Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley (Arcadia Valley Romance Book 0)

by Mary Jane Hathaway

  But as she saw the earnestness in his expression, she knew that she couldn’t give him any less than 100%. She’d give him the paper, but she’d go through and do some additions of her own. At least for a little while, she’d let herself dream, and then she’d give herself a good dose of practicalities to remind her of the dangers in those dreams.

  “Not a problem.” Before she could come up with a clever quip to hide the turmoil in her heart, her father stepped through the door.

  “There you are. Your mother was wondering where you were with the bottles.”

  Caroline held them up. “On my way.”

  As she passed her father, she caught him giving Hayden a look.

  “Hayden, if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to stay here with me for a few minutes so I could have a word.”

  * * *

  Yikes. When a father wanted a word with a man after being alone with his daughter, it was never good.

  “Sir, I can assure you—”

  Stephen held up his hand. “I haven’t earned the right to play the overprotective father, but I will say that if you hurt her, I will hurt you.”

  Hayden shook his head and smiled. “Trust me, Andrew’s already given me that speech. You’ll have to wait your turn.”

  “Good. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, but I’m glad we understand each other.”

  At least that part was over. Hayden took a deep breath. “So what did you want to talk about, then?”

  “I heard what you said to my daughter about her vision for the farm. Is that what you were thinking in terms of compromise?”

  “Yes.” Hayden took another deep breath. “Look, I don’t have all the details, any idea if it’s going to work, or even if my father will go for it. But I thought, since we were exploring options, why not this one?”

  Stephen folded his arms over his chest. “I suppose it could work. The whole homesteading thing is becoming trendy. My secretary spent part of her vacation at some farm learning how to make goat milk soap. Who knew that was a thing?”

  “I saw an ad in a magazine while I was at the sandwich place, advertising a farm living getaway where people could experience farm life firsthand. I didn’t know it was a thing, either, but it’s worth looking into.”

  The thoughtful expression on Stephen’s face told Hayden he was on to something.

  “I haven’t talked to my father about this, so I have no idea if it will fly, but I wanted to throw it out there to see if it was worth exploring.”

  Stephen gave a tiny nod. “Mark will want all the numbers to line up, showing that it would be just as profitable, or even more so, than his resort. He’s not swayed by emotion, the way you were with Caroline. All he cares about is the bottom line. I’ve known him for years, and that’s the only thing that’s ever convinced him.”

  Funny, though Hayden thought he knew that about his father, he realized that Stephen probably knew him better than Hayden did.

  “Can I ask you a not business question, totally off the record?”

  “Sure.” Stephen looked at him funny, but Hayden was grateful he was willing to indulge him.

  “You seem to know my father. And the truth is, I don’t. Caroline and I bonded because we both felt estranged from our parents. I don’t know how much you know of my history, but Mom died when I was young, and Dad sent me to boarding school. I thought that by working with him, I could have a relationship with him, but I don’t know how to please him enough to want to have a relationship with me.”

  The words tumbled out, so fast that Hayden wasn’t sure they even made sense. But Stephen nodded like he understood.

  “That’s a very good question, which I will answer if you answer one for me.”

  “Anything.”

  A dark look filled Stephen’s face. “Does Caroline really want to know us, or is she just desperate to save the farm?”

  If Stephen had taken a knife and stuck it in Hayden’s gut, it couldn’t possibly have hurt any worse.

  “With all due respect, sir. If you have to ask that question, then you clearly need to spend more time getting to know your daughter. It’s not in her nature to be so callous.”

  The way Stephen pursed his lips couldn’t be good. He shook his head slowly. “You know how to cut a man to size, don’t you?”

  “Just being honest. Like I hope you’d be with me.”

  For a moment, Stephen was silent, and Hayden almost wished he hadn’t been so bold.

  “Your father and I went to college together. That’s where he met Eva, your mother. She was the love of his life. When she died, something in him snapped, and he’s never been the same.”

  Stephen looked at him, almost like he was studying a lab specimen. “You are very much like her. He hates being reminded of her, which is probably why he sent you away. Until this deal, he never spoke of you. He does not refer to you as his son.”

  Compassion shone in the man’s eyes, but Hayden’s insides twisted. He’d asked for honesty, but this was almost too much.

  “You might earn his respect with a job well done, and I’m sure he would consider you a valuable asset to the company. But until he finds a way to deal with his grief, he’s not capable of having the relationship you want.”

  Unexpectedly, Stephen put his arms around Hayden in a deep hug. “But I have a feeling that you’ll be calling me Dad soon enough, and I would be honored to have a son like you.”

  It wasn’t supposed to happen. Shouldn’t have happened. But Hayden found himself sobbing in this man’s arms. The more he tried to stop, the harder he sobbed, especially realizing that no man had ever held him like this.

  Stephen was right. For all the times Hayden had called Mark Dad, he’d always called Hayden by his name, not son.

