Saturday afternoon, Riley loaded Cocoa into her truck and headed toward Blake’s grandfather’s place. It was just on the outskirts of town not too far from Brooke’s farm.
There were already several cars in the driveway when she pulled up to the ranch style house. The home was older, but looked well kept, with impeccable landscaping.
She led Cocoa to the front door, but it swung open before she could knock.
A familiar-looking woman with dark hair stood smiling. “Come on in. I’m Susie Thomas, Blake’s stepmom. Are you one of LouAnn’s daughters?”
Riley nodded. “I’m the youngest. Riley.”
“We were in the same high school class,” Susie explained. “And I still run into her from time to time. I remember when you girls were young. Seems like just yesterday.” She smiled.
“Time flies,” Riley agreed.
“I think the rest of the group is already here,” Susie said. “They’re out back.”
Riley followed her through the house. “I guess Blake has told you that the therapy program is going really well,” Riley said.
Susie nodded. “He seems very pleased with it.”
“I know he worked for a facility in Charleston. He has a real knack for it. The dogs really respond to him. We’ve had three sessions as a group and each dog and owner pair has gone in individually for a couple of practice visits. I think we’re all really enjoying it.”
“I know the residents will be happy to have the dogs around.”
Riley nodded.
They stepped onto the massive deck. “Wow. I can see why Blake wanted to have us over. This is gorgeous.” The front of the house may have been modest but the deck overlooked a huge space, including a pond with its own dock.
“I think this was the selling point of the place,” Susie said. “Blake’s grandparents spent as much time out here as the weather allowed. And I think Blake stays out here a lot now that he’s here.”
“I would, too,” Riley said.
Blake came over, a smile on his face. “Glad you could make it.”
“Thanks for having us over. This is a great place.”
Susie excused herself and went to fill glasses with lemonade.
“Your stepmom is sweet,” Riley said. “Apparently she was in school with my mom.”
“Small world.” Blake looked out over the yard. “Usually at this time of day I start seeing deer out there in the corner near that acorn tree.”
“I love this deck.”
“When I was a kid, this was my favorite place in the whole world. I’m just sorry it took me so many years to get back to it.”
“You’re back now, and that counts for something.”
“Let’s hope so.” He glanced down at her and something in his expression made her heart beat faster.
“What’s for dinner?” she asked.
“I know it’s not very creative, but I decided on burgers. There’s a guy my dad knows who raises cattle. Dad and Susie have been buying grass fed beef from him for a few years and it’s really delicious. He takes a lot of pride in the quality of the meat and I think everyone will love it.” He grinned. “Actually, I think he’ll be contacting your cousin soon. He wants to have a booth at the farmers market next year to sell.”
“That would be nice.” Riley nodded. “We don’t have anyone selling beef right now. Tell him to contact her in the next few weeks. We’re full this year, but Kate is planning to expand before next spring. One Thursday afternoon a month, we’ve been holding a special market day, but next Spring I think she’s making it weekly. So our hours will expand. Plus she’s adding some new booth space, and working on a seating area outside.”
“It’s already an impressive market,” Blake said. “Sounds like it will be even more so next year. How long does the market last?”
“October. But we have a special holiday market on weekends in November and December. I’m excited about it this year, because I’m going to have some of my paintings at my booth in case people want to have one done as a Christmas gift. Thanks for the idea, by the way.”
He grinned. “That should be a hit. And you’re welcome. Glad I could help.”
Riley spotted Vera and Patti standing next to a table set up with burger fixings. The two women were watching Riley and Blake with interest.
“I picked everything up at the farmers market today, so it’s all fresh. Even the lemon for the lemonade, although I can’t take credit for that. It was all Susie.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
Cocoa gave a tug on her leash.
“I think someone is bored of our conversation and ready to go run,” Blake said. He reached down and gave Cocoa a pat, then unclipped her leash.
Cocoa ran down the deck steps to where the other dogs were engaged in a rambunctious combo of tug-of-war and chase.
“They’re having so much fun,” Riley said.
“Mr. Hall decided not to bring Tootsie. She’s so much smaller than the rest, he figured she’d be better off at home.”
“Probably a wise choice.” Riley watched as Cocoa and Journey ran full blast around the pond. “How long before they go for a swim?”
Blake laughed. “I give it ten minutes. But it’s okay, I brought a stack of towels out in anticipation so no one would have to go home with a wet dog.”
