by Mia Ross
“Both,” he echoed her, eyes twinkling with mischief as he turned and headed for the door that led out to the side yard.
When he was gone, she glanced over at Rosie with a dreamy sigh that was totally unlike her. “Isn’t he incredible?”
Bobbing her head, the hawk squeaked her opinion before getting back to preening her feathers. Their exchange made Bekah smile, and she decided it was best to leave now before her melancholy mood rushed back in and ruined the moment.
Before much longer, she was far too busy to think about anything but welcoming visitors, directing them to the various areas they were most interested in, and answering a million questions about everything from what alpacas ate to where the bathrooms were.
She was in the middle of delivering a Puppy 101 lecture to a family adopting an adorable beagle when Sierra came up and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t say anything, but the understanding look on her face said it all: it was time.
“So, guys,” Bekah said, forcing a smile and a chipper tone. “We’ll have this little cutie-pie all ready for you before you head home. If you want to get a good spot for seeing our red-tailed hawk take off, you should get outside and find a place along the back fence rail by the woods.”
Suddenly, her feet felt like they were made of lead, and they dragged a little slower on every step between the kennel and the large birds area. To her great relief, Drew was already there, lifting Rosie’s temporary home onto a wheeled cart. Clearly, he meant to be right beside her when her beloved feathered friend took off, and if there hadn’t been a dozen other people milling around the barn, Bekah would have kissed him on the spot.
He really was her everyday hero, she mused for the countless time. Not only because of his down-to-earth manner, but because he was there for her day in and day out, ready for anything that came along.
Because he loved her.
That comforting thought buoyed her sagging spirits, and even though she knew he could manage the cart on his own, she put her hand on one side of the large handle and smiled up at him. “Okay. Let’s go send our girl back into the wild blue yonder where she belongs.”
He gave her an encouraging smile, and together they hauled the cage out the back door toward the woodsy area their wildlife rehabilitator had chosen for the release. A quick glance showed Bekah a huge crowd had assembled along the rail near the clearing, along with the visionary reporter Connor Wells, who’d returned as promised for the big day. In the past, being presented with all those people would have sent her running for cover. But today, Bekah proudly marched forward, delighted to see that so many folks had turned out to support the rescue center and the critical work it was doing for creatures large and small.
When they had Rosie’s cage in place, Sierra climbed onto a picnic table and held up her hands to get everyone’s attention. After they quieted, she greeted them with a huge smile. “On behalf of the entire staff of the Oaks Crossing Rescue Center, I want to thank all of you for spending part of your Saturday here with the animals. After our recent fire, I wasn’t sure we’d be ready for business anytime soon, so I’d like to get a round of applause for everyone who helped us get back on our feet and those of you who will be contributing to our cause in the future. Thanks to your donations of time and funds, we’ll be able to continue fostering animals for many years to come.”
The gathering erupted into enthusiastic clapping and cheering, punctuated by several whoops from the Kinley clan standing with Erin near the back. Her delighted expression showed just how much this day meant to her, and Bekah felt honored to be a part of it.
“And now,” Sierra called out, “I’d like you to join us in saying a fond farewell to Rosie the red-tailed hawk.”
She jumped down and picked up a leather gauntlet she’d left on the table. Then, to Bekah’s astonishment, Sierra held the heavy glove out to her. Completely stunned by the offer, Bekah glanced at Drew, but he grinned and shook his head.
“This is your show, sweetheart. You saved her. You should be the one to set her free.”
So, because she couldn’t come up with a polite way to refuse, she pulled on the gauntlet and eased open the door of the cage. Rosie eyed her with interest and cautiously stepped onto her protected hand. Bekah gently clamped the hawk’s talons to keep her under control on her way through the opening. For a brief moment, the two of them locked gazes, and the bird cocked her head in the intelligent pose that made Bekah think that birds were a lot smarter than most folks gave them credit for.
And then, Bekah lifted her into the air, and with a few beats of her strong wings, she was gone. Climbing into the cloudless November sky, she did a few lazy loops overhead and then disappeared from sight behind the trees.
As the crowd cheered their approval, Bekah didn’t register that she was crying until Drew put an arm around her for a quick hug. “Man, she was beautiful soaring around up there.”
Wiping away tears, she did her best to smile. “She looked happy, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she did.” Taking Bekah’s shoulders, he gently turned her to face him. “You okay?”
“I will be. We’ve got a beagle going home with a new family today, and another’s on the fence about a pair of kittens. With all these people here, Sierra’s hoping to clean out the kennels in the next week or so.”
“Sounds doable to me. Who doesn’t like puppies and kittens?” Holding out a hand for her, he gave her a confident grin. “Let’s go make it happen.”
His upbeat attitude was contagious, and her own spirits rose in response. They worked their way through the crowd, answering more questions and planting pet suggestions in people’s heads. While they mingled, she was impressed by the easy way he dealt with everyone, making them feel as if they were his friends even if he’d never met them before.
