by Rachel Hanna
But she also didn't want to live in the state prison.
"So, do you want to take a little break?" she asked him as they meandered around.
"Sure. I am a little worn out. This is a pretty big piece of land.”
They sat down on some big rocks overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was one of her favorite places on the whole property. Well, maybe her second favorite place. She hadn’t shown him the first favorite.
"You know, when I first bought this place, the real estate agent brought me here and showed me this view. I was immediately hooked."
"I can see why."
"I remember sitting here the day after I closed with a notebook. I was making all kinds of plans, you know, for the future. What this place would be like in five years, ten years. I never thought about what would happen if I totally failed.“
"I'm really sorry, Jill. I wish it had worked out for you."
She had a feeling that he was actually being sincere. "It's my own fault. When I look back, I was so excited about the business and helping people that I didn't pay enough attention to my finances. I made an improvement, a specific one, on this property that used up a lot of my funds. I mismanaged my money, plain and simple."
He bumped his shoulder against hers. "Don't beat yourself up too bad. This was your first business, and everybody makes mistakes when they first start out."
"Even you?"
"Even me. The very first business I tried to start failed miserably. But if I hadn't tried, I never would've changed course and ended up where I am today."
"And where is that exactly?"
“What do you mean?"
"I mean, yes, you have a lot of money and a great business, it sounds like. But what about your personal life, Patrick? Anyone special?" She didn't know why she was asking. She didn't really want to know. Okay, she did want to know. But she didn't want to want to know.
He smiled slightly. "Nobody special right now."
"I get the feeling that you're kind of locked down. As if you don't like to talk about your personal life very much. Or maybe a personal life isn't even important to you?"
"And I get the feeling that you like to talk about feelings a lot."
Jill giggled. "It's my business. My job is to open people up to every part of themselves."
"Oh yeah? And you think I'm not open to myself?"
"Look, all I know is that if I had one week with you here participating in everything I offer, you'd be a different man when you left."
"That sounds a lot like a dare." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
"Okay, so maybe it is a dare. I'm sure that you wouldn't take this particular dare because it would require you to stay here for a whole week, and I don't think that Patrick Scott is up for that kind of a challenge."
He looked at her carefully, his eyebrow still raised. She could tell he was mulling it over, obviously not a man who liked to shrink from challenges. But then he changed the subject.
"You mentioned there was another part of this property that you feel like you spent too much money improving. Can you show me that?"
She knew she had to. He wasn’t going to let it go. But the last thing she wanted to show Patrick right now was the most special place on earth to her. That was a place she liked to keep reserved for just herself, but now she was going to have to share it with someone else. And the only person she ever wanted to share that place with disappeared into the woods fifteen years ago.
Chapter 5
Patrick had to admit that he was enjoying walking the property with Jill. A part of him looked at her as if she was someone he had just met, but then there was the other part of him that knew the secret. She didn't seem to recognize him at all, and he wanted to keep it that way. Business was hard enough without putting emotions into it. And if she found out that he was the boy who stopped her from jumping all those years ago and then kissed her before running off into the woods, she would certainly have expectations that he would save her property like he’d saved her that day.
He couldn't blame her. It was probably the right thing to do. But he had learned long ago that mixing emotion and business was a bad idea. So he preferred to keep it this way. Do things as simply and easily as possible without upsetting the apple cart.
But he had to admit that when he looked at her, growing more and more upset about potentially losing her property, he wanted to ride in on a white horse and save her. Somewhere deep down, that was still the man he was. He wanted to keep people from hurting, from experiencing pain. But time and circumstances had toughened him up and put some kind of thick callus around his heart.
And all of that had worked really well for him until he walked in to The Retreat and saw Jill.
"Okay, the place I want to show you is right up here over the hill."
He followed her up a steep incline, which was covered in newly fallen leaves as Fall was approaching. It was beautiful this time of year, and it would only get better as the weeks wore on. He remembered from his childhood that the leaves would turn yellow and then a vibrant orange before finally falling to the ground in an inevitable circle of life moment.
As they came over the crest of the hill, both of them panting from the steepness of the incline, Patrick's mouth fell open. Luckily she was in front of him and didn't see his initial reaction.
The bridge. The place they met. The one place in the world he wanted to see again but at the same time never wanted to see again. He knew it was somewhere close by, but he had no idea it was on her property. Now it all made sense. Why she chose this place. Why she was having such a problem leaving it.
In an instant, he was taken back to that moment as a fifteen-year-old boy when he walked over the hill and saw a beautiful young girl standing there. As he’d gotten closer, he’d noticed her eyes. They were a steely blue color, like nothing he’d ever seen.
Before he knew it, all thoughts about his own pressing problems left his mind. His sole focus had been on saving her. He was never the same when he walked off the bridge that day.