  Pastor Harris had told him that no matter what a man’s earthly father said or did, his heavenly father welcomed him with open arms and called him son. But until he’d heard Stephen say the words he’d been longing to hear, Hayden had no idea how much it had meant to him to have a man be a father to him.

  As odd as it was to be hugging a business colleague, crying like a baby, he felt no judgement from Stephen. Hayden pulled away, though, knowing Stephen wasn’t an emotional man.

  “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean...”

  Stephen smiled at him, gently. Kindly. “It’s all right. I know what it’s like to grow up without a father. Only in my case it was because he got my mother pregnant and skipped town because he didn’t want to deal with it. I promised myself I’d never do that to my children, but here I am, trying to make it up to a daughter who felt abandoned by me. We all need someone who cares about us. And I’m honored to have the chance to be here for you now.”

  Gravel crunched behind him, and Hayden turned to see Caroline entering the barn.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Hayden and I are coming to terms with the fact that fatherhood and sonhood are not as easy as they seem.” Stephen stepped away and went to Caroline, giving her a big hug.

  “I love you, and I am going to do my best to be a better father.” He looked back at Hayden. “That’s a good man over there. I don’t know what his plan is, but he loves you. And I have no doubt that he’s going to do whatever it takes to make your dreams come true.”

  Peace filled Hayden at Stephen’s words. Why, he couldn’t explain, but somehow, in all of this, it no longer seemed to matter whether or not making this deal did anything for Hayden’s relationship with his dad. Maybe it was because he knew that even if the deal went exactly according to the way his dad wanted, and brought in an even greater profit than expected, it wouldn’t give Hayden what he’d thought he’d wanted — a dad.

  “I have no idea what’s happening here,” Caroline said, taking a few steps closer to Hayden.

  Hayden took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you what’s happening. I’m going to help you bring your dream for this farm to life. I don’t know how, I don’t even know what’s on your list. But I’m going to spen
d the rest of my life working toward it.”

  Even though she still had a funny look on her face, Caroline took another step toward him. “What about your father? And your job?”

  “Integrity demands that I put together a plan, just like I said I would. And he’s either going to like it or not. If he wants to pursue it, great. If not, I am still fully committed to seeing this through with you.”

  The words felt good, strong. Back when Caroline had said that she felt like God was telling her to do something, he’d respected it, but he hadn’t really understood. Now, as the words came out of his mouth, he knew exactly what she meant. This is what he was supposed to be doing.

  “What about your relationship with your father?” Caroline asked, coming a little closer.

  He glanced over at Stephen, then brought his attention back to her. “A wise man, through telling me things he knew about my father, made me realize that none of my striving had brought me any closer to what I’d hoped for in my relationship with my father. Even if I succeed, it won’t change things. So I’m letting my business be my business.”

  The words felt so freeing. Like he’d had chains wrapped around him that had finally been let loose. “I’ll find another way to try to build a relationship with him. If it works, great. But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

  Then he smiled as he remembered one of his favorite quotes. “They say that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. I’ve been knocking myself out for years, trying to earn my father’s recognition and affection. I’m done with being insane.”

  When Caroline reached out and hugged him, he welcomed her embrace.

  “You know everyone will think you’re crazy, right?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “A very wise woman once said that we’re all a little crazy. I’m prepared for crazy. In fact, I embrace it.”

  Hayden bent down and kissed Caroline, finally letting out all the emotion he’d been keeping in. Fortunately, she met him with the same intensity.

  “Get a room,” Andrew’s voice called from somewhere in the distance.

  “Not until you marry her,” Stephen answered.

  Ignoring them both, Hayden continued kissing Caroline. Oh, he’d be doing both, that was for sure. But for now, he was going to enjoy being in the arms of the woman who’d taught him all about love. And, he hoped, would spend the rest of their lives continuing those lessons.

  Epilogue

  “Stop fussing, you look great,” Hayden told Caroline as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bathroom. “Dad’s car is pulling into the driveway.”

  It had been six weeks since Hayden’s father had turned down Hayden’s proposal for Bigby Farm. Hayden hadn’t expected him to go along with it, but he’d kept his word and done what he’d said he would do. So Hayden gave his notice, sold his condo and his beamer, and was here, living on the farm and doing his best to help out.

  The good news was, the sale of all of Hayden’s worldly goods, the ones that weren’t going to be useful on the farm, had generated a nice sum to go towards the necessary improvements for the farm. Real estate in San Francisco was booming, and Hayden had made a tidy profit on his condo. The people even bought most of his furniture.

  In the interim, Hayden had begun sending little texts and notes to his father. Nothing big, just enough to reach out and let him know he cared. Sometimes he answered, sometimes he didn’t. Somehow, in six weeks, that all translated into his father deciding he wanted to come see this farm for himself.

  His father stepped out of the car, looking out of place in his custom suit and leather shoes. As Hayden looked down at his boots and jeans, he realized just how ridiculous and out of place he must have looked when he first arrived.

  “Hayden.”

  “Dad.”

