Page 55 of The Fence Between Us

“Why are we going this way, Rabble? The B&B is back in town.” Skye tilted her head, curiosity growing in her tone.

“Remember how they said the house wouldn’t be ready for another month?” Rabble asked.

Skye nodded.

“Well, make that one day. The crews are coming back Monday to finish everything up.”

Skye squealed and clapped her hands, joy evident in her sparkling eyes.

Another property Skye had obsessed over from an early age, the Old McGrader house had recently gone up for auction on the courthouse steps, and Skye’s eyes had light up. She’d launched into a thirty-minute presentation on the integrity of the home’s strong wooden beams, as well as the benefits of the adorable fruit and nut tree orchard and the large but forgotten garden. It hadn’t taken long for Rabble to place his bid on the property, the only bid the county received.

One night as they lay together in bed, Rabble joked, “I’ve now bought you not one, but two, falling-down buildings. I’m not sure I’m so good at this being in love thing. Surely, I’m doing something wrong.”

Skye had giggled sweetly and pulled the sheets to cover her body as she rolled onto her side and smiled at him. “No, you’re doing perfectly! Plus, you gave Elyza the church as a gift after the fact, so technically I only have one building trying to fall down.”

Smiling to himself as he recalled that memory, Rabble parked the truck in front of the new porch and jogged to Skye’s side to help her down. They walked hand in hand up the three short steps, her ankle-length gown swishing about her. Rabble took the keys from his pocket, unlocking the door and shoved it open. Before she could protest, Rabble lifted Skye into his arms and carefully crossed the threshold with her cradled against him. Her laughter rang in his ears, the sweetest sound he’d ever heard.

Inside, Rabble carried Skye a little further into the home before setting her slowly back on her feet, ensuring she was steady before letting go and stepping back to watch her take everything around them in.

Skye had visited the house during the renovations, staying for short periods of time between her work and packing up her cottage, leaving Rabble to oversee the majority of the progress. The home had been transformed completely, from roof to foundation. In just three months, they added three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and they opened up the kitchen and living room to each other. Crews of carpenters, general laborers, tilers, and more worked in harmony to build, polish, and shine the beautiful old house into the perfect home for Rabble and Skye, where they could live out their lives together. Rabble could picture the two of them, raising a family and, later, rocking side by side in sturdy wooden chairs, the kind that stood up to the years and that they could pass down to their children and beyond.

By Monday, when the last of the work finished up, Rabble and Skye would finally start moving in their things, situating themselves in their new lives and home.

“Oh, Rabble,” she breathed, her voice full of wonder as she looked around, a new wife in her new home.

He wished he could read her mind and see the house from her perspective. Was it everything she’d dreamed of? Had he gotten it right?

“That’s not even the surprise.” Taking her fingers in his, he led her forward, toward the dining area at the rear of the home.

When Rabble first saw the table sitting in the new house, he’d stopped dead in his tracks, immobile with a feeling so deep in his chest, he feared how it might effect his heart. He wiped at his eyes, trying to stem the tears that welled and spilled over.

Skye sidled up to the table, gasping. “Oh my word, Rabble, this is…”

He nodded, rubbing his fingers lovingly over the long table. “Mrs. Basket had it delivered while we weren’t here.”

Both of them knew the significance of the table, the meaning behind the tiny letters carved into the corner, the wood so well loved that it had become smooth with age.

“Her husband made this for her when they first married,” Skye whispered reverently.

Atop the table, Rabble had a selection of fruits and cheeses and puffed pastries set out, just for them.

Skye chuckled at the small platters of finger foods. “Rabble, we have to get to the reception.”

He shrugged, pulling out a chair for her. “We will get there. We’ve got a little time, and I wanted a moment alone with my wife.”

The title slid from his lips so easily and he took a moment to bask in the glow of how it sounded as he sat next to her, waiting while she chose a selection from the trays. Once herplate held her favorite choices, he moved to add an assortment of everything to his own plate.

“I have another surprise,” Rabble said, sucking on a ripe strawberry.

Did I imagine the way her eyes followed my lips?

“Another surprise? Rabble, that’s two in one day. Be careful,” she warned teasingly. “I might get spoiled.”

He dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. “That’s the point, babe.”

“What’s the other surprise?” she laughed.

“We heard back from the realtorandthe lawyer today. Looks like we’re good to go.”

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