, we’re going to change that.” Mandy stood and handed Evan back to Laura. “I’m going to go back to the hotel if that’s okay with you. I want to see what the real estate agent has found out and then pack up my stuff.”
Laura nodded. “I’ll have Justin run by the hotel on the way home tonight so we can have you follow us back to our place.”
Mandy bent down and hugged her. “I’ve missed you. Thank you for helping me calm down.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Mandy stopped at the living room door. “And Laura? Please don’t tell Thomas I’m here. I want to tell him on my own time.”
“Got it. Make sure you tell Rachel and her mom as well.”
Mandy nodded and walked back through the kitchen, stopping long enough to hug Mrs. Poulton and swear her to secrecy. She ran out to her car and left the ranch, knowing lunch was going to happen soon, and she didn’t want Thomas to see her.
The front lobby to the hotel was busy with everyone going to lunch, so Mandy slipped past all of them and went up to her room. She pulled out her laptop to check email and found a few from her parents wondering why she had flaked and taken off, a rather insulting email from Dawn, and another email from her realtor. Mandy opened that one eagerly.
We’ve had no luck finding a building, but I may have secured a location you could build on. I know it’s not ideal, but it means you could have the layout exactly how you want it. And the price is a steal. Let me know what you want to do. I’ve attached the ad for it so you can go check it out.
Dan
What was it with building things around here? But Mandy was seriously tempted. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it, and this made that possible. Lunch would have to wait. Mandy grabbed her purse and keys and shut the door on her way out. Rachel stood talking to someone at the front desk, so Mandy waited her turn in line.
When it was finally her turn, Mandy approached the desk. “Hey, Rachel. I’m going to be checking out later today. Laura is letting me stay at her place until I find something more permanent.”
“That’s great!” Rachel beamed.
“Thanks. Listen, I’m going to go check out a place that might be available for a store in town. Is it okay if I leave my bags? I can grab them when I come back to meet Laura. If not, I’ll just take them.”
“We can keep them in storage if we end up needing the room. I’ll text if that happens. And good luck.”
Mandy grinned. “Thanks. Oh, and please don’t mention I’m here to anyone. I’m not quite ready for that yet.”
“I won’t say a word.” Rachel waved the next person forward and Mandy pulled out her phone to call her realtor as she left the hotel.
“Hey, I got your email. I’m headed there to check it out right now.” Mandy climbed in her car and started the engine. Hopefully she could keep everything in her car at Laura’s so she didn’t have to keep trying to peek around all the boxes in the backseat.
“I know you wanted a building and not land, but I think you’ll like the location.”
Mandy pulled onto the main road toward town. “We’ll see. Any luck on a house yet?”
Dan sighed. “You’re asking me to look into a black hole, Mandy. There’s nothing. Unless you want a trailer for about twenty thousand.”
“Wait, twenty? How is that even possible? I can’t even buy a room for that much in New York. Heck, I couldn’t even buy a closet for that much.”
“You’re right. You couldn’t. But I have to warn you that a trailer isn’t a step up from either of those. We’ll keep looking. I do hope you’ve found a place for now?”
“Yep. I’m staying with friends, so I’m good for a bit. Although I don’t want to stay too long. They’re expecting a baby any day now and I don’t want to be in their way.” Of course, having an extra pair of hands to help with the new baby would probably be helpful, but Mandy didn’t want to overstay her welcome.
There was silence for a moment. “It does look like there might be a place for rent, but you’ll want to check it out. The pictures don’t give me much information.”
“Send it over. Might as well check them both out.” Mandy turned on to the main road and was flooded with memories. Swimming, parades, concerts. All sorts of things. “I gotta go. I just made it into town, so I’ll let you know what I think of the plot you found.”
�
�Sounds good. And Mandy? Call your parents. They’re pretty worried about your sanity right now.”
Mandy laughed. “Got it.”
The land he’d found was in the center of Main Street in an empty lot. It was covered in weeds, but it was central to everything. Mandy tried to picture her store here and how it would look next to the businesses and houses in the area. This would work. She’d be crazy if she didn’t at least try for it, right?
