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It was a cat, feeding her two orange kittens, and also…the tiny raccoons. “Oh my God,” I breathed. The mama cat was purring loudly, obviously unfazed at having recently added two young family members of a different species. I stared, taking in the scene, tears welling in my eyes. This cat had accepted these tiny creatures because they needed her, and she could. “How did you do it?” I asked Gage as I lifted my hand and ran a finger over the cat’s head.
“I didn’t do anything except think of it,” he said. “It was up to Clawdia, and thankfully she agreed.”
“Thank you, Clawdia,” I whispered, scratching her under her chin as her purrs increased in volume.
I turned to Gage. “Thank you.” I hoped he saw the depth of my gratitude in my eyes. I’d been heartbroken at having been involved in leaving two innocent creatures motherless, and though there was no way to bring her back, Gage had done the next best thing and found another mother to care for them.
And he’d done it for me.
I somehow knew in my heart that even though Gage was kind and considerate, he wouldn’t have necessarily gone to these lengths if I hadn’t been so distraught.
“You’re welcome,” he said. Our eyes lingered, and I wanted to kiss him so badly it was a physical ache. I wanted him, his body and his heart. But I could have neither and so I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight.
We stayed and watched the cats and the racoons for a little bit longer, the scene bringing me both joy and peace. But after a little bit, Clawdia closed her eyes, and we left the small, blended family to sleep.
When we left the room, the sun had dipped lower, the sky now a mixture of pale orange and twilight blue. Fireflies danced through the sweetened air, and for a moment, the world felt lovelier than it’d ever been.
“I do love a good sunset,” I said. “My mom was right about this place offering beautiful ones. They’re glorious.”
I looked around, taking in the row of parked pull wagons that held baskets. The paths through the trees were well-worn and I could picture families strolling and collecting fruit, laughing and making family memories before going home and baking pies, or making jam, or perhaps sharing their bounty with neighbors. “Is it okay that we’re here after-hours?”
“Yeah,” Gage said. “Travis said we could stay as long as we wanted and just asked that I close the barn door before we leave.”
I turned and squinted into the lingering line of fading orange along the horizon over the lake. “It’s so tranquil here,” I said. “I hope I can find this kind of peace someday.”
I felt Gage’s gaze hanging heavy on me for a moment and then he walked in front of me, over to a bench that was inscribed with something. Gage sat down, and I read the inscription out loud, “Dedicated to Connor Hale.” I sat down next to Gage. Hale. That must have been Travis’s father or grandfather.
“Where do you picture yourself finding this sort of peace?”
“I don’t know.” I considered that as a little more of the sun slipped away. “I told you about that pull I’ve always felt.” I paused. “I haven’t experienced it since I’ve been here. But it’s like…I don’t fit here either.” I let out a frustrated exhale. “I don’t know where I belong.”
His eyes washed over my features, settling on my mouth for a moment and then moving away. “Maybe it’s not about a place, so much as…a person, or…people. Your people.” He reached out and took my hand. “We’ll figure out who they are, Rory.” He paused. “No matter what.”
No matter what.
I knew what that meant.
I nodded and looked to the side, but the warmth of his hand brought me comfort and I didn’t want to pull away and so I didn’t. “It makes me feel sort of guilty to even think like that. Because, I have people. I have two uncles who love me and have sacrificed everything for me.”
Gage tilted his head, his brow furrowing. “You told me they stepped in when your mother died. How old were they?”
“Cash was twenty-six and already settled into his career. But Romeo, he was only eighteen. He was about to leave Mud Gulch right before my mother died, but…well, he canceled his plans and he stayed. Not only for me, but for the bar that my mother had run after my granny died. Uncle Cassius helped, but he’s away more often than he’s not.” I felt a pang in my gut the way I always did when I thought about it.
Gage was silent for a moment as I used my other hand to play with the hem of my shirt. “He sacrificed for you. He’s obviously a stand-up guy.”
I blew out a breath. “He is. But…he obviously felt a pull too and he never answered it. He sacrificed for me—for all of us—when he was so young. He was going to see the world. Heck, he might have taken it over.” And instead, he was stuck behind a bar in Mud Gulch, Maine. “Maybe he still can. If…”
“If?”
I raised my eyes to meet his. “It’s not my driving motivation, but…if I have a father of means, then maybe I can give back to Romeo. Cassius too, but Cassius is happy with where he is.” If I believed that my mom had a hand in leading me here, then wouldn’t she also want Romeo to benefit if my father saw fit to assist me financially in helping Romeo regain those lost years?
“Ah. You want to send Romeo on that world adventure he was about to go on when instead, he ended up having to stay home and raise his niece.”
“It wasn’t fair,” I whispered.
“For any of you. But, Rory, I highly doubt he’s looking to be repaid. I don’t know your uncle, but the way you talk about him, I can tell he’s a great guy.”
“He is. He’s the best. He’d never complain.”
