Page 123 of Valley of Dreams

“You aren’t?”

He smiled warmly. Even the growth in his beard couldn’t hide his beautiful, heart-flipping smile.

“I’ll be working Finbarr’s land until he’s ready to take it over. He’ll be letting me keep a good bit of the profits on the harvest as well as whatever food I grow in the kitchen garden. I’ll not starve.”

She leaned against him, much as Lydia was doing. “But you won’t have any profits or crops for an entire year. What will you do until then?”

He pulled her in a touch closer. “According to Joseph, I’ll be building an inn.”

She all but jumped. “You’llwhat?”

His chest shook a little with a silent laugh. “We had ample time for tossing ideas around, and we managed to come up with one that he’s confident will work. The stage company has already given their approval.”

She pulled back, watching him closely. Her breaths came faster, more eager. “What is it? What’s the plan? Where are we building?”

“I’ll not keep you from your work, Eli—”

“And I’ll not be able to summon the least focus if you don’t explain, Patrick. Truly, I’m struggling to even form words at the moment.”

He stepped away and set Lydia on a chair at the table. Eliza followed him, trying not to be too hopeful all the while finding less and less reason not to be. Oh, if this hope broke her heart . . . How would she ever recover? “Please tell me, Patrick. I can’t bear it.”

Joseph and Katie stepped into the kitchen in the very next instant. Katie pressed her palms together with a look of excitement. “Joseph just told me about the inn.”

“I’ve been trying to get Patrick to do that.”

Joseph spoke to Patrick. “Borrow my buggy and drive her out to the building site. You can explain it all there.”

“What about dinner?” Eliza asked. “I’ve not even begun it.”

Katie gave her a quick hug. “I’ll cook tonight.”

“And Lydia?” she pressed.

“The girls will be delighted to look after her.” Katie gave her a nudge toward the door. “You go with Patrick. Let him tell you what they’ve concocted.”

* * *

The buggy rolled pastthe mercantile without Patrick having offered even a clue about their destination, the plan for the inn, or the likelihood of the plan succeeding.

“Will you not at least tell mesomething?” She heard the pleading quality in her voice; he couldn’t possibly miss it. “I am trying not to let myself fully hope—my dreams have been dashed on this matter too many times—but I also don’t want to be discouraged if I needn’t be.”

He adjusted so he held the horse’s lead in one hand, freeing the other to take hold of hers. He raised it to his lips and lightly kissed the back of her fingers. “Allow yourself to hope, darling. You’ve ample reason to.”

She slipped her fingers from his so he could drive more easily, but threaded her arm through his, leaning against him with her head on his shoulder.

“The days of driving to and from the depot were not nearly this cozy,” he said with a laugh.

“The last two weeks around here haven’t been either.”

They made the climb up the hill that hid Hope Springs from passersby.

“Will the inn have to be built terribly far away?” She was willing to go wherever she needed to for this dream to come true, but she worried that she’d be lonely so far from the friends she’d made. She felt certain Patrick would come visit regularly, but he’d not be able to do so every day. She’d miss him most of all.

“I think you’ll be pleased with the location.”

“You won’t even give me a hint?”

He pulled the buggy to a stop at the top of the hill. “Your hint is this: were the inn already complete, you would be able to see it now.”

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