Page 68 of All Inn Thyme
“Remind her what I said about starting over.” He looks at me thoughtfully.
“I can do that.”
Suddenly, the garage door across the street opens and a truck backs out. I turn my body to face Mitch, but I keep the truck in my peripheral vision so I can get a visual on the driver.
A bark sounds at the side of the fence, and I look over to see a small, dark brown Dachshund. The truck pulls back and I’m thankful I have a hat and sunglasses on as I see her ex driving the truck. He glares at Mitch and drives by. He rolls through the stop sign at the end of the street and speeds off. Nice.
“That him?”
“Yup.”
Jesus. Being here in person and seeing him for myself makes me feel a whole lot closer to all of this.
“Is that Sassy?” I ask, not moving my head toward the house in case we’re being watched by the new girlfriend.
“Yep. I’ve been wanting to get the dog out of there, too,” he says, not looking over there either and instead looking at his truck, no doubt that we’re probably being watched. “Just haven’t figured out how to do that.”
This gives me an idea, although I don’t dare say anything out loud.
“It was nice to meet you, Mitch. You have a good day!” I call as I break off into a jog again, pushing my sunglasses up on my face.
He waves and continues to work on his truck. I take the long way back to my rental car and add in a few extra alleys to make sure I’m not followed.
I won’t underestimate Bradley. He’s a cop, after all. An asshole and a piece of shit, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be smart. Most people make the mistake of underestimating people, but I never put people in boxes. I just evaluate and cover my tracks. Always. And that’s what makes me a good agent. No slip-ups.
Going to Mitch’s was probably not the best idea, but I had to know. And now I do. Now there’s just one more thing I need to do before I leave…
22. mellie
He completes us.
My very first farmers’market is today, and I was so excited that I set my alarm for four a.m., wanting to be up extra early to get everything ready. I get up and check in on Kase, who’s spooning Nova, her back curled into his belly, his little arm draped over her. She looks up briefly as I peek in. When she sees it’s just me, her head drops back down again.
I miss Ty, and I’m ready for him to come home. Having him gone has made me realize I don’t want to live in the bunkhouse without him. I want him home.Home.This place has become home. Not just Freedom Valley and the inn, but the bunkhouse with Ty. I was happy over at the inn and in our little loft, and honestly, I thought that could be enough for us. But then we met Ty, and everything got even better, which I couldn’t have imagined.
Nova’s even bonded with us and become a part of our family, too. I can’t imagine not having either of them in our lives now.
I didn’t think it would be possible to find a love like this. I didn’t love Bradley after I realized who he really was, I didn’t even like him. I loved what he should have been but what he never could be because he was so evil.
But Ty? I’m hopelessly in love with him. I’ve fallen off the deep end in love. And it’s both scary and exciting at the same time. I love the way he is with Kase. I love his heart. He’s easy to be with and he feels safe. He makes me happy. Truly happy. And I haven’t felt that way in a very long time.
I brew coffee and tidy up the kitchen before I head over to the pole barn and load up Ty’s truck with the baskets of produce I packaged up late last night, pleased with how all the details are coming together.
I wake Kase and get him ready for the day, and he’s so excited to be my helper. He feeds Nova and refills her water while I get ready. I put on my Support Local Farmers T-shirt and my favorite beaded earrings that a local artisan made and will be selling today. I love seeing the community come together like this to share their treasures that they either grew or made.
I load Nova and Kase up in the truck and drive over to the inn for breakfast. I have the day off from cleaning, so it feels nice to be able to have a visit with everyone and just relax.
Sasha greets us with a smile and a plate of breakfast casserole and fresh fruit.
Kase and I sit with Nova under his chair, always on guard, and enjoy our breakfast visiting with Evan and Beth.
Margie comes in behind them. “Good morning. How’s my boy?” She squeezes Kase’s shoulders and kisses his head.
“I’m good. Did you know that Momma said I can pick out three things from the market? Three,” he says, holding up three fingers.
“Oh, yeah, what are you choosing?” She takes a seat next to him and Sasha hands her a plate. “Thank you, Sash.”
“I don’t know yet. But cookies if there’s cookies.” He scoops a bite of casserole into his mouth.
