Chapter 61

• They’d learned real quick that time moved different out here — bend of the creek, hush of the swing, fresh boards squeakin’ under the weight of new dreams. The house felt alive now — not just a roof but a heartbeat stitched together with every giggle she spilled across fresh paint and every nail he’d driven in for her and her alone.
• Sadie swore she’d keep the bakery small — “Just me, maybe a helper someday.” Turned out someday came quicker than she thought. Now she had an apron hangin’ by the back door with Ella stitched across the front — a bright college girl who’d grown up on Sadie’s cinnamon twists and promised never to burn a single batch. They both knew she was lyin’, but Sadie laughed every time and taught her anyway.
• Beau spent his days half-in, half-out — odd jobs here and there ‘cause he’d never been the sittin’ type. He patched fences for old farmers who couldn’t swing a hammer anymore, fixed up tractors that should’ve been put out to pasture three owners ago. But mostly? He fixed their house.