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Curiosity ran wild within her by then, but the hint of nerves in Harry’s voice softened her. She obeyed, closing her eyes beneath the cloth. “Okay.”
With hands on her shoulders, Harry shuffled her forward. He untied the blindfold, letting it trail a slithering caress along the side of her neck as he pulled it free. Behind her, he pressed close. Against her ear, he whispered, “Open your eyes.”
She did.
The inside of the greenhouse shone like a galaxy of stars. Thousands of tiny fairy lights hung curtain-like down the walls and looped like swags from the ceiling. Every table was covered in nursery pots bursting with native flowers. Black-eyed Susans and coneflowers, blue flax and candytuft, columbine and catchfly. A dozen others.
The place had been transformed into an indoor meadow. It was the world’s biggest bouquet of wildflowers.
Garlands made from pine boughs and thin grape canes wound around the pots, accented with fragrant sprigs of rosemary and sage. Wide pillar candles in lanterns with brushed brass frames were interspersed with the greenery.
She entered in a daze, tears welling in her eyes. Harry kept his distance, allowing her the physical and mental space to take it all in. It was the most magnificent thing Rowan had ever seen.
“I hope you don’t mind the temporary remodeling,” he said behind her.
She couldn’t turn around. Not yet. “How did you do this?”
“I had a few accomplices,” he said. “Colby has a ton of connections at local garden centers. And I held my breath all day, hoping you wouldn’t wonder why Nate needed you to spend the afternoon with him, rehashing budget stuff.”
“Harry, I swear I almost fell asleep from the boredom a dozen times.”
He laughed softly.
Rowan walked between the rows of flowers, trailing a finger along the satiny wood of the tables. They were both silent for a long time.
Soon, they reached the back wall of the greenhouse, near the same window she’d climbed through to escape him the night they’d met. Only now, the hinges would move easily if opened, and the glass was crystalline clean. In the reflection, she watched Harry materialize behind her, solid and clear.
She turned. A hint of apprehension showed in his solemn eyes.
“Nobody’s out there playing Team Tag tonight, are they?” Rowan said.
Harry shook his head. “Everyone’s eyes were on you, so I’d know where to find you. Even the kids were in on it.”
“I wondered why Duncan gave them walkie-talkies.”
Harry nodded. “They were so pumped.”
“Sneaky.”
“Come over here. I have something to show you.” He guided her to the front of the greenhouse. A wooden crate sat on a table there, roughly twice the size of a shoebox. Harry lifted the lid and moved out of the way, gesturing for her to look inside.
Flickering flames in the big lanterns made everything move in slow motion. Everything except her pulse—it sprinted like a horse with a slipped bridle. Rowan needed to lean against the table for balance when she saw the thing nestled in the shredded packing material.
It was a large brick of polished gray granite. Rowan ran a fingertip over the engraving.CLOUD TIDE, it said, with the year stamped below it.
“It’s a cornerstone for the winery.” Harry settled his hands on her upper arms, dropping a tender kiss on the nape of her neck. “When I told Ma and Dad your story about Edie and the cloud tide, they were all in on the name. This place is officially the Cloud Tide Vineyard and Winery, Rowan. We’ll have this installed when the bank barn renovation begins.”
Rowan crumpled against the table and covered her face. Harry gently turned her to him, then cuffed her wrists, drawing her hands away. “This place belongs to you now, too. And you belong to it.” He nudged her chin up with a knuckle. “Think Edie would approve?”
She twisted her hands in the front of his shirt and searched his eyes. “When did you do this?”
“Oh, no. Are you going to answer my questions with a question?”
Tears spilled over. “Aren’t you used to it by now?”
“Rowan.” Mirth faded, and his expression transformed into raw, urgent emotion. “I have a really important question to ask you tonight. It’s one you have to give me an actual answer for.”
She nodded, tasting her heart on the back of her tongue.
