“Oh, God.”
“They probably thought it looked fun,” Van says, scanning the path. “Come on.”
We slow as we hit the shade of the trees, our breathing loud in the quiet. Then a familiar laugh echoes through the branches.
“Huck!”
“Mommy!” he calls back. “We found fairies!”
I nearly melt with relief. Van’s hand finds my elbow, steadying me as we round the bend.
There they are—Huck and TJ, kneeling in a patch of ferns beside one of the carved gnomes Dylan and Tricia added to the trail. The boys are whispering to it like it might whisper back. When they see us, they both freeze.
“Uh-oh,” TJ mutters.
“Yeah, uh-oh,” Van says, trying not to smile.
I kneel in front of Huck. “You scared me half to death, buddy.”
“Sorry, Mommy,” he says, eyes big and earnest. “We just wanted to see the magic woods.”
Van crouches beside TJ. “And you didn’t think to tell me first?”
TJ bites his lip. “We were gonna come right back.”
“Well, now we know,” Van says gently. “No wandering off without a grown-up. Deal?”
Both boys nod, solemn as church mice.
“Okay then,” I sigh. “You’re forgiven. But you’re grounded from fairy adventures until further notice.”
They giggle and race ahead toward the entrance, already planning their next pretend rescue mission.
When they’re far enough ahead, I finally breathe again. “Thank you,” I say quietly. “For staying calm.”
“Comes with the job,” he says, smiling. “But for the record, you held it together better than half the guys on my crew would’ve.”
I glance around the forest, taking it in now that my vision isn’t tunneled by fear. Sunlight filters through the trees, catching on bits of colored glass and the shimmer of paint on mushrooms. It really does feel enchanted.
“I forget how beautiful this place is,” I murmur. “Dylan and Tricia really outdid themselves.”
“Yeah,” he says, softer now. “But I think it’s more than the lights and paint. It’s… what you all built here. It feels like more than a patch. It feels like home.”
I turn to look at him—and that’s my mistake. He’s close enough that I can see the faint scar on his jaw, the golden flecks in his eyes.
His hand brushes mine where it hangs at my side, and something in my stomach flips.
For a heartbeat, the world narrows to the space between us.
He leans in just a little. “Lanie…”
I take a step back. “We can’t.”
He blinks, confusion giving way to understanding. “Because I’m the fire chief?”
“Because I don’t have room for any of this.” My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to. “My life is Huck and this farm. That’s all I can handle right now.”
He studies me for a moment, then nods. “Okay.”
