Her gaze stuttered to a halt when she spied Scott standing just outside the kitchen door, watching her. Taking in all the glorious beauty that was him, she appreciated the wide shoulders, muscular abs, lean hips, long legs. As he stalked toward her, it dawned on her that even with his prosthesis showing underneath his drawstring shorts, she never thought about it. It was part of him. Just one of his legs.
As he approached, it suddenly hit her that he had lost so much and yet accepted all that came, the good and the bad.
So much like Papa Beau.
Stopping directly in front of her, he looked down and cocked his head to the side as he asked, “What are you smiling about?”
“I was thinking how wonderful you are, accepting everything that comes in life, and realizing you are so much like Papa Beau.”
Brows raised, he slipped his arms around her and said, “That’s the nicest compliment I can think of.” They stayed embraced for a moment and then he asked, “What are you doing out here, babe?”
Without hesitation, she replied, “I was just thinking that all of this land, all of this heritage, is mine to pass on to my children.”
His arms jerked slightly, and he leaned back to hold her gaze. “If you’re thinking about the future of this farm and your children, maybe I shouldn’t wait any longer.”
“I don’t understand. Wait for what?”
“I hadn’t planned on this right now, but when I looked out the bedroom window and saw you standing here in the moonlight, I knew I wanted to ask you this question.”
Face scrunched, she had no idea what he was talking about until he dropped to one knee and said, “I know I’m not doing this right because I don’t have a ring, but I don’t want to wait to let you know that I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, if you’re talking about children, I want them to be our children. So, Elizabeth Weston, will you consent to be my wife?”
Knees buckling, she dropped to the ground, tears of happiness streaming down her face. “Oh, yes!” she cried as they cupped each other’s faces, their lips meeting, sealing their vows.
Later, lying in bed after they made love, she realized he had taken her worst day and turned it into something beautiful.
30
Two Weeks Later
Walking back from feeding the alpacas, she stood at the small field and watched the goat kids frolic. The sun was shining with only a few white clouds dotting the blue sky. She inhaled deeply, pleased to no longer smell charred wood, but instead, the scent of freshly-mown grass mixed with the earthy farm smells met her nose.
Smiling, she turned and walked past the newly graded area where the barn used to stand. Two local farmers, former friends of Papa Beau’s, had come by the previous week with their tractors and plows to knock down what was left from the burned barn. After hauling the refuse away, they returned to clear the land, making it smooth and ready for a new barn.
The insurance check had come through much quicker than Lizzie expected. She supposed with the police having the confessed arsonist in custody, the insurance company was able to expedite the claim. She had been pleasantly surprised by the amount, knowing that it would cover the cost of having a new, slightly larger barn built.
She had talked with several construction companies, but unfortunately, none were able to start building right away. She had called a few of her friends, wanting to drive around and take batches of muffins she had made in thanks for all of their concern, but it seemed everyone was busy on this beautiful Saturday morning. She knew there was not an AL ball game since Scott was still inside the house. In fact, now that she thought about it, it was odd that he had not already joined her since he usually helped with the animals.
Heading toward the back door, she was suddenly met with the sounds that she had heard once before, only this time louder. Glancing up the road, she saw a long line of pickup trucks, SUVs, and cars. And at the end of the line was a big rig flatbed truck piled high with lumber. She stood with her mouth hanging open as the huge truck passed by before turning into her lane and she spied the logo for Giardano Farms on the side.
Arms wrapped around her from the back, and she jumped, looking up to see Scott resting his head on her shoulder. Seeing his smile, she said, “I’m almost afraid to ask what’s going on!”
“Get ready for an old-fashioned barn raising, sweetheart.”
No words met his announcement other than her breath rushing from her lungs. She lost count of the number of vehicles that pulled into the drive, parking in front and to the side of the house. As people began to pile out of their vehicles, they waved toward her and Scott as several of them helped to direct the big rig driver toward the area where the wood would be delivered.
“And before you ask, Lizzie, all materials have been donated by Luca Giardano. I’ve talked to Colt, and while at first, Luca denied that his daughter could have been involved in anything so nefarious, when the evidence came forth, she finally confessed. It seems her actions completely gutted her father.”
With her hands holding onto his forearms still wrapped around her chest, she said, “Weird, isn’t it? It was my father and his daughter that schemed together, leaving the two of us devastated.”
“I hadn’t thought about it like that, but you’re right,” Scott agreed. Giving her a squeeze, he added, “Luca has donated all the materials for your new barn. He contacted me, uncertain that contacting you directly would be the right thing to do. He told me that he had considered Beau to be a neighbor and friend and wanted to do anything he could to try to make up for his daughter’s actions. I informed him that you were getting an insurance check that would cover everything, but his words were for you to take that money and use it however you wanted. The barn was his gift.”
By now, she watched as a line of people walked by, mostly friends and neighbors, although a few she did not know, head to where the barn would be built. To the side was a huge gathering of more friends and some people she recognized from the Auxiliary, already setting up makeshift tables.
“Mitch, Grant, Lance, and Ginny have to take shifts,” Scott explained, “since Baytown has to have a couple of officers on duty at all times. Same with Colt and Hunter. Carrie’s working the breakfast service at The Diner, but she and Jack will be here before lunch. Callan had morning duty with the Marine Police, but he’ll be here early afternoon. Pretty much everyone else is here. We recruited a couple of the older members of the American Legion who’ve built barns before to give us direction. Some of them worked in construction anyway.”
She recognized Aiden, Brogan, and Zac as well as Josh and Joseph. Scott pointed out the parents of some of their friends, all joining in the activity.
Katelyn and Jillian came over and asked if they could help with the animals. Jolting into action, Lizzie replied, “Yes! Let’s move them to a further pasture so they aren’t as upset over the noise.” She soon found that she had an entourage of helpers, including some children, all wanting to see the goats, alpacas, and pigs. There was not much she could do for the chickens and hoped they would not be so upset they would stop laying eggs, but if so, she would deal. The barn raising was worth any inconvenience to the animals as long as they remained safe.