This chapter is dedicated to kristenxmusic and her dad. ♥️

Sunday, August 3rd.

A D D I E

We arrived at one of the long winding driveways that was shaded with trees on either side, their thick full branches of leaves creating an overhead awning. The gravel crunched beneath the tires and there was nothing but green for what felt like forever.

That was until we approached an enormous home that looked to be from the Victorian era but had been renovated and was modern and sharp. The weatherboard was a crisp white and the shutters were midnight black. There was a wraparound porch on either floor. The railing was thick steel and there were wide windows and French doors everywhere.

On the other side of the parking space, was a second driveway that led toward the acres of open fields where I could see sheds and barns and animals. I stepped out of the cruiser and was hit with an array of different smells. Clean air was the first and the rest I couldn't put a name to. It wasn't bad, it was just so different. The air was different. I had never experienced it before.

"Yep, that's horse shit," Raine stood beside me and inhaled a deep breath, she had a pair of aviators on now. "Or it might be Noah, the donkey."

"Noah?"

She shook her head with a small smile. "Willa named him after Noah from The Notebook."

"She watches that?"

"Loves it," Raine said. "We fast forward through the sex scenes, but she's obsessed with those classic romance movies. Milo thinks it's better than her watching some of the trash that's on television now. He's hoping that it'll raise her standards and she'll settle for nothing less than being courted by a gentleman."

I nodded. "Not a bad idea."

"Yeah but I said the best chance she has is seeing her dad's example," Raine grinned. "So, Milo is the Noah to my Allie. Flowers, cute dates, compliments. He's a catch."

"Noah and Allie fought a lot and then had an affair while she was engaged."

Raine's smile slipped and she was quiet for a moment. "Well, shit."

I laughed and it was so sudden and abrupt that I almost missed the fact that it came from me. "It's all for true love, right? I mean, Noah and Allie loved each other until death. So, that's the main thing."

She laughed as well and then we wandered up to the front of the house, but instead of going in through the front door, we went around the porch, to the back garden where the deck extended and was covered in outdoor sofas, a large twelve person table, a fireplace and an egg swing. It was gorgeous. It overlooked stretches of rolling land, there were tall trees with tire swings hanging from the thick climbing branches, flower beds, vegetable gardens, bench seats sat among the nature and lavish dog houses were lined along the back fence.

"Wow," I murmured, wanting so much to see it for what it was, rather than having a looming dark cloud of despair distorting the view.

"I'm going to go in and find out how far brunch is. Want to come?"

I looked over at the open French doors which looked as if they led to a dining area. The kitchen can't have been far, I could smell hot bread and bacon.

"I'm just going to make another call," I was still holding my phone, the sundress had no pockets. "I'll come in after. Where do I go?"

"Unless we're back, we'll be in the kitchen. Straight through those doors and to the left."

"Great."

She headed inside and I stepped down from the deck and wandered across the neat trimmed lawn toward the back where the garden beds were. A sprinkler was showering two of the seven beds but three of them were damp, the flower petals glittering with water droplets. Someone must have been rotating the sprinkler so that it covered the entire area.

I crouched down and touched a soft wet purple petal with a white middle that spread outward and morphed into a deep violet. The soil was damp, and I could smell what I'd detected when I first hopped out of the car. Damp soil. It was nice, but it was different than the potted plants that I watered at home.

While I was still crouched, stalling from calling Lo back at home to find out how the event went last night, I heard the creak and spring of a gate being opened and twisted to see a man wandering through with a bucket in each hand.

He was tall, six foot two at the least. He had golden brown hair and sun kissed olive skin which was damp with sweat. He dropped the buckets beside a garden bed, ripped off his black t shirt and cupped his hands to collect some of the sprinkler water, which he then ran over his face. He hadn't even seen me, and I kept still, hoping that he'd continue and leave so that he didn't think I was a stalker hiding in the garden.

His pale washed jeans hung low on his hips and were covered in dirt, but I wasn't given a lot longer to notice more detail, because my phone began ringing. "Shit," I tapped the ignore button and stood up, feeling exposed and stupid when I saw the man standing a few feet from me with his hands rested on his hips and a brow raised with question.

