Page 103 of The One You Want

“You might be a nice young thing, Cora, but my Sadie just stole myheart.”

Cora leaned over and kissed his cheek. “It’s my loss, oldman.”

See?Sweet.

We ate prime rib and drank beer and after awhile, Jerry and Sadie got up to cut into the massive, four-tiered wedding cake that Sadie’s niece Lilah had made in their bakery. It was way more than our small party could ever eat, but, as Libby pointed out, you could never really have too muchcake.

Before they left for the honeymoon down in Saugatuck, Jerry stopped at our table. “How are your girls doing, Miss Jenny? I’ve been so busy with all this fuss I haven’t stopped by to see them in awhile.”

“They’re real good,” I told him. “I’ve actually been thinking about getting a new friend for them—what do you think about Rhode Island Reds in thisclimate?”

His face lit up and he reached for an empty chair, clearly eager to sit down and talk my ear off about chicken breeds. But Sadie delicately cleared her throat and he smiled sheepishly at her before turning back to me. “I’ll send you some information,” he said. Another throat clearing noise from Sadie. “After the honeymoon,” he clarified, and I couldn’t help butlaugh.

Apparently Jerry Brooks had found someone who he cared about more than chickens. Who ever would haveguessed?

Grant and I both stood to hug the newlyweds before they went off to say their final goodbyes to theirfamily.

“Don’t tell me you’re crying again,” Grant said as I watched Sadie hugging Iris’s grandmother Rosegoodbye.

“I’m just going to miss him,” I muttered. “I like being able to stop in whenever I want to sayhi.”

Grant laughed and put an arm around me, pulling me close to his chest. I snuggled in, immediately soothed. “He’ll be back in a few weeks,” he reminded me. “I’m sure he’ll think of a million more chicken tips for you bythen.”

He would, too. Without adoubt.

“You done with that cake?” Grant asked, nudging my nearly emptyplate.

“Why? You want to get started on thecleanup?”

He shot me a sly grin. “No need. It’s already taken careof.”

I gaped at him. “Someone packed up all theflowers?”

“Yup. We’re free andclear.”

“Well, I like the sound ofthat.”

The spring sun was shining brightly overhead as we walked arm and arm up the road to the farm. To our home. I had been living there for less than a year, but it already felt like more of a home than I’d ever had in my life. More than the condo. And certainly more than the hotel or my grandparent’s house everhad.

“You have a lot of orders to get through tomorrow?” Grantasked.

“A ton.” I didn’t feel at all upset by the prospect—I loved every second I spent in my workroom in the farmhouse. The commissions and mail orders had been going so well that I was nearly ready to start looking at properties for my own shop. The business plan I’d worked out with my Grandpa’s help indicated I wouldn’t be at that stage until next year, but he’d been encouraging me to go for it. “You have to take a little risk, peanut,” he wouldsay.

And he had plenty of opportunities to give me advice. These days we actually saw each other more often than we used to. He had been far more interested in my jewelry business than I ever would have guessed. I think he enjoyed having something so completely different to think about. I also think he was pretty proud of me—it was obvious in the way his chest would puff out whenever he talked about my business. We had lunch in town weekly where I kept him up to date on everything that was happening—with the jewelry and in mylife.

My grandmother was another story. One of the best things about moving out of the condo—besides getting to live with Grant—was that I no longer felt beholden to Caroline Hillman. It wasn’t that I wanted to cut her out of my life entirely—I just wanted to be able to enjoy her company on my own terms. As her granddaughter, instead of as herbeneficiary.

But she was having a much harder time coming around to the way things were now. Grandpa had nagged her until she agreed to come over and see my new place shortly after I moved in. I’d gotten caught up with an escaped chicken that morning and lost track of the time. When I answered the door in mud-covered jeans and a pair of old boots, my hair a mess, I actually feared she might have astroke.

Oh well. I hoped she would get there eventually but I knew I couldn’t force it. I didn’t even want totry.

Grant had showed me what unconditional love actually looked like—I was never going to accept a cold imitationagain.

“Oh, we left the lights on,” I said as we turned the corner and our farmhouse came into view. “I guess we were in arush.”

Grant didn’t say anything. I looked over to see his lips set in a thin line. Did he lookpale?

“You okay?” Iasked.