Aspen had secured an internship at an architectural firm in LA to gain experience to put on her resume before she began her master’s program this fall, electing to obtain that degree at SoCal University like her undergraduate.
Then there was Penny. Not one to be left behind, she was off logging the required hours to complete her veterinary medicine program. Wadewas bursting with pride that not only had his daughter gone off to college, but she was going to be a doctor. Truth be told, I was impressed, though I couldn’t say I was too surprised. That girl was unstoppable when she set her mind to something, and right now, her focus was firmly fixed on having a reason to stay on this ranch near Tripp. The vet degree was a nice little bonus that would be a huge benefit when we had an animal in distress.
It almost felt like the world was on pause while we waited for all the kids to come back. Though for some of them, there was no telling when that would be, their return date not set in stone.
“What would you think if I said I wanted to renovate the cabin?” Daisy’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
My brows rose. “The cabin? What for?”
One of her shoulders lifted. “I don’t know. Just seems a waste to have it sitting there empty.”
“It’s served its purpose as far as I’m concerned.”
“What if we could find a new one for it?” my wife pressed.
“Can’t imagine what.” Skepticism colored my words.
“Think about it. Maybe Penny needs a place of her own after she’s done with school. Or what about your mom?”
I reared back. “My ma?”
“Yeah. She’s getting older. We could move her out here with us, but the cabin would allow her to keep some semblance of independence.”
This woman. Always thinking of others. She was a freaking saint as far as I was concerned.
“Might work for Penny,” I hedged. “But Ma’s not gonna want to leave that house, or town.” Didn’t matter that we were barely a ten-minute drive outside of it; she complained about the distance every time she ventured out this way. Living a stone’s throw from Main Street, she’d grownaccustomed to being able to walk everywhere, though it took longer now that she was in her seventies.
“Even so, it would be nice to have a place to put people if we ever had guests.”
“We don’t know a single soul outside of Rust Canyon, Daisy. Who’s gonna magically show up at our door needing a place to stay?”
She scoffed. “You’re missing the point, Jett.”
“Then why don’t you spell it out for me,” I challenged.
“I want it to be there in the case of a rainy day when someone needs it. You know better than anyone how unpredictable life can be. And besides, it’ll give me something to focus on this summer until school starts. You, Wade, and Caroline all have jobs around here during the day. And offering my volunteer services to Rose at the church doesn’t keep me busy enough.”
Closing my eyes, I dragged in a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “If it’ll make you happy, we can sit down and figure out a budget.”
For the first time in decades, we had money to spare, and I couldn’t remember a single project we’d taken on around here that was classified as a want versus a need. Yet another sign of the changes as we grew older.
An outsider might even dare to say we’d finally found ourselves established.
Took damn long enough.
Daisy tapped her lips with a finger, indicating she wanted a kiss. Happily, I bent to oblige her request.
“Thank you,” she whispered when we broke apart.
I hummed, stepping back to resume pushing her on the swing.
We were quiet for a while, lulled into companionable silence by the rhythmic sway of the tire. But eventually, Daisy let out a little sigh.
“Can you believe how far we’ve come from when that cabin was a lifeline for us?”
A shudder rolled through me at the memories of the years spent living within those four wooden walls. “I can still remember being sick to my stomach when I brought you there for the first time. It was no place for you—or a baby—but I was fresh outta options.”
“We made it work.” I could hear the smile in her voice.
