Rescued by the Farmer (17 page)

Completely different from Kentucky, Colorado tugged at him with an almost physical force. Coupled with the idea of running a business that he would co-own only made the temptation harder to resist. “I haven’t decided yet. I have to run it past my family first.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed with a short laugh. “You know they’ll tell you to go for it. It’s not like you’re moving out there tomorrow. You’re just going to Denver to see your friend and get a tour. Then, if you like what you see, you can get more serious about making plans.”

“You could do the same,” he pointed out in a last-ditch attempt to convince her.

Very firmly, she shook her head. “I’m not going to give you some kind of false hope that I’m even the tiniest bit interested in going out there. But I do think you should go, because if you don’t, you’ll regret it someday. I refuse to be the one responsible for you giving up on your dream just when it could actually come true.”

With that, she stood and kissed his cheek. Then, with a sad smile, she left him in his living room, watching her walk out his front door. He waited for her to look back, tell him she’d changed her mind, something. Even after she was gone, he stared out the front window for a few minutes, listening for footsteps on the gravel pathway telling him that she’d come back.

But she didn’t.

Suddenly, he wasn’t all that hungry anymore, so Drew slid the pan of lasagna into his nearly empty fridge, turned off the oven and wandered outside to think. Sitting on the porch steps, he stared into the woods beside the cottage, up at the old bead boards in the ceiling that needed a fresh coat of paint, down the road that led into town.

After about half an hour of debating the options with himself, he finally came to the conclusion that Bekah was right. If he didn’t at least go to Denver and assess the layout for himself, he’d always be dogged by what-ifs.

So he grabbed a jacket and drove down the road to the farm. By a strange twist of fate, his entire family was there, gathered around the kitchen table in a scene he’d been part of for as long as he could recall.

Only this time, it was as if he was a stranger as he walked into his mother’s kitchen. He’d never felt that way before, and it didn’t sit well with him now. He couldn’t help believing that it underscored the fact that his mind was already made up, and he was just going through the motions of considering the alternatives.

“There’s my boy,” Mom greeted him with a kiss and a bright smile. It quickly fell, though, and she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I have something to talk about with you. All of you.” Settling on to the end of a bench, he sent a look around the table. “It’s good, but I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“You need pie,” his mother announced, cutting a piece and piling on fresh whipped cream before sitting down in her armchair. “Go ahead.”

Drew ignored the dessert while he filled his family in on this chance of a lifetime. They all asked him questions here and there, but mostly they listened.

Then, as usual, Mike got right down to the crux of the problem. “What do you want?”

“To be my own boss,” Drew replied truthfully. “I enjoy working here with you and Josh, but I wouldn’t mind having the room to find out what I could do on my own.”

“You’ve earned it,” Josh chimed in without the least bit of hesitation. “Ever since we were kids, you’ve always wanted to see other places. It sounds like this is the perfect situation for you.”

“I started my own thing at the center,” Erin added in an understanding tone. “And Mike and Josh have their specialties here at the farm. If this is your thing, then you should go after it. We’re pretty resourceful—we’ll figure out how to make it work here without you.”

The others echoed her sentiment, but Mom was uncharacteristically quiet. Turning to her, Drew expected to find her mouth set in disapproval. Instead, to his amazement, she was beaming at him with pride. Reaching out a hand, she rested it on his as tears glistened in her eyes. “You’ve got so much of your father in you. I know if he was here with us now, he’d ask what on earth you’re waiting for. Go home, pack a suitcase and get yourself to the airport.”

Her comment was so similar to Bekah’s, it threw him off his stride for a few seconds. “Really?” Glancing around the table again, he gave them one last opportunity to disagree. “You’re all sure?”

“Just be sure to come back in time for Thanksgiving,” Lily said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “We’ll all be waiting to see you.”

“I will, promise.” Heaving a relieved sigh, he smiled at the generous people seated around the old table. “Thanks, everyone. This means a lot to me.”

Mike let out a mock growl. “Don’t be getting all mushy on us. I’m still trying to eat.”

