“Yep. Bring the whole bag. Might as well treat the horses thathavebeen on their best behavior, too.”
Leaving Tahoe with his grandmother, Lance made a pitstop at his truck before finding his way into the old farmhouse. Even though he’d be greeted by the warmth of the house’s heater soon enough, he still wanted to retrieve his jacket and scarf. Gloves, too. In the last fifteen minutes, it had gotten so cold that his fingers had turned red, and his toes started to throb.
As promised, the farmhouse enveloped him in its familiar warmth. Even though it was old, the HVAC had been replaced in recent years, and that made everything more efficient. Lance carefully toed out of his boots to avoid tracking wet slush into the foyer before padding in his wool socks down the hallway toward the kitchen. But before he made the turn, something tugged at him, drawing him further down the corridor.
Maybe it was the memories. Maybe it was simple curiosity. Either way, he found himself standing at the threshold of the first spare bedroom. This room was once his own as a young boy during overnight stays, and it appeared to remain frozen in time. Just like he remembered, the big blue and green patchwork quiltstill draped over the queen-sized bed, with the well-loved teddy bear wearing the bright red bow sitting between two matching shams. There was a pile of books occupying the nightstand, and a floor lamp made from stained glass stood beside it. In recent years, the peeling wallpaper had been removed and was replaced with a fresh coat of beige paint, giving the room an update but still maintaining the overall feel.
His gaze shifted to the bedroom across the hall. It was set up in a similar fashion, with a large, quilted bed and collection of cozy knickknacks that made it feel like home away from home. Two more bedrooms on the lower floor mirrored this arrangement, with three additional bedrooms upstairs, not counting Nana’s master bedroom.
It was a big house for just one person.
Lance wondered if it ever felt that way to his grandmother, or if the countless memories woven into its walls was enough to keep it full of life.
He’d never broached the topic of her future plans for the farmhouse—or the ranch, for that matter—although he suspected she’d already given it some thought. With her history of selfless giving, he figured it was a subject she’d at least considered. But the mere idea of this place existing without her overseeing it was one he couldn’t grasp. She was as much a part of this structure as the beams and boards, the hearth and walls.
Lance couldn’t think about that right now, couldn’t fathom Snowdrift Stables without Nana Jo.
He found the big bag of carrots in the refrigerator and decided to focus on the present which included an escapee pony and an unruly pup, leaving the future of the ranch and Nana Jo’s role in it a topic for another day.
CHAPTER 17
The weeks leading up to the writer’s retreat were a whirlwind of activity. To-do lists, practice bouquets, cookies, and book sleeves filled Sarah’s long days, along with countless phone calls to Sterling to nail down the details for the authors’ stay at the Inn.
She couldn’t believe that only five more days remained until the participants would arrive. It was just enough time to accomplish everything if she could hunker down and focus.
But she had a difficult time doing that in moments like this where Lance stood at the end of a long case of books, a warm grin lighting up his face and an armful of novels in his hands.
“What are you doing here?” She pushed the cart closer, returning his smile. Her heart fluttered when his free arm slipped around her waist and tugged her tightly to him. “Lance,” she whisper-scolded in a tone that lacked any real conviction.
“Just thought I’d come by to surprise you at work. And while I was here, figured I’d stock up on some reading material.”
He planted a kiss right on her mouth, the biggest—and most delightful—surprise of all.
“Well, I would say I’m surprised to see you here, but considering you’ve checked out five books in as many days, I can’t really stand by that statement.”
Lance had evolved into a bona fide bookworm. After they’d finished reading the sweet romance novel for their book club, he had eagerly devoured the other books in the series, then switched up genres with his first cozy mystery. Sarah adored this side of him; the part that was willing to take literary risks and explore new worlds between the pages of a good book.
As much as Sarah longed to linger among the stacks with Lance, her tasks regarding the upcoming retreat—in addition to her regular duties at the library—required her immediate attention.
“I know you’re busy,” Lance acknowledged, obviously sensing her hesitation to abandon everything in favor of spending time with him. “I didn’t come here to distract you.” He playfully winked. “Promise.”
“Oh, sure you didn’t.”
“Just needed to add to my TBR.” He hoisted the armload of books to eye level. Sarah couldn’t help but chuckle at his confident use of bookworm lingo. “And to ask if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight? I was thinking we could take the gondola at Snowdrift Heights up to the top of the Summit and dine at The Peak.”
Her heart skipped a beat, tempted to say yes immediately. But something gave her pause. “I’d love to, more than anything, but Laney—”
“Before you say anything else,” Lance interjected, “I’ve already talked to Holden, and he and Rachel are free to watch Laney tonight. Everything’s squared away there.”
“They’re free?” Sarah knew Rachel adored the toddler. She’d ooh-ed and ahh-ed over Laney a couple weeks back when they accompanied Rachel bridal dress shopping. Her future sister-in-law had almost been more preoccupied with Laney than in finding the perfect wedding gown.
“Holden’s got an entire evening planned out,” Lance continued with a big grin. “Even said Laney could spend the night, so you wouldn’t need to rush home. Apparently, he’s planning to set up an indoor camping scene, complete with sleeping bags and a tent. S’mores, too.”
Well, that was very sweet of her brother.
“If everyone is good with that, then I am, too.” Sarah was touched by her brother’s thoughtfulness, along with Lance’s forethought to make the arrangements. “What time should I be ready?”
“Six o’clock work for you?”