“Good thinking.”
She joined Vera and Patti as Blake went back to the grill.
“Were you as slammed today as I was?” Patti asked. “Not that it was a bad thing, but mercy me I was busy.”
Riley grinned. “I sure was. Kate is doing a fantastic job with getting the word out in new ways.”
“Oh, I know. I’m so proud of her. The new web page for the market looks great and she told me she’s thinking about starting a newsletter soon that will highlight some of the vendors. Good for the market and good for us.”
“She definitely has some good ideas.”
Vera peered out into the yard. “Those are some happy dogs, aren’t they?”
“Little Lucy’s legs are so much shorter than the rest of them,” Patti said. “But she’s trying to keep up.” The Cocker Spaniel trailed the larger dogs, but appeared to be having a great time anyway. “She’ll sleep well tonight.” Pattie chuckled. “And so will I.”
“It sure was nice of Blake to have us out here like this,” said Vera. “The more time I spend with him, the more impressed I am.”
“And he’s just darling,” Patti said. “I wish my granddaughter was a little older, I’d try to play Cupid. Although I suspect he may already have his eye on someone.”
The insinuation wasn’t lost on Riley, but she chose to ignore it.
Blake called everyone together and they circled around the picnic table. “Thanks for coming tonight, everyone. I thought it would be nice to get together and celebrate our progress. You guys are doing a great job managing your dogs and I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback from the residents you’ve come in contact with.”
“We couldn’t do it without you,” Patti said. “We’re all thrilled someone with your experience is here to guide us through.”
Blake grinned. “Thanks.” He motioned to his dad. “Dad is going to lead us in a prayer and then let’s dig in.”
Blake’s dad led a quick prayer, thanking God for the food and asking Him to use the pet therapy program to enhance the lives of the seniors at Retro Village.
The evening passed quickly, a mixture of good food, great company, and the occasional bark of happy dogs. One by one the members of the pet therapy group loaded their dogs up and left. Soon, Riley and Blake’s parents were the only ones left. It seemed like every time she made a move to leave, one of them would ask her a question.
She was having a nice time, though, and Cocoa and Journey had fallen asleep on an oversized dog bed.
“Let me help you clean up,” Riley said.
“You don’t have to,” Blake said with a smile. “I hate to make my guests work.”
She laughed. “I don’t mind at all.”
The four of them cleared the tables and Blake’s dad bagged up the trash.
“Good call on using paper plates,” Susie said. “It made clean up a breeze.”
“We’re going to go, Son.” Blake’s dad patted him on the back. “Thanks for the hospitality.” He turned to Riley. “And it was nice to meet you.”
Susie said her goodbyes followed her husband outside.
Silence filled the room and Riley turned to face Blake. Should she leave now? Before she could decide, Blake broke the silence.
“If you’re not in a hurry, why don’t you stay for a cup of coffee.” He gestured toward Cocoa and Journey who had moved to the large living room and were sprawled out on the hardwood floor. “I hate to wake up those sleeping beauties from their hundredth nap of the day.”
Riley smiled. “Me, too. And coffee sounds nice.”
Once the coffee had brewed, they settled in the living room.
Blake put a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the coffee table. “Susie brought these over yesterday. They were my favorite when I was a little boy.”
“Can’t go wrong with chocolate chip.” Riley took a bite. It was the perfect combination of crispy and chewy. “Did you spend a lot of time here growing up?”
“Not exactly.” Blake took a sip of coffee. “But this trip has made me wish I’d never left.”
“Oh?”
“Although maybe if I’d have stayed all those years ago, I wouldn’t appreciate this place the way I do now. I guess you can say I’m a different guy than I was even a year ago. But getting to this place in life has been a long road.”
Riley wasn’t sure what he meant, but she wanted to learn his story. “What do you mean?”
Blake told her the story of his life, moving with his mom and half-brother when he was only five. “Mom had a long string of boyfriends and my having to care for Zach so much made me have to grow up way too fast. You could probably guess that I’ve not always made the best decisions. I was never in as much trouble as Zach, but I had my wild years.”
Riley took a sip of coffee. “Most people have made bad decisions at some point in their lives.” She couldn’t help but think of her own biological parents and the path they’d chosen. “But figuring out you’re not headed in the right direction and changing course is the key.”
“Well, I certainly made some bad decisions. And obviously my mom and brother did, because you can see how their lives ended up.” He shrugged. “But I don’t expect you to understand that stuff. Your family has it all together.”