They all laughed, and now that he was confident he had their full support, Drew’s appetite returned with a vengeance. While he wolfed down his pie, Mom warmed up beef stew and her secret-recipe soda bread for him to eat.

So, the rest of his night was spent in the kitchen of the old farmhouse, surrounded by strong, loving people who had risen up to support him when he needed them the most. If his trip to Colorado proved to be the beginning of an exciting new adventure for him, he knew he’d never forget that without his family, it never would have happened.

* * *

The next morning, Bekah groaned when the crowing-rooster alarm on her phone went off. Not the best choice, she realized now, making a note to change it to something less jarring the first chance she got.

She hit the snooze and rolled onto her back, staring up at the rough-hewn beams in the ceiling with a sigh that came dangerously close to being a sob. She hadn’t heard from Drew since leaving his house last night, but she assumed he was on his way to the airport to catch a flight that would take him to Colorado.

And away from her.

It wasn’t fair, a bratty voice in her head insisted. Yesterday, she’d said goodbye to Rosie, and now she was losing Drew. Not long ago, she would have reminded herself that this was what you got when you allowed yourself to become too attached to anyone. But since she’d left her solitary existence behind and had opened herself up to caring about others, there was no choice but to accept the sad fact that she ran the risk of being disappointed by them.

To her surprise, that dark thought drifted through her mind very quickly and was replaced by a much brighter perspective. She’d done everything she could for Rosie, and the hawk had recovered to return to the life God intended her to have. And Drew...

All night long, she’d tossed and turned, trying to get him out of her head. Protective and sweet, early on the Kentucky farm boy had become someone she could depend on without worrying that he had some ulterior motive where she was concerned. Drew simply wanted what was best for her, a trait he’d demonstrated from the moment they met until last night when he’d gallantly tried to include her in the biggest decision of his life.

For his own sake, she’d left him alone to speak to his family and think through what would truly make him happy. Much as she wished that he would choose to stay in Oaks Crossing, she’d never do anything to rip his dream out of his grasp when it was so close to coming true. Remaining in his hometown might satisfy him for a while, but she feared that one day he’d regret sacrificing so much for her and end up hating her for it.

Losing the man she loved was heart-wrenching, but in time she’d adjust to life without him. Seeing his fondness for her erode and vanish would be more than she could bear.

Her alarm crowed again, and this time she dragged herself out of bed to get ready for her usual morning rounds. When she opened her door, she had to blink twice to believe her eyes.

There, sitting on the open tailgate of his truck, was Drew. A brightly checked tablecloth was spread over the tailgate, showcasing a delicious-looking assortment of Danish pastries and muffins that rivaled any continental breakfast she’d ever seen.

“Mornin’.” Flashing one of those infernal grins, he took a sip from a mug of coffee steaming in the cool air.

“Morning.” Completely bewildered, she slowly walked toward the truck while her foggy brain tried to compute what it was seeing.

“Hungry?” She hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday, and her stomach growled a response loud enough to make him chuckle. “There’s plenty. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got one of everything Cam had ready to go. Help yourself.”

Still confused, she clambered onto the other end of the makeshift bench and picked up a blueberry muffin so moist, it fell apart in her hands. She popped a large piece into her mouth and hummed in appreciation. After she swallowed, she looked over at him, trying to get a sense of what was going on. Normally, she could read him fairly easily, but today his expression gave her no clue about what was going on behind those twinkling hazel eyes.

“Thank you for this,” she said hesitantly, working up the courage to ask him the question that had been plaguing her for longer than she cared to admit. “Does this mean you’ve made a decision about Colorado?”

“Yeah, it does.”

He seemed so pleased, she knew he’d finally gotten his wish. So, dredging up what she hoped was a reasonably happy look, she said, “That’s wonderful, Drew. I know you’ll be a huge success out there.”

For some reason, he laughed. Shaking his head, he reached for her hand and held it snugly in his. “That may be, but I’m not going to Colorado.”

Baffled by the unexpected revelation, she stared at him in amazement. “Why not? It’s your dream to do something like that.”

“Dreams change.”

