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Wes glanced toward Alan and Janice. “They look happy.”

“They are.” Her expression softened. “I think this is the day they’ve been waiting for since they bought the place.”

Wes understood that. Owning land was paperwork. Working it was something else.

His phone buzzed again. He read the message from Russet Hill and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Kate noticed. “Everything okay?”

“For now. The cider block’s moving faster than expected.”

“You want to be over there.” It wasn’t a question.

Wes looked toward his own land, hidden beyond the trees. He trusted his crew. He had worked with most of them for years. But Russet Hill was still his responsibility. He knew every awkward patch of ground, every exposed row and every piece of machinery that behaved differently when the weather changed. Finding Kate had not altered that. Nor should it. But when had he ever stood in one orchard and wished he could be in two? Wes closed his hand around the phone in his pocket. “I want to be in both places,” he admitted.

Kate set down the container she was carrying. “My parents are doing fine. You’ve got people here, Eileen’s here, and Dad will shout if he needs you. If your orchard needs you, go.”

“I’m not leaving yet.”

“Then don’t. But stop looking guilty every time your phone goes off.”

Wes smiled. “I don’t look guilty.”

“You do a little.”

He reached for her hand. “What if I just like being here?”

Kate’s fingers tightened around his. “Then stay while you can.”

She made it sound simple. No demand. No implication that choosing his own work meant choosing less of her. His bear went quiet in the way he did when something mattered. Wes leaned in and kissed her.

It was brief, because somebody called Alan’s name from the next row and Penny shouted something about an apple she had found. But Kate’s hand lingered against his chest before she stepped away. “Go help Dad,” she said. “He’s trying very hard not to ask you a question.” Alan was.

Wes found him and Janice near the end of the lower block, looking toward the next section. “If we finish this before lunch, we can start up there,” Alan said.

Janice shook her head. “We need ten minutes first. You haven’t stopped since we started.”

“We’ve got weather coming.”

“We also have people who need water and food.”

“I know that, Jan.” His tone was sharper than the words deserved. Janice went still. Alan heard it too. He closed his eyes briefly. “Sorry.”

She stepped closer and put one hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re worried.”

“I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Her voice stayed gentle. “But you also don’t have to prove we made the right decision by getting every apple off every tree in one day.”

Alan looked away. “I brought you here and bought an orchard I barely knew how to run.”

Janice’s hand tightened on his shoulder. “You didn’t bring me anywhere. We came together. I signed the same papers you did, and I wanted this just as much as you.”

Alan met her eyes. “I know.”

“Then remember it.”

He pulled her into his arms. The hug was short, but Alan looked steadier when they separated.