Avi was her family now too, and she was glad he was by her side through whatever might come.She didn’t know what the day would bring, but for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t afraid.She had a home to protect and a mate by her side, and the fragile hope that her mom would make it out too.
Until then, Fallon would live.She would mend curtains and hem skirts and bake coffee cakes and carve out a place for herself in the herd.
She wouldn’t live in fear anymore.
After finding Fallon up for hours before him that morning, Avi spent most of Monday morning doing his usual chores around the farm, but his mind was on his mate.He could tell she was so happy to be baking in the kitchen, especially once the herd had woken up and been excited for the coffee cake she’d made.She was feeling out her place in the herd, and he was thankful his friends were so welcoming and supportive.
He caught glimpses of her as she worked in the house with the others, cleaning the glass from the floor and furniture and washing the linens.They hadn’t even tackled the barns yet because the bedrooms were the priority, but at some point they’d get to them.
After he finished harvesting the last of the green peppers, he pulled the plants and discarded them in the compost bin, then went to find his sweetheart and get some lunch.
He expected to see her on the second floor in one of the bedrooms, but instead he found her in one of the storage rooms on the first floor with the sewing machine she’d told him about.He vaguely remembered seeing it in the room when they’d bought the farm, an unused relic from the previous owners.
She was sitting at the sewing table with the machine and using a needle and thread on the curtains from Crew and Zara’s room.
“Hey there,” he said, coming to stand next to her.
She blinked up at him and smiled.“Hi.”
“Is the machine working?”
“I think it’s jammed.I cut the torn part out of the curtain and need to restitch it all, but the machine won’t work and I haven’t had a chance to look online for the instruction manual.”
“Let me take a crack at it.I’m not the handiest guy like Ford, but I might be able to figure it out.”
She got up and he took a seat, angling the gooseneck lamp over the machine.“We need to get you some supplies, huh?”
“That would be really nice.But there are other more important things to deal with right now.Like all the windows.”
He glanced at her.“This is important too.”
She smiled.“Do you think so?”
“Hell, yes.Do you know how often I’ve tossed a shirt or jeans because of a tear?Daisy ripped the pocket of my favorite flannel shirt a few months ago and I had to throw it away.Maybe you could have salvaged it.”
The little goat was the unofficial farm mascot and very ornery.She reminded him of Tank the moose at the safari park, who was quite the cantankerous fellow.They were two peas in a pod.
“Yeah, I maybe could have saved it.”She gripped the curtains and then smiled again.“I want to make a home.”
“What do you mean?”
“For you and me.We’re mated now, and I know it’s only been two days since I got here, but I really love the farm.The herd is so amazing and so gracious with everything, and you’re the best guy I’ve ever known.But I want to make a home for us.I want this place to be where I think of when I say the wordhome, and part of that is me being useful and helping out.”
He was going to tell her she didn’t have to do anything to be useful or helpful to the herd, because she was his soulmate and that meant she was part of it no matter what.But he saw the earnestness in her eyes and knew she was wrestling with her place in the world.Whatever she needed to do to make the farm feel like home to her, he was all for.
He hummed.“I like blue.”
Her brow furrowed.“Oh-kay?”
With a chuckle, he clarified, “I mean, I like blue for the curtains in our bedroom.The ones in there now are brown.I think they were there when I picked the room and I just never messed with them.Do you think you could make some blue curtains?If we ordered things that you’d need?”
Her eyes lit up and he knew he’d guessed right.
“Oh, yes, I’d love that.Maybe a blue like your eyes.”She stepped next to him and leaned down, giving him a soft kiss.
“We’ll deal with that after I get this figured out.”
He turned his attention back to the machine, and she sat on a chair nearby and worked on the other curtains.After ten minutes, he’d located a diagram online and figured out how to fix the machine, finding a knot of old fabric and thread that prevented the needle from moving.Once it was clear, she showed him how to thread the bobbin and did a quick stitch around the edge of the curtain with a broad grin.
