Page 59 of Securing Samantha

At least Bryan missed the gathering tears while she held her head down on his shoulder. Whiskey’s avoidance of her started to hurt. She planned to discuss the situation with him when he met her to pick up LJ and then he ran late. Somehow, she knew deep down he didn’t want to see her. She tried telling herself her feelings were valid. If only her heart felt the same way.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Whiskey texted Kassie.

I’m on my way up to my cabin, can you meet me there?

She replied.

Yes, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.

He folded his list and put it in his pocket. His session with Claire made some progress and she gave him a list of names of people to contact in Seattle for trying different therapies if he decided to go a different route. He smiled when he recalled the shocked expression on her face when he asked for meeting times of different support groups. He scheduled Hope to start with the trainer in the morning. She already learned the basics of sitting, potty, and went to her crate on command at bedtime. He didn’t bother closing the door. Some nights when he struggled with sleeping, he woke to find her curled under his arm. The more time they spent together, the stronger his bond to her grew.

When Kassie arrived, he let her in and led her to the living room. He already steeped a teapot of her favorite blend and scones.

“Wow, this must be serious,” she said as she sat on the couch.

“I need help sorting my thoughts. Samantha insisted I take the house, but I don’t like living in town. I love it here on the mountain. I need to sell the place and Leo thought you might have some ideas since you’re working on a community center,” he told her as he poured a cup of tea and handed her a plate.

Kassie’s considered his news. “There’s not much for sale. I’ve kept an eye out for Michael and Lizzy. It seems all up in the air. Lizzy doesn’t think moving here is a good idea with Michael’s practice in Seattle.”

Kassie set down her cup and began to dig in her bag for her phone and a piece of paper. He noticed when she scrunched up her nose it meant she ticked away at a problem.

“Do you have time for a ride?” she asked as she texted on her phone.

“Where we going?” he asked as he took another sip of his tea.

“Maybe to the answer of all our prayers. I want to show you something.” She gathered her cup and plate, taking it to the sink. Whiskey followed behind her.

“We can take Hope with us,” she told him as she waited for him to grab his coat.

Kassie hopped into the truck. She waited for Whiskey to get settled as she drove to the base of the mountain and down the road. A small gravel driveway appeared hidden between the trees about halfway to town and the mountain.

“I debated on purchasing the house since it’s located close to the mountain and the land surrounding it. Mrs. Stevens lost her husband to cancer. Her children felt it best if she stayed with them and they haven’t put the house on the market yet. Maddie and Mrs. Stevens became friendly with one another, and I delivered food here from time to time.”

They pulled up to a Victorian style house with a huge porch. The floor and steps were once painted a pretty blue but faded with age. The attached garage connected to the house by a glass hallway and a newer addition to the older home. Kassie hopped out of the truck. As Whiskey came around the truck he took in the view. Serenity Mountain and her sisters surrounded a good portion of the place while the other side contained woods. A peaceful quiet fell over the place as if it remained frozen in a bubble of its own.

Kassie pulled the key from underneath the flowerpot and unlocked the door. The house stood empty. Whiskey walked through the rooms soaking in the feel of the place. Solid hardwood floors covered in dust ran through each room. A formal living room held faded wallpaper. The kitchen and hallway needed a fresh coat of paint. The picture window held a solid wood seat. Kassie quietly led him upstairs. The large master bedroom contained a padded seat underneath the window showcasing Serenity Mountain. Farther down the hall, he found three good-sized rooms and another bathroom. Kassie walked back down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen.

“What do you think?” she asked as she approached a wooden door he assumed led to a closet.

“It needs some tender loving care,” his hand reached out to check the sturdiness of the wood.

“There’s one more thing I want you to see,” she softly told him.

She opened the door to show a glass enclosed porch. The beauty of the mountains surrounded them. It ran the entire length of the side of the house. Kassie walked to the farthest end and opened the door. It led to another glass enclosed area. This one covered the back of the house, facing the woods. As they stood and gazed at the tranquility before them, two deer walked out of the woods as if sensing their existence and stared in the direction of the home.

“Such beauty here, lass,” Whiskey breathed out as he watched the creatures.

“I envisioned the glass extended along the other side. The foundation is already there because they added on the patio. I can’t imagine a better area for people enjoying their tea,” she told him. Another door situated in the middle of the wall caught his attention. He turned the handle and opened it, expecting to find a closet. A workroom of sorts held various empty boxes and crates.

“There’s another room exactly like this one on the other side. I don’t know what the original intent of the rooms was, but Mrs. Stevens liked to preserve food. I think she stored it here. When I came last fall, she worked in the room on the side of the porch. She kept all her vegetables in there while she prepared them for canning.” Kassie ran her hands along the door’s edge.

“It carries an old beauty to it. I believe it belonged to her parents. Her son moved to Seattle and her daughter lives in Oregon. I originally thought of telling Michael about the house. I see Lizzy recuperating in the beauty of it. But it needs a ton of work. He’s still figuring out what to do about his practice. Serenity has quite a few younger families in it. I placed a bid on the property and the lands surrounding the mountain.”

Whiskey frowned. All sorts of ideas filled his head. If he encased the other side of the porch with the same glass, it provided a workroom for Samantha for essential oils. Her skin care products would fit in the room Kassie stood in. The lavender chairs from her salon could face the scenic view of the woods. A shed stood in the distance which might be used to dry herbs and such. He imagined opening the glass area by the kitchen and getting rid of the doors all together and painting it a sunny yellow. His heart thumped. It grew louder.

“What do you think?” She blinked her eyes at him.

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