Page 26 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)

On the morning that she was to leave for Aaron’s cabin, Sarah packed the girl’s clothes and special toys in matching overnight bags and waited for her mother to pick them up.

When her parents left for Florida, it would be a sad day for her and her girls.

But it was only right that they had time to relax and play in the sun after years of hard work at the store.

Still, when her mother entered the house to get the girls, Sarah felt a pang of worry about how she’d handle everything.

She kissed Mia and Emily, gave her mother a hug of appreciation, and held onto Luke’s collar as they left the house.

Luke didn’t know it, but he was about to have a fantastic time roaming in woods with two playmates.

Alone in the house, Sarah quickly straightened it and then took her time packing.

It would be for only three nights, but she wanted to be sure to pack correctly.

She hadn’t been to Aaron’s cabin, the one he’d bought in high school with money he’d earned working with Brad, and he’d made a lot of changes since then. She heard it was beautiful.

Finally, she loaded her suitcase, grocery bags, and Luke into her car and took off. She’d had a few dismal New Year’s Eve celebrations these last few years and was now ready for something different with a man she was in love with, not that she’d told him with those three special words.

Sarah drove around the near end of the lake and up the side of it across from the Lilac Lake Inn. David Graham’s parents had a house right on the lake. The Graham nursery acreage climbed the hill next to Aaron’s land.

She turned into the gravel driveway of Aaron’s house and made her way up to where a lovely log cabin style home sat.

Sarah stared at it with disbelief. In high school, Aaron’s cabin had been tiny and not very sophisticated.

This home was gorgeous with large windows overlooking a sweeping front porch and the woods beyond it.

As she got out of the car, she turned and could see a streak of blue in the distance and realized it was the lake. Such a stunning view.

Aaron came out the front door of the cabin and walked down to her car, followed by his two black Labs. “Welcome to the cabin!”

He put his arms around her and lowered his lips to hers in a welcoming kiss that sent tingles through her body.

When he pulled away, he smiled at her. “Better let Luke out of the car.”

“Oh, yes,” said Sarah suddenly aware of the noises the dogs were making. She opened the car door and watched Luke jump out. Tail wagging, he greeted the other dogs before sprinting away.

“Let him go. He’ll be safe in the woods,” said Aaron. “Let me help you carry your things inside. There’s a little bit of snow on the ground, but more is coming.”

Sarah let Aaron carry the bulk of her heavy things while she followed with bags of groceries and special treats.

Aaron set down the suitcases inside the door. “I have a guest room upstairs or you can sleep with me.” He gave her a sexy look and waited for her answer.

“I want to be with you,” Sarah said, feeling her cheeks go hot.

“Good,” said Aaron. “That’s what I want, too. I’ll carry the suitcases in there. Why don’t we put the food in the kitchen and then follow me.”

Aaron took a couple of the food bags from her and led her through a living room with a huge river stone fireplace to a modern kitchen with warm cherry cabinets and rich green counter tops. She set the bags on a center island and gazed around.

“This is gorgeous. And, you have every convenience I can think of,” she said, noting the warming oven, the indoor grill, and the two dishwashers.

“I decided if I was going to make this cabin larger, I would protect the investment by making it a dream home for any interested buyer and enjoy it for myself.”

“Okay, you’d better show me more. I’m in love with it already,” Sarah said.

“Follow me to the master suite,” he said.

They walked through a dining area of the open living space and into a hallway that led past a half bath, a laundry and into a large room that contained a massive king-size bed, facing a television screen above a built in fireplace.

On either side of the fireplace French doors led to an outside patio that housed a sizeable spa.

She followed Aaron past a dressing room with a huge walk-in closet into a bathroom with two separate sinks, a soaking spa tub and a shower for two.

“Wow! You’ve thought of everything. Who wouldn’t love all of this?”

A look of pride crossed Aaron’s face. “We sometimes give prospective customers a tour of the place to show them what we can do at The Meadows or any place they choose. As Dani would point out, it’s the finishing details that help make it special.”

“Every bit of it is beautiful,” said Sarah. “I love my little cabin, but this is way beyond that.”

A look of pride crossed Aaron’s face. “Upstairs, there are three bedrooms and two baths. Again, it’s a house suitable for many people. That was the whole idea.” He grinned. “Let’s see what you treats you brought.”