"I'm— this is— Raine, I'm here with Raine."

His curious stare narrowed as he nodded and picked up his buckets.

I watched him walk off across the lawn until he turned the corner around the house and disappeared. That was a bit awkward, but I decided not to dwell on it. He must have been one of the farm hands that Raine was telling me about earlier. I exhaled a deep breath and flagged calling Lo. I sent her a text message instead.

How did the event go? Out of town for now. Don't call me just keep business running. You're in charge.

Her response was almost immediate.

Of course. Take care. x

Lo was good like that. She didn't ask a lot of questions; she didn't pester me to be her friend or put her nose in other people's business. She just got on with her job and we kept our personal lives private.

"Addie?"

I peered up and saw Raine on the deck with a platter of food that was steaming hot. She set it on the table, and I jogged back up the steps, asking if I could do something to help. Before she could answer me, a little girl came bounding outside in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.

"Oh, Willa, this is Addie," Raine said, her smile full of affection as she watched the little girl who in turn, watched me. "Addie this is Willa, Milo's daughter."

She was cute, super cute. She had long black hair that was braided down her back, a little button nose and one dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. There was something about her that was so familiar, she reminded me of someone. She reminded me of Margo.

I shook off the haunted feeling and forced a smile. "Hi."

"Hello," she said, her gaze was cautious, but she politely extended her hand and I couldn't help but grin a little harder at her manners. "I'm Willa."

"I love your shirt," I pointed at the tee which had the quote 'Obstinate, headstrong girl' written across the front of it. "Pride and Prejudice."

Her stare went from cautious to somewhat more curious. "Do you like that movie too?"

"I do. But I also love the book."

"I haven't read the book."

"I really recommend it."

She sat down on the bench seat at the table. "I'll get it from the library when I go with school next time."

Raine was still grinning when she looked at me. "Their class goes to the library twice a month. The principal is hell bent on ensuring the kids love to read. So, they don't do set reading lists. The kids choose their own books and read those at quiet time in class."

I nodded, pleased to know that there were still schools out there that valued reading. Raine spun around and went back inside, calling over her shoulder that she needed to bring the rest of the food out and gather the team. I wanted to help.

"No, no. Sit down."

The sun shone down and touched my back when I sat opposite Willa, she was staring at me again, it was rather intense, it was almost the look of distrust. Perhaps that was just how a child stared at someone who was new. I wanted to make conversation with her, but I had no clue what to ask. How is school? No one likes school. Got a man? No, she's ten.

"Favourite movie?" I asked.

She tilted her head with thought. "The Notebook. For now."

I nodded, should have guessed.

"Favourite book?" She asked.

"A Walk to Remember."

Her expression lit up. "I like that movie."

I smiled and wanted to tell her that the book was incredible, and she needed to read it, but I couldn't blame her for favouring movies over novels. She was ten. Her taste was impressive enough on its own.

"I'll read the book," she added after a moment. "I love reading."

"Me too."

Raine reappeared with another platter of food and behind her was a man. Not the one that I'd run into earlier. But a fair skinned middle-aged man with long stubble and thinning dark hair that fell around his ears. He was handsome, well-built and seemingly confident in a way that wasn't arrogant.

"This is Addie," Raine peered over her shoulder at the man behind her who had his arms full of food. "This is Milo."

"How's it going?" He set the plates down and sat next to his daughter. "Raine said that you came from Beverly Hills. Quite a change."

"It's different but this place is. . . lovely."

"It is. I went to California once, a trip with the fellas to see some concert in College. It was fun and all but to a bit too much going on if I'm honest. I prefer a slower pace."

I nodded, understanding that more than he knew. It was part of the reason that I was at home a lot, curled up on the sofa with a book. That was if I wasn't planning someone else's social events. Raine sat down beside me and started handing out plates. She'd made it seem like there would be more people here, so I was surprised when Milo and Willa started piling their plates with food.

"Your dad isn't joining us?"

