Remembering Romance
Quinn Valley Ranch Book 17
Kay P. Dawson
Contents
Thank You
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
About the Author
Also by Kay P. Dawson
Thank You
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Chapter One
“Robyn, you can’t be serious about buying this house. There’s a hole in the floor over there, and I’m almost certain I just saw a rat peeking up at us.”
Robyn just rolled her eyes at her sister Vicki’s comments and kept walking into the kitchen. She wasn’t going to let anyone talk her out of this house. It might not be in the best shape, but she already had all the plans in her head to make it into her dream home.
“Vicki, you know I’ve loved this house all my life. Every time I came here as a kid with Ben, then after he moved, when I’d come to visit with his grandma, I just somehow knew it was going to be mine. I can’t believe my luck that it’s finally for sale. It seemed that no matter which house I looked at, in the back of my mind I was comparing it to this one and knew nothing else would do.”
Growing up, Robyn had spent a lot of time here with her best friend Ben. Even after he’d moved away in junior high, she would still often stop here to visit with his grandmother. She’d fallen in love with this cozy little house all those years ago.
Her sister reached her hand up and swiped at a spider web, quickly scrunching her face up in disgust. “Well, I’m not really sure I’d call it lucky, but if it makes you happy, then I’m happy for you.” Vicki followed her into the kitchen and gasped as she looked around. “Are you kidding me? These cabinets are orange!”
Robyn just smiled and walked over to run her hand over the broken laminate countertop. “You have to look past the color and the crumbling floorboards to see the beautiful bones underneath it all. This house just needs someone in it who loves it again, like Mrs. Tilney did.”
The older woman had passed away a few years ago, and her grown children had held onto the house to use as a rental property. None of them lived in Quinn Valley anymore, and it must have finally proven too difficult to manage without being nearby, so they’d decided to put it on the market.
Robyn believed it had been meant to be. All those years growing up, whenever she’d come over to the house, she’d told Ben’s grandma that someday she wanted to buy her house.
Mrs. Tilney had always laughed and said she hoped Robyn did buy it so she would know it would always be filled with someone who loved it. She’d even joked about holding onto it until Robyn could fulfill her promise. Robyn smiled to herself as she pictured the kind woman crouched down in her flowerbed out front telling her that if she did live in this house someday, to always remember to water her flowers.
“I remember the day I came home from school and Mom told me Mrs. Tilney had passed away. I felt like I’d lost a friend, and now that I think back, I realize I did. She’d been such a big part of my life, even though it was just in fleeting moments I never really appreciated.”
Her eyes found the old cement birdbath in the backyard as she leaned against the sink and stared out the window. She remembered the times as a kid when she’d come here with Ben after school and play in the yard, never thinking to let her parents know where she was. They lived just up on the next block and had always known if she wasn’t home, this was where she’d be. Nowadays, parents would likely be in a panic if their child was late coming home from school. But back then, especially in this neighborhood in the small town of Quinn Valley, no one seemed to worry.
She thought about that day in her senior year when she’d heard the news about Mrs. Tilney. Even though Ben had moved away a few years before, she’d still stopped in to visit with his grandma often. So Robyn had been heartbroken.
Robyn took a deep breath and turned back to face her sister, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “This house could have been sold right then, but it wasn’t. So, I believe that Mrs. Tilney was making sure it wasn’t sold until I was ready to buy. This house is meant to be mine.”
Vicki sighed and looked around the kitchen again. “I guess it’s not that bad. But I’m holding off on any ideas of moving in here with you until it’s all finished. I’m trying to be optimistic but I’m not going to hold my breath that this house can ever be fixed. It’s too bad they had renters in here for so many years who just didn’t care about the house.”
Robyn let her gaze take in the rest of the kitchen too. Cupboard doors were hanging off the hinges. The stove was covered in grease and grime from years of not being cleaned, and the fridge had a strong odor coming from it that made Robyn afraid to open the door.
“Mrs. Tilney would never have let it get like this. So I’m determined to bring it back to the way it should be. Even better.” She couldn’t stop the smile that was spreading across her face. “And when it’s all finished, you’re welcome to move in here with me to help pay for all of it.” She laughed when Vicki rolled her eyes.
“I think you might need to take in about five more renters to afford what you’ll need to bring this house back to anything livable. But I guess if anyone has the vision to do it, it’s you. I know you’ve likely got more Pinterest boards about ideas for fixing up old houses than anyone else in the world. So, how exactly are you planning on doing all the work? I can’t see either Joel or Travis being skilled enough to do anything, even if they did have the time.”