The house, on the other hand, left something to be desired. The windows sagged, the roof needed to be replaced, and the weeds were overgrown. She could do something about the weeds, but the windows and roof were a whole different story.
Since she was already in town, she pulled up the browser on her phone and did her own search of houses. A few looked promising, so she drove past them. The last one made her stop. It was small and perfect. They were looking to sell, but maybe if she offered enough per month they’d let her rent for a bit.
She climbed out of her car and walked up the steps, her stomach in knots. She’d just gotten here yesterday and now she’s going to make an offer on a house? She’d tried to swear off spontaneity, but clearly, that hadn’t worked.
The woman who answered the door was a sweet older woman with a bright smile. “Hello, what can I do for you?”
“Are you Esther?”
She smiled. “Yes, that’s me.”
Mandy gestured toward the for sale sign in the yard. “Hi, I saw your listing and I wondered if I could possibly look at the house.”
“Oh, yes. Come in.” She opened the screen door and let Mandy walk past her. “I grew up in this house, but it’s become too much for me to handle.”
“It’s adorable.” Mandy studied the pictures along the hallways. “These are your kids?”
“Yes, they’ve all grown and moved away. It’s just me now.” Esther lifted a shaking finger to point to one of them. “That’s all of us.”
Mandy shook her head at the large family in front of her. All of her siblings were much older than her and never visited home, so this was crazy to her. Not in a bad way. “Your family is beautiful.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s show you the house.” She limped down the hallway to the small kitchen. It was bright with pictures and decor that made it homey. The curtains were white and lacy, allowing the sun to come in through the large windows. “It’s not much, but there are a lot of good memories here.”
“It’s wonderful.” Mandy was already picturing how she could decorate it. She tried to push it out of her mind, but it was no use. She needed this house. “I know it’s asking a lot because you probably need the money to afford a new place to stay. I would make it worth it, though. I just moved from New York, and I need to find somewhere soon. Are you willing to accept something in the form of rent-to-own? I could pay extra if needed.”
Esther stopped and turned, taking Mandy’s hands in hers. She stared up at Mandy with her cloudy brown eyes that had filled with tears. “Darling, this place needs new blood to bring it back to life. A touch of New York is exactly what it needs. I knew from the moment I saw you walk up these steps that this house belonged to you.”
Mandy wiped a tear of her own. “So, you’ll do it?”
“It will take a bit to get things packed. It’s just me, you know. But yes, I will do that. I can have my attorney draw up the papers today.”
“Thank you.” Mandy wrapped her in a hug. “And don’t you worry about the packing. If you’re willing to let me, I can help with that.”
Esther reached up patted her cheek. “As I said before, you belong here. I think we’ll be good friends.”
Mandy called Dan back and let him know she found something, then sent him the listing. When she got off, she could hear Esther talking in the other room. The woman’s laughter filled the house. While she talked, Mandy decided to check out the upstairs. It was just as beautifully decorated as the downstairs. Guest rooms were filled with memories of the children who once grew up here.
And for the first time ever, Mandy finally felt something she’d never felt anywhere else. She was home.
Thomas threw the last of the hay into the barn and wiped his brow. His work was done for the day, which meant he could go to his lot and start there. Adam was supposed to be meeting him in about an hour and he had to make sure the road was finished.
Small snowflakes drifted from the clouds, and Thomas hoped that they would wait just a little longer. Thanksgiving was next week, and he wanted to have the land cleared for his house if possible before then. That way Justin and the others could help over the break. Unless Laura had her baby.
The thought of the baby made Thomas stop. Mandy had said she was going to plan a baby shower for Laura, but as far as he knew, she was still in New York making millions on her newest line of clothes. He shook his head and pushed thoughts of Mandy away. They only frustrated him.
Thomas set the pitchfork back in the barn and went in for lunch. He was grateful for the hot bowl of soup served in a bread bowl. His hands were frozen, and he was starving. Justin and Patrick laughed about something over in the corner, so Thomas took a seat at the other end. He knew if they got talking, he’d never get out of there.
The words “baby shower” caught Thomas’s attention. He looked up from his soup long enough to figure out who was talking, but the conversations all blended into one. It must have been something else he’d heard.
