Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
KARL
“Do you have another brother?” Nancy asks when she spots a kid running down the fence with our sheepdog, Fergus. “Oh my god, I should know how many siblings you have,” she groans, sagging into the seat and hiding her face in her hands.
I reach over and pull her left hand down, and her eye slides to me. “You do know how many I have. You’ve met him.” I grin. “That’s Bennett, our neighbor’s grandson.”
“Oh,” her other hand falls to her lap, and she leans to look back out the window. “Is he here often?”
“Occasionally. They moved back in a few months ago,” I say, driving past the house and catching a glimpse of my mom and another woman through the large bay window.
“They lived here for years after they got married but then moved to the city for work. I think Bennett’s grandmother wanted him to have a country childhood like she did.
He loves animals, but his grandfather refuses to let him have any. He’s kind of an asshole.”
“Bennett or the grandfather?”
I laugh against the back of her hand as I press my lips against the soft skin.
“The grandfather. Should have seen the way he reacted when I introduced myself shortly after they were settled. To be fair, they knew my parents, but I had never met them, so I did the usual Hore greeting. Bennett’s a good kid, though.
He laughed at the introduction, so I liked him right away.
I bet the minute that kid gets more freedom, he’ll get as many dogs as he can. ”
“A boy and all his dogs,” she says quietly as she turns her head back to the front, Bennett disappearing in the rearview.
As much as I want to get Nancy to the cottage, I’ve got some things to take care of first. The service barn doors are open, and Matt is there, ready to direct me as I back the human trailer in next to the cow trailer.
“You’re good at this, Mr. Hore,” Nancy says with her eyes glued to the side mirror.
“Not my first time, Mrs. Hore.”
Once the trailer is in place, Matt unhooks the truck. “You going straight down, or are you going to pop in and see Mom and Dad first?” he asks, leaning against my door.
“I think Mrs. Morgan is in there with her, so maybe we’ll head over after she’s gone.” I look over at Nancy. “Don’t want to spring this on them with company present.”
“No? That may be the best way to do it, save yourself from a scene,” Matt laughs as he pushes off the door. “I’m going to go take Bennett to see the kittens, maybe even let him name them.”
“Barn kittens?” Nancy perks up.
“Always,” I confirm. “I’ll take you to meet them later.”
“I may need some kitten time after introductions.” She laughs nervously, and I reach for her hand again.
“Matt was joking. If anything, my parents are going to be surprised but not angry. They know me well. They’ll know this must be something.”
“You’re not this impulsive all the time?” she asks and then slaps a hand over her face. “I should know that about the person I married.”
I turn off the truck and face her. “Nancy, I’m not.
I took nearly three months to decide where I was going to university after I got my acceptances.
I had lists. Pros and cons for each place.
And my future career didn’t depend on what crest was on my degree.
This is my future, this farm. I wanted the business education to run this in a better way than my dad.
This”—I lift my left hand up, pushing my thumb against my ring—“does not represent my usual way of doing anything. But I have never been as sure of something as I was about this.” I gesture between us and watch her throat work as she swallows, offering a tiny nod.
“I’m going to spend however long you need proving that, okay? ”
“Okay,” she whispers, and I pull her to me, hoping to wipe all her reservations away with a kiss. I know that they’ll still be there, though. I’m not magic.
“Ready to see your new home?”
She nods, humming as her grip tightens in mine.
I keep one eye on the road and one on Nancy as I take the lane through the trees to the little cottage we’ll call home until my parents decide to swap. As the cottage comes into view, Nancy leans forward, her eyes widening.
“It’s,” she starts.
“I know it’s small,” I blurt out, guessing what her observation will be.
“Cute,” she deadpans. “I was going to say cute.”
“Is that a good thing?” I ask, putting the truck into park and pulling the key from the ignition to keep my nervous hands occupied.
She undoes her seatbelt and throws the door open. “It’s a very good thing,” she smiles back and then jumps down.
She’s walking toward the front door before I’ve even gotten mine open, so I hurry to get out. There’s no way I’m letting her walk through the door for the first time.
“Slow down, beautiful. I want to do this the right way.” I jog after her.
“What’s the right wa—ooh,” she squeaks as I sweep her off her feet.
“Gotta carry you over the threshold.” I grin down at her. The look of shock slowly disappears, replaced by a smile that reaches all the way to her ears. The lines at the corners of her eyes deepen as it grows.
“I suppose if you must.” She sighs dramatically, wrapping her arm around my neck. The tips of her fingers brush the skin below the collar of my jacket.
Thankfully, the door isn’t locked, and I’m able to open it easily with her in my arms. Careful not to knock her head or feet off the frame, I maneuver us through the door into the dark interior.
Setting her down gently, I reach blindly to the right, feeling around until my fingers connect to the light switch.
A dull, warm glow fills the space, offering a minimal improvement to the dark. “Welcome home, Mrs. Hore.”
Nancy looks around, squinting through the dust that floats around us like a galaxy of stars, and immediately sneezes.