Chapter 38
EVE
Ileave Sana and Rohan to get settled in the cabin, reminding them probably a few too many times that I live in the bungalow just up the road and if they need anything—anything—they should feel free to come knock.
We make a tentative plan to get dinner together over the next few days, but I leave the details to Ryder and Sana to work out.
I don’t want them to feel like they must come have dinner with us if they’d prefer a relaxing vacation, just the two of them.
And as I head back to my house, I can’t help staring at the cabins on the hill in the distance. They’re mostly obscured by trees—you’d never know they were there unless you were looking for them—but it strikes me as odd that someone was up there.
Mostly because as long as I’ve lived here, those cabins have been abandoned.
Of course, I’ve gone up and poked around because sometimes curiosity just gets the better of you.
The hike is a little treacherous, but the view of the sunflower farm is unmatched.
I’ve never been inside—all the boards covering the windows and doors remind me a little too much of a horror movie—but I suppose someone could find their way up there, if they knew they could squat there in peace.
I brush the thought from my mind as I head inside and flip the laundry Ryder started, wondering how his talk with Reed is going. I wanted to go—purely for the drama of it all—but more than that, I wanted to relish this feeling of someone fighting for something I love as hard as I would.
It’s one thing to fight for a person. Another thing entirely to fight for what matters to them even if it has no consequence to you.
It’s something a man has never done for me before.
And though part of me wants to run for the hills because everything he is reminds me of the last time I was abandoned by someone who was supposed to care for me, I want to trust him.
I want to put aside all of those scary feelings and trust that he’s going to show up for me time and time again.
That he’ll fight not just for me, but for the things that matter to me, too.
I used to think that life was a matter of choosing between love and this farm that matters so much to me. At least, that’s what my mother taught me.
But maybe it’s about finding someone who doesn’t make you choose.
I make a sincere attempt to focus on anything other than Ryder, but I fail miserably.
I read the same page of my book a good five times before closing it and accepting that my mind is going in too many directions to focus on words.
I pull the laundry out of the dryer and start folding instead, the basket on the coffee table in front of the couch so I can shamelessly watch for his return.
And when he finally does, I drop the sheets without a second glance and run out to meet him.
He parks his car in Izzy’s usual spot alongside mine, and when he gets out, a grin takes over his face.
I can’t help but mirror it right back to him.
“Your water wheel’s going to get fixed,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and hoisting me into the air.
“It is?”
He spins around slowly, kissing my neck and my cheeks and my forehead as he gently lowers me to the ground. “By the guy you liked. We’re not putting the fate of the water wheel in the hands of some guy who only cares about a quick buck.”
“Really? Oh, I thought for sure you’d just get him to lower the cost of materials or something.”
He shakes his head, still holding me close. “Nope. We actually had a very fruitful negotiation. We’re going to get everything we want, Sunflower.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah?” I pause. “Wait, is he going to approve your development plan too?”
He nods. “Yeah, but I’m throwing the old one out and starting new. Reed is in my pocket now, and if he’s going to approve whatever I put in front of him, we’re doing it our way.”
“Our way?”
He only grins. “You’ll see.”
He gently pushes me away, directing us back to the house, and slaps my ass as we walk. “Now go call the guy to come fix your water wheel.”
I walk backward a few paces. “Yes, sir.”
“Evie,” he groans.
I give him my best grin over my shoulder.
When Luke is able to schedule me within a few days, an immense sense of relief falls over me. The water wheel is going to be fixed by someone who cares. Someone who will respect the history of it and do his best to preserve it.
He shows up with a grin on his face, greeting both of us easily before turning his attention to his work.
And I swear, his pupils dilate as he takes in the damage.
He runs his hands along the wood and extracts the broken pieces, then tests the movement of the wheel in the water.
He checks the broken pieces of wood against the materials he brought along in his truck and lets us know it’ll likely be a few hours before it’s up and running again.
And when we finally get the call that he’s all done and we should make our way back to the barn to take a look, Ryder is tugging his shoes on before we even hang up. He holds my jacket out as I slip my arms inside and nearly bowls me over as we leave the bungalow.
When we get to the barn, Luke is grinning like he just won the lottery. He gestures to the fully functioning water wheel that miraculously no longer creaks or clicks as it moves.
“Restored perfectly,” he says. “I swear, sometimes these old guys have minds of their own. They break down every once in a while, but it seems like they want to be back in working order.”
“It actually looks like it’s spinning smoother,” I say, grinning up at Ryder.
“Great work, man,” he says, reaching out to shake Luke’s hand.
“Thanks for calling me. I was really excited about this one. I ended up doing a lot of research on water wheels—I’ve done a couple old windmills, some old horse carts.
But never something submerged in water like this.
Did you know this town used to essentially run on water mills?
They have a lot of hydroelectric dams that have taken over as a main power source, but there was a point in time where water wheels just like this were the norm here.