  When Hayden made the decision to quit his job, he also made the decision that he would never again call his father, Sir, or refer to him as Mr. Donnelly or Mark. If his father had a problem with it, he’d have to deal with it. But so far, the other man hadn’t said a word about it.

  “So this is it?” His father looked around, studying the property.

  “Yes.”

  Caroline stepped forward and put her arm around him.

  “That Stephen’s daughter?”

  “Yes.”

  Awkward conversation between father and son, but at least it was conversation. So far, not a word about business. Then again, they no longer had that to talk about, since Hayden no longer worked for him.

  His father grinned. “Good thing she got her mother’s looks and not her father’s. That Stephen is one ugly son of a gun.”

  Stephen stepped out of the car. “I heard that.”

  “You know it’s true.”

  With a shrug, Stephen smiled. “It is. Good to see you, Sweetheart.”

  He came towards them, and gave Caroline a hug and kiss, then turned to give Hayden a quick hug. Ever since his reconciliation with Caroline, Stephen had become overly demonstrative with the hugs. He’d said he needed to make up for lost time.

  Then Stephen turned to Hayden’s father. “And that’s how it’s done.”

  His father stared at them. “Oh.” He acted like his feet were frozen to the spot.

  Stephen nudged Hayden. “I’ve been chatting with your father. Explaining to him that he’s wasting his life mourning Eva when he’s got a son who still needs him. Mark thinks it’s too late, but I told him that’s not true.”

  Hayden looked at Stephen. He understood the words, but they didn’t feel real.

  “I also made him go to therapy,” Stephen said proudly. “Made a bet with him over golf, loser had to do one big favor for the winner. I won.”

  “You cheated.”

  “Nope. I won fair and square. Of course, I did make the bet, knowing what I was going to ask for. I was motivated to win.”

  Then Stephen nudged Hayden. “I knew he’d be honor-bound to make good on it. You get that from him, you know. Both of you always keep your word, no matter what.”

  He stared at his father, noticing the other features they shared. Though he and Caroline were still negotiating wedding dates, they’d talked a lot about having children, and Hayden had spent a lot of that time wondering about what would be passed down to them. It was weird to examine the person who fathered you, not really knowing that person.

  “The therapist says I should try to meet you halfway, with your overtures and all that,” his father said. “But I don’t like to play games, I’d like to think you knew that, working for me. So just tell me straight, is it too late, or not?”

  His dad was scared. As scared as Hayden had been that his dad didn’t want him, and even more so. Hayden walked over to his dad and wrapped his arms around him.

  “It’s never too late, Dad.”

  And just like Hayden had the first time Stephen hugged him, his dad started sobbing.

  “Thank you, Son.”

  Over the sound of his dad crying, Hayden heard Stephen say to Caroline, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  Maybe it was a trite thing to say, but Hayden was so grateful to be able to experience it for himself, and to hear the one word he’d been praying all these years to hear. God hadn’t forgotten that little boy after all.

  What’s next in this series from Danica Favorite?

  The Thought of Romance

  Releasing June, 2017

  Andrew Bigby gave up a successful accounting career in the city to move back to his grandmother’s farm after his fiancée died of cancer. There, he’s found a life free of complications and emotional attachments — except those to his closest family. However, when he disagrees with home health nurse Layla Avila’s ideas on how to take care of his grandmother, Andrew can’t help but get involved. Even if it means temporarily giving up his precious hermit lifestyle to stay by his grandmother’s side to keep an eye on Layla.

  Layla is sick of these doctor wannabes getting medical advice off the Internet
. Why can’t Andrew just leave her alone and let her do the job she was trained to do? However, the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes that this isn’t so much about his grandmother’s care, but about the guilt he feels over his fiancée’s death — and the worry that he didn’t do enough to find the right doctors to save her. Though she was hired to help his grandmother, can Layla’s healing touch also extend to Andrew’s heart?

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for reading the first installment in my Arcadia Valley Legacy of the Heart books. I’ve always been fascinated by clean living and wanting to do a better job of caring for my family and the planet by living in a more traditional way. Sometimes I succeed really well, and other times, like when I have kids to get to opposite ends of town and a husband who calls at the last minute because he had to work late, I’m super grateful for the drive through at our local fast food place. Everything in moderation, I suppose, but hopefully one day, I can live a life closer to what you see on Bigby Farm. In many ways, Bigby Farm represents the dream I have for our little place in the Colorado mountains. It hasn’t been in our family for generations, but I hope we are building something that will continue to bless our family as the years go by.

  The Bigbys are by no means perfect, and even at one point, an early reader told me that she thought Gram was kind of mean and unchristian. I suppose she can be, but she reminds me of the persnickety old lady in church who drives everyone crazy but has a heart of gold. While you’ll never meet Enid Bigby on the street, she is a character taken from various people who’ve touched my heart over the years.

  I hope, as you get to know all of Enid’s relatives in the coming books, you’ll see things aren’t always perfect, but when it matters the most, the love is always there.