CHAPTER 52 #2
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you girls the truth,” my mother says, reaching for Penny’s and my hands.
Her eyes fall shut and I can see how exhausted the last few days have made her.
When she opens her eyes, they’re filled with tears.
“I just didn’t know what to do when we lost your father.
” She blows out a breath, and I squeeze her hand.
“I thought that if I pretended to be okay, if I pretended everything was okay, maybe it would be. And I didn’t want to pull the two of you down with me. ”
“Mommy, no,” Penny murmurs, leaning her head against our mother’s shoulder. “We should have known. We should have tried harder.”
“I was determined to follow your father’s wishes,” Mom says, and a smile creeps over her face.
“All your daddy and I ever wanted was for you two to be happy. For you to chase your dreams.” She sucks in a breath and straightens, looking at my sister.
“Which is why he set aside money to help you open your store.”
Penny nods and then my mother turns to me. “And why he set aside money for you to chase your dreams, too.”
“I don’t need any money, Mom. I just want you to have the farm. I can take care of myself.”
My mother smiles knowingly. “He knew you’d say that, which is why I wasn’t supposed to tell you our plans.”
I hold my breath, waiting for the next words to come out of her mouth.
“His plan all along was to sell off some land, keep just the house and some of the small fields so I would always have my flowers, and then you and your sister would each be able to chase what you wanted.”
“I’m still lost. Are you saying there’s some money for me to fix up Mabel’s?” I ask, turning to the building in front of us.
Walker squeezes my hip. “Better than that. The town and I—”
“The town is not its own being, Cowboy,” I say with a grin in his direction.
“You sure about that? Because we had a whole meeting on this.”
“You attended a town meeting without me?”
“I’d do anything for you, Tally. Anything at all.” Then, like they’ve choreographed it, the crowd next to us opens up and Walker waves a hand toward the bakery. “Welcome to Whisk and Wildflowers Bakery.”
My hand goes to my mouth and I bite back a sob when I see the most beautiful pink sign, complete with a yellow whisk and a host of wildflowers in all different shades.
“It’s perfect,” I rasp.
“The town voted on the name, but if you want something else …,” Walker mumbles.
“Personally, I liked ‘Whipped and Wildflower’ better,” Babs says.
“‘Whisk It Good’ was my favorite,” Ruby chimes in.
Walker groans as I laugh loudly. God, I love this town. “The name is perfect,” I tell him, already itching to get inside. But before I do, I look back to my mother to make sure she’s all right.
She flashes me a grin. “He would be so proud of you. He was so proud of you. Now go on and enjoy your surprise. The cowboy did good.”
With her approval, I rush toward the bakery, pausing just for a second at the door, where the hours are listed. I snort when I see the words “Tally Tuesdays, store’s closed” scrawled on the second line.
I push inside and gasp at what awaits. “Walker, what did you do?”
“It wasn’t just me.” He clears his throat. “Everyone helped.”
Pink and yellow tables with matching chairs dot the fresh space. The counter—which just last week had been a weathered wood—is now sanded and sealed, and the old-fashioned cash register has been shined so thoroughly, it looks brand new.
I continue my tour to the kitchen, now decorated with teal cabinets that contrast beautifully with a yellow mixer that stands proudly in front of the picture window framed by pink curtains.
I rush over to see the view, and my breath catches at the sight. “I can see the wildflowers from here!”
Walker steps up behind me and rests his head against mine. “It’s like it was meant to be.” He presses a kiss to the spot below my ear. “Are you happy?”
I spin around and throw my arms around him. “Happy?! Walker, this is the best surprise ever.”
“I can’t take all the credit. Your dad had this vision.
With the limited hotel options for tourists, he wanted to clean up the cottages on the farm for an extended wedding season.
And now that we’ve fixed up the cottages, we’ve finally got a fighting chance of making it all work.
It was his dream, and it became mine. But he knew it wasn’t yours. ”
I open my mouth to object, but he stops me.
“I think he might have been wrong. I think you could be happy here. So now you have this kitchen, and I hope maybe you’ll want to do all of this with me. Run the business, feed more people, bake.”
“It’s incredible,” I say through more tears, though I’m smiling. “It’s everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. Thank you. For everything.”
“So what do you say to a little baking? All the ingredients you need to make my favorite cupcakes are in the kitchen, and you’ve got a line of customers outside waiting to try your desserts.”
I wrap my arms around Walker’s neck and press the first kiss of many to his lips.
“They can wait,” I say with a smile. “I’ve got cowboy things to do first.”