Page 82 of The Wedding Ranch
“I’m not an artist. I mean, I used to dream of being a real artist, but a girl has to pay the bills. I was really excited Tinsley asked me to do it. Kind of made me feel more like part of the town.”
“You’re a good fit around here. Not like most city folk who decide to move out to the country.”
“I’m taking that as a compliment. Why are we standing here at the door? Come on in.” She led the way inside.
“I’m not interrupting, am I?”
“No. Of course not. Friends are always welcome.” She met his smile. “Always.”
He followed her into the living room and sat on the couch, placing the bag next to his feet. “You have a really beautiful home here. This is the first time I’ve really had a chance to see inside. It’s nice.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s not what I’d pictured in my mind.”
“Really? How so?”
He looked hesitant to say. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s really comfortable. I like how you brought the farmhouse look on the outside, inside.”
She saw him look approvingly at the sliding barn doors that could be closed to cover the opening that led to the stairs to her loft.My studio.
“Those barn rails are the real deal,” he said. “Where’d you find these?”
“Those. Yeah. They weren’t easy to find. I found the vintage rails and cast iron wheels on eBay. They were reclaimed from a train station in a small town down in Georgia. They’re stamped ‘1903.’ They cost more to ship than what I paid for them because they were so heavy, but I love how they look.” She’d stained the barn doors herself, taking the extra time to distress them, so that even though they had a high-gloss furniture finish they didn’t look brand new.
He got up and walked over to them, checking them out closely. “Nice work.”
“The guy I hired to do the installation thought I was flat-out nuts to hang these.”
“He’s wrong.” He looked around, nodding with approval. “Like the desk too.”
“I found that piece the year I graduated from college. I fell in love with it. It was so far out of my budget, but I was determined to get it. Finally, I talked the owner of the store into letting me work off part of the price. He held that desk, displayed in the window with a sold card on it, for eight months for me.”
“That’s a great story. He believed in you.”
“I worked my butt off to earn that desk. It was a sweet reward. It’s served me well.”
“Not too many folks could fit a desk that size in a home office.”
“Which is why it’s in my living room.”
He glanced at the papers on her desk and the drawings posted on the wooden presentation board on the left-hand side.
“You do beautiful work.”
“Thank you.”
He walked back over and sat down. “I had a really good time at the wedding reception.”
“I did too.”
“Thank you for not running me off after I accused you of being a wedding crasher and tried to kick you off the property.”
A blush rose from her chest to her ears. “I thought you were kidding at first, but how would you have known any differently? We’re still getting to know one another. It’s fine.”
“But,” he held up his finger, “I won’t make the mistake of jumping to conclusions again.”
“I know. You already said that, and I know you’re a man of your word.”
