She could feel the glow of happiness and excitement growing in her chest. “Oh, Will! You have no idea how much I’d love a garden like that. I’ve dreamed about it. Selecting the plants. Tending to them. Making little signs to say what they’re used for.”
He reached down and picked up a handful of freshly uncovered black soil and handed it to her. “I figured it would be as practical as it would be relaxing for the people we serve.”
Pressing the dirt against her heart, she didn’t care if her shirt got dirty. This was soil. Good soil. The earth’s lifeblood. “You’re speaking to my heart, Will.”
“Good.” He dusted off his hands and shot her a dimpled smile. “I know we’re a few weeks past ideal planting, but I’d love to get started. Knowing you were coming, I reached out to everyone I know from my yoga classes, as well as the local extension services, to let them know what I’m planning to do at Wild Mountain. They’ve offered seeds and cuttings and divided plants. I don’t know that they’ll have everything youneed, but I have a budget you can use to fill in the other areas. I even have volunteers to help you.”
She could feel the loamy give of the soil in her hands calling to her. God, she wanted to plant, but wasn’t it premature? “We’re not at the end of the trial period, Will.”
“The site would still benefit from a garden.” He took her by the shoulders. “Would you be willing to start?”
Looking up at Neil, she could sense his excitement. He loved getting in the dirt and planting like she did. Besides, she couldn’t help them build the center. Her plan had been to forage for plants and start drying them with the hopes she’d have a great start on her apothecary should she decide to stay. Sure, they had podcast work, but she couldn’t fill all her time that way. She liked to stay busy. Did she want to plant? Hell yes. But would it break her heart to plant a garden if she ended up leaving? She bit her lip. No, a garden was always right.
“All right. Let’s do it.”
“Yahoo!” Will clapped his hands, sending up a cloud of dirt that made him sneeze.
“God bless you,” she said as Mr. McAllister arrived with a hesitant smile.
“Good to have you here, Hannah. I see you two have already started playing in the dirt like old times. Reminds me of when you were a little girl coming out on the ranch. We’re making good time clearing the site. If you’d like, I can till the garden tomorrow. Shouldn’t take too long.”
The sun felt warm on her back, and the air carried the beautiful feel of summer. “That’s a great offer if I ever heard one, Mr. McAllister.”
“Isn’t it about time you called me Knox?” He pointed at his weathered cheek for her to plant a kiss, which she did with a soft smile. “Since I’m plenty old enough, that makes you old enough.”
Whoa—this was a big gesture… “I’d be happy to…Knox.”
He gave her a quick nod, his silver eyes warm, reminding her of Ben. “Enjoy your foraging. Wild Mountain missed you, Hannah.”
Even Will’s brows rose past his cowboy hat. Mr. McAllister—Knox—was never this chatty. “Thank you. I’ve missed her too. There are beautiful places in Scotland—don’t get me wrong. But I haven’t seen plants like beargrass, fireweed, or prairie clover…”
A dog barking stopped her from going on. Turning, she couldn’t help but smile as Cooper raced after his puppy. When he stumbled and hit the ground with his knee, she wasn’t the only one who winced.
“Slow down, son,” Knox called.
He picked himself up and resumed his run like he hadn’t heard a word shouted. She walked over to the grassy area they were talking about clearing and picked a few leaves of plantain. When Cooper reached them, she surveyed the damage. “Your knee doesn’t look too bad, but we should put a little something on your scratches so you’ll heal faster.”
Crouching down, she rubbed the leaves between her fingers to release the juices. He stuck out his bare little leg as Tank ducked under it, acting like a foot cushion. “Hey! Dad does this too! Did you teach him when you used to live here?”
A dull ache followed by a spurt of delight pulsed in her chest.Ben had continued using what she’d shared with him.“You bet I did.” She gently treated the red scratches before tossing the leaves aside and rinsing with the water Neil had dribbled over her hands from his water bottle.
“I thought so.” The boy gazed up at her with a serious expression that reminded her so much of Ben. “What’s the basket for? Did you forget to bring lunch?”
She laughed. “No, this here is a foraging basket. I was going to take Neil up to some of my old favorite places to pick herbs and plants.”
He jumped up and down. “Can I come? Ilovefield trips. I can show you where a short-eared owl lives. He might be back from hunting up voles.”
She glanced at Neil, who nodded discreetly in agreement. They’d talked about how sweet a boy Cooper was. If there was anything of Amber in him, she hadn’t seen it yet.
Every time she went to the barn to try to rebuild her relationship with Flame, the little boy would follow her in and talk to her while Flame ignored her. She tried to be grateful the mare hadn’t tried to kick or bite her again, but refusing her favorite treats of carrots and apples was a pointed slight. Hannah left the barn sick to her stomach every time with Cooper patting her sweetly on the lower back, telling her the horse would come around.
Funny how it reminded her of Ben comforting her when her mother didn’t make it to one of her performances in the school plays or another school event because she was in bed.
“Cooper, you’re welcome to come along, but do you need to ask your dad first?”
Will picked Cooper up and tossed him in the air, making him shout a delighted cry. “Nah, our little buckaroo pretty much has the run of the place except around chores, meals, and bedtime. I think you’re good to go.”
“I agree.” Knox tipped up his hat. “Be good to bring Tank with you. If there’s anything around that needs running off, he’ll be at the ready to do it.”