Riley bit her lip. He had no clue what kinds of experiences she’d had or what she may or may not understand. But she wasn’t prepared to get into that now. “It sounds like you’ve come a long way, and I can tell your dad and stepmom are really happy to have you back here.”
“I feel like I’m in a good place. Between working with the therapy program and picking up a part time job, life is going good. And I’m considering college in the fall. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”
“That’s great.”
“Did you go to college around here?”
She nodded. “I majored in elementary education, but only taught for a short time. I wasn’t really cut out for it. My mom’s a teacher and I always thought that was what I wanted to do, too.”
“So you thought it was in your blood?”
She shrugged. “I thought I’d be good at it, but it was a lot harder than I imagined.” She didn’t want to admit to him that being around all those kids and recognizing the signs that they were in the same situation she’d been in at their age had been too heartbreaking. She was exhausted to the core every day and had left the profession in an act of self-preservation. Being around kids who needed to be helped out of their home situation and knowing there was nothing she could really do to help them had been far too frustrating.
“And then you opened up your business and never looked back?”
She nodded. “Something like that.”
**
Blake couldn’t believe this beautiful girl was sitting in his living room having a cup of coffee. She was such a breath of fresh air. “How is the business going? Did you give any consideration to my suggestions?” He’d wondered if he’d overstepped when he mentioned an online store, but she’d seemed genuinely appreciative for the idea.
She nodded. “I just launched the online store and I already have sample paintings on there. I’m getting ready to create a Facebook page for my business so that hopefully people can share photos and I might be able to get more orders that way.”
“That’s great. I’ll bet business will be booming before you know it.”
“I hope so.”
Blake was quiet for a moment. “I feel like I shared some things with you tonight that a lot of people don’t know. All that stuff about my mom and Zach and their problems. . .so I think you need to tell me something about yourself that I don’t know. Which might not be hard because you haven’t shared much.”
“This isn’t really on the same level, but I consider myself a food snob even though I’m not that great of a cook. Except for dog treats. No dog has ever complained about my cooking except for one Poodle I boarded last year who refused my treats and only wanted the kind that comes in a box.” She grinned.
“I had you pegged as a gourmet chef.”
She shook her head. “I like to eat like a gourmet but not cook it. I guess since I only cook for myself, I make a lot of simple things. I’ll buy salad fixings at the farmers market or have a baked sweet potato for dinner. Stuff like that.”
“I’ve noticed there are some very unique restaurants in Arcadia Valley and the surrounding area. I’m enjoying the foodie culture. I’ve always been a big proponent of farm to table cooking, and it’s nice that there seem to be a lot of like-minded people in the area.”
“Absolutely. I think that’s one reason the farmers market does so well. That and the fact that Kate is constantly working on innovative features.” She grinned. “Brooke raises Nigerian Dwarf Goats, and she and Kate are working on having a goat yoga session at some point.”
Blake laughed. “I may have to sign up for that.”
“No doubt.” She smiled. “But don’t tell anyone. Right now it’s still a secret. They’re trying to figure out the logistics.”
“My lips are sealed.” He watched her for a moment as she chose a cookie. “The Farmers Table was a good place, didn’t you think?”
“Yeah.” She took a small bite of a cookie. “Was that girl someone you’re dating?”
Blake laughed. “That was my cousin and her circle of friends.” He winked. “Why? Are you jealous?”
She wrinkled her nose. “No. I just wondered. And anyway, it’s nice that you have some extended family here.”
“Just one more reason why I’m glad I landed back in Arcadia Valley.”
“It’s a nice place to be,” she said. “Did you leave a girlfriend back in Charleston? If that’s too nosy just ignore me.” She smiled.
Blake shook his head. “No, I didn’t. Most of my time was spent taking care of my mom and Zach. Sometimes I think that maybe I’m just naturally a loner.”
“I can understand that. My sisters claim I don’t do very well when relationships start to get too deep.”
“Why is that?”
She gave him a sideways look. “I think I do everything in my power to keep from getting hurt. You know how some people say it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved? I’m not sure I’m one of those people.”
“Do you avoid relationships?”
“I’m trying to get out of that pattern.”
“How’s that working for you?”
She smiled. “Not that great. Some patterns are hard to break.”
“True. But some things are worth coming out of your comfort zone for.”