She turned around and looked at him. "This bridge was in shambles when I visited here as a kid. It means a lot to me, for reasons I won't go into. In fact, it means more to me than all of this land combined. The whole reason I bought this property was to save this bridge because this bridge saved me."
He felt emotion welling up inside of him. He hadn't cried in so many years he couldn't even remember the last time. But for a moment, he felt like he might. In true Patrick fashion, he pulled himself together quickly.
"So, this is what you sank your money into?"
She smiled sadly. “Seems stupid, I know. But I didn't want this bridge to fall into that ravine and be forgotten. I could never forget this place. "
"It's not stupid. Saving something that you believe in, something that means a lot to you, is never stupid."
She smiled slightly and cocked her head. "Really? I'm surprised to hear you say something like that. You don't strike me as the sentimental type, no offense."
"None taken. But I totally get why you did this. And you did an amazing job having it restored. I really like that you kept the red paint.“
She looked confused for a moment. "How would you know that? You've never been here before."
"Oh… I just mean… I assume it was pretty bad from your description…And most covered bridges are painted red…” he said, stumbling over his words.
"Yes, it was a mess. I spent a lot of money and hired contractors who understood the historical accuracy that I needed to bring it back to life." She stared at the bridge, a faraway look in her eyes. Of course, Patrick knew why she had that look on her face. She wasn't looking at the bridge at all. She was looking into the past.
"So did you have any plans for this place?"
"You'll think it's stupid."
"No I won't. Tell me."
She smiled broadly. "Well, for one thing, I had high hopes of having my own wedding here someday. Walking down the middle of the bridge from
one side to the other… I guess a girl can dream."
"A wedding, huh? And that's it?"
She lightly punched him on the arm. "For a woman, a wedding is a pretty big deal. But, I also had it restored because I thought I could rent it out for people who wanted to have weddings here too. Make it a whole venue. I was going to build a gazebo on the other side where the guests would sit. I just never got the chance. Once I opened up The Retreat, things started to fall apart after a couple of years and I just didn't have the money to do the marketing needed to get people to come here."
Patrick felt terrible for her. He knew what failure felt like, and Jill was definitely beating herself up. In her eyes, she’d failed at her business and at saving the bridge.
"So, do you want to go take a look?" she asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.
Patrick froze in place for a moment. Did he really want to go back up there? Would he be able to keep himself from wanting to grab her and finish that kiss that was started fifteen years ago? Again, he pulled himself together.
"Sure."
They walked up the rest of the hill and onto the edge of the bridge. The familiar wooden slats were still there, but restored. As they walked along, he looked at all of the little details that she had made sure were done.
As they made their way down, they stopped right in the spot where she was standing that day. He knew it was no accident. There were tall railings in the spot where she was going to jump that day, surely a preventative measure to make certain no one ever thought of that idea again.
"This is amazing. The views are really stunning. You did a great job restoring this, Jill."
She took in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "This place is why I'm so upset, Patrick. I could build The Retreat somewhere else. My customers would follow me. But I could never get this place back. It just… It means a lot to me."
He wanted to ask her what it meant. Why she was so attached to it. Even though he already knew the answer, he kind of wanted to see if she mentioned him. But the thought of doing that and risking her realizing who he was stopped him from opening his mouth.
"You have my word that if I buy this place, I won't tear down the bridge." He hadn’t meant to say it, but it just flew out of his mouth. In reality, it was in a terrible place as far as the layout of the conference center and resort. Tearing it down would be a lot more cost-effective, but this was where being a billionaire had its perks. He could do whatever he wanted.
She grinned broadly. "Oh, thank you, Patrick! That really means a lot. Maybe one day I can come back and visit or something." She hugged his neck tightly without warning, and Patrick stood there frozen, unable to believe he was touching her again… on the bridge, of all places. Every emotion he’d felt that day came rushing back. Feelings long since pushed to the deepest parts of his soul bubbled up and threatened to make him do things he’d regret.
And then she stepped back, her face slightly flush from embarrassment. “I’m so sorry about that. It’s just that the bridge is most important. Even though I’ll lose my business, my income, the friends I’ve made here… well, at least the bridge will continuing living on.”
Something about the way she seemed to have already resigned herself to losing the property made him sad. Sadder than he expected. Normally when someone said something like that, it indicated he was going to get the deal he wanted. For a moment, he felt like he didn't want this deal at all.
But if he didn't buy it, who would? And what would they do to the bridge? He couldn't take that chance.
As they stood there quietly staring out over the Blue Ridge Mountains, Patrick felt conflicted. Should he buy this place out from under her? Should he throw away his chances at the conference center and resort that he had agreed to with his partners? Should he open himself up to all kinds of legal trouble in the process?