Raine scooped fruit salad onto her plate. "Yeah he's not up for it this morning. He's got a migraine. He gets them a lot so he's in bed resting at the moment. And most of the farmhands are off for the Sunday. Zac shouldn't be far though."

It wasn't long after I had finished putting scrambled eggs, fruit salad and bread rolls onto my plate that the man from fifteen minutes earlier rounded the corner and came striding down the porch. He was dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a new white t shirt. His hair was tousled with a slight wave and styled mess and he had a light stubble coating his jaw. He sat down beside Milo and leaned his forearm on the tabletop. He had incredible shoulders.

"This is Zac," Raine covered her full mouth while she spoke. "Zac, this is Addie—"

"We met," he interrupted her and dragged the bowl of eggs toward him. "Winnie has a broken shoe. I called Keith and he'll have a new one for her tomorrow. She's in the paddock now."

Raine smiled, nodding along while he gave her a few other updates about farm life. It didn't sound like there were a lot of animals apart from horses and it seemed like a reasonable assumption that they could be breeders or trainers. It wouldn't have been surprising after seeing the size of the home. Good horse breeders and trainers could bring in a lot of income. Well, that was what I had read.

"Addie here is from California," Raine said, almost sounding as if she'd been holding that in and desperately waiting until Zac was done so that she could say it. "Beverly Hills to be specific."

Zac nodded, watching me. He had a strong brow bone and thick dark lashes. "What brings you to the outskirts of Georgetown?"

"I don't know," I answered and felt grateful that Raine didn't decide to fill them all in on how I'd passed out on the side of the road after an attempt to walk off the pain of losing my sister last week. The less that I had to relive that truth, the better.

Of course, the answer 'I don't know' in response to asking what I was doing in another state was enough to raise their brows.

"I'm just getting a breather," I said, swallowing down breath-taking grief before it could wind me. "A change of pace."

"Good place to come for that," Milo winked and stabbed a sausage with his fork. It dawned on me that he was also a cop and he didn't seem the least bit suspicious about my being here with a serious lack of explanation. Perhaps Raine had filled him in earlier.

"You wanna meet my donkey?" Willa asked. "Zac, can we take her down to the paddock to meet Noah?"

Zac chewed his food, his strong jaw moved as he gave me a slow once over. It made me feel exposed and nervous until he lowered his head with a quiet scoff. "Might be a bit much dirt for our guest, Will."

How rude. No doubt he'd seen the dress, flip flops and more than anything, taken into consideration that I was from Beverly Hills and assumed I was some prissy California princess that thought these parts were full of hicks.

"I would love to meet Noah," I told Willa.

"Zac, take Willa and Addie to meet Noah," Raine gave him a pointed look before she turned to me. "Willa isn't allowed down at the paddock alone. There's not a lot of trouble to get into but there is the occasional snake and a few months ago we had a Puma attack one of our horses. Super rare but it's for peace of mind that Willa doesn't wander alone."

"Of course."

"Still want to meet Noah?" Zac asked, elbows on the tabletop.

His judgement was getting a little old and it'd been less than fifteen minutes since we sat down at the table. "Yeah, I'm sure."

He quirked his brows. "Alright then."

"You promise you'll take us?"

He sighed as if making promises to this little girl was nothing new. She stood up and skipped toward where he sat and then she held up her pinky finger.

"Promise."

He gave her a tight smile, silence settling while we waited with anticipation. Finally, he lifted his pinky finger, wrapped it around hers and solidified the agreement with a quick bounce of their conjoined fingers.

"Now pinky promise Addie," Willa pointed at me. "I'm not new to your loopholes. Promise her too."

"Loopholes," he narrowed his amused glare at Raine. "You teach her that?"

She shrugged.

"Promise," Willa sang with a cunning smile. Zac looked at me and I quickly lifted my pinky, even though we were too far apart to touch. I think I preferred it like that though, his stare was doing enough to my nerves without adding contact on top of that.

"I do mine like this," I lied, coming up with something on the spot. I gestured for Zac to raise his finger and so he did and then I touched mine to my nose with a swift flick. "You do the same."