Robyn laughed as she imagined either one of their brothers helping. Neither of them were exactly the type of men she’d consider “handy.” They’d be more likely to burn the house down than do anything productive.
“I’m going to do as much of it as I can, but I’ve put an ad in the paper for a contractor. I’ve been saving my money for a long time to put toward a house, and I was able to get this one for a good price. Now I just need to find the perfect person to help me see it through.”
Vicki screamed and jumped over to her, grabbing Robyn around the shoulders and clutching tightly as she watched the large rodent run past them. “Well, I hope you can find a miracle worker because I have serious doubts about there being anyone out there who can fix any of this mess.”
Chapter Two
Ben stared up at the little house sitting nestled among the hedges, the flower gardens lining the fence out front now completely overgrown with weeds from years of neglect. His chest tightened as he remembered how many times he’d race up the sidewalk as a child to find his grandma crouched down and tending to her flowers. He recalled the smile that would cover her face whenever she’d look up and see him coming. His parents worked, so he always came here after getting off the bus from school.
Even though it was years
ago, he remembered the feelings of seeing her there like it was yesterday. She’d been gone now for a few years, but in his mind, he was still a little kid and she was that warm, loving person he always thought would be around.
They’d moved from Quinn Valley when he was only thirteen, and it had been hard to be so far away. But he’d been so intent on fitting in and making new friends in his new school that he’d lost touch with what mattered. Instead of making the time to come and visit as he’d gotten older, he’d soon found his friends and sports taking priority in his life. The few times he did come for holidays or events, he knew he hadn’t appreciated the moments.
He hated the fact that he’d missed so much time with her, taking for granted she’d just always be here.
Suddenly, the front door opened, and his breath caught as he had to remind himself his grandma wouldn’t be stepping out onto the porch. But when he saw who it was, his heart skipped a beat and without thinking, his face lit up with a smile.
Robyn.
He’d thought about her so many times over the years, and she looked exactly how he remembered her. Well, she was a few years older now, but her hair was pulled back in a ponytail just like he always pictured her when he’d think about her. And even from here, he could see the smile he knew would be on her face as she leaned against the railing and looked around at the overgrown yard.
He couldn’t wait to see what she’d say when she saw him. Would she remember him? He didn’t think it was likely she’d have forgotten him since they’d been friends since preschool. But he worried that she might be angry with him for not staying in touch like he’d said he would before he moved. Rolling his eyes at himself, he realized he was thinking like the child he’d been the last time he’d seen her.
They were both grown-ups now. Surely she wasn’t going to kick him in the shins and tell him she hated him like she used to do when they’d fight.
He pushed the truck door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk, never taking his eyes from her face. She briefly glanced in his direction on the street but obviously decided it wasn’t anyone she knew, so moved her eyes back to the yard.
Suddenly, though, her head whipped back toward him as he slowly walked up the sidewalk toward the small gate in the fence out front. He could have pulled into the driveway and come around the side. But since it technically wasn’t his grandma’s house anymore, and he’d wanted to sit out front for a moment to get a good look at it, he’d chosen to park on the street instead.
Before he could even get the gate open, she was racing down the steps. “Ben? Is that really you?” She stopped just in front of him, her eyes wide in surprise.
“I’m glad to see you still remember me.” He laughed as she flung herself into his arms. Robyn had never been the type to hide her emotions.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” She let go and grinned up at him, then quickly punched him in the shoulder as she stepped back. “You jerk!”
“Ow! What was that for? How can you be so happy to see me one minute, then be punching me and calling me names the next?” He rubbed his shoulder as he winced in pain.
She put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. “Because you’ve never come back to visit or even try to get in touch with me. I’ve tried finding you on social media but it was like you’d disappeared off the face of the earth. You only moved to Lewistown, yet it may as well have been New York.”
“Do you honestly think I’d be the type of guy to be on social media? And, I did come back to visit a few times. And, if you remember, I even walked up to your parent’s house once to see if you were home, but you were out on a date with some Andy guy.” He shook his head and shuddered in fake horror. “I sure hope it wasn’t Andy Daniels. Any guy who ate as much glue as he did in elementary school can’t be good for anyone.”
Robyn tilted her head and rolled her eyes. “As a matter of fact, it was Andy Daniels. And he was a nice guy. We ended up dating for almost six months during our junior year before he decided he wanted to try getting Darlene Cooper’s attention.”