He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his blood pressure pills. Popping it in his mouth, he swallowed hard, trying to do it without being noticed by Jill.
Her head swung around and she looked at him. "Are you popping blood pressure pills again?"
"I just realized I forgot to take it this morning because I was so super relaxed after our meditation."
"Patrick, I know we don't know each other very well, but I really do care about your health. Remember that dare?" she asked with a grin on her face.
"Yes…"
"One week. Give me one week to prove to you that this place can change lives."
He sighed and shook his head. "It won't mean anything, Jill. I still have to buy this place."
"Maybe so, but at least let me prove to myself, one final time, that I have what it takes to change lives. It might be my last chance to do that here, Patrick. If I can help you, it will give me the confidence I need to start over.“
Before he could stop himself yet again, Patrick nodded his head and agreed. He would give her one week to prove to herself that she could really help people. Maybe that was the last gift he could give to her before they parted ways again.
She couldn't believe he agreed to it. Secretly, she hoped that him staying at The Retreat for a week would get him to understand the importance of the work that she did. Maybe he would talk to the bank and get them to stop the foreclosure. Maybe he would loan her the money to save her place. In fact, she’d dreamed up a host of fairytale ways he could rescue her, none of which were probable.
She tried not to think about the fact that he needed her property to buy the rest of the land that he required for his conference center and resort.
Jill knew she wasn't thinking clearly right now. She was grasping at straws, trying anything to potentially save her business. And not just her business, but her life. This place had saved her life all those years ago, and she felt like history was on repeat.
This time, of course, she had no intentions of standing on the edge of the bridge. But she did feel like everything she knew and loved was about to be ripped out from under her and there wasn't a thing in the world she could do about it.
"Hey there, Jill," Winston said as he walked up behind her.
"Oh, hey, Winston. How are you doing today?"
"Well, I'm a little concerned, to be honest."
"Concerned? Is something wrong with your room?"
"No, honey. I am concerned about you."
Jill walked over and sat down at the kitchen table, patting the area across from her for Winston to join her.
"Why are you concerned about me?"
"I know that you are just torn to pieces about losing this place. I'm a little worried that this new guy is going to break your heart."
She cocked her head to the side. "Break my heart? We are certainly not interested in each other like that, Winston," she said with a smile.
"Sweetie, I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. I know what it looks like when two people are attracted to each other."
Jill’s face flushed. "I think you’re misreading the situation. He's only here to learn more about this place so that he can roll it into his real estate deal. Trust me, I'm under no assumption that he's interested in me at all."
"I think you're wrong about that. I've been watching the boy’s face every time he looks at you. Might make me seem like a stalker, but you're like my granddaughter so I feel a need to watch after you.”
Jill smiled. "I appreciate you looking out for me. I really do. You know I don't have any family, except a sister who doesn't even talk to me and a mother who forgot I exist, apparently. But I think you're overreacting on this one."
He reached across the table and touched her hand. "Just be careful. Sometimes matters of the heart can cloud our judgment pretty bad."
“Well, there's no reason to worry. I promise. I know exactly where I stand with Patrick Scott."
"So you want me to go hiking?" Patrick asked, his eyes popping open like someone had just jumped out and scared him.
"Yes, hiking. It's what we do up in this area. I don't see what the big deal is. We walked a lot the
other day."
Patrick laughed. "That was different. This is actual hiking. I'm not really sure what the difference is, but it seems more dangerous."
Jill giggled “Come on, Patrick. You promised to trust me and we're only on the first day. I wouldn't do anything that would put us in harm’s way."
"I know there are bears in these woods. And probably bobcats. Why in the world do we need to go out there for you to prove that you can help people?"
She really hadn't expected him to give her so much problem about going hiking which only made her want to drag him out there all the more.
"Look, you'll have a great time. We’ll be back before dinner. And I think it will help you to clear your mind and lower your blood pressure, which is what I'm trying to do."
He stood there for a moment, obviously pondering the options in his head. "Fine. But I don't have any hiking boots."
"Don't worry, I'm way ahead of you there." She reached behind the table and pulled out a bag with a pair of brand new hiking boots.
"How did you know my size?"
"I might have snuck into your room and looked at your dress shoes. I hope these fit."
"Jill, you shouldn't be buying things for me. Given your situation…"
She clenched her jaw. "I'm not destitute, Patrick. I know I might seem to be that way since you're a freaking billionaire, but I can afford a pair of cheap hiking boots."
He smiled. "You really don't care about how much money I have, do you?" He seemed to be pleased by that.
"No, I really don't. Money isn't what impresses me about a person."
"So what does impress you?"
Jill stepped forward, still holding the bag out to him. “I’ll tell you what. I'll answer any questions you have as soon as we're out on the hiking trail."
Patrick sighed and took the bag from her hand.