Tags:
Fiction,
Romance,
Contemporary,
Inspirational,
explosion,
Christian - Romance,
true love,
second chance,
Worship,
mechanic,
wife,
The Lord,
Start Family,
Country Boy
cobblestone bridge that led from the rutted dirt lane to the lumberyard. Once the stream reached the dam and collected in the mill pond, it was ready to be harnessed to power the waterwheel her cousin Paul had restored to grant their ailing grandfather’s wish to see the long-shuttered mill up and running again before he died.
Of course, she hadn’t known all this before, she groused. Over the weekend, Gram had filled her in on the family history that had been a complete blank for Tess until a month ago. For the hundredth time, she wondered what possible reason her father had for leaving his charming hometown and stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his roots.
Or his own father’s death.
Thinking about the grandfather she’d never met still made her misty, especially when she was standing here in the middle of the property he’d cherished so much. She’d learned that it hadn’t been easy to keep it in the family, with developers drooling over the acres of untouched woods around the picturesque Sterling Creek. If he’d given in and sold out, he and Gram would have had enough money to travel wherever they wanted to go. Instead, they chose to hold on to the land and live more modestly in this sleepy little town that didn’t warrant even a dot on a state map.
“Something wrong?”
Heath’s voice broke into her musings, and she glanced over at him. She was about to give her customary “no” when something stopped her, and she frowned. “I’m not sure. I was just thinking about how my grandfather never wanted to give this place up, even when people offered him a ton of money for it. My father always thought Granddad was crazy.”
“Sounds like you agreed with him.”
“I know it sounds disrespectful, but yes, I did.”
Heath rested an arm over the railing on the front porch steps and cocked his head with a curious look. “And now?”
“I think I get it, at least a little.”
As the breeze rustled through a nearby stand of trees, she admired the spectrum of colors waving along the branches and caught the flash of a white tail as a deer bounded back into the woods. Add in the chiming of dozens of birds and the telltale scent of wood shavings, and her appreciation for the Barrett legacy deepened. Peaceful but teeming with life, this place was a lot more than a chunk of prime real estate. And it was infinitely more valuable than even her brilliant father could possibly fathom.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Will,” Heath said gently, as if he’d picked up on her melancholy train of thought. “He was one of the kindest, most generous people I’ve ever known.”
She knew Heath meant for her to view the comment in a positive light, but it only made her choke up again. Pulling herself together wasn’t easy, but for both their sakes she dredged up a halfhearted smile. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I was fine at the cemetery with Gram yesterday.”
“That’s ’cause he’s not there. He’s here.” Heath nodded in the general direction of the rushing water.
The rugged mechanic didn’t strike her as the philosophical type, and she eyed him with curiosity. “You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Sure. I know it’s not a big, exciting city, but for most of us, this little swath of land beats them all, hands down.”
He said it without hesitation, but something flickering in his eyes made her suspect that for him, there was more to it than mere loyalty. Since neither of them had the time for a story right now, she opted to let it go. “Since you said you were dropping off that old truck, I’m guessing you need a ride back into town. Did you want to come in and say hello or get going now?”
“No hurry,” he replied with a grin. “This is Barrett’s Mill, remember?”
Yes, it was. She still wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but she was looking forward to finding out. She and Heath climbed the steps together, with Boyd lumbering up behind them. When Heath pulled