Like on the veranda with Will, when he’d casually mentioned that his son Jake was fourteen. Liam would be the same age now. It had just caught at her, not surprisingly, but the reaction required a determined response. As an illustrator for two popular series of children’s books, she’d met with many young people during the years since the accident. Most times she was able to prepare herself for those occasions, knew they would make her both sad and happy. Sad because they naturally made her miss her son more than ever. Happy because her work as an illustrator brought joy to other children the same way it had to her child. And that was a good, positive thing to be doing. For herself, and for Liam.
“Ms. Montgomery?”
Hannah didn’t have time to brace herself before turning. She didn’t want to feel those pangs, but she knew that there would always be moments like this. It was all in how she handled them, how she let them handle her. And in that regard, she felt a lot more confident these days. She’d learned the best way to handle the hiccups was to put herself in the mind-set of her child. What would he want her to do, what would make him proud of her? And then it was easy. Or easier, at any rate. “Hello,” she said as she turned to greet Will’s son, an honest, welcoming smile on her face. “You must be Jacob. You can call me Hannah.”
“Jake,” he said with a nod.
Jake was tall for his age, matching her in height, and gangly. He had his father’s dark hair and serious green eyes. The open, cheerful grin, she decided, must come from his mom. Vivi had mentioned she’d heard Will was one of the Falls’ most eligible bachelors back when she’d hired him. Hannah hadn’t known then that he had a son, so naturally she wondered what the story was there, where Jake’s mom fit in the picture, but pushed all that aside when Jake extended his hand.
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Hannah,” he said with an easy politeness, then jerked his hand away at the last second and wiped it on his pants, before extending it again. “Sorry, I’ve been out in the fields.” His voice was pitched in that place between childhood and manhood, which made him all the more instantly endearing. That and the slight blush that colored his cheeks at his last-minute hand-wiping. “Would you like to see some of the place? I checked with Mr. B—Seth,” he clarified, “and he said it was okay. Unless Dad needs me back at your place.”
“You dad is fine with me taking the tour,” Hannah told him. She knew it was normal, natural, to compare, to wonder. Would her son be that tall? Would his voice be changing like that? It made her heart twinge, but that didn’t deter her. If anything, it made her more determined. “I’d love to meet Dexter,” she went on. “I’ve never seen a llama up close. If it wouldn’t be a bother, that is. I’ve been up here before, to introduce myself to Seth and his wife, Pippa, after we all moved into the farmhouse. They seem like a great pair, but they were busy at the time, and I didn’t want to bother them to show me around.”
“They’re the best,” Jake agreed. “And I know this place like the back of my hand, so whatever you’d like to see, I’m game.” He glanced down at her feet. “It’s a bit muddy though, so maybe . . .”
Laughing, she looked at the sandals she’d changed into before heading out. “Right. Hold on. I’ve got it covered.” She went around the back of her Jeep, opened the rear window hatch, and pulled out a pair of well-loved, purple rubber garden boots. She caught his dubious expression and said, “What other color would a lavender farmer wear?”
“Makes sense,” he said, smiling.
She looked at his beat-up brown leather boots and said, “You know, you work in a vineyard, and grapes are purple.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I could hook you up. In case, you know, you want to be hip like me.”
Jake laughed outright then, and she grinned.
“I think I might have to work my way up to that level of cool,” he told her, making her laugh even as he blushed when he realized he might have insulted her.
He seemed to be an endearing combination of earnest politeness and engaging teenager, all at the same time. She suspected once he got to know someone, he was funny and outgoing all the time. Certainly more so than his father, at any rate. Amused at the thought, Hannah slipped out of her sandals and tucked her feet into the clunky boots, careful to keep the edge of her long skirt from getting tucked inside them. She grabbed a hoodie from the back and slipped that on, too. With the sun setting, and the winery being up at an even higher elevation than her farm, it had already gotten quite cool. She zipped up the front of the oversized gray-and-pink striped garment, then struck a glamour pose, with one purple-booted toe pointed in front of her. “And to think they rejected my modeling application.”
