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“Do you feel it?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Feel what?”
Closing her eyes, she let the sunshine hit her face, and I found I couldn’t breathe as I watched her. She was so damn beautiful. To see her in her element made my heart race.
“This is the spot, Bryson.”
Glancing around, I took in the stunning vista in front of me. The Rocky Mountains were literally my backyard. I looked up the ridge at the Douglas firs, pines, spruce, and aspens. The creek’s rushing water flowing in the distance had me closing my eyes and taking in all the sounds.
The wind through the trees. Running water. Birds singing. A feeling of pure peace swept over me. For the past few years, I had been moving nonstop, and I was more than ready to slow down. I nodded. “This is the spot.”
When I opened my eyes, I caught Rose’s gaze. She wore a huge smile on her face. She opened her electronic notebook and sat down on the ground. She looked around, then focused on the blank notebook and started to draw.
“How big of a house are you thinking?”
I sat down next to her, kicking my legs out and crossing them at the ankles. “I know for sure I want a log home. I don’t need anything large.”
She glanced up and faked a surprised look. “What? But you have the big condo in Seattle?”
Laughing, I shook my head. “That big condo in Seattle just sold.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You sold it? Who bought it?”
“A couple from California. Nick had already decided to move in with Loren, so it worked out perfectly.”
“Wow.” She looked shocked at my mention of selling the condo in Seattle. With a quick shake of her head, she went on. “Okay, back to the house. You don’t want a big house. Tell me what you want.”
“I want a home. Something that feels cozy yet will be comfortable enough to raise a family. I think five bedrooms, so my mother and father will have a place for when they come and stay.”
Rose nodded. “Bathrooms?”
I stopped and thought for a few moments. “When I was younger, I remember I always wanted a bathroom connected to my room that was only for me.”
“Me too!” Rose stated with a laugh. “We lived in the old ranch house, and although my mom and dad added on to it, I had to share a bathroom with Josh, and I hated every second of it. I was always so jealous of Morgan, Lily, and Avery because their bathrooms were attached to their rooms.”
“That’s what I want. Each bedroom to have its own bathroom. And maybe a good-sized half bath for guests.”
“If you do that, your small cozy house will be a bit bigger.”
“I guess maybe I don’t want it as small as I thought. I really just want it to feel like a home.”
Rose smiled at me, and for a moment, I thought for sure she was going to say something, but she shook her head and looked back down at the drawing.
“I love being outside, so I’d really love a big porch.”
“Wraparound?”
“Not a fan of wraparounds.”
“What else do you want?”
I thought about it for a few moments. “Large windows so it feels like the outside is inside. A big kitchen.”
Rose looked up and grinned. “I forgot you said you liked to cook.”
“I don’t get to do it often, so a big kitchen is a must. And I want one of those eat-in kitchens where I can be cooking, and people are in there with me.”
“What do you like to cook?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “I like coming up with new things to eat, and my grandmother had me in the kitchen from the time I could stand on a stool helping her bake. If you need a good cake or pie, I’m your guy.”
Laughing, Rose started back on the drawing and made notes on another page. She stopped and stared up at the mountains.
“What would you want in your house? Something just for you?” I asked.
She closed her eyes and smiled. “I’d want a room for painting. It would have to have large windows to let in the light and lots of room to put paintings all around.”
I watched her closely. “Why don’t you paint more, Rose?”
She exhaled and slowly shook her head. “It’s a long story. Let’s get back to the house. What else would you like?”
“Game room would be nice. An office, maybe. Since I’m retiring from baseball, I need to figure out what in the hell I’m going to do.”
Rose kept working on her drawing. It wasn’t lost on me she was purposely keeping it from me.
“Maybe I’ll go to school and get a degree.”
Rose stopped drawing and looked at me. “Are you being serious?”
“Yeah. Why not?”
“What would you get your degree in?”