That was Drew, she thought fondly. Handsome as he was, his other qualities were even more special to her. His confidence and quick wit, not to mention his willingness to put in extra effort when he felt that it was necessary.
His great big wonderful heart. If there was another man on the planet she could possibly love as much as this lanky Kentucky farm boy, she couldn’t imagine him.
* * *
That evening, Drew and Bekah were making lasagna when his cell phone rang. It was Nolan, and he knew it was finally time to fish or cut bait. “That’s my buddy Nolan, who lives in Denver. I really should talk to him.”
“Go ahead and answer it,” she told him while she closed the oven door. “We’ve got a while before it’s ready.”
He put the phone on speaker, figuring she had as much right to hear this conversation as he did. “Hey there. I’m guessing you need an answer.”
“In case you’re still on the fence about going into business with me, I’m texting you some pics I took five seconds ago.”
Glancing over at Bekah, Drew took in her baffled expression and smiled to reassure her. He angled the screen so they could both see and moved through another round of photos even prettier than the ones he’d seen earlier. “They’re incredible, that’s for sure. I’ll call you tomorrow or the day after at the latest. ’Bye.”
Once Drew hung up, he quickly filled her in on the opportunity he had to become a partner in Silver Creek Wilderness Adventures. When he was finished, Bekah stared at him in astonishment.
“What on earth are you doing, putting him off like that?” she demanded. “Being involved in something like this is your dream. Beyond that, you’ve always wanted to be your own boss. This is your chance.”
“I know.” Taking her hand, he absently rubbed the back of her knuckles before folding her fingers inside his. Meeting those beautiful eyes, he tried to explain what he was feeling. “It’s just that I’m not sure it’s a good time for me to leave.”
“The farm work is winding down for winter,” she pointed out in her practical way, “and
donations are flooding into the rescue center. What’s keeping you from flying to Colorado to check out Nolan’s operation?”
“You.” His short, simple answer got him a grateful smile. Bolstered by her reaction, he was inspired to ask, “Do you want to come with me?”
“Yes,” she answered quickly, then frowned. “But I can’t.”
“I’ll buy your ticket. There are all kinds of airfare deals right now if you don’t mind traveling in the middle of the night.”
“That’s not the reason.”
“Then what?” Hearing the near-whine in his voice, Drew steadied it before continuing, “I don’t understand the problem.”
“My family moved around constantly when I was growing up, and after I left my parents’ house, I kind of drifted around, looking for a place that felt like home.” Pausing, she sat up a little straighter as if she was summoning the strength to forge ahead. “I found it here in Oaks Crossing, and at the clinic. Now that I have what I’ve been missing, I don’t want to leave it behind for something I’ve never even seen that may or may not work out.”
“So, come with me and see what you think,” Drew all but begged, willing this very stubborn woman to agree. “No strings, I promise. I might hate it there, anyway.”
“You won’t,” she predicted with unnerving confidence. “I saw your face when you were flipping through those pictures. You love the property already, and you haven’t even seen it in person.”
She had him there, Drew had to admit. He could only imagine the full effect of the mountains with a cool breeze blowing through and the wild sounds of the river and animals that must echo through the valleys full of trees. Even the early snowfall didn’t faze him, which was really saying something for a guy who’d only seen it in movies.
Completely different from Kentucky, Colorado tugged at him with an almost physical force. Coupled with the idea of running a business that he would co-own only made the temptation harder to resist. “I haven’t decided yet. I have to run it past my family first.”
“Oh, please,” she scoffed with a short laugh. “You know they’ll tell you to go for it. It’s not like you’re moving out there tomorrow. You’re just going to Denver to see your friend and get a tour. Then, if you like what you see, you can get more serious about making plans.”
“You could do the same,” he pointed out in a last-ditch attempt to convince her.
Very firmly, she shook her head. “I’m not going to give you some kind of false hope that I’m even the tiniest bit interested in going out there. But I do think you should go, because if you don’t, you’ll regret it someday. I refuse to be the one responsible for you giving up on your dream just when it could actually come true.”
With that, she stood and kissed his cheek. Then, with a sad smile, she left him in his living room, watching her walk out his front door. He waited for her to look back, tell him she’d changed her mind, something. Even after she was gone, he stared out the front window for a few minutes, listening for footsteps on the gravel pathway telling him that she’d come back.
But she didn’t.
Suddenly, he wasn’t all that hungry anymore, so Drew slid the pan of lasagna into his nearly empty fridge, turned off the oven and wandered outside to think. Sitting on the porch steps, he stared into the woods beside the cottage, up at the old bead boards in the ceiling that needed a fresh coat of paint, down the road that led into town.
After about half an hour of debating the options with himself, he finally came to the conclusion that Bekah was right. If he didn’t at least go to Denver and assess the layout for himself, he’d always be dogged by what-ifs.
So he grabbed a jacket and drove down the road to the farm. By a strange twist of fate, his entire family was there, gathered around the kitchen table in a scene he’d been part of for as long as he could recall.