They both laughed, then Jake led the way to the barn. “The goats are in here,” he told her, much more relaxed now. “We have a bunch of new babies. Dexter is out guarding the sheep in the lower pasture. We can go see him next. We used to bring him in at night because llamas can overeat, but Mr. B found something you can give them to keep that from happening. So now he stays out with his flock.”
“Dexter guards them?” Hannah said. “I didn’t know llamas did that.”
Jake nodded. “They’re used all over the country that way. Keeps the coyotes and other predators away. We don’t have much of a coyote problem here, but they are around.” He slid the barn door open, then stepped aside, allowing her to enter first. “In this case, Mr. B sort of bought the sheep for Dexter more than the other way around. He came with the place when Mr. B bought it. Dex had been abused before the previous owners of the vineyard got him, but they didn’t have him long enough to do much more than rescue him. Mr. B tried to get him a few buddies from an alpaca breeder down in the valley, but that didn’t go over too well. The breeder suggested Dex might like to be kept with sheep, who wouldn’t be so threatening to him. He said llamas had natural protective tendencies, so he’d likely bond with them and look out for them once they’d spent some time together. And it worked. Dex is super attached to the sheep now, like they’re his family. It’s pretty cool, actually.”
“It sounds amazing,” Hannah said, charmed. “What a lovely thing for Seth to do. I already liked him but now I like him even more.” She paused to let her eyes adjust to the dim interior of the barn.
“This is also our tasting room now,” Jake said, motioning to her left.
A row of stalls lined the far side of the spacious interior, but the rest of the barn had been converted into a tasting room for the winery, separated by a wall made of log and stone, with its own entrance. From what she could see beyond the double glass doors, beautiful, big oak wine barrels lined the near wall. Hardwood flooring had been installed and there was a long, polished bar of sorts in front of the space, with stools lined up along the front side. A few café-style tables and chairs dotted the space directly in front of the bar.
Outside the tasting room, there was a small office near the door they’d entered through that appeared to have at one point been one of the stalls. It had been closed in and remodeled and, from what she could see, it was nicely appointed inside, but the door was still the original stall door. She loved it. The combination of the nicely appointed tasting area and the original barn, complete with stalls and beautiful stone walls, made the place unique and inviting. All with a whiff of eau de farm animal, of course, but somehow it worked.
Speaking of farm animals, she heard rustling and quiet bleats coming from the stalls on the far side of the place. She looked back at Jake. “Your dad said you and one of your friends come up to help take care of the sheep and the goats?”
He nodded. “Yeah, me and Bailey. Bailey Sutton,” he added. “She’s eleven and used to be a foster kid, but now she lives with Addie Pearl Whitaker. They’re family. Sort of.” He smiled. “It’s kind of a long story, but Miss Addie also runs the Bluebird Crafters Guild that operates out of the restored mill.”
“Yes, we’ve met,” Hannah said. “Addie Pearl, I mean. She’s a wonder. My friends and I have talked about opening up a stall in the mill for our lavender p
roducts when the time comes. It’s unbelievable what you all did with that old silk mill. I didn’t even know such a thing existed.”
“Most folks don’t. It’s a great place. My dad, Mr. B, and their friend Mr. Hartwell—Sawyer, he owns part of the place—are the ones who headed up the renovation. It was a lot of work.”
Hannah heard the note of pride, and sensed Jake felt more ownership of the place than simply being the son of the guy who’d helped renovate it. “Did you pitch in, too?”
“The whole community did,” he said, not taking individual credit, but she saw the way he stood a little taller.
“I’m guessing with your dad being one of the ones spearheading the operation, you likely put in more than your fair share.”
“We all worked hard,” he said. “Honestly, sometimes I look at it and still can’t believe we got it all done.”
“What a wonderful accomplishment for the whole community, then,” Hannah said, charmed by his sincere humility. “I feel pretty strongly about the power of teamwork. It’s amazing what people can do when they put their heads together.”