Sarah laughed. Aaron was well-built and not the least bit fat, and he loved to eat.

They passed through the dining area into the kitchen. That’s when Sarah noticed the covered wooden deck outside the kitchen. “Oh, you have an outdoor kitchen. That’s another bonus.”

“Yes. I think we put in everything people might want. There’s an attached three-car garage and a small barn out back for the tractor and other garden items. In the summer, there are plenty of wildflowers growing. David Graham did some landscaping for me, but I want it to be as natural as possible.

“Well, anyone would be thrilled to live here if you ever decide to sell it,” said Sarah. “Aren’t you going to build a house in The Meadows?”

“I have the land, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do,” said Aaron, peeking into one of the grocery bags and lifting out a bag of cookies. “Chocolate chip. Great choice.”

She laughed. “Go ahead and have one. I brought the fixings for sandwiches for later.”

They put away the food and the bottles of wine she’d brought to celebrate with.

“Thanks for doing all this,” said Aaron. “I have some food to share with you, too. But now that you’ve seen the house, I want to take you on a walk through my land. Ready to go?”

Sarah looked down at her sneakers. “Should I put on my hiking boots?”

“Yes, he said. “You’ll be more comfortable. And you’ll need gloves and a hat in addition to your jacket. It’s pretty cold out there.”

“Okay, hold on. I’ll get ready.” Sarah hurried into the master bedroom and over to the smaller closet where she’d hung a few things and grabbed the hiking boots she’d brought with her. She put on a pair of wool socks and pulled on the boots glad she’d thought of them.

Aaron was standing by the back door. “The dogs are waiting for us outside.”

The moment Sarah stepped outdoors, the cool air captured her breath. She laughed when Luke dashed over to her, his tongue hanging from his mouth stretched into what only could be called a doggy smile.

She patted him on the head and watched as he ran away.

“Knight, Coal, come!” ordered Aaron, and the two dogs hurried to him. “I want them to know that you’re with me. Go ahead and pet them.”

As they sat at attention, Sarah rubbed their ears and quietly talked to them. They were beautiful dogs and very obedient.

Aaron clapped his hands. “Okay, go!”

They galloped away.

Aaron led her to the wooden barn-like structure. “This is where I keep my utility tractor. It’s supposed to snow heavily tonight. I’ll attach a small plow to it and keep the area around the house cleared of snow. Maybe make a few paths so we can walk in the snow.”

“That sounds very … romantic,” said Sarah noticing the smile that was creeping across Aaron’s face.

He took hold of her hand. “I want to show you my Maple grove. It’s very special.

Come spring, I’ll tap the trees for sap to be boiled down into maple syrup.

The process is something that reminds me of my mother and how she loved to tell stories about the beauty of the trees allowing us to use them for something sweet.

” He chuckled. “She did that to keep me helping her with the sugaring.”

“You’ve had such an interesting childhood,” said Sarah. “I love how you’re keeping some of the traditions relevant today.”

They continued to work through the woods until they came to a spot that looked as if the trees had been planted in a grove.

“In the fall, the colors here are special. Now the bare trees look as if they’re waiting for the sap to run again.”

“Winters in New Hampshire can seem long,” said Sarah. “I love having something to do when it’s not quite winter or spring but somewhere in between.” She pointed. “What’s that building? It looks like some sort of shed.”

“It’s my sugar house, where I boil the sap. You’ll notice the building is louvered at the top to vent the steam from the boiling sap.”

“Tell me more. I’m interested, and I think the girls would be, too,” said Sarah.

“The sap is gathered in buckets and brought here to be cooked down. The sap must be boiled the same day it’s gathered, so a hot and steady fire is kept going at all times during the processing.

You must boil the sap to between 180 and 200 degrees before canning it in jars or bottles.

Then it’s stored for up to two years on a shelf. ”

“How long have you been doing this?” asked Sarah, impressed by what he’d told her.

“I started after you left for college. I needed something to help keep me busy,” Aaron said quietly.

“I know you have your syrup in some places nearby,” asked Sarah. “We could put some in the giftware section of my store.”

“I sell it to Beth Beckman for her shop at Beckman Lumber but I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I sold you a small amount too. I don’t make enough syrup to make a big business out of it.”

“I’ll ask Beth about it,” said Sarah. “I don’t want any hard feelings.”