16. Teddy
TEDDY
Evening shadows deepened across the pine-crested ridge encircling Kent’s cottage, painting the veranda planks in dark blue angles as twilight faded above the valley.
The previous day of harvesting had been grueling and Teddy was tired, but instead of remaining around the farmhouse table while her three sisters reviewed the harvest schedule for the following day, Teddy drove her truck down the small access lane and brought the vehicle to a halt on Kent's driveway.
She turned off the ignition, lingering inside the silent cab while cool autumn air flowed through the lowered window, bearing the fresh fragrance of crushed pine needles.
Her hands rested lightly on the steering wheel for a long moment while she gathered her thoughts, acknowledging the subtle nervousness lingering within her chest. For most of her life, she'd trained herself to maintain an uncompromising self-reliance, regarding personal independence as an absolute necessity for emotional safety.
Following the end of her marriage, that ingrained caution seemed to have hardened into a permanent barrier against vulnerability.
But gazing at the warm golden light shining through Kent's front window, she recognized that staying behind her defensive wall didn’t actually protect her heart; it had only prevented her from claiming the life she really wanted.
She exited the cab, the cool night breeze brushing against her sweater collar while she neared the wooden porch railing.
Kent opened the screen door before she reached the railing, his amber eyes looking at her with delighted surprise.
He wore a dark shirt with the cuffs rolled past his forearms, his posture relaxed but attentive as he stood in the doorway.
"I wasn't expecting you to visit tonight. Especially not after such a busy day harvesting," he remarked, while he gestured toward the open entryway. "I thought you’d be with your sisters planning to organize the orchard tasks for the final day of harvesting tomorrow."
"They’ll manage without me. I needed to speak with you without an audience," Teddy answered, as she passed through the doorway into his front room.
The interior of his cottage reflected the same functional order that characterized his veterinary clinic.
A stone hearth contained a low ember fire, casting soft orange radiance across wide pine floorboards, comfortable leather armchairs, and tall bookshelves filled with animal health manuals and history books.
A brass reading lamp illuminated the corner desk, casting a gentle glow over neatly stacked ledger notes and animal health charts.
It was quiet and cozy. He had created a welcoming sanctuary that was steady and peaceful, just like the man himself.
Teddy paused near the hearth, her hands resting inside the pockets of her canvas jacket as she swiveled to face him. Kent closed the door, remaining positioned near the doorway frame, granting her physical space while maintaining steady eye contact across the warm room.
He gestured for her to sit in one of the comfortable chairs around the hearth, and patiently waited for Teddy to speak.
"I don’t really know how to start, so I guess I’m just going to say it.
I spent years convincing myself that I didn't need anyone," Teddy said. "After my dad died, I learned how important it was to be self-sufficient. Then when my marriage dissolved two years ago, I convinced myself that living alone inside a city apartment was the safest way to exist. I thought that if I never asked for help, if I never admitted to wanting someone in my life, no one had ever possess the power to refuse me or reject me. But I’ve realized that’s a very lonely way to live. "
Kent listened in total stillness, his face composed while he absorbed her disclosure. He didn't interrupt or offer hasty assurances, granting her the dignity of laying down her emotional armor at her own pace.
"Coming back to this region was supposed to be temporary," Teddy continued, her dark eyes glinting with conviction in the hearth firelight.
"I told myself I was only here to oversee the harvest season and see if we could make any progress with the deeds issue, and then I’d return to my restoration business in the city.
But every week I stayed on the farm, every afternoon spent working alongside you, proved that my self-reliance had become an excuse to hide behind old habits. A crutch."
She paused, drawing a calm breath while she maintained his gaze across the hearth fire.
"I knew there was something building between us.
And when I saw Cecilia standing in your clinic that day, I allowed my own insecurity to turn into jealousy and resentment," Teddy admitted, her tone softening into genuine openness.
"I saw someone who shared a similar professional background, someone who is beautiful and would easily fit into your daily routine, and I assumed that you'd found what you really needed.
