Page 32 of The Outlaw's Code

We stayed there that way for a moment, a comfortable silence building around us. Eventually, we turned away from each other, just enough to take in the view around us, the breeze blowing gently through the grass. It was easy for me to imagine our lives out here, working side by side, building something from the ground up.

Although, it was always easy to imagine myself next to Shane.

I honestly couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else.

“How wouldyou feel about me having a farm?” I asked, when we were back at Shane’s cabin. “Just a place to grow some veggies, maybe. So, we can have them fresh, whenever we want.”

“That sounds like a good idea to me.” He nodded as he pulled out a map of his newly purchased lot. He was drawing something on it, and when I looked over his shoulder, I realized it was my garden. “Anything else you were thinking about?”

“An area for the horses, definitely.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already got that covered.”

“What if I wanted to raise rabbits?”

“What kind of rabbits?”

“Flemish Giants.”

“Are you talking about those huge, dog-sized rabbits people keep as pets?” Shane seemed amused by the prospect. “Are you raising them just to keep on the property?”

“Maybe. We could also take them on the road, put them in a few shows.” I shrugged. “Honestly, I never thought I’d ever get this far.”

“This far, meaning?”

“You just letting me have whatever I wanted.” I laughed. “The rabbit thing was always something in the back of my mind, but I never thought anybody would take me seriously.”

“Be careful what you wish for, Calder,” Shane said as he added a place for the rabbits to his map. “I personally think raising rabbits is right up your alley.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Matches your quirky personality.” He smiled. “You seem exactly like the kind of person who’d have rabbits like that.”

I smiled right back at him, just as another idea popped into my head. “Wait. What about guest cabins?”

“Like to rent out to strangers?”

“No, just for friends and family.” I shook my head. “We’re not trying to run a bed-and-breakfast type deal, are we?”

“Nope. The thought of having to deal with strangers on a regular basis makes me a little nauseous.”

“Same.” I nodded in agreement. “Okay, so we have the garden, the rabbit area, the horse barn… anything else we should add in the meantime?”

Shane seemed hesitant as he looked over at me. “What do you see? When you think about your dream house?”

“My dream house?” I hummed, thinking it over. “I think I see windows, big enough to let in all the natural light I could ever want. I see a porch, where I could just catch up with people over beers or over tea, whatever they prefer. I see white pillars, but not to be pretentious, just to be classic, you know? I want people to see the house and just know that it’shometo someone, that someone really cares about the place. Painted bright blue, maybe, something to match the skies out here.”

When I finished talking, I brought my gaze back to Shane. He nodded towards the map, where he’d drawn a sketch of the home I’d described. “Something like that?”

“Wait. Shane…” I looked between the map and Shane, my eyes moving fast. “Is that… what are you…”

“It’d be ours, if that’s what you want,” he said, voice clear as day. “Is that something you want with me, Calder?”

I didn’t answer with my words. Instead, I practically leapt into Shane’s arms, wrapping myself around him tightly.

“I’ll take that as a yes?” He smiled at me.

“Yes! Obviously. Yes.” I let out an excited laugh. “Oh, my God. We’re going to build my dream house.”

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