He looked as if he were fighting a smile. He held eye contact, thick lashes fluttering as he swiped the side of his nose with his little finger and nodded.

"There," he finally tore his piercing gaze from me and looked at Willa. "We're all locked in, alright? Relax. I'll take you down to see Noah."

"I know, it's just fun messing with you."

There was a collective laugh at Zac's expense. Mine too I suppose. I could still feel the ghost of his stare seeping into my skin.

After we'd eaten and I'd helped wash up in a gorgeous, immaculate kitchen that was bigger than the condo living room back at home, I followed Zac through the garden gate with Willa strolling along beside me. She was wearing a pair of blue gumboots which she used to kick the gravel as we walked downhill. It wasn't steep but I could feel the natural lean of my body adjusting to the descent. Zac had his hands in his pockets as he peered behind him at my feet. Flip flops weren't the best footwear for the situation, but I wasn't going to admit that.

"Managing there, Beverly?"

"It's Addie," I kept my tone even. "And I'm fine."

"That's pretty nail polish," Willa said, staring at the nude pink on my toes. Margo and I had pedicures three weeks ago, she was buried with this shade on her nails. Immortalizing the perfect shade for our tan skin, that was what she'd said. She was right. But mine was starting to grow out, putting me further and further from the memory of our last girls date.

"Thanks."

We must have walked for ten minutes before we came to a series of gates, fences and a little shed where Noah was standing, eating apples from a rope that hung from the roof.

Zac made a clacking noise with his tongue and leaned his forearms on the fence. "Noah, here boy."

Noah ignored him.

"Noah," Willa sang, climbing the fence rails until she was sitting perched on the edge with her legs inside the pen. "Noah, come here."

Noah snapped to attention as soon as he heard her voice, he trotted toward her and nuzzled her outstretched hand. I couldn't help but giggle, as strange as it felt, at Zac who rolled his eyes and sighed. "Traitor," he mumbled.

"Hi, Noah," I said, petting the animal. His hair was so soft, and his tuft of little black hair was cute. His lids closed and opened slowly with satisfaction while Willa and I rubbed his head.

"He's soft, right?" Willa looked at me but burst into a fit of giggles when Noah started nuzzling her cheek with his nose. "Noah!"

She tumbled backward off the fence and would have landed on the grass below if it weren't for the strong set of arms that caught her just in time. "Willa," Zac exhaled and sounded relieved that he'd been there. "On the ground or stand on the fence rails. He's too rough."

"He's not rough," Willa scolded but did as she was told. "He's affectionate. He loves me."

Zac chuckled but stood closer from then on. It was sort of. . . sweet. Even if he didn't talk to me a whole lot and seemed sort of stand offish, I could appreciate that he cared about this little girl. I wondered how much time Willa spent on this farm. She was the stepdaughter of Raine and Raine didn't live here but she must have frequented enough for the farmhand to become a good friend. I guess I didn't understand much about the dynamics of running a farm though.

After we'd had a little time with Noah, peeped at some of the horses in the paddock and wandered back to the house, Raine let me know that she needed to get home for some sleep before she passed out standing. Milo had a few things to do before he left, so Willa hung behind with him and I said goodbye to Zac as well, receiving a simple nod in return.

In the car, I fastened my seat belt and settled in. "Thanks for brunch."

"Not a problem," Raine answered, yawning. "I think Willa liked having someone to talk classic romance with."

"She's a nice girl," I nodded. "Does Milo help at your dad's a lot?"

"Yeah just on his weekends. He fixes things around the house or feeds the animals. Whatever needs to be done."

"That's nice of him."

When we got into Georgetown central, Raine asked me where I wanted to go.

"Oh," that was the point in brunch. I was meant to be thinking about what to do next but the whole morning had been a distraction, a pleasant one, from the truth that was my life right now. "Just drop me off at the closest hotel."

"A hotel? You could come and stay with me, if you need somewhere to go."

"No, no. I'm good. This is just for a night or two. Until I move on."

Move on to where? I had no idea. But what I did know, was that it wouldn't be home.