Seriously?
You reunite with the love of your life and that’s the best you can do?
“Okay,” she said, her voice a little breathless. “See you around, Ransom.”
He forced his feet to begin the walk back toward the pine trees, wanting nothing more than to turn around, fighting the urge to turn back to her with every step.
She’s just touching down,he told himself sternly.She’s not going to stay.
But somehow, his heart felt like it was breaking all over again.
3
HAILEY
Hailey awoke shivering. Before she even opened her eyes, the light scent of lavender reminded her that she was in Ransom’s grandmother’s cottage—hercottage now—waking up to her very first day back in Trinity Falls.
She smiled as she sat up and stretched. Soft morning light filtered through the lace curtains, and through them she could just see the expanse of snowy lawn and the row of tall pine trees between her home and Ransom’s.
Ransom…
She had spent so many years putting him out of her mind. Every time she thought of him, she’d try to recite a Shakespearean monologue or mentally write a letter to her mother instead.
It worked. Some of the time.
But she’d let herself go to sleep last night with the man and his kids on her mind.
She had always loved Ransom’s high energy and hismischevious expression. The years had changed him though, and it wasn’t just the beard or the faint lines around his eyes. Something about him was different.
He was away serving his country, she reminded himself.And he’s a single father now.
It was enough to make her feel guilty about her own easy lifestyle these past few years. Her biggest responsibilities had mostly involved memorizing lines and looking good on TV. She had been getting up extra early each day to spend an hour in hair and makeup, and of course she had been on a strict diet, and she never stayed up too late. Part of being an actress was minding her face and figure so that the audience could just enjoy the story without noticing anything too interesting about her.
If I’d wound up in a lead role it would have been harder,she reminded herself.
Acute best friendcharacter, like Beebee had to look pretty and slim but not draw too much attention, while the lead actresses usually had to stand out for their extreme beauty. Their self-care routines were a whole job in and of themselves.
And then there were the actresses in their forties who had to decide between enduring surgeries or losing their jobs as they aged out of the roles the fans loved them in, while the male actors simply morphed into “silver foxes” and kept right on going.
I won’t have to worry about any of that,she thought to herself with satisfaction as she headed into the bathroom and started the shower.I’m done with it.
But even if she’d been promoted on the show, the job of any actor paled in comparison to what Ransom hadendured, and the duty he had to his children now. It made her feel silly for being stressed out about a television show.
And it will put what I’m about to do now into perspective.
She had a meeting scheduled with a designer, so she dressed quickly and headed up the hill to meet him at the farmhouse.
My farmhouse.
It was still hard to get used to thinking of it that way.
The morning air was cold, but she was bundled up properly and wearing a pair of warm boots instead of the suede ones that she’d probably ruined while stomping around in the snow last night. Dazzling sunlight glittered on the fresh fallen snow, making her wish for some sunglasses, and the birds sang all around, greeting the morning just like she remembered.
“There’s no place like home,” she said to herself.
Soon, the back of the farmhouse came into view and she felt her heart skip a beat.
Hailey had always loved the Wright’s farmhouse. It was a big, white-painted wooden house with pale blue shutters. In the summertime, Mrs. Wright used to plant wildflowers in the window boxes so that when you looked out, butterflies would be fluttering around the bright blossoms.
