Page 75 of Worth the Fight

“That should be perfect, then.”

The driveway to our old farmhouse appears on the right, and a wave of mixed emotions runs through me. Happy ones, memories of the times we’d sneak out there as teenagers, first to explore the old house, and then to hide out from our families.

There’s a hint of sadness, too, knowing that the house has been abandoned for so long. With the record snow falls this winter, the driveway is completely snowed in. Clumps of snow weigh down the branches of the trees that line the drive, and it looks like a few of them have snapped with the weight, and my heart sinks. “I was hoping we could check out the old house this trip, but it looks like that’s out of the question.”

“We sure got a lot of snow, didn’t we?” he adds.

I nod, my head twisting to stay with the driveway even as the truck rolls past. “When’s the last time you’ve been out there?”

“Ummm…” He pauses to think. “I pop out there every now and then.”

I expect him to add more, but when he doesn’t, I assume that it’s not good news. An abandoned house often starts to deteriorate when no one lives in it. It was in a frail state when we would spend our time there ten years ago. I can’t imagine what another ten years have done to it.

“Someday, we’ll go back there, baby,” he says, squeezing my knee.

“I hope so,” I whisper, turning back to him. “You’ve been promising me a future there since we were kids.”

The corner of his lip twitches at that. “And that’s a promise I’ll never break to you, baby.”

We pass the road to Grayson’s house, and we both turn to peer down the drive.

I see Grayson’s truck parked in the drive, next to a smaller black SUV. “Grayson and Holly will be over soon,” he tells me. “Holly saw a few patients this morning at the clinic but looks like she’s done now.”

“I’m excited to meet Holly. And to see your mom. Harper.” I haven’t seen Harper since I left for Paris. We talked on the phone a few times during Lukas’s deployment, but when Lukas and I ended, I lost his family, too.

“Hah, my mom is losing her mind at the thought of seeing you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to steal all your attention this weekend.”

Another yawn escapes me as Lukas pulls into the drive of the main farmhouse.

It’s just as beautiful as I remember. The wraparound porch is still one out of a dream. The rockers that sit out front are gone, likely in storage for the winter months. Flower boxes line all the windows, and I know under the layers of snow that cover the yard are Mrs. Hart’s flowers, eager to bloom once the snow melts, and the sun warms the earth.

Lukas puts the truck into park, shutting off the engine, and I shuffle to the passenger side, swinging open the door and sliding my feet down to the ground.

“Slow down, baby, it could be icy out and the last thing we need is for you to slip and hurt yourself.”

But my feet are already on the ground, and I wiggle my toes inside my boots, so happy to be officially cleared and out of my walking boot. Ignoring Lukas, I spin in a slow circle, inhaling a breath full of farm air, the crisp cold mixing with the smell of hay. The soft cluck from the chickens behind the barn door carries through the slats in the wood.

There are a few goats hanging outside the barn, munching on some hay that’s been strewn around. “Harper still has her goats, I see.”

Lukas circles around the truck, pulling my suitcase from the back. He drapes an arm over my shoulder as his gaze looks over to the goats. “She sure does. And do you remember the Nielsen’s. the ones that were selling their farm?”

I nod.

“They had a few older animals that no one wanted. Two old goats, and a rabbit, of all things. They didn’t know what to do with them, so they surrendered them to Rick. Candi mentioned it to Harper one day, and I’m sure you can piece together what happened from there.”

I smile at that. Harper has the best heart. A heart so big that sometimes I think it can be mistaken for weakness in a world like ours. I turn toward Lukas, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I love that she basically collects old animals, letting them live out their best life the way they deserve.”

He tries to hide his smile, but I see it all the same. “I’d love it more if she was here every day to take care of them.”

That’s what he says, and I’m sure Grayson says that, too, but I beg to differ. They love those old nosey goats as much as the next person. And when there isn’t two feet of snow, they likely roam free, eating grass and shrubbery and acting as natural landscapers.

I tilt my head to face him, the sun warming our skin as I take him in. His crystal-blue eyes shine brighter in the morning sun, or maybe it’s because he’s home. Or maybe it’s simply because I missed him, and my heart is so full that I get to spend the next few days with him, but he looks different somehow. Happier.

I rise on my toes to press a kiss to his lips just as the front door opens. Lukas’s mom steps onto the porch and raises an arm to wave at me, and I squeal, letting go of Lukas and traipsing through the snow toward her.

I take the few steps to the farmhouse as fast as I can without falling, and her arms are open, waiting for me, and I slam into her with a hug.

She wraps her arms around me, and I breathe her in. She smells like fresh baked pie, laundry soap, and home.