Page 47 of The Getaway

If nothing else, I can look back on my time here and leave better than when I came.

Noah made me feel things I didn’t even know I could, he showed me that, while I might be a little dented, I’m not broken.

While there might be a new ache in my chest accompanying me home, I will not let myself regret anything. I came here hoping this would be the getaway trip that would help me figure out what to do next.

I still don’t know exactly what that will be, but as I wipe the tears from my face, I’m hit with the thought that everything will work out how it’s meant to.

Epilogue- Noah

3 months later

“Got someone here for ya,” someone calls out with a chuckle behind me.

I drop the bag of chicken feed from the bed of the truck and grab the hem of my shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from my face before turning around.

“Shit,” I curse under my breath, jumping from the truck and heading toward Tucker, the Vineyard Manager for the Joneses winery that backs up to my farm. “I’m sorry man, I thought the temporary fix on the fence would hold until supplies get here.”

Tucker laughs, petting the four-year-old white and brown horse that keeps weaseling her way off the property.

“S’okay man. Miss Rosie here just has a thing for finding her way to the back cabin,” he says with a pat on the mare’s back. “As long as she stays away from the vines, you know none of us mind her poppin’ over to say hi.”

I shake my head, glaring at Rosie as she steadily makes her way toward me. But the damn horse is oblivious. Ever since the storm back before the holidays took out a section in the fence, Rosie has been visiting the vineyard. Even with the temporary fix up, she still finds a way through.

When Tucker lingers close by, I turn back to him with a raised brow. He shrugs, making his way over and pushing himself up onto the bed of my truck where he helps me unload the rest of the feed.

“What’s up, Tuck?” I question, unable to take waiting for him to say whatever it is he needs too.

It’s not that Tucker and I don’t get along, hell I consider him to be a friend. But he and I are both the same in the sense that we keep busy when there’s something we need to talk about. And it’s definitely not uncommon for Ma Jones to use Tucker as a way to check-in on Connor and me.

“Ma’s worried about you,” he says softly, dropping a bag into the stack and turning away for the next one.

“Well damn,” I sigh.

Ever since I got back from vacation, I’ve simply been getting through each day however possible. Most of the time, that means putting my head down and focusing on the farm. I’d somehow put myself into a blind routine, that I couldn’t even tell you the last time I left the farm.

It was easy to get lost in work, to go through the motions and not think about my dad or Bri not calling.

I force the thoughts about Bri away the moment they come, bending to stack the feed on the dolly to move to storage.

“Honestly, I’m surprised she’s left you alone this long and hasn’t shown up to drag you by the ear to Wine Wednesday,” he chuckles, shaking his head and finally looking at me. “She’s getting antsy though, asking me or Tommy to come check on you more and more.”

I can’t bite back my smirk at that because that was also something I noticed a few weeks back. Unlike Tucker though, Tommy will just linger and talk my ear off while I work.

“I’ll come by in the next couple weeks and see her,” I tell him and now it’s his turn to smirk at me.

“Actually man, that brings me to topic number two,” he holds up two fingers and tilts his head toward Rosie. “Although it’s more of a two and three…”

I frown, not understanding what Rosie has to do with anything involving Ma. Tucker jumps from the truck, wiping his hands on his pants before leaning back and using the bed door for support.

“The oldest Joneses kid is coming to stay here for a bit. She gets in at the end of next week.” He tips his chin toward the horse again. “Pa doesn’t want Miss Rosie here startlin’ Sassy Pants too much, so he wants an ETA on when the fence will be fixed or if you need anything.”

I raise a brow, “Sassy Pants?”

Tucker shrugs.

“Dude when you meet her, you’ll see. That girl can hold her own against a bear.”

“Yet Miss Rosie will startle her?” I laugh, shaking my head. “Supplies get here in a couple weeks, the guys and I will get working on repairing the whole back fence as soon as we can.”