“I don’t understand.”

Reaching out, he cradled her cheek in his hand. Bringing her face to his, he brushed a tender kiss over her lips before smiling at her. “I love you, Bekah. That’s why I’m staying.”

This was too much, she thought with a smile of her own. Returning the kiss, she confided, “And I love you. That’s why I told you to go.”

“We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

“I think we make a pretty good team. I mean, when you’re not getting in my way.”

“Getting in your—” Stopping, he let out a long-suffering male sigh. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out.”

“Well, if I’m gonna be doing that...” Reaching into the watch pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a lovely antique engagement ring. “I’m really hoping you’ll make my new dream come true.”

“Yes,” she breathed without a tinge of doubt. The old Bekah couldn’t have conceived of taking such a leap. But the woman she was now—the one Drew had discovered under all the tarnish—knew that marrying him was absolutely the right thing for her.

As he slid the ring onto her finger, she realized she wasn’t shaking even the tiniest bit. She’d never experienced this kind of rock-solid certainty in her entire life, and feeling it now was so incredible she could hardly believe it.

Holding out her hand, she admired the setting that sparkled in spite of the dim morning light. Then it occurred to her how early it was, and she gave him a curious look. “How long have you had this?”

He extended his arm to check his nonexistent watch. “About half an hour. Why?”

“There’s a jewelry store around here that’s open at seven in the morning?”

“There is when you know the owner.”

“So you went into town, bought an engagement ring and then stopped at the café to buy breakfast?”

“Uh-huh.”

All for her. Shaking her head, she asked, “Is there anything you won’t do for me?”

“Not so far.”

Delighted with the way things had turned out between them, she leaned in to kiss her everyday hero one more time. “I have to say, I really like your style.”

Epilogue

“G
ot a minute?”

Glancing away from the standing mirror in his mother’s bedroom, Drew settled the collar on his only suit jacket and chuckled. “Well, I’m kinda busy marrying Bekah and all. What’d you need?”

In reply, Mike held out a large, thick envelope for him. Curious about what was going on, Drew tore into it and pulled out a sheaf of oversize legal papers. A quick scan of the cover page told him the basics, and he stared at his brother in disbelief. “You’re giving me the buffer zone behind the farm?”

“I had it surveyed, and there’s fifty-six acres back there, with plenty of standing timber and the best part of the creek. I figure if you clear some of the trees out, you can start your own wilderness tourism business and still be close by if things get crazy around here.”

“Mike, I don’t know what to say.” Tossing the papers on to a chair, he gave his brother a grateful hug. “This is the best wedding present ever. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And before you ask—no, it wasn’t Lily’s idea to do this. She agreed that it was a good gift, though.”

“It’s perfect. Did everyone else know about it?”

“Are you kidding?” Mike scoffed. “No one in this family can keep a secret beyond the kitchen door. I figured that once you get the site ready, Bekah can help you out with your website and advertising. She seems to have a knack for that technical stuff.”

Drew couldn’t keep back a grin. “Among other things.”

Mike rolled his eyes, and Drew was laughing when Josh poked his head in. “Pastor Wheaton’s here.”

“Awesome.” Drew clapped his hands together eagerly. “I’m ready.”

“You sure?” Josh asked.

Slinging an arm around his shoulders, Drew herded him into the hallway. “Little brother, when you find the right woman, you’re always sure.”

Josh glanced at Mike, who simply nodded. Then the youngest Kinley shook his head in bewilderment as he continued down the hallway to Mike and Lily’s room, which was serving as the girls’ dressing area. “Whatever. I’ll go get Bekah and meet you guys downstairs.”

Early December was too chilly for the outdoor ceremony they would have preferred, but when Drew saw how the women of the family had decorated the farmhouse’s front parlor, he couldn’t imagine how the setting could be any prettier.

Greenery dotted with lilies and roses was draped along the ceiling and around the tall windows and doors, tied in place with enormous white ribbons. He recognized the white runner on the floor from Mike’s wedding carriage business, and the collection of mismatched chairs for their guests had come from the Kinleys’ various homes.