I let my fear convince me that there was no room for me in your world, and I nearly allowed a situation that had no basis in reality, to nearly destroy the chance of something genuine between us. "
Kent shifted in his chair. "Teddy, my acquaintance with Cecilia Brooks is strictly professional, and has been since the first day I met her," Kent clarified. "I know she is interested, but I’ve made it clear to her I’m not interested in a relationship with her. She volunteered at the pet adoption stand and I accepted because we needed the help, not because I wanted to spend time with her. I have never looked at her with any romantic interest, because when I was just a quiet, lonely kid, a kind girl stole my heart, and she’s been the only one I’ve ever wanted since then. "
Teddy swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and looked at his steady features, noting the total lack of doubt in his tone.
"But as much as I want to be with you, I didn't want to have to break down a closed door," Kent added.
"I needed you to decide that what we could build together was worth opening the door for.
I needed to know that if I reached out my hand, you'd choose to take it willingly. It had to be your choice entirely."
Teddy drew her hands from her jacket pockets and closed the remaining physical distance between them.
"Well, I told you the other day that me coming to talk to you was taking the first step, and this is me opening the door," Teddy stated, as she looked up at his face. "I’m not going back to Portland once the harvest finishes, and I’m not hiding behind old fears anymore.
I'm choosing this farm, I'm choosing this valley, and most importantly, I'm choosing you. "
A steady hearth fire cast warm golden radiance across the wide pine flooring of Kent's living room. Kent stayed positioned in his chair beside the stone chimney, his arm stretched out across the quiet space, holding Teddy’s hand.
Outside, a gentle autumn mist brushed against the glass windowpanes, wrapping the interior space in a serene intimacy.
"I love you, Teddy. There has never been anyone else," Kent declared, looking at her with such sincerity that Teddy thought her heart might burst. "And there never will be. You’re it for me, Teddy."
Teddy absorbed his words, the nervous tension that had been locked inside her chest loosened, replaced by an absolute feeling of peace. Seeing the truth reflected within his warm eyes, she knew she was exactly where she wanted to be.
"I don’t know when I fell in love with you.
It just sort of happened. I think I’d been in denial about my feelings until the green-eyed monster reared its ugly head," Teddy acknowledged, with a small laugh.
"Of course, I never like to do things the easy way, so I squashed that feeling down.
I refused to give it a name, because that would give it too much power over me.
But no matter how much I tried to ignore it, the feelings were always there, under the surface.
Thank you for being so patient with me. For not running a hundred miles when I kept pushing you away. "
Kent squeezed her hand gently.
"I was never going to give up on you, Teddy. I would have waited years, if that’s what it took. I saw how fiercely you guarded your independence, and I knew that if I pressed you before you were ready, you'd retreat back behind those walls. Being patient is easy because I know you’re worth it."
Teddy listened as his words settled into the room. She understood the truth of them. He was the most honorable man she’d ever met. He'd honored her autonomy, giving her the space to arrive at her own conclusion without pressure.
She reached inside her jacket pocket and drew out a neatly folded sheet of paper, placing it on the oak coffee table between them.
Kent looked at the document, taking in the detailed architectural sketches, elevation renderings, and timber restoration diagrams Teddy had added across the page in precise pencil.
"I took a break from harvesting yesterday and visited the historic mill area near the river," Teddy stated, her dark gaze shining with authentic enthusiasm.
"The old brick warehouse beside the lower falls has been vacant for five years.
The timber headers and structural beams require specialized stabilization, but the foundation is completely solid.
I'm submitting a formal purchase offer next week. "
Kent looked back up at her, a genuine smile curving his lips as he grasped the full meaning of her plans. He looked at the sketches again, noting the careful preservation of the original 1880s oak trusses and the dedicated studio workspace laid out in the blueprints.
“The roof timber needs reinforcement, but the floor space provides the ideal layout for a restoration studio," Teddy said.
"You can envision the workspace layout already," he noted, his voice bearing a warm, genuine appreciation while observing her expression.