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“When I first got here and saw the place, I was a little skeptical. But after being here and working on it, I’ve fallen in love with it. And everyone in town I’ve talked to thinks it’s a great idea and something that’s been needed since the Castle Springs Resort closed down.”
“That was in the eighties.”
“I know.”
“Okay. That’s good enough for me.”
Joey put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him. “You’re too good, J.T.”
“Well, we still have to approach Freddy. And honestly, the family has wanted this property for a while now. If we had gotten it from the Bradfords, this house would’ve just sat here and fallen apart. So giving it to you and Finn is nothing really. And we’re not going to miss fifty acres.”
“I don’t need fifty acres. I’d be happy with five.”
“Fifty will give you a buffer from our grazing cows.”
“Is this really going to happen?”
J.T. nodded. “One way or another, we’ll make it happen. Buying your dad out means buying your sister out, too. Is she going to have a problem with that?”
“I don’t think so. She’ll probably be glad to get her money back.”
“Okay. So in the meantime, just keep working away on the place. I’ll set up an account for you at the hardware store. Get whatever you need.”
“J.T. I can get a job.”
“No. Let’s get this place finished and opened up. Then if you still want to pay me back, we’ll talk about it.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He smiled. “You can give me a tiny down-payment.”
“How?”
“Another kiss should do it.”
Joey laughed, then put her arms around his neck. “I’m not sure how much my kisses are worth.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
They talked for another hour about Joey’s plans for the house and for the first time J.T. actually saw its potential. She was right. It was going to work. At ten, he was ready to leave, citing the need for sleep after a long day of digging in the mud.
She walked him to the door. “You must be exhausted.”
“I’m pretty beat, yeah.” He took her hand. “This is going to work.”
Joey nodded, then cocked her head. “The bed-and-breakfast, or Joey and J.T.?”
He laughed. “Both.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I want both of those things to work.”
She put a hand on his chest. “Me too.”
He nodded and opened the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Joey stayed on the porch until J.T. drove away, then went inside. A lot of things changed today. She was amazed and very thankful the O’Connells were coming to her rescue. She’d spent the day in a panic over losing the place. She looked around the living room, which still needed to be painted. The floors needed to be sanded down and refinished. And the mantle around the fireplace needed to be fixed. The fireplace had been sealed off, and the woodstove sat in front of it. But the old mantle was still there and was too beautiful to take down. At least it could be beautiful again. The painting she could do. But the floors were a big job. And she certainly wasn’t a carpenter.
She took a breath. It would all work out. With J.T.’s help, everything would be okay. She went to bed, but it took her a while to fall asleep. She was too excited.
Finn woke her in the morning when he crawled into bed with her.
