“You can say that again.” Walker poked his head out from around the corner where delicious smells were coming from the kitchen. “Cup of tea?”
“Yes, please. With a little honey.”
“Got it.”
Ivy curled up in a cushy-looking rocking chair, gesturing for Ginny to sit where she wanted. “You want to tell us about your time away, or are you looking to brainstorm about what’s going to happen now? Or both?”
“Wow. That’s a tough choice.” Ginny accepted the mug from Walker. “Thanks.”
What a difference a day made. Yesterday an older brother had handed her a cup of tea, and she’d been all but vibrating with anxiety and anger. Today she was sweetness and light with so much to look forward to.
Had to be the orgasm Tucker gave her last night. There was no getting around it. She caught herself smiling as she took a sip of the tea.
“It’s not as good as yours,” Walker said as he settled in the chair next to Ivy’s. “I want you to do what makes you happy, but is it terrible if I mention I hope you decide you absolutely have to get back to making herbal concoctions? Even if it’s a hobby.”
“I haven’t even peeked in the greenhouse,” Ginny confessed.
“You’ve officially been home for just over twenty-four hours,” Ivy said with amusement. “Plus, it’s the holidays. I think you’re allowed to leave it for a while longer.”
Which was true, but now everything that she had been ignoring suddenly stacked up in one massive to-do list. “I think we should talk about what our goals are for the future,” Ginny said decisively. “I like brainstorming with Walker. He was usually pretty good at it.”
“Because I didn’t tell you which one of your ideas you should do?” Walker offered.
“What? You weren’t bossy? How is that even possible?” Ivy teased.
“Only bossy when I need to be,” Walker said with a smile.
“Ooh, icky. Stop with the lovey-dovey stuff.” Happiness rushed in even as she taunted. “Nah, don’t stop. You two have always been so gosh-darn cute together.”
“So, brainstorming,” Ivy said with a smile, obviously attempting to get control of the situation. “The greenhouse didn’t sit empty the entire time you were gone.”
Ginny shook her head. “I leased out the contracts for my Community Supported Agriculture boxes to a local family for two years, which is how long I was supposed to be gone in the first place. When I had to stay a little longer to finish the journeyman commitment, we extended the CSA agreement for a year. Tamara had talked about doing some of it on her own, but it was easier to let someone else manage the whole thing.”
“So you could start up again this spring?” Walker asked. “Plant seeds, get things growing. Get in touch with your contacts for the things you don’t want to grow?”
“I could,” Ginny agreed. Only this was where Caleb’s announcement had shaken up her original idea. She’d learned a lot during her travels and was excited to put new skills into play. But she’d also learned there were certain parts of working with others that she absolutely did not want anymore.
She met Ivy’s soft gaze. “Here’s part of what I did the past few years—lots of grunt labour. Which was good at times, but also frustrating. There were some of the growers who didn’t honour the ‘teach your journeyman new skills’ idea very well.”
Walker growled in disapproval. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you reported it.”
“I did, when appropriate,” Ginny said quietly. “Sometimes I might have been to blame for not understanding what I signed on for because of language issues. And sometimes the biggest lessons came from when I buckled down and did the job in spite of it being a bit of a stretch. But I can learn from my mistakes, and I know this—I don’t want to simply garden anymore. It’s valuable, but it’s not my forever job.”
Ivy nodded. “Knowing what you don’t want is important. But I’m also sorry to hear you felt frustrated.”
“Thanks.” Ginny sniffed her tea and made a mental note to check the mint garden at the ranch when she got home. “I need to make a pro and con list. Figure out what’s the most beneficial use of my time and energy.”
Walker leaned forward. “Remember, you don’t need to make a ton of money from whatever you do. So that list should involve a lot of things that really make you happy.”
Absolute truth. “Yeah, you’re right. And that’s going to take some thinking, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be making something herbal at some point. That’s one of the things I know for certain.” She curled her arms around her legs, glancing between the two of them. “And I’m happy to be here. It’s good to know that as the next things progress with the family, I can be a part of it.”
“An important part,” Ivy said firmly.
“I like you,” Ginny responded, watching as Ivy’s smile brightened. “So what about you guys? What new thing have you been dreaming about?”
Walker and Ivy exchanged glances. Happiness bloomed between them so hard and strong it would’ve been annoying if it weren’t so amazing.
“We’ve been talking about something for a while, and it looks as if we’re ready to move ahead,” Walker said steadily.
Ginny glanced around the house. “Renovations? Additions?”
A gentle snort escaped Ivy. “Definitely additions. We want to adopt.”
“Oh my God.” Ginny shot to her feet and scooted over to give Ivy another hug. “That is so exciting. Really? When, who?”
“No timeline yet,” Walker said before accepting a hug of his own. He waited until Ginny resumed her seat to continue. “We’ve spent the past while researching and really talking out what we can handle. The next part will be the legal steps. A lot of social work visits. Getting everything into place.”
“You know Alex Thorne? Ranch hand at Silver Stone?” Ivy asked. When Ginny nodded, she continued. “He grew up in the foster system, and he has a sister who is actively fostering, so we talked to him about what he thought.”
“Fostering always sounds really difficult,” Ginny said, a little nervous because while Ivy was physically delicate, Walker had the gentlest heart of anyone Ginny knew. “I don’t think I could do it.”
“After talking to Alex, we think it would be too hard for us,” Walker said slowly. “The people who can offer that kind of support are wonderful, but we need something different.”
Ginny put it all together and made a guess. “You’re not adopting a baby, are you?”
Ivy shook her head. “We want to take older kids. Siblings, if possible.”
“Part of what we’re doing with that dreaming Caleb offered is to get things rolling. When it happens, I’ll come home full-time until I can move back up to part-time hours,” Walker said. “Ivy can’t get out of her teaching and principal job at the drop of a hat, but I can easily be replaced at the ranch.”
That was absolutely not true. “You are irreplaceable, but I do agree you guys will make a great mom and dad,” Ginny assured them.