Ranch hands were still getting their food when Thomas put his bowl on the tray. He was out the door when he heard his name called.
“Thomas, hey!” Justin stood in the porch when Thomas turned around. “You coming to our house for dinner tonight?”
“I’m going to be working out on my land.”
Justin frowned and jogged over to him. “A wise man once told me that we need to have some fun instead of working all the time.”
“Who said that? The guy in ‘The Shining’?”
“Uh, yes, he did, but I meant you. Stop shutting everyone out. It’s getting old. Dinner is at seven. Don’t be late.”
Thomas saluted. “Yes, sir!”
Dinner with Justin and Laura sounded better than hanging out in the bunk or pulling weeds. And besides, Justin was right. Thomas had done nothing but work since he got back from the FFA trip. He set a reminder in his phone and climbed into his truck. Crews had been working on his road all week and he couldn’t wait to see how it looked. They wouldn’t pave it because it wouldn’t be used by enough people to make it worth the cost, but that was fine with Thomas. He could get to work that much faster.
His GPS let him know he was getting close, but by that time, he knew exactly where the land was. The road stopped just past the entrance. It was still unpaved, but at least he wouldn’t destroy the shocks in his truck to get here.
He pulled in and went to find the foreman in charge of electricity. The man stood talking to several others and turned when Thomas approached.
“Just the man we were hoping to find. We were just about to start work and hit a snag. One of the trucks broke down, and we can’t get a new part until the day after tomorrow.”
“Can you do anything else until then?” Delays were just part of life out here, but he was antsy to get started.
The man nodded. “We’ll do what we can. It’ll just take a little longer.”
“All right. I’m going to be clearing out the land while you do that, and I’ll try not to get in your way. If Adam shows up, have him come out to the tractor.”
“You got it.” The man turned back to the others and Thomas continued on to where the tractor sat. The Poultons were nice enough to let Thomas borrow whatever equipment he needed to get the land cleared and it had been a lifesaver. Most of the land where he wanted his house was ready to go. He just needed to clear the area for the barn. Getting the house finished before spring was most likely not going to happen—especially with the snow already coming and the delays with the road and electricity—but at least he could have it ready to go.
&nb
sp; He’d gone around the property a few times before he saw Adam flagging him down. He finished the round he was on and stopped so that Adam could take his place.
“Just finish the circle I started and then we’ll go through with the rake to clean up the mess.” Thomas climbed out of the tractor.
Adam nodded and climbed up. He paused on the top step and turned. “I gave Hailey the music box when I asked her to Homecoming.”
“And?” Thomas knew the answer before Adam responded by the way he grinned. “She liked it?”
“She loved it. Thank you.” He climbed in and started the tractor.
Thomas chuckled and jogged to the tractor that pulled the rake. As soon as Adam was done, he could start and get this finished. He only had an hour before he needed to get cleaned up for dinner.
The snow picked up a little, but hadn't started covering the ground quite yet. He’d have to make sure that Adam could get home before it got worse. The clouds lay across the mountains behind his land, and he couldn’t think of anything more beautiful. Well, except having his house sitting right in front of it. What a view to wake up to every morning.
As Adam finished the last round, Thomas started his tractor and pulled up behind him. Adam stopped and jumped off his tractor. He kept his head down against the snow as he walked back to Thomas.
“I need to get home.”
“I was about to tell you the same thing. I won’t be much longer.” Thomas waved to Adam and started raking up the tumbleweeds they’d just pulled out. He’d planned to burn them, but that would have to wait until the snow stopped.
By the time he was done, Thomas had to rush back to the ranch and shower so he could get to dinner on time. He debated wearing a sweatshirt, but decided to dress up. Laura loved to go all out with her dinners and he couldn’t imagine that tonight would be any different.
The snow had mostly stopped by that time, but he was still careful traveling the roads into town. He pulled up to the house a couple of minutes past seven. Not bad. Other cars lined the street, most of which he recognized, but there were a few that were strange to him. That was saying something. Thomas knew most of the makes and models of the cars in town. His friends always teased him about it.