Chapter 36 Pane
Pane
I’m going to win the Maddox Group, and then I’m going to stay. There are big plans for Mystic Meadows swimming in my head, plans that involve building a resort in the mountains. Which will bring tourism to the town that will, in turn, feed into Rowe’s farm.
A farm she will win back.
So no, I’m not leaving. Rowe is my future. This place is my future. These people are my future. All of it is my future.
I see that now.
And I’ll never stop seeing it.
How much of this does Rowe know? None.
I’m holding this close to my chest until after I win. When I’m announced as the newest CEO of the Maddox Group, that’s when it’ll be time to share my vision with her, and not a moment earlier.
“Pane!”
I look up from the banister I’m polishing one last time. Rowe’s just walked in from the outdoors, and she’s grinning at me.
My heart convulses at the sight of her. What Sunbeam has brought into my life has changed me from the inside out. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much, to be filled with such happiness, such joy.
Rowe Wadley has been the most unexpected surprise in my life, and I love her.
Love her.
It’s not put into words until this very moment as she smiles widely at me, her expression open, her eyes warm as she drinks me in.
And I’m falling. Have fallen. Did fall for her.
“Come on. I want to get a picture.”
She takes my hand and we head outside, where Cristina, Isaac, Ron, McCauley, and Donner, along with the guys from his yurt community, meander in front of the house.
The piggycorns race by, tails wagging, hindquarters bouncing.
They run in a packed tidal wave, nipping and tugging ears, heads butting shoulders.
My heart swells at the sight of them.
Will wonders never cease?
“Pane, go stand over there,” Rowe instructs.
She sets up her phone and hits the timer button. Then she runs over and slides up beside me. I put my arm around her as she yells, “Say, cheese!”
In unison, we all say, “Cheese!”
The photo snaps and we break apart.
Isaac comes over and shakes my hand. “Big day tomorrow.”
“We’re ready.” I turn to Cristina. “You all booked?”
“All booked,” she announces proudly with a wink at Rowe. “My first client is one of the Collins boys. Don’t worry, I told him I don’t do full body. He’s only getting a back massage.”
Rowe grimaces. “Thank goodness.” To me, she says, “We’re booked solid for the next two weeks, but I don’t see how this is going to change anything.”
“Just trust me.”
She pushes onto her tiptoes and kisses my cheek. “Okay. I trust you.”
“Good.”
Ron steps up. “We’re doing one final round of poker tonight in celebration. You coming?”
My gaze darts to Rowe, who now rests her elbow on my shoulder. “Why are you looking at me?”
“Because I want to make sure it’s okay with you to say yes.”
She narrows her eyes playfully. “Will you be back at a reasonable hour?”
“And if I say no?”
She leans in and whispers so that no one else can hear, “Then you’ll be getting a spanking.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely be home late, then.”
Her eyes flare, probably because I referred to the farm as home. It is home. It’s become my home more than any other place that I’ve ever lived.
A small smile plays on her full lips. “See you home later, then.”
I press a kiss to her cheek and whisper, “Wait up.”
“Oh, I will,” she replies with a giggle, leaving me to walk up the steps of the house with Cristina. When Rowe reaches the door, she glances over her shoulder and smiles.
The wind whips through her hair, and when I glance into the sky, steel-gray clouds scroll past.
“Looks like a storm’s coming,” Isaac murmurs.
No storm could stop the sensation in my heart, because from where I’m standing, it feels like a ray of sunshine is erupting from my chest, filling me with boundless joy.
I am home.
“I was going to do this tomorrow, but it’s going to be so busy that there won’t be time,” I say.
“Do what?” Ron asks between bites of potato chips.
“This.”
I pull my wallet from my back pocket and pull out three checks—one for Isaac, one for Ron, and one for McCauley. One by one, I slap the checks on the table and slide them over to each man.
“For all your hard work. Thank you.”
Ron flips over the check in front of him, does a double take, and reels back in his chair. Isaac’s hand shoots out and grabs the chair, pushing it forward until the front legs hit the floor.
“Is this a joke?” Ron asks. “I thought you didn’t have access to any of your money.”
I quash the grin that starts spreading across my face. “I was able to get this for you. Sorry it’s not more.”
“Not more? It’s twenty grand,” Ron sputters.
“What?” Isaac flips over his check. His eyes nearly pop from his skull. “Is this a joke?”
“Not a joke. I told the three of you before you started that you’d be compensated.”
“I figured the hot dogs were compensation.” McCauley scratches the dark scruff on his chin. “I never thought you’d pay us like this.”
“This is small thanks to the three of you for believing in the farm and for giving your time and energy—and for working two jobs.” I nod toward Isaac and McCauley. “For sacrificing.”
“Hey, man,” the bartender says, “in Mystic Meadows, people are more than people. We’re each other’s family. Rowe is family. We’d do anything to help her.”
“And you, with money like this,” McCauley jokes.
I rub the back of my neck as laughter rumbles from my chest. Of all the work I’ve ever done—building hotels, overlooking construction projects—this has been the most significant. It has touched me the most, meant more to me than I can express.
These guys mean a lot, too.
They each thank me.
“You all deserve it. Thank you for all the work you did.”
We settle into a comfortable silence and Isaac deals the next hand. “So, what time you leaving tomorrow?” he asks.
“Who says I’m leaving?”
“Well, aren’t you?”
I look up from my hand to see the three of them staring at me. I shrug. “What?”
“We just figured you’d be gone,” Ron clarifies, eyeing the check that sits face down on the table.
“Did you place bets on when I’d leave?”
“No.” Isaac scowls, insulted. “Well, maybe.”
McCauley keeps an eye on his hand. “He’s staying.”
Isaac’s eyes widen. “Are you staying?”
“You gonna break Rowe’s curse?” Ron accordion-closes the cards in his hand. “Are you?”
“There isn’t a curse,” I counter.
“Oh, there’s a curse,” Clarice says, showing up to clear the glasses.
“What gives, Clarice?” Ron says. “You’re not supposed to take our drinks so soon.”
Clarice puts a glass of water in front of him. “Storm’s moving.”
As she says it, all our phones buzz, and a computerized voice warns us that severe weather is heading our way.
I open the weather app and check the radar. There’s a line of red heading straight for us. “Looks nasty.”
“Tornadoes,” McCauley says ominously. “That’s what’s coming.”
My head whips up. “Is it even tornado season?”
“It’s not.” Clarice starts to move off, giving us her back. “But that doesn’t matter in the South. From the look of the radar, we got just enough time to get home. Y’all be safe.”
Isaac rises. “I’ll drive you, Clarice. Leave the John Deere.”
I slip the phone into my pocket, ignoring the tightening in my chest. “Has this area been hit by a tornado before?”
“A few years back,” McCauley tells me as he pulls his car keys from his pocket. “And the worst part is that storms like to hit the same areas over and over again. Get home and into the basement.”
Basement? There’s not a basement at the farm. As the men and Clarice move to leave, I dial Rowe to warn her.
There’s no answer.
Fear grips me by the throat. I have to get home now, before the line of storms hits.