Chapter 1
CHAPTER ONE
WILLOW
PRESENT
Crisp valley air drifts in through my open sunroof, cooling my sun-heated skin as I pull onto Main Street. I close my eyes and fill my lungs with a deep breath of the fresh, familiar air that smells exactly like home.
It’s something you don’t realize you were missing until it hits you in the face.
Sugar Hill Hollow is a small, picturesque town in Maine, situated along the base of Sugar Hill Mountain.
Cobblestone streets and brick sidewalks.
Every store lining Main Street resembles those you’d find in an old European town and is registered with the historic foundation. It’s truly a beautiful sight.
Coming home early wasn’t my plan, especially showing up unannounced. Today was supposed to be my first day of veterinary school, but here I am, driving down the street in my small hometown, wearing a pair of old jeans and a stained crewneck sweater instead of a white lab coat.
The speed limit is only twenty-five miles per hour, and I keep my car at a safe twenty-four.
There’s only one cop on patrol at all times in Sugar Hill Hollow, but they hang out a lot in the center of town in the early mornings.
The last thing I need is to start my first day home with a speeding ticket.
Familiar houses lining the street wiz by, turning into shops instead as I approach the center of town.
On the right side of the street is the bank and a flower shop.
The Pastry Parlor is still where it’s always been along the right side, right after the flower shop and on the corner.
On the left side, there’s the local market store and the creamery on the corner.
Sandwiched between them is the one shop I’ve known my entire life.
Our maple goods store.
My eyebrows knit closer together when I see the entire building is dark. There’s no signage on the front anymore and it almost looks like the store was never open.
What the heck?
A car horn sounds behind me, and my entire body jumps out of my seat, startled. An unfamiliar car and face fill my rearview mirror. I immediately press on the gas to keep moving. I look back at the store once more, my heart sinking in my chest.
Did they close the store without telling me?
Letting off the brake, I turn right at the only stop light in the small town. A car and a truck pass through the intersection, one going straight, heading past the vet clinic and the market store. I take a right, heading south, past the bowling alley and the ice rink.
A flutter on the passenger seat catches my attention.
The corner of a torn white envelope tucked inside my purse flaps against the gust. The red and blue veterinary school emblem peeking out snags my attention.
My chest constricts as disappointment washes over me.
I reach over and quickly shove the stupid letter deeper into my purse.
I received the letter in April and have kept it a secret since. No one knows about it but me, and if I have it my way, no one ever will.
Ignoring my uncomfortable feelings, I take a left on Hollow Lane and pick up speed to head to our farm that sits just outside of town, tucked in along the river.
The familiar iron gates sit open and the maple trees that line the lane sway in the gentle breeze.
Three horses stand out in the center of one of two meadows on either side of the lane, grazing on the dew-covered grass.
Lights are on in the barn, but I kill the engine next to Noah’s truck parked by the main farmhouse. A sigh escapes me as I stare up at the house, feeling a tad conflicted. Being home feels right, but I know it’s only because I have no place else to be.
I push open my car door and ease myself out. My sneakers kick up dust from the gravel as I turn around to grab my purse from the passenger seat.
“Willow?”
Standing upright as I close my door, I turn around to catch my brother’s eye. He stands in the front doorway with his eyebrows knitting together. Noah’s hair is disheveled and his clothes are wrinkled, like he slept in them and just crawled out of bed, but I don’t comment on it.
“Hey!” A smile lifts my lips, and I wave as I start to walk towards him.
Noah immediately breaks into a jog, running down the steps to meet me just in front of the house, arms outstretched. He pulls me in for a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around me.
“What the hell are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Portland?”
My breath catches and my arms fall slack at my side as we release one another. My feet move backwards and I clear my throat. “My internship ended last week and my lease was up, so I figured I’d come home for a bit.”
Noah’s forehead creases and he eyes me skeptically. “You still haven’t heard anything from the veterinary program?”
Pressing my lips in a firm line, I shake my head.
“No,” I say, the lie bitter on my tongue as I lift my shoulders and let them fall.