Only this time, it was as if he was a stranger as he walked into his mother’s kitchen. He’d never felt that way before, and it didn’t sit well with him now. He couldn’t help believing that it underscored the fact that his mind was already made up, and he was just going through the motions of considering the alternatives.
“There’s my boy,” Mom greeted him with a kiss and a bright smile. It quickly fell, though, and she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I have something to talk about with you. All of you.” Settling on to the end of a bench, he sent a look around the table. “It’s good, but I’m not sure what to do about it.”
“You need pie,” his mother announced, cutting a piece and piling on fresh whipped cream before sitting down in her armchair. “Go ahead.”
Drew ignored the dessert while he filled his family in on this chance of a lifetime. They all asked him questions here and there, but mostly they listened.
Then, as usual, Mike got right down to the crux of the problem. “What do you want?”
“To be my own boss,” Drew replied truthfully. “I enjoy working here with you and Josh, but I wouldn’t mind having the room to find out what I could do on my own.”
“You’ve earned it,” Josh chimed in without the least bit of hesitation. “Ever since we were kids, you’ve always wanted to see other places. It sounds like this is the perfect situation for you.”
“I started my own thing at the center,” Erin added in an understanding tone. “And Mike and Josh have their specialties here at the farm. If this is your thing, then you should go after it. We’re pretty resourceful—we’ll figure out how to make it work here without you.”
The others echoed her sentiment, but Mom was uncharacteristically quiet. Turning to her, Drew expected to find her mouth set in disapproval. Instead, to his amazement, she was beaming at him with pride. Reaching out a hand, she rested it on his as tears glistened in her eyes. “You’ve got so much of your father in you. I know if he was here with us now, he’d ask what on earth you’re waiting for. Go home, pack a suitcase and get yourself to the airport.”
Her comment was so similar to Bekah’s, it threw him off his stride for a few seconds. “Really?” Glancing around the table again, he gave them one last opportunity to disagree. “You’re all sure?”
“Just be sure to come back in time for Thanksgiving,” Lily said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “We’ll all be waiting to see you.”
“I will, promise.” Heaving a relieved sigh, he smiled at the generous people seated around the old table. “Thanks, everyone. This means a lot to me.”
Mike let out a mock growl. “Don’t be getting all mushy on us. I’m still trying to eat.”
They all laughed, and now that he was confident he had their full support, Drew’s appetite returned with a vengeance. While he wolfed down his pie, Mom warmed up beef stew and her secret-recipe soda bread for him to eat.
So, the rest of his night was spent in the kitchen of the old farmhouse, surrounded by strong, loving people who had risen up to support him when he needed them the most. If his trip to Colorado proved to be the beginning of an exciting new adventure for him, he knew he’d never forget that without his family, it never would have happened.
* * *
The next morning, Bekah groaned when the crowing-rooster alarm on her phone went off. Not the best choice, she realized now, making a note to change it to something less jarring the first chance she got.
She hit the snooze and rolled onto her back, staring up at the rough-hewn beams in the ceiling with a sigh that came dangerously close to being a sob. She hadn’t heard from Drew since leaving his house last night, but she assumed he was on his way to the airport to catch a flight that would take him to Colorado.
And away from her.
It wasn’t fair, a bratty voice in her head insisted. Yesterday, she’d said goodbye to Rosie, and now she was losing Drew. Not long ago, she would have reminded herself that this was what you got when you allowed yourself to become
too attached to anyone. But since she’d left her solitary existence behind and had opened herself up to caring about others, there was no choice but to accept the sad fact that she ran the risk of being disappointed by them.
To her surprise, that dark thought drifted through her mind very quickly and was replaced by a much brighter perspective. She’d done everything she could for Rosie, and the hawk had recovered to return to the life God intended her to have. And Drew...
All night long, she’d tossed and turned, trying to get him out of her head. Protective and sweet, early on the Kentucky farm boy had become someone she could depend on without worrying that he had some ulterior motive where she was concerned. Drew simply wanted what was best for her, a trait he’d demonstrated from the moment they met until last night when he’d gallantly tried to include her in the biggest decision of his life.
For his own sake, she’d left him alone to speak to his family and think through what would truly make him happy. Much as she wished that he would choose to stay in Oaks Crossing, she’d never do anything to rip his dream out of his grasp when it was so close to coming true. Remaining in his hometown might satisfy him for a while, but she feared that one day he’d regret sacrificing so much for her and end up hating her for it.
Losing the man she loved was heart-wrenching, but in time she’d adjust to life without him. Seeing his fondness for her erode and vanish would be more than she could bear.
Her alarm crowed again, and this time she dragged herself out of bed to get ready for her usual morning rounds. When she opened her door, she had to blink twice to believe her eyes.
There, sitting on the open tailgate of his truck, was Drew. A brightly checked tablecloth was spread over the tailgate, showcasing a delicious-looking assortment of Danish pastries and muffins that rivaled any continental breakfast she’d ever seen.
“Mornin’.” Flashing one of those infernal grins, he took a sip from a mug of coffee steaming in the cool air.
