She snapped to attention while her eyes focused on the painting she’d sent him for Christmas hanging in a place of honor above the television. She’d painted it partly by memory and also with the help of a photo she’d found on the Hughes Family Orchard Instagram account. The piece featured the old barn that sat facing the road near the entrance to the orchard. She’d spent hours perfecting the piece, pouring all her love for Jake, his family, and their home into it. And she could see that love in the brushstrokes and the care she’d taken.
“Isn’t that the perfect spot for it?” He handed her another fry. “I look at it every night while I watch TV.”
She nodded, and suddenly all the pieces clicked together in her mind. “I got it,” she whispered. “See ya later, Dusty,” she told the cat before heading out the front door and down the porch steps.
“Where are you going?” Jake trailed after her to the driveway.
Emily pointed toward the entrance to the orchard. “How long has that barn been out of commission?”
“I don’t know.” He rubbed the blond scruff lining his jaw. “Twenty years? Why?”
She started down the dirt road toward it.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“Going to the barn.” She beckoned him. “Come on, slowpoke!”
“What are you up to?”
“Just trust me,” she said.
He took a few long strides and fell into step beside her. “I always do,” he said, and his words sent a warm glow curling through her.
Up close the barn’s age and neglect were even more apparent. The two humongous wooden doors hung loosely from rusted hinges, while rotting boards held nests for who knew how many birds. The peeling red paint had flaked off, leaving the barn looking naked in the overgrown field.
But the old building still held beauty along with its legacy. And its potential was endless!
Emily started inside.
“Whoa!” Jake grabbed her arm and tugged her toward him.
He held on to her, and she enjoyed the feel of his warm and rough skin as she breathed in his familiar scent—sandalwood mixed with soap. She’d missed that comforting smell more than she’d realized. She’d missedhim. Staying away from Splendid Lake for so long had been more difficult than she’d understood.
He released her arm. “It’s not safe in there.”
“What would it take to make it safe?”
“I don’t know. Why?” He studied her with a mixture of confusion and intrigue.
“What if we made it into a market?”
He chuckled. “What are you talking about?”
“The new orchard is offering a fun-filled fall festival—theirwords, not mine. That means we need to offer something equally as amazing, right?”
He nodded, and his eyes were crystal blue in the afternoon sunlight.
“What if we had a market?” She pointed to the barn. “Let’s restore the barn and invite local vendors to sell cool stuff here. That could be a whole new revenue stream when the orchard opens for the fall season.”
When his brow wrinkled, she kept talking. “You can invite the community to be part of it—like, Mrs. O’Connor can sell her pies, and Mrs. Randolph can sell her jams. Then there’s Mr. Williams, who always made donuts. You know, things like that.”
His eyebrows rose, but his expression conveyed he wasn’t buying any of it.
She huffed out a frustrated breath. “Jake, why did you invite me to come here?”
His face warmed. “Because I missed you.”
She blinked. She’d missed him too.A lot.Had he missed her the same way? Her stomach flip-flopped at the idea of finally getting Jake to care about her as more than a friend. But that was a crazy thought. If he did, then why hadn’t he told her how he felt? She frowned.