The program is flexible, with the option to start in the fall or the spring and everyone was hoping I’d be starting in January.
“I’m sure my application just got lost or something. There’s always next year.”
That is, if I even bother to apply again.
Tilting my head back, I gather my hair in my hands and secure it in a high-pony tail with the black hair tie I keep around my wrist. “I was just getting ready to come find you and Finn.”
“Finn’s out in the barn. He just let the horses out and was going to clean their stalls.” Noah walks past me and over to my car. “Are your bags in the trunk?”
I nod, turning to walk over with him. The apartment I had a short-term lease on was fully furnished, so I managed to pack all my things in my car to come home. “We can get them later.”
“Nonsense,” he says, waving his hand as he pops open the trunk. “We’ll take them inside and get you settled in now.”
A smile tugs on my lips and I’m glad that Noah let the conversation about vet school go.
“Okay,” I nod, walking over to take one of my duffle bags he’s holding out.
He grabs both suitcases, setting them down on the gravel, and reaches for my last bag and hands it to me.
There are a few boxes in the back seat, but they’re mostly books, trinkets, and decorations from around the small apartment I was living in.
Noah leads the way into the farmhouse and we both kick off our shoes in the entryway before heading upstairs.
Finn and Noah have been living here since our parents bought a place along the coast. I’m not sure what either of their plans are, if they plan on living here together forever, but I’m glad they’re both here right now.
Being home with my family is exactly what my soul needs.
I follow my brother into my childhood bedroom and it’s exactly as I left it.
The walls are a soft green with white trim.
My queen-sized bed sits across the room with a fluffy white down comforter and bright white pillows to match.
There are a few horse pictures on my walls, along with a shelf of trophies and a few ribbons. Most of them were stored under my bed.
Bending over, I lift the bed skirt and check beneath, a smile tugging on my lips as I see the plastic container filled to the brim with ribbons from horse shows growing up.
“Is this okay?” Noah asks as he sets my suitcases down by my closet doors. “I can run out and grab the rest of your things.”
“We can get the rest later,” I say, smiling at my brother as he lingers in the doorway. “I don’t really feel like unpacking right now anyway.”
A smile tugs on his lips. “Coffee instead?”
“You read my mind.”
I leave all my things in my room and follow Noah down into the kitchen. The aroma of freshly made coffee wafts around us. He walks over to the coffee maker, lifting the pot as he turns back to me.
“Grab three mugs,” he says, dipping his chin. “Finn will probably be in soon.”
“Should I go out and get him?”
Noah shrugs as I pull out three mismatched mugs from the cabinet and set them down in front of him. “If you want.”
Finn is the oldest of the three of us. He’s 28, Noah is 26, and I’m the baby of the family at 23. Noah and I both went to college, but Finn opted out and learned the ropes here, taking over the farm when he was twenty-four.
Noah left the Hollow with a full ride baseball scholarship and ended up playing major league for a few years.
I don’t know if the pressure were too much, or what it was exactly, but his mental health suffered while he was playing.
He refuses to talk to anyone about it, except for his therapist, and he seems happy now.
Tapping maple trees for sap and making sugar from it wasn’t really what I planned on doing with my life. It’s our family business, but our parents never expected me to become a sugar-maker when they knew I had big dreams of becoming a veterinarian.
My dreams are still there, but they're just on hold, temporarily.
It’s kind of hard to become a veterinarian when you don’t get accepted into vet school.
Noah hands me a mug and steam rises from within its perimeter. I lift it closer to my face, inhaling the rich scent. “It smells so good.”
“The beans are from Sweet Grounds,” he says as he passes me the carton of creamer from the fridge. “Finn won’t drink any of the bullshit store brands.”
A chuckle vibrates in my chest, and I pour at least three servings worth of creamer into my coffee. It turns a light caramel color when I stir it, just the way I like it. “I’m not surprised, honestly.”
“You didn’t tell him you were coming either, did you?”
I shake my head, then take a sip. “I’d imagine he probably knows I’m here now, though.”