“And their hands, and their backs,” Jake added with a laugh. “I don’t know how my dad does what he does every day. I didn’t do half of what he did, and I was dog tired at the end of the day.”
Hannah liked seeing the pride Jake felt for his dad. She didn’t know the full story of their family dynamic and she might never know—it was certainly none of her business—but whatever their story was, Will had done right by his son, there was no doubting that. He could and should be proud.
“So, I’m guessing you don’t see yourself following in your father’s footsteps, then?” Hannah asked, her tone gently teasing.
“No,” Jake said easily, taking the comment as intended. “But Dad isn’t hung up on that. I mean, if it was what I wanted, he’d do whatever he could to help. I appreciate what he does, more now since the renovation, and I help him out as grunt labor from time to time, but I don’t know if I see myself going the same direction. We’ve talked a lot about that in the past year or so. Ultimately, he wants me to follow my own path. He supports that.”
Hannah had been right about Jake being chatty and open once he relaxed, and then some. She liked it. A lot. He’d be hard not to like. “That’s really good. Sounds like you two have a good relationship.”
Jake nodded. “We have our moments, but yeah. We’re all we’ve got. End of the day, that’s what matters most.”
Hannah’s smile came easily, but she turned as if glancing around the interior of the place again, hoping he hadn’t noticed the quick sheen that came to her eyes just then. Out of nowhere. She couldn’t always hide the unexpected little clutches. Around people she knew, she didn’t bother, but Jake didn’t know her story, nor did he need to. She was truly happy for Jake and his dad. That kind of bond was what she wished all kids had, all parents, too. She’d have liked to have had that bond herself growing up. She certainly would have done her best to have had that kind of relationship with Liam. “You said ‘our tasting room’ earlier.” She looked back at Jake. “Is there a future vintner standing here before me?”
Jake shrugged, but he instantly warmed to the subject. “Maybe. Mr. B is showing me the ropes. I’ve been helping him more in the fields this past year. I really like the science of it all,” he said, “and figuring out how the same exact steps can create a great product, or something that tastes like vinegar. Mr. B let me tend to my own section of the vineyard last year—he didn’t tell me he was doing that specifically, but in the end, after harvest, he let me learn how to make grape juice from my grapes. Not fermented,” he hurried to add. “My first batch was awful.” He let out a short laugh. “So was my second batch. But the third one wasn’t too bad. I think I’ve figured out a better way to prune the vines and a better extracting process, but—” He stopped then and just sort of shrugged, like maybe he’d revealed too much about his geekier side. He was an adorable mix of confident young man and shy teenager. And she’d bet he would be mortified if he knew she’d thought of him as adorable for any reason.
The notion made her smile widen. “I know exactly what you mean. I’ve learned more about botanical sciences in the past five months than I knew my entire life. I’m not as good at it as Avery, one of my partners in our lavender farm—she’s a genius, literally—but it’s still all very fascinating. We just learned to make an essential oil today. You have to distill it and capture the steam inside this tube and funnel it into a dark glass container.” She paused, realizing she was the one geeking out now, and grinned.
But it had the desired effect of loosening him up again. “That sounds pretty cool,” he said, and seemed to really mean it.
“You’re welcome to come check it all out, anytime. Avery would be happy to give you the tour of the lab she’s set up. We’re learning how to make essential oils, tinctures, soap, tea. In fact, I was telling your dad that Vivi—another partner and friend of mine, who actually owns the farmhouse—is making lavender-infused cupcakes and cookies today. As we speak, actually. She’s hoping to add them to the menu for our tearoom when we get it up and running. She’d love to have another guinea pig to try them out.” Hannah leaned in. “She was born in New Orleans and is an amazing—ah-mazing—cook. So, they’re probably incredible.”
“I’d give them a try,” Jake told her, not sounding entirely sold on the idea of eating cookies made with flowers, but too polite to say so.