His entire family had come together to give Bekah the wedding she deserved. He only prayed they knew how much their efforts meant to her.

“This is fantastic,” he said to his best man. “It looks like the girls dragged the whole garden in here.”

“They’re Kinleys,” Mike reminded him with a chuckle. “When they set their mind to something, there’s no stopping them.”

A few minutes later, Mrs. Wheaton pressed some buttons on her electric keyboard and switched from muted classical music to the famous march that Drew had begun to think he’d never hear played for his own wedding. The guests all stood, and he followed their gazes to the flower-accented archway.

Abby skipped in, sprinkling flower petals while Parker carefully balanced their wedding rings on a small pillow. Behind them, Erin, Lily and Sierra walked forward and formed a pretty line on the bride’s side of the room.

And then, Josh appeared in the foyer with Bekah on his arm. Drew vaguely registered that she was wearing a lacy white dress and carrying a bouquet, but as she came toward him, all he saw was the beautiful smile on her face. At the end of the short aisle, Josh stooped to kiss her cheek and somberly pass her delicate hand over to Drew before stepping back to take his seat.

“Morning, sunshine,” he whispered as she settled in beside him. Now that he’d gotten past his initial stunning, he gave her a quick once-over. “Nice dress. Is it new?”

She laughed out loud, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Mom look up, as if to complain about him to Dad the way she used to. The gesture reminded him of when Bekah had commented on how they all talked about their father so much, it was as if he was still around. With the whole family gathered for such a happy occasion, Drew had no trouble believing that Justin Kinley was looking down on them, enjoying the day.

The music trailed off into silence, and the pastor greeted everyone before opening his Bible to begin the simple ceremony Drew and Bekah had chosen. To Drew, it felt like the familiar verses spoken at so many weddings flew by in a single heartbeat.

Before he realized it, he heard himself repeating the vows he’d once thought he’d never say, ending with, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

As he slid the polished gold band onto Bekah’s finger, she gazed up at him with joy lighting her eyes. Then she repeated her vows and gave him the ring she’d bought for him. It was different from hers, but he didn’t have a chance to look more closely as the preacher said, “And now, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Kinley.”

After they’d run the gauntlet of well-wishing guests and found some breathing room out on the front porch, Drew took a moment to admire the circle of branches and leaves carved into the gold. “This is really cool. Where’d you find it?”

“A friend of mine in Maryland makes custom jewelry. When I told her you were an outdoorsy kind of guy, she sketched this design for me, and I thought it was perfect. I’m glad you like it.”

“Very much.” Folding her hand in his, he kissed the rings sparkling there. Then he noticed her eyes were sparkling even brighter, and he chuckled. “You know about the wedding gift Mike and Lily gave us, don’t you?”

“Lily told me about it upstairs. She figured it was okay to spill the beans, because by the time we saw each other, you’d already know. What a generous, thoughtful thing for Mike to do.”

“Keep in mind, that acreage hasn’t been touched since my grandfather bought it from the farmer behind us sixty years ago. It’s full of rotting tree branches, brambles and several different kinds of snakes.”

“Sounds like a great spot for you.”

Her saucy look made him laugh. “Yeah, it does. Once I get a space cleared out for paying guests to camp in, anyway.”

“If you need an extra set of hands, I’m pretty good with an ax.”

“Get out,” he scoffed. “A cute little thing like you—how’d that happen?”

Laughing, she draped her wrists over his shoulders and gave him a playful kiss. “Now that we’re married, you’ll find that I’m just full of surprises.”

“Yeah?” he replied, drawing her in for another kiss. “I’m looking forward to that.”

* * * * *

If you loved this story,

pick up the first
OAKS CROSSING
book,

HER SMALL-TOWN COWBOY,
and these other stories of small-town life
from author Mia Ross’s previous miniseries
BARRETT’S MILL
:

BLUE RIDGE REUNION
SUGAR PLUM SEASON
FINDING HIS WAY HOME
LOVING THE COUNTRY BOY

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ARIZONA HOMECOMING
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