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I shook my head. “Of course not. You don’t really think that, do you?”
“Sometimes it’s hard for me to trust people’s intentions. My parents—”
“They didn’t give you many reasons to be trusting, but you can rest assured my family wants nothing but the best for you. If you decide to stay and run it yourself, everyone will be happy for you. An operating inn helps us, and we prefer when properties stay in families. That’s what we want to see. No outsiders coming in and changing things.
Her stomach rumbled.
I laughed. “Let’s get you to the main house before you pass out. Mom will have a ton of food.”
Marley relaxed in my cab, fiddling with the radio as I drove the short distance to the main house. “It’s so nice being here. It feels like a vacation.”
“Just think about what it will be like when the inn is done. It will be gorgeous, and you can stay there.”
Something flashed across her face. Hurt or regret? I wasn’t sure.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the inn. But do you think—could you—”
I parked next to my brothers’ trucks and turned off the engine. “I’d do anything for you.”
She let out a breath. “Would you plant some evergreens by the inn? I’d love to bring the Christmas trees there. From our property, we can’t see your evergreens.”
“I can do that. It will take a few years for them to grow unless you want mature trees.”
“Is it possible to move mature trees?”
“We can try. Doesn’t mean they’ll take to the new spot.”
She waved a hand at me. “You don’t have to go through all that trouble, and I wouldn’t want the tree to die. But I think if it’s going to be an inn again, it would be amazing to have a garden. A private spot for guests to go and sit, look at the flowers, or whatever.”
“What do you think about a fountain? Knox has been working on more hardscape with patios and retaining walls. He could design something for the inn that could work.”
“A fountain would be amazing.”
“We could fix the lane so that it’s in a circle and put the fountain in the middle, or we could put one in the gardens.” I was excited to discuss the possibilities with her. Knox and I loved to talk about these things when we were together.
“Am I crazy for putting money into the place? Shouldn’t I do the bare minimum and give it to someone else?” But then she winced as if the idea was distasteful even to her.
“You should do what your heart is telling you to.”
“I can see the inn with a fresh coat of white paint on the outside, the porch adorned with wreaths and lights for the holidays, and a garden off to the side, with areas for privacy. Maybe even a fountain in the middle.”
“We could do that. In fact, we’d love to. I’ll talk to Emmett about it tonight,” I said as excitement filled me. These were the kind of projects I loved. I wanted to see the inn restored to its full glory, and in this case, far exceeding anything it was in the past.
Marley’s lips pursed. “I’m not sure I want to do that big of a project. Can you give me an estimate, and I can think about it?”
“Absolutely. This is your baby. We’ll do whatever you want.” Although I secretly hoped she wanted to add the gardens. I could imagine how it would look.
“I used to dread coming home, but now that the trailer is gone, and I’m certain my parents aren’t going to show up and demand money, I can relax. Maybe I can enjoy the property for what it is.”
That’s what I wanted for her. To see the property as Lila did and decide about selling after she considered how special it was. I had a feeling her parents and her upbringing tarnished her memories. And maybe it was partly my fault, too. I’d hate for her to have stayed away for so long because of me. But I suspected it was more than that.
When she made no move to get out of the truck, I asked, “Are you ready to go in? I know my family can be a lot.”
The lights were on in the house, and from the number of vehicles parked in front, everyone was already here.
She let out a breath. “Let’s do this.”
“That’s my girl,” I said, repeating a phrase I’d said a million times when we were seeing each other. We spent all of our time on our properties, and I dared her to do things outside of her comfort zone, like snowmobiling, swimming, and swinging on the rope into the pond.
