Page 30 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Chapter Twenty-Two

I t was early…

…but it didn’t stop him.

This was too important. Reed strode up to the Plummers’ front door and rang the bell. He hoped Sadie was the one to answer it. His hopes were quickly dashed.

Sadie’s mother greeted him with a smile and invited him inside. He supposed it could have been worse. It could have been Sadie’s father who answered the door. Reed didn’t think the man liked him very much.

“Good morning, Mrs. Plummer.” Reed smiled.

“Oh. Please, call me Helen. And good morning to you.”

“I was wondering if I could speak to Sadie.”

The smile fell from Helen’s face. “I’m afraid you’re too late. We already dropped her off at the airport.”

“Oh.” He was really hoping to see her.

Her mother gestured for him to follow her. “Can I get you some coffee?”

He stepped into the kitchen to see Sadie’s father sitting at the table, which was covered with legal documents. Reed felt as though he were interrupting something.

“I don’t want to bother you,” he said.

“Nonsense.” Her mother turned to her husband. “Samuel, move your papers. Reed needs a place to sit down.”

Samuel gathered his papers, but in the process, a page fell to the floor. Reed bent over to pick it up and in the process, he saw the word insurance. He assumed Samuel was working on the insurance claim on the newspaper office.

He placed the paper on the table. “Are you thinking of rebuilding the newspaper?”

Samuel shook his head. “I don’t see the point. I can’t run it.”

“But there’s Sadie.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “She could run it. She has run it.”

Samuel shook his head. “This is the way it has to be.”

“Oh, Samuel.” After Helen handed Reed a cup of coffee, she sat down at the table. “I wish you wouldn’t be so stubborn.”

“It’s better this way,” he said.”

“For who?” Helen frowned at her husband. “I can tell you right now that it isn’t better for me. I miss our daughter. I loved having her here.”

Samuel’s gaze lifted to meet his wife’s. In that moment, the man looked as though he’d aged ten years. “I’m going to miss her too.”

If there was a way to save the paper, Reed was certain Sadie would want him to attempt it. And so, he pulled the small notebook from his pocket. “Sadie wrote me something that I think you should hear.”

Immediately, Helen sat up straight. “What is it?”

“It’s a letter she wrote me. I won’t bore you with most of it, but there’s a part I think you should hear.

” He skimmed down over the page until he found the right section.

He cleared his throat and started to read.

“ I hope you’re able to find another small town paper to join the Rumor Quill.

I wish I could have been a part of it. I’m missing the Gazette more than I imagined possible.

I would have made a good editor-in-chief. But it just wasn’t meant to be .”

Her mother gasped, and then she turned to her husband. “You have to fix this.”

Samuel looked overwhelmed. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t fix it. There’s nothing left of the paper. Besides, Sadie is gone.”

Helen turned to Reed. “Go to her. Please, ask her to come home. Tell her that her father has had a change of heart—”

“Helen…”

“Oh, hush. You’ve had time to fix this, and you didn’t. Now I’m going to do it.” Her gaze moved from her husband to Reed. “You care about our daughter, don’t you?”

He nodded. “But she’s gone.”

Helen shook her head. “Not yet. Our daughter likes to arrive at the airport hours early. Her flight isn’t until eleven fifteen. If you hurry, you should be able to catch her.”

She didn’t have to say another word. Reed was out of his chair and out the door before he realized he hadn’t thanked her for the coffee or said goodbye. He had a feeling Helen understood his haste.

After trying to phone Sadie and getting her voicemail, he drove his rental car as fast as he dared. Would he make it in time? It was the question he kept asking himself.

The faster the time passed, the faster he drove. He might have broken the speed limit. Luckily, he didn’t get caught. He didn’t even want to imagine the looks the police officer would have given him when he explained that he’d been trying to catch up to the love of his life.

It was true. He didn’t know when he’d started to fall for her. It could have been in line at the food truck. Or it might have been when she took him to his first hay bale maze. But he knew he was already falling head over heels the first time he’d kissed her.

At the airport, he had to purchase a ticket to get to the gate. This process took longer than he expected. And by the time he made it through the security checkpoint, it was ten after eleven. She would already be seated on the plane. His shoulder slumped. He’d missed her.

But he’d paid all of that money, so he might as well walk to her gate. He didn’t know what he expected to find, but it wasn’t to find Sadie sitting all alone.

As he approached her, it was like she was staring off into space. “Sadie?”

She jumped and turned to him. “Reed, what are you doing here?”

He moved to her and then pulled the notebook from his pocket. As he handed it to her, he sat down. “You forgot this.”

Her fingers brushed his as she took it. An electrical charge arced between them. The sensation pulsed up his arm and settled in his chest.

She broke their connection. She lowered the notebook to her lap. Her gaze didn’t meet his as she said, “I suppose you read it.”

He could have made a bunch of excuses for reading it, like he was looking for the name of the owner or how it fell open on the bed, but instead he simply said, “I did.”

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way.”

He placed a finger beneath her chin and moved her head until she faced him. “Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t love you?”

Her eyes widened. “You love me?”

He smiled. “I do.”

“I love you too.” With a big smile on her beautiful face, she turned fully to him. She threw her arms around him. She drew him toward her, and then her lips pressed to his. He definitely followed her lead.

His heart was pounding against his chest. And to think of how close he’d come to letting the best thing in his life get away. He didn’t know how the future would work out, but as long as they loved each other, they would find a way through anything.

Without breaking their kiss, they stood. Now he could wrap his arms around her waist and pull her to him. Their kiss deepened.

This was the part of life that he’d been missing—having a loving woman by his side to face the good and bad things in life. He knew no matter what it was, they could face it together.

When they parted, he looked at her. “So, why were you sitting here all by yourself? Weren’t you supposed to be on that plane?” He pointed to the window where the plane was backing away from the gate. “I think you missed your flight.”

“I think you’re right, but I already decided that I wasn’t leaving.”

“And why is that?” He stared into her eyes.

“Well, first, I wanted more of these.” She lifted up on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. It was much too quick for his liking. And then she said, “And second, I had some thoughts about the newspaper.”

“I’m listening.”

She grabbed her stuff from the seat. “We need to have this discussion with my parents.”

“Okay, then. Your chariot awaits you.” He presented his arm to her.

When she slipped her hand in the crook of his arm, it felt so right. He knew merging their lives wouldn’t be easy. Sacrifices would have to be made on both sides, but he was willing to do his part.