“You can always take a plate in to your dad and try them without her watching,” Hannah told him. “Just give me a thumbs-up or -down and I’ll only pass your vote along if it’s good.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to do that.”
“I’ll be happy to give your grape juice a try in return,” she said. “We can share our thumbs-up or -down at the same time. No harm, no foul?”
Jake laughed. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet,” he said, and she admired his honesty. “It’s definitely still a work in progress. I’m not even sure I want to make wine yet. I’m interested in music, too.”
“A man of many talents,” she said admiringly.
He grinned. “Well, I did give up the astronaut dream, so that narrows it down a little.”
Hannah laughed outright. “I don’t know, maybe you could be the first man to grow grapes on Mars.”
Jake’s hoot of laughter was half high pitched, half croak, and entirely adorable. “I don’t know, but I will say, if they ever figure out private space travel, all bets on the astronaut dream staying off the table are totally off.”
Hannah raised her hand. “I’m in. I’ll grow lavender in the field next to your grapes. Or in our growing pods. Or whatever they have for greenhouses on our new home planet.”
“Deal,” Jake said, and gave her a fist bump and they both did the exploding gesture, then laughed.
“Now I feel hip,” Hannah said, still grinning. Jake was a great kid, and she was enjoying his company immensely. Sure, there were twinges, thoughts of Liam, but she was truly glad she’d made the offer to come pick Jake up.
“So, you and—Bailey, you said her name was? I haven’t met her yet. How did you two come to help out Seth with the farm animals?”
“We met when she and her sister, Sunny, came to live in the Falls. They never knew each other before then.” At Hannah’s surprised look, he added, “Like I said, it’s a long story. Anyway, Sunny is with Sawyer now, and Bailey lives with Miss Addie. I guess it’s been almost two years now or will be this fall. Seems like I’ve known her a lot longer.”
Jake led Hannah over to the row of closed stalls. “So, Bailey was in foster care her whole life before coming here and part of that time she spent living on a farm. Sunny knew Bailey really missed that, so she got her some sheep, which she keeps up at her and Miss Addie’s place. My dad, Mr. B, and Mr. Hartwell helped build and repair the pens where the sheep stay and she was at the mill a lot when we were finishing it up.” He shrugged. “There aren’t too many kids in the
Falls, and . . . I don’t know, we just became friends. She used to raise goats on the farm she lived on, so Mr. B got her a few to keep up here. I started helping Mr. B then, too, with the goats and with the sheep he got for Dex. Bailey’s goats started having babies, and people wanted them. So, they worked out a deal where Mr. B pays her for her work up here with goat feed and stuff, and the money she makes from selling the goats goes to Miss Addie for Bailey’s college fund. It’s all cool.”
Hannah nodded, truly impressed. “She sounds like an amazing girl.”
“Miss Addie calls her a ‘force of nature’ and that’s pretty much it. Bailey is very determined once she sets her mind to something, and she has this weird ability to just know things about you by looking at you. Mr. B says she’s an ‘old soul,’ whatever that means. I guess to me she’s just like my kid sister now.” His tone turned dry. “But don’t tell her I said that.” He walked over to one of the closed stalls. “The babies are in here. She won’t mind you seeing them. They’re pygmy goats, so they stay pretty little—”
“Oh my goodness, look at them,” Hannah said, crooning as she leaned over the stall door. The goats were tiny, not more than a foot or two tall, in varying shades of white, brown, and gray, some of them all three colors. Their coat was short but their ears were adorably fluffy, and they had little nubs on their heads. They immediately began bleating and stumbling over themselves to get to the door. Some began to hop, surprising Hannah with how high they could leap. “Oh! Oh no,” she said, still laughing. She glanced at Jake. “Are they hungry? Should we not be looking in? I don’t want to tease them and make them think they’re going to be fed.”
“They’re always hungry,” Jake said with an eye roll, but his tone was affectionate. He reached over the door with his long arms and plucked up one of the smaller ones. “This is Sherwin.” Jake put him on the dirt floor and the baby immediately raced around the big open space, hopping and bleating.
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