“Even though you know exactly where to find me?” she teased, running her fingers through his hair.
“Especially then.” His expression grew tender as he cupped her face in his hands. “Do you know what today is?”
“Mmm, Thursday?”
He chuckled. “It’s exactly six years since we moved here. Six years since we started this crazy venture with the Merino sheep. Six years since you made all my dreams come true—even the ones I didn’t know I had.”
Farah’s heart swelled with love. “I remember how nervous we were, wondering if it would all work out. The sheep, the mill investments, starting a family…”
“And look at us now.” Rockwell’s voice was thick with pride. “The breeding program is more successful than we ever imagined. Armley Mills has tripled in size. People consider our wool the finest in England. But more importantly, we have three beautiful children, a home filled with love, and I fall more in love with you every day.”
“Flatterer,” she whispered, though her eyes shone with happy tears. “Though I must say, your latest letter to the Royal Agricultural Society was particularly eloquent. I especially enjoyed your passionate defense of our crossbreeding program.”
“Ah, so you’re the one who’s been editing my correspondence again!” He grinned. “I thought those sentences seemed more polished than usual.”
“Well, someone has to make sure England’s premier sheep breeder sounds appropriately dignified,” she teased. “Besides, Ienjoy being part of every aspect of our life here. Remember how you once thought I was just a timid mouse?”
“Never.” He shook his head firmly. “I always saw the fire in you, even if I was too blind to realize how much I needed that fire in my life.” His hands slid down to rest on her still-flat stomach. “Speaking of which, when shall we tell the children about their new sibling?”
Farah’s eyes widened. “How did you know? I only just realized myself!”
“My love, you forget I know every inch of you.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I noticed the changes in your body, the way you’ve been glowing lately. Plus, you turned down Cook’s excellent kidney pie at dinner last night, and you never turn down kidney pie.”
She laughed, leaning into his embrace. “I was planning to tell you today, actually. Happy anniversary, darling.”
The twins calling from downstairs interrupted their tender moment. “Mama! Papa! Cook has the picnic ready!”
“We should go,” Farah said reluctantly. “Before they decide to head to the pasture without us.”
“Heaven forbid,” Rockwell agreed. “Though I must say, James already has quite the eye for picking out the best breeding stock. Did you see him with that new ram last week?”
“Like father, like son.” Farah smiled, reaching for her shawl. “Though Elizabeth is the one who’s been studying your maps and asking about your travels.”
“Perhaps we could take them all to London for the Season this year,” Rockwell suggested as they headed downstairs. “Show them a bit of the world beyond Suffolk. Though I must say, I don’t miss those endless balls and social obligations.”
“Liar,” Farah teased. “You miss watching me cause scandals and hide in your trunks.”
He caught her around the waist, pulling her close for one more kiss. “The only thing I miss is having you all to myself. Though I wouldn’t trade our life now for anything.”
They found the twins in the kitchen, supervising as Cook packed the last of the breakfast items into a basket. The children’s governess, Miss Wilson, was attempting to convince Elizabeth that she needed a warmer coat for the morning chill.
“I’ll carry the basket!” James announced, though the large hamper was nearly as big as he was.
“Perhaps we should share the burden,” Rockwell suggested diplomatically, taking one handle while his son grabbed the other. “That’s what partners do, after all.”
As they made their way across the dew-covered lawn toward the pastures, Farah’s heart felt full to bursting. The morning sun illuminated the scene like something from a painting—her handsome husband and son carrying the picnic basket, Elizabeth skipping ahead to point out interesting clouds, the magnificent house rising behind them, and beyond that, the vast flocks that represented their shared dream.
They settled on a blanket near the south pasture, where several ewes were tending their new lambs. While the twins exclaimed over the wobbly-legged newcomers, Rockwell pulled out fresh bread, hard-boiled eggs, and slices of cold ham.
“Look Papa!” Elizabeth called out. “That one has spots like the ram from Spain!”
“Good eye, sweetheart,” Rockwell praised. “That’s one of our experimental crosses. We’re hoping to combine the fine wool of the Merinos with the hardiness of some of our local breeds.”
“Will it make the mills happy?” James asked around a mouthful of bread.
Farah smiled at her son’s precociousness. “The mills are already happy, darling. Thanks to your papa’s breedingprogram, Armley Mills now supplies wool to half of Yorkshire’s textile trade which is shipped around the world.”
“And thanks to your mama’s careful management of our accounts and clever investments, we’ve been able to expand faster than anyone thought possible,” Rockwell added, squeezing her hand.
