Curiosity got the best of me as I laid back on the bed. “What were you doing at the house, Princess?”

“Um. . .missing you?”

“Uh huh.”

Off in the distance, I could hear a group of people calling Autumn’s name and it warmed something deep inside me. Autumn claimed to not have any friends besides her sisters, but there were definitely more than three voices shouting at her to return to the fun.

“Hey, I’ll let you get back,” I said. “I should be home soon.”

“Really?” she asked, her voice perking up.

“Really.”

Her voice quieted as she asked, “For real this time?” and I felt like an ass.

“Yeah, baby. For real.”

“Oh good. Because I have a surprise for you.”

“Is it your pussy?”

“Colton!” she exclaimed and I caught myself laughing and feeling more carefree than I had in a long time.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.”

“It’s more than. . .that. Though she missed you, too.”

“I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk when I see you again.”

“Promises, promises. The book club is calling me,” she paused before adding, “Don’t be a stranger, Colton.”

Before I could say more, she ended the call and I was left feeling better than I had in a long time.

For the first time, it seemed like my life was going down a path that I could follow and embrace.

As I got ready for bed, thankful for the toothbrush and toothpaste Sadie had left for me in the bathroom across the hall, I wondered if the woman that once owned this place was smiling down, knowing that her children had finally come together. Not that I knew her very well, but I suspected that our mom would have loved Autumn. She was strong, smart, and kind.

And I loved her.

Chapter Nineteen – Autumn

Sawdust swirled around me like a tornado as I sanded the dresser in the attic of Colton’s house. He had no idea I was tackling this project. Heck, I had surprised myself and the contractor when I said I wanted to turn it into his master suite.

With the last leg complete, I crawled off the floor and stared at the soon-to-be masterpiece. With the white paint on the newly drywalled walls and the light oak floors that had been freshly stained, the room seemed open and spacious even with the peaked ceilings. I suspected it was the last-minute skylights Colton requested to be installed.

So far, the upstairs was coming together as Colton had wished. Other than the few ventilation changes that needed to be made, the house was pretty much ready to live in. In thirty days, no less. I didn’t know how much Colton spent to have the house remodeled so quickly, nor did I want to know, but his money sure made things happen faster than I’d ever seen.

When I chose to revamp the attic for Colton, I hadn’t been completely selfless. I wanted the chance to scour through the walls to find any more goodies. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything of sentimental value besides some more newspaper articles. But I was devoted to renovating the space and a bit stubborn.

Instead of leaving the space completely open, I had the contractor set up a narrow hallway at the top of the stairs and divide the other half of the attic into three smaller bedrooms and a full-sized bathroom. Colton could use them for whatever he wanted, like an office or gym, but if he ended up deciding to rent out the rooms or the entire house, it would be great. Especially if I could get him to partner with me and the venue. If Colton didn’t like the new layout, he could easily take the walls down.

On the other side of the master bedroom was the master bathroom. I’d managed to get a modern oversized clawfoot tub into the room along with a standup shower that could accommodate Colton’s height. All the colors were calm and serene and I tried to think of him when I picked out the items. I also kept the receipts because maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did.

Alex and Rory didn’t know why I was spending so much time decorating a place for the man that had extended his trip out of Ashfield twice already. I tried not to think about any of the many reasons why he would want to stay away. I knew them all far too well. They were the same reasons I always struggled with returning. Now things had changed since I found a purpose here.

Colton had been part of that change. Somehow, even without the label, I’d fallen for the man. The man that I once thought had stolen my dream, but instead had helped me realize a new one.

Frustrated that it had been another two days since I’d so much as heard from Colton, I began to worry that all of this hard work was for nothing. He never did say exactly what day he would return, just soon. The ache in my heart had thought soon would be the next day.

Foolish of me.

Ripping the respirator off my face, I dusted off the antique dresser I’d found at a store in the next town over. I’d work on staining it the same rich walnut color Colton and I had chosen for the library later. But I needed to head over to dinner at my parents’ house. I’d spent such little time with them recently and I felt guilty. Alex had also been pressuring me to tell them about the job offer from Friday. The one I’d turned down officially on Monday. I couldn’t work at a place that potentially saw me as a one-way ticket to a celebrity of sorts. As much as it pained me to turn it down, I felt better about my decision afterward.

Placing my mask on top of the dresser, I took a last glance at the space and made my way down the steep stairs. The one thing I loved about this attic space was that it could be completely closed off from the rest of the house because of a door at the base.

The second floor was nothing more than white walls and freshly stained floors. But it looked exactly how I thought it may when it was first built. Rooms that had once housed children and family members and any guests passing through.

I took the back stairwell down to the kitchen area and smiled when I stepped into the space. The kitchen had all the modern fixtures of today but looked as if everything was still stuck in the past. Colton had taken the ideas I’d had in my binder and purchased it all.

I suppose he could have had an interior designer do the same, but it felt more special knowing that I had been the one to find these items to help keep the home’s historic qualities.

Turning around, I stepped into my favorite room in the entire house. The library was now filled to perfection with thousands of books that Colton and I had scoured for in online bookstores and antique shops. Many of the shelves were still empty, but with all of the hardbacks, the room gave off that old book scent and I adored it.

I spent another minute in the space and then left the house, locking it up behind me. I’d been driving one of Dad’s UTVs between the properties and made my way over to where I’d parked it close to the path connecting our two properties.

On the drive back I found myself laughing at how just a month prior my entire family had been distraught over the idea that someone bought the property I’d had my eyes on as a little girl. My parents probably could have figured out a way to buy the home on their own, but they had supported me and wanted to give me that chance to make it my own. We didn’t know Colton Crawford or what his plans were for the place. Color us surprised when Dad brought him over and he claimed he wanted to restore the home.

To this day, it still seemed like a dream. But I wasn’t naïve enough to realize that it could all slip away just as quickly. Colton could grow tired of the place or get a job back in New York or LA and decide to sell. It was getting harder and harder to vet the people buying up properties in town. Developers were already trying to swindle the ranch owners into selling their land for a hefty payout.

Sunny Brook Farms was going to hold steady, though, and I hoped my venue plans would help.

I parked the vehicle and walked into the house, inhaling deeply when the scent of homemade pasta sauce consumed me.

“Hey, Mom,” I called out from the mudroom as I slid off my shoes and shook out my clothes one last time. Mom had already fussed at me for all the sawdust I’d been bringing into the house.

When I entered the kitchen, I found my sisters and brother fashioned around the table with a laptop between them. Mom and Dad sat on the couch with their gaze focused on whatever was playing on the screen, but it was clear they were listening in to my siblings.

“Hey, guys. I didn’t expect to see all of you here. Especially you, Andrew. It’s a weeknight after all.”

“Well, sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to,” he said gruffly, slamming his index finger on the keyboard and then flipping it toward me.

“What’s going on?” I asked in confusion as the group collectively stared at me as if it should be clear as day. Zoning in on the screen, there was a gossip page pulled up with Colton’s name front and center. “What am I looking at?”

Unlike Alex’s brash fashion, she calmly said, “We aren’t really sure what’s going on, but it looks like your boyfriend-”

Quickly I interrupted her and claimed that he was, in fact, not my boyfriend.

“Whatever he is, Autumn, there are pictures of Colton eating with another woman and then going back to her house. They finally saw him leaving with the woman earlier today.”