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“It’s over and done with. Do you have a build site in mind?”
My hands gripped the steering wheel harder. I wasn’t sure what I had been hoping for. I got that she was pissed about dinner and how many times could I apologize for not telling her about our parents joining us. Yet I thought once she saw the land, her heart would melt just a bit. I was clearly wrong.
“There are a couple of spots I was thinking of. The property goes back a good ways and backs up against forest land, so no one will ever build back there.”
She nodded, took out the same electric notepad she had the day I had surprised her, yet again, in her boss’s office. Shit. I really needed to stop with that. It was clear Rose was not the type of woman who liked to be surprised.
We drove up the drive, and on both sides were large open meadows of green grass. The land started to roll the closer we got to the Bitterroot Mountains. The barn was off to the right, and I caught Rose smiling as she looked around. I’d have given my right arm to know what she was thinking.
“This is beautiful, Bryson.”
“I know. The moment I saw it, I knew this was the place. It has the best of both worlds. The meadows down here and the mountains.”
Turning to look at me, she asked, “Why don’t you want to live somewhere like Lake Tahoe?”
I gave her a questioning look. “Why would I want to live there?”
Rose shrugged. “I don’t know.”
That was random, and I wanted to know why she had asked.
“Why would you ask me that? I told you before that Montana is, and will always be, home.”
Rose looked out the window, then sighed. “I read it somewhere in an interview you did.”
My mind raced through the thousands of interviews I had done over the years, and I was pretty damn sure I never mentioned I wanted to live up at Lake Tahoe.
“That is one beautiful barn. Look at this meadow. I see why they built it here. Any horse would be in their glory to make this their home.”
“First thing I plan on doing when I move out here is get some horses.”
“You should talk to Tanner and Timberlynn. They have raised some of the best horses in all of Montana. Especially if you want them for trail rides if you plan on taking advantage of the mountains.”
“Good to know. I’ll make a note to get in touch with them.”
Rose nodded, then asked, “Can we take a look at the barn?”
“Sure,” I replied, pulling up to it and parking. Rose slipped out and started for the two-story wooden barn.
Glancing back over her shoulder, she asked, “Is there living space here?”
“Yeah, there’s a little one-bedroom, one-bath apartment in the barn. I figured I would live there while the house was being built.”
She looked surprised by that but quickly covered it up and said, “That’s a good idea.”
We walked into the barn, and Rose took in everything. Six stalls lined one side, six on the other. A tack room, a bathroom, and a small office space.
“It looks like it was recently built.”
“I believe it was. The owners thought they would have more time to come out and enjoy the property with their horses. Their long-term plan was to build a guest lodge with about sixteen bedrooms in total. They wanted to offer things like horseback riding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and hiking.”
“Wow. This would have been the perfect place for all of that.”
I smiled. “I know. A little farther back is a small stream coming from the mountains. It’s still flowing pretty good.”
“I bet the creeks were flowing this spring with all the snow we got this past winter.”
When I felt her gaze on me, I turned to look at her. She stared at me with a questioning look on her face. “What?”
“Is this something you do all the time?”
“What do you mean?”
“Follow your first reaction to something? Like with the land.”
I winked. “When I know I want something, I go for it.”
“And if you don’t get it?” she asked, her arms folded over her chest.
“I fight for it.”
Something in her eyes changed, but before I could fully read it, she looked away. For one moment, though, she looked surprised. Did she have no idea she was worth fighting for? If not, I’d try showing her until my dying day.
“Look over there,” Rose said as she pointed at a spot north of the barn. “Let’s walk over there.”
As we walked side by side, I debated if I should take her hand. In the end, I decided not to. We walked through the pines until we came to another open meadow. Rose turned in a circle and looked at the mountain range behind us.