Ben laughed and clutched his stomach. “Darlene Cooper?” He whistled. “I remember her. Even in junior high she was already high maintenance. All the boys wanted to date her, but I can’t see a guy like Andy ever making the cut.”
“I’ll have you know that the summer between freshman year and sophomore, Andy came back to school with contacts and had obviously decided to start going to the gym. He looked nothing like the spindly kid you’re thinking of. Besides, he was a nice guy. Well, except for the whole dumping me to try getting a more popular girl thing.”
Ben shook his head, still laughing as he pictured the scrawny boy he remembered from grade school.
“Anyway, that was all years ago. We’ve all grown up, and some of us have matured, so life goes on. What are you doing here? Did you know I bought your grandma’s house?” Her eyes lit up with excitement again as she mentioned the house.
He nodded. “I did. My dad told me you’d bought it.” He stepped past her and made his way to the porch. “I just wanted to stop by and see it again after all these years.” He put his hand on the railing and pushed, noticing quickly just how badly it had deteriorated since the renters had been in it.
He turned back to face her, carefully leaning back against the wobbly railing. “And to reply to your ad for a handyman.”
She squinted her eyes in suspicion. “You want the job of fixing up your grandma’s old house? Do you even know how to hold a hammer?”
He crossed his arms in front of his chest and shrugged. “I hope so. I run my own construction business in Lewiston.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Seriously? I remember in the sixth grade when we had to build some kind of device out of spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. You couldn’t even build that without throwing it against the wall in frustration numerous times. I never pictured you as a construction worker.”
He cringed as he thought back to that project. It had been the most frustrating assignment he’d ever done in school. “Well, as you said, we’ve grown up and matured, so I hope you don’t hold that one failed project against me. I happen to be quite handy with a hammer. And I’d love nothing more than to be able to fix up my grandma’s house to something she would be proud of.”
She didn’t look convinced but the smile on her face was all he could focus on. Had she always been this beautiful?
“Well, if you’re sure you want to take this project on, you’ve got the job.”
“Just like that? Don’t you want to see my references or anything?”
She shook her head and started to walk past him, stopping on the bottom step. “Considering the last two guys who answered my ad couldn’t get out of the house fast enough when I showed them everything I wanted to do, then mentioned the budget I had to do it with—I’m going to take any help I can get.”
His mouth opened as she smiled sweetly, then continued up the steps, waiting for him to follow.
Surely the house couldn’t be that bad. He hated to think his grandma’s beloved house could have been destroyed so badly by the renters, but if the outside was any indication, he was afraid to step inside.
“What exactly is your budget, Robyn?”
She stopped at the door and waited for him to catch up. “I’ll tell you once we get inside. But remember, you’ve already committed to helping me.”
Why was he once again feeling like a kid who was getting into trouble because of Robyn convincing him that something was a good idea?
What exactly had he just gotten himself into?
Chapter Three
“I always wondered what happened to Ben. I spoke to his grandmother often after they’d moved to Lewiston, but when she passed away, I lost touch with the family. I’m glad he’s getting the chance to work on his grandma’s house.”
Robyn took another cookie off the plate and leaned back in her chair. She looked across the table at her grandma Gertie and realized how lucky she was to still have h
er around. Ben had seemed so sad as they’d walked around the house the other day and talked about his own grandma.
“He said he hadn’t really thought about it until he’d seen the ad. After his dad told him they’d sold the house, he’d been a bit upset knowing that last piece connecting him to his grandma was gone. When he heard I was the one who bought it, he wasn’t surprised, knowing how much I’d always loved the house.”
“Well, I believe it’s meant to be. He’s come back for a reason, and maybe not just to close the chapter of his childhood with his grandma. Maybe there is more to it than that.”
Robyn rolled her eyes dramatically and groaned loudly. “Grams, seriously? You aren’t going to start on me now too, are you? Ben and I were friends since preschool. There’s nothing more to it.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I always suspected that young man would have gone to the moon and brought a piece of it back for you if you’d asked him to. You just never gave him the chance.”
It had always been the same thing ever since she was a little girl. Her grandma had always said how cute they were together, and as they’d gotten older and moved into middle school grades, her grandma had been sure Ben would be Robyn’s first boyfriend.
Sure, there had been a few times when Robyn had let herself wonder what would happen, but usually those times were short-lived when Ben would do something gross or annoying and remind her why they were just friends.
Remembering Romance: Quinn Valley Ranch Book 17 Page 1
