My, how things had changed. She gave the oars one final pull and the boat drew alongside the pier.
Graham stood, backend wagging, ears perked, brown eyes sparkling.
“Miss me, buddy?” Lauren grabbed the dock post and pulled them in, tied the rope around the cleat with some precision. She offered a hand to the couple, who were in their upper seventies but still spry.
“Thank you, dear.” Back on land, Beth petted Graham, who soaked up the attention. “We so wanted to take a lap around the lake this year, but our shoulders just aren’t what they used to be.”
“I’m always happy to get out on the water. Let me know if you want another ride before you leave.”
A minute later as Lauren waved them off, she spotted Jonah heading down the sloped ground toward her. Her heart clutched at the sight of him. Even in an old T-shirt and jeans, he did it for her. His work around the property kept him fit and muscular, and the summer sun had darkened his skin to a deep bronze. The ball cap, worn low, called attention to his handsome facial features: light blue eyes, a slightly crooked nose, and lips that were perfection.
Those lips tipped as he approached. “You took the Cabots out on the lake?”
“Great day for a boat ride.”
He brushed her mouth in a quick kiss that made her anticipate their upcoming evening. Their gazes held for a beat. Yeah, a night with Jonah was just what the doctor ordered. Their summer schedules had been hectic, andworking for a family meant there was a lot of family time. She wasn’t complaining. She loved each one of the Landrys. But time alone with Jonah?
As if reading her mind, he pulled her close and kissed her again, his lips taking their sweet time with hers.
“Mmmm,” she murmured long seconds later. “Nice.”
“Just nice?”
“Just perfect.”
He gave her that sleepy-eyed look she’d come to love. “Ready to be wined and dined?”
“I can hardly wait. But a shower’s definitely in order, and I think I’ll lose the ponytail and resort polo.”
“But you’re so cute in resort wear.” He kissed her nose.
Impatient for his attention, Graham nudged between them.
Jonah ruffled his fur. “Hey, bud. Yes, I see you. It’s been all of thirty minutes. Meg just got back with the supplies. Did the Browns finally check out?”
“Just in time. Fran’s cleaning it now. Should be done by three. I was just gonna head back to the barn and see how the hayloft looks with all the stuff gone.” While she’d been working yesterday, he and Meg cleared out the space, which had been filled with decades of junk.
“If anything, it seems even bigger. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and they set off, Graham on their heels, across the property toward the path that led through the woods.
Birds chirped from the spiny branches of a hemlock tree, and the wind whispered through the leafy canopy. They’d spent their recent spare time clearing brush and weeds from around the barn’s exterior, exposing the stone base. It would take a lot more work to transform the old building into the venue she saw in her imagination, but Lauren was eager to see her vision materialize.
She was excited for the future. It might look far different now at twenty-six than she’d once imagined, but it was somehow better andclearer than those wispy dreams that had carried her through college. The reminder that she might be running from her past pressed like a boulder on her chest.
But she pushed away the unsettling thought as their conversation turned to business matters. They made their way through the thick woods, their footfalls silenced by damp pine needles. Soon the path opened to the clearing, and the sun shone on the structure, highlighting the recently exposed side walls and rock base. Lauren couldn’t help but smile.
“You gaze at this eyesore like it’s the Holy Grail.”
She jabbed him with an elbow. “She’s not an eyesore. She’s a diamond in the rough and she’s gonna be beautiful. You just wait—every bride in the county will want to say her vows here.”
He squeezed her hand. “I don’t doubt it for a minute.”
He slid open the creaky barn door, and as they passed through the doorway, the air immediately cooled. Lauren’s nostrils filled with the musty scent of earth and time long past. Sunbeams flooded through filmy windows, and slivers of light cut through cracks in the vertical boards, dust motes dancing in their beams.
Now that the space was clear of debris, she could envision the final product even more clearly. They would maintain the barn’s rustic integrity but add embellishments: twinkle lights, a chandelier, and a grand stone fireplace at the west end of the barn that would seem as if it had grown here.
“You have that look on your face again.” His smile was full of affection. “Just a peek at the hayloft—we have reservations. And you have all winter to whip this place into shape.” He grabbed the aluminum ladder that leaned against the wall adjacent to the loft. “Ladies first.”
And up she went as he steadied the ladder. A moment later she caught her first glimpse of the open loft. It wasn’t her first time up here, but thejunk had hidden the square window in the center of the back wall of the loft. It now shed a soft glow over the space. Some rags and a bottle of Windex sat on its ledge, but judging by the film of dirt on the panes, they hadn’t been used yet.
