the cafe and see Jana sitting behind the counter, everything I rehearsed on the way here flies out the window.
She’s finally in front of me after what seems like forever, even though it’s only been a few days. All I want to do is rush over and pull her into my arms, but the moment she looks up, and her eyes lock with mine, I’m frozen in place.
‘Cole?’ She sounds shocked to see me, and it’s enough to snap me out of it.
‘I can’t live in town, but I set aside a piece of land for the community garden. It’s five times the size of the space you have now. It’s right by the road, so it’s easy to access, and I can build a fence to keep visitors from wandering further onto the property, so we can still have our privacy. Next to it is the perfect spot for a greenhouse so you can grow fruits and vegetables all year long.’
I take a deep breath and move toward her. She hasn’t yelled at me to get out, so I hope that’s a good sign.
‘I’ll bring you into town anytime you need or want. You won’t need room and board because you’ll be living with me. The garden can be your full-time job. Think of how many people you can help. We’ll have our garden by the house you can also take care of. We can expand it, and you can make jams and sell those in Jack’s store. We can come down and meet with the guys like Hope and Cash. You can even take stuff to the farmer’s market.’
I take a few more steps toward her and freeze when she finally stands up.
She comes around the corner, and I instinctively offer her my hand because she’s still limping. She ignores it and throws herself into my arms, wrapping herself around me.
‘It sounds perfect,’ she whispers and kisses me right there in the middle of the café in front of the customers.
I wrap my arms around her waist and pick her up, swinging her around in a circle before carefully setting her back on her feet. ‘Good, because the guys are out back ready to move you out of your apartment.’
‘Right now?’ she asks, her eyes wide.
‘Yes.’
‘But… I have to put in my notice,’ she says as she looks around the café.
‘As long as that notice starts right now so I can take you home where you belong, that’s fine.’
‘Cole! I have to give him two weeks so he can find someone to fill the position.’
‘Who was filling in for you while you were gone?’
‘The assistant manager.’
‘Sounds like there’s already someone to take the position. There’s no way I can wait two weeks.’ I trace my hand’s up her waist, skimming the underside of her breasts, hoping it’ll drive her crazy like she’s driving me crazy.
She pulls out her phone, and her thumb starts flying across the screen as she sends a text. A moment later, a small blonde woman appears in the café.
‘Go, Jana. I got this,’ the girl says, stepping behind the counter and shooing her out the door.
Jana grabs her bag from behind the counter and takes my hand to lead me out the back door. I waste no time swooping in and picking her up.
‘You should give your foot a rest,’ I tell her.
She shakes her head but lets me carry her. ‘When I get home, I promise to put it up and ice it.’
She doesn’t realize what it does to me hearing her call my cabin home. I nod and head out the back, where the guys are leaning against their trucks, waiting for me. Their girls are there, too ready to help pack. We have more boxes and tape than we’ll ever need, which was all Hope’s doing.
I carry her to her apartment and set her down on her couch. ‘You don’t need any of your furniture, but we can take anything you want.’
‘All this furniture was either hand-me-downs from neighbors, picked off the side of the road, or from the thrift store down the road. I have no attachments to any of it,’ she says, looking around her small one-bedroom apartment.
‘Emelie and I will get started on your clothes in your room,’ Jenna says.
‘I’ll get started on the stuff in your kitchen,’ Hope says.
‘All the food can go next door. Whatever Maisie can’t eat, she’ll take to someone in her church,’ Jana says.
Just like that, we’re packing up her apartment. The two little old ladies from last time stop in to see what all the commotion is. Within an hour, they have someone who wants the furniture, so we don’t have to worry about hauling it out. The girls spend an hour cleaning the place up, so it’s ready for Jana to turn in her keys.
Then we all head up the mountain. The guys help unload Jana’s stuff at my place, and the girls help her start unpacking.
‘I remember I couldn’t get her stuff unpacked with mine fast enough,’ Axel says, and the other guys agree.
That’s exactly how I’m feeling. The more her stuff is unpacked and mixed with mine, the calmer I become, knowing she’s here with me and I can protect and take care of her.
Jana sits on the couch with ice on her ankle the whole time, directing where everything should go, just like she promised.
‘How’s your ankle?’ I ask once everyone has left.
‘Pretty good.’
‘You up for a short walk? I’d like to show you the space I set aside for your garden.’
Jana’s eyes light up as she stands. I offer her my hand so she can lean on me and take some pressure off her ankle. I lead her to the four-wheeler and take her down the path I cleared yesterday.
‘Cash has a lead on another four-wheeler, so you’ll have your own and can come down here anytime you want,’ I tell her as I park the four-wheeler next to the clearing. ‘The garden won’t be up until next season, but we can start working on it now.’
I show her my idea for the greenhouse and how I can make it solar-powered.
Jana’s eyes light up, so excited about the idea that she’s already planning where everything can go and building a little shed.
This piece of land is far enough from the road that we won’t be bothered, but we don’t want people wandering onto the property either, so Jana agrees about putting up a privacy fence.
Her back is to me as she looks at everything, and I reach into my pocket to pull out the box I shoved there before we left. I drop to one knee and wait for her to turn around.
When she does, she gasps and covers her mouth with her hands.
‘I knew the moment I saw you in that cabin and our eyes locked that you were mine. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life. Now we’ve worked out the details, I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to marry you. I want to live out here and help you build your community garden and raise our kids. Marry me?’
‘Yes!’ She wastes no time answering.
I slip the ring on her finger before picking her up and placing a kiss on her lips. I can’t get her back to the cabin fast enough to make love to my fiancée.
