Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67711 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“It is. That’s not where we’re going.”
He frowned. “It certainly seems like it.”
“You do know there are a lot of other things you can get to this way other than their house.”
Jay snorted. “Of course I do, but none of them are places we would go on a Thursday night.”
“One of them is. You’ll see.”
He pestered me off and on to explain myself during the drive, but I refused to say a word until I turned into the driveway of one of the properties we’d toured in our search for a place where we could live part-time and run a dog rescue.
“What are we doing here?” Jay asked. “I thought the owner changed their mind.”
“He did tell us that.” The house had been on the market when we looked at it, and we’d both adored it, but when we tried to put in an offer, the owner said they weren’t selling after all. But if there was one thing I’d learned from both Miles and my grandmother, it was to never take no for an answer. Without telling Jay, I’d continue to pursue things.
With some research, I’d found out that the property belonged to a young man who’d inherited it from his grandparents. He had sentimental ties to the land but couldn’t really maintain it himself. Once I explained what we intended to do with the property, he was willing to sell it to me. He simply hadn’t wanted to see the house torn down and a development built.
Jay stared at me, and I smiled. “What did you do?
“I convinced him to sell after all. I happen to be very good at that. I am a top-notch attorney.”
“Wait. What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that the owner changed his mind.”
“And we’re going to put in an offer? Was there something you wanted to show me about the house first?”
“No. I already gave him an offer and closed on the property yesterday.”
“You did what?”
“I bought the property. It’s ours.”
“You’re kidding. You just bought it.”
“You loved this property, and I wanted to get it for you.”
He stared out the window of the car at the house, then back at me. “Do you have the keys and everything?”
“I sure do.”
Before we went into the house, Jay wanted to walk around the grounds again. There was a barn where dogs could stay and plenty of room for them to run, as well as trails in the woods where they could go on walks.
“It’s perfect. The outdoor kitchen even gives us a place to set up a dog wash area and we could prepare food here for the dogs.”
“You’re right, and that’s why I wasn’t going to take no for an answer.”
“The house is great too. It’s not overwhelming, but it’s big enough to have friends come stay.”
I took his hand in mine. “Are you happy?”
“I’m more than happy. How did you convince him?”
“The owner didn’t really want the property, he just hated the idea of seeing the house torn down or the area developed. When I explained our plan for the dog rescue to him, he caved.”
“Ford, you’re the best.”
I shrugged. “You deserve all of this.”
“Are you going to be happy here?”
“As long as we spend some time in the city, which won’t be an issue since we have the cabin near the barn where a manager can live. We’ll hire as much staff as we need to keep the rescue running while we’re in the city.”
“But when we’re here, you’ll have a long commute.”
Ford shrugged. “I can work from here some and I can have a driver take me in so I can work during the ride.”
“And you’re really okay with funding this?”
“You’re contributing too. You’ve got a nice savings set up.”
Jay snorted. “Nothing compared to yours.”
“Few people have money that compares to mine, and I want to use it on something good.”
Jay pulled me to him. When his lips met mine, I could feel all of his love and excitement.
“Thank you so much for this,” he said. “For everything.”
“Thank you for making my life so much brighter.”
“Somebody had to get you away from all those stuffy books and deep dives into legal minutia.”
I huffed. “I went out with my friends plenty.”
“Yes, but….”
“Things are better now. Everything’s better.”
“I’m so excited about our future here and in the city. Your friends like me now, and your grandparents like me well enough.”
“They like you. They’re not going to be effusive about it, but they like you. And your Gran is amazing. Emily, too.”
“She’s so excited about the expansion of her café.”
“I can’t wait to go see her and hear about her vision for it. When it’s all done, we’re going to have a huge celebration.”
“We are, but you know what? I think we should head on inside and have a nice celebration right here.”
“That is a fantastic suggestion.”