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“Go outside?” Chloe asked.
I nodded and took her by the hand. We all traipsed down the stairs and out through the kitchen to the backyard.
Moss and lichen enveloped the thick trunks and lower branches of the old trees. A dense canopy overhead filtered afternoon sunlight into soft, dappled patterns on the ground, lulling me into a state of relaxation. A dilapidated wooden fence that once neatly bordered the orchard had weathered and overgrown with vines. In the distance stood a rustic barn, its paint peeling, and wood warped from years of Montana weather.
It was perfect.
Chloe took off, running zigzagged through the trees.
I breathed in the sweet fragrance of overripe apples and earthy scent of damp soil. “So peaceful here,” I said quietly. “I’d snap this up in a second if I could.”
“Would you buy it for real?” Elliot asked.
“If I could, I would. But I can’t.”
“We could work on getting you a loan,” Maisie said, sounding hopeful for a sale.
We couldn’t. Not with my credit, which was nonexistent because I had a Social Security card and name of someone deceased. I’d never be able to buy a home of my own. Dreaming of it was futile.
“No, I’m not planning on staying here,” I said. “This is just a temporary job and location for us.”
Elliot stared at me, brown eyes wide. “Really? I thought you loved it here.”
“I do.” I shrugged as if it were no big deal. “But I’m not sure it’s the place for us.” Another few months and I might need to move on. The more I kept moving, the less likely it was they would find me. “But Elliot, this house is a gem. You and Caspian should snatch it up.”
Maisie beamed, obviously happy for my help in convincing Elliot to take a leap of faith on the property.
“I could see you and Caspian here as the years go by,” I said. “Spending a lot of time in the kitchen, of course.”
Elliot smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I guess I can too. I’ll bring Caspian out and see what he thinks.”
“Tell him to bring his father,” Maisie said. “He’ll have a lot of ideas about what to do to get it updated and livable again.”
Elliot agreed, promising to return for another look with Caspian.
I couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. I’d have given anything to have a house like this, run-down or not. A place to set down deep roots. That’s all I’d ever wanted. John’s large family had been attractive, giving me the false hope that Chloe and I would be welcomed into the fold. Instead, I’d barely escaped with my life.
5
THAD
A week after Sammie agreed to take the new position, we had the wedding offerings listed on our website. I’d also managed to get press releases with the announcement to several newspapers in Montana as well as pulled in a favor from a travel blogger/influencer we’d worked with before. By the beginning of the next week, we’d had three brides call to ask if they could take a tour of the facility and meet with the wedding planner.
Sammie and I talked briefly over breakfast about our meeting later that day with one of the interested brides and her mother. They’d flown into Bozeman specifically to check out the ranch and had stayed overnight in one of the cabins.
Sammie had a day planner open on the island with the entire afternoon’s agenda for the bride and her mother carefully noted. Seeing her neat handwriting and detailed notes moved me. She’d put so much into this in just the first week. I hadn’t had any doubts whatsoever about her ability to help us build this new branch of our business. Happily, she was proving my instincts were correct.
Chloe’s high-pitched voice sounded from the mudroom. Since there was no one with her, she must be chatting up her stuffed Slurfpig.
“Before we finish talking about business, I had a question for you,” I said.
Sammie straightened and looked up at me, biting her bottom lip. For a second, I wondered what she thought I was going to say. “I wanted to get your permission to hang a swing for Chloe.” I kept my voice quiet so the little one couldn’t hear me. “We used to have a wooden one that hung from the tree out front, and I thought she might enjoy it. I wanted to make sure it’s okay with you before I opened my big trap.”
“Can you make it low enough she can get on there by herself?”
The question surprised me. “Yeah, of course. We can bring it higher as she grows.”
Sammie’s eyes softened, and the corners of her mouth lifted momentarily in one of her sad smiles. “That would be nice. Thanks for thinking of her.”