Really incredible history, and from what I can tell this was probably one of the originals.
Just beautiful work,” he says, running his fingers gently along the wood as it spins quietly in the running water.
I can’t help my grin. “I’m so happy you were able to work on this. It’s such a relief to have someone who appreciates the history of it. The other guy who was going to… well, I would have been worried the whole time that it would end up in worse shape.”
Behind us, there are footsteps on the stairs—presumably Sana and Rohan coming to check out the voices.
His gaze follows the water wheel as it turns.
“I always find restoration work like this to be a little bit like time travel. I don’t know when your grandfather put this all together, but today I got to take a few steps in his shoes.
Use the same wood, treated in the same way.
Put together the puzzle of how this thing works, albeit for a different end goal.
” He shakes his head, wiping his hands on a rag tucked in his pocket.
“A truly immersive, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
I can’t help my laugh. “Can I have you write my marketing materials?”
He shakes his head. “Don’t mind me. Most of the work I do is with antiques, and while I really appreciate the history there, too, it’s something totally different to take on something like this.”
Sana and Rohan appear from the other side of the barn, waving as they approach.
“Well, thank you for taking on the project with such reverence,” Ryder says. “Evie gets violent when you disrespect the water wheel.”
“Oh!” I nudge him with my elbow. “I only pushed you in the stream once.”
“Twice,” he says. “And the third time at least involved some manipulation on your part.”
I glare at him.
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
I turn back to Luke as Ryder focuses on Sana, the two of them having some silent conversation that involves a lot of head nodding and raised eyebrows.
“Hey, are you alright here?” Ryder asks me, his voice low in my ear.
“Yes, you’re interrupting my documentary anyway,” I tell him, patting him on the arm.
He laughs, leaving me with a kiss on my cheek and falling into step with Sana along the dirt road.
I turn back to Luke, seeing an opportunity with Rohan right here. “Do you want to plug your phone into the water wheel-powered outlet?”
“Fuck yes, I do. I didn’t want to impose, but I really do.”
I focus on Rohan. “Do you mind if I show him? You can say no—the barn is totally yours.”
He gestures for us to lead the way. “I’m surprised it took you so long to ask.”
“Alright, come on, come on,” I say, taking the shortcut through the first floor of the barn. “And Rohan, you’re plugging your phone in too. Not many people can say they’ve charged their phone via water wheel.”
“Oh, it’s definitely a bucket list item for me and Sana,” Rohan says.
I turn to him as we start up the stairs to the studio. “Thank you for indulging me.”
He gives me a genuine smile. “There’s nothing quite like someone sharing something they’re truly passionate about. It’s cool seeing people nerd out like that. Plus, now I have something to brag about when I get home.”
“Exactly!”
When we get inside the barn, I head straight for the small coffee table next to the water wheel outlet and the two armchairs on either side of it.
Papers are strewn across the table, and I make a mental note to tell Ryder off for making Sana work while she’s supposed to be enjoying a quiet weekend away with her husband.
I hold up the cord to Luke first.
And he grins as he plugs his phone in, his eyes lighting up at the same time his phone does. “Wow.”
“Right? Isn’t that so freaking cool?”
He takes a few moments to stare at the charging screen and then takes a screenshot. “I’m going to have to make a note in my phone that that picture was from a water wheel charge.”
“Yes, you will. You don’t want to forget that,” I say, and after a few moments, he unplugs, handing the cord to Rohan, who does the same.
He nods as his phone lights up. “And today I can say I did something I’ve never done before. I’ve charged my phone via water power,” he says.
“I should really have T-shirts made that say something like that,” I say. “You can be my product designer and Luke over here will do my marketing materials. Truly a recipe for excellence.”
The two of them laugh as Rohan unplugs his phone. “Thank you for sharing your nerdiness with me. That was cool.”
“Anytime!” I say. “And now I will get out of your hair and go track down Sana because the two of you should be relaxing, not working and entertaining your host.”
He waves me off. “We don’t mind at all. I love Sana’s passion. Sometimes it takes over during vacation, but I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of watching her. She’s a force.”
I hold a hand over my heart. “I love the way you love her.”
He shrugs. “She makes it easy.”
“Stop it, you’re going to make my heart explode.”
He laughs. “No different from the way Ryder loves you.”
The words get stuck in my throat. I force a laugh because does he? These past few days have felt like an encore by your favorite band, the song you were hoping to hear finally ringing out around you.
My eyes dip to the papers spread across the coffee table.
“Oh, I guess,” I say, my brain falling short on what I’m supposed to say because me too, but I can’t tell Rohan that first.
And in the second I wrack my brain, trying and failing to figure out how to talk my way out of this, my eyes snag on the words printed in bold across the top of one of the pages laid out across the coffee table.
PENNSYLVANIA REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AGREEMENT
I blink, wondering what else this man is buying. My eyes dip to the address listed underneath.
And it’s the cabin I always dreamed might be mine.