Page 48 of The Cinnamon Spice Inn (Maple Falls #1)
FORTY-ONE
ZACH
It was probably a mistake, but Zach couldn’t help inviting Madison out to the farmhouse. He wanted her to see the bones, see the potential—see where their future could lie.
He stood on the back porch, looking at the rows of old apple trees, some of their branches still heavy with fruit.
The height of the trees rolled along with the hills, and beyond that, the far-off glimmer of the lake.
He hoped she’d love the place as much as he did.
That she could see a future here with him like she used to.
Zach might not have been able to cook a four-course meal, not without a proper kitchen, but he could grill, and he knew a mean chili recipe and one for cornbread casserole. Madison would like that. He loaded the Weber with five pounds of charcoal and started the fire.
He worked outside at the picnic table, chopping onions, celery, and jalapenos while the coals heated up. Once everything was in the pot, he made the cornbread casserole and set that on the grill, too.
A few hours later, after stirring the chili and checking the cornbread, Zach looked up and saw Madison bumping down the driveway in her dad’s old pickup truck.
Zach had offered to pick her up, but she’d insisted she had a ride.
There was no need to give her directions—she’d been to his grandparents’ house more than once when they were teens.
Her window was cracked just enough to let in the unusually warm fall air, blowing her hair back.
Zach walked over and opened her door. Madison looked like a picture of perfection in her tight jeans, striped sweater, and thick wool socks peeking out over the tops of her hiking boots.
She had left her hair down, wild—the way he liked it.
“Wasn’t sure what you were making, but I hope a bottle of red goes with it,” she said, grabbing the wine bottle off the passenger seat and handing it over. Zach took her hand, and the wine, and helped her down.
She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, lingering for a moment.
“I’ve got a couple of glasses,” Zach said. “Not fancy wine glasses, mind you, but something to pour this into.”
Madison allowed him to lead her up the driveway. “I was wondering what you were making, seeing as last I heard you didn’t have a kitchen.”
“I’ve got chili simmering on the grill and cornbread. How’s that sound?”
“Cornbread, huh?”
“Our pantry rendezvous inspired me.” Zach winked.
It took Madison a moment to remember that she’d been searching for the skillet when they’d been locked in the closet together.
“Come on in; I’ll pour you some wine and show you the progress,” Zach said.
Zach had to force himself not to make excuses for why he hadn’t fixed up the porch yet or why he hadn’t painted the front door.
But when you walked inside, the wood floors gleamed.
He’d managed to sand everything down and re-stain them.
He’d picked a warm light gray for the walls—a color he thought Madison would like.
She could add pops of gold or blue to brighten it up or go with earthy tones like greens and browns to ground it more, like the trees outside in the summertime.
The staircase wasn’t redone yet, nor the three bedrooms upstairs, but he’d made good progress on the master bedroom on the ground floor. He tried not to think about that either. But it was impossible not to picture her here, to imagine what it might feel like if she stayed.
“I can’t believe how different everything looks,” Madison said, taking a slow circle around the kitchen. “You took down a wall here?”
“I did. Opened it right up to the dining room.”
The dining room and kitchen now had an open floor plan, but an arched wall still separated them from the living room and staircase.
“I like it—it makes it feel bigger.” Madison walked over to the blueprints tacked to the wall and examined them. “Planning a big island, huh?”
“That’s the plan.” Zach laid out the space for her, showing where the farmhouse sink would be, the pantry, the dining room table, built-in shelves for cookbooks, and a corner for a writing desk. He didn’t mention that in his mind, they’d be her cookbooks, her writing desk. He didn’t want to push.
She nodded and smiled. “I can picture it all, and it’s beautiful.”
Zach had to fight the urge to tell her he was doing it all for her. Instead, he said, “Dinner’s about ready. Let me pour us this wine, and we can take it outside.”
Zach figured they could picnic, seeing as the weather was so nice. It was hard to tell from day to day what the weather would be—storming one day like the middle of summer, bright and sunny the next. He knew it would be snowing any day now. Christmas would be here before they knew it.
But not today. Today had turned unseasonably warm. You had to take those Indian summer days whenever they came.
He grabbed the blanket, and they took their bowls and wine out into the yard.
“Ever have a picnic in an apple orchard?” Zach asked.
“There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” Madison replied as they walked a few feet deeper into the trees.
“I’m surprised it’s this warm. I was freezing earlier,” Madison said, pushing her sleeves up.
Zach spread the blanket in the middle of a row. The trees still had their leaves, and a few apples still dangled high on the branches. The low evening sunlight played off the trees, casting warm shadows onto the blanket. The orchard smelled of sun-ripened fruit and woodsmoke from a distant farm.
It was quiet here. Peaceful. The only sound was a crow calling out above as it circled looking for a place to land.
“This is so good. Are you sure you’re not a New York-trained chef?” Madison teased, settling in and taking a bite.
He grinned, stretching his legs out.
After a few moments, Madison shifted, plucking a loose apple leaf from the blanket and twirling it between her fingers.
“You never talked about fixing up this place. I never knew you wanted it.”
Zach leaned back on his elbows, staring up at the sky through the gaps in the trees.
“I didn’t know either,” he admitted. “Not until it was almost gone. When my mom started talking about selling it, it hit me—this land… it’s in my blood. The Whitaker roots run deep out here. I could feel it in my bones.”
Madison nodded, understanding flickering in her eyes.
“I get that. That’s how I feel about the inn. It’s my family’s legacy, you know?” Her voice tightened and she pressed on. “Mrs. C. said something about us selling it, and it just lit a fire in me.”
“Can’t imagine that,” Zach said with a smirk.
Madison playfully shoved his shoulder but ended up gripping the muscle of his bicep. Making up her mind, she scooted closer, wrapping her arm under his and resting her head on his shoulder.
“Who would’ve thought that after all these years, we’d be sitting out here like this?” There was a wistfulness to her voice.
She slipped her fingers through his, their hands naturally intertwined, and in that moment, Zach felt like everything was right in the world.
He looked over at her and smiled.
“What?” Madison asked, picking her head up and gazing up at him.
“Nothing. I just want to remember this moment. How you look right here, right now.” Zach bent his head low. His hand came up to cradle her cheek, and he kissed her softly.
He hadn’t planned for it to escalate; truly, he’d just wanted to remember this moment, but Madison clearly had other things in mind when she deepened the kiss.
She pushed her weight into Zach, leaning against him until he was forced to lie back.
Madison rolled over until she was straddling his lap.
He kept his hands behind his back, bracing himself, but they were itching to touch Madison.
He was restraining himself, but one word from her and he would break.
And then she kissed him. It was deeper this time, filled with all the years of need.
His hand came up, sliding along her thigh, tracing the curve of her hip before slipping around to the small of her back.
Her sweater hitched higher as he moved, and he let his thumb brush a line along the soft skin above her waistband, just enough to make her breath catch.
Madison leaned forward, forcing Zach further onto his back. She held his gaze, brushing her fingers down his chest, slow and deliberate. “I want you , Zach.”
She unbuttoned his jeans and lowered them just enough while kissing a trail down his abdomen. Her hand found him, hard and ready, before her lips did.
She stroked him as she took him fully in her mouth, and he was gone. He was hers. And she didn’t stop. Not until he was groaning her name like a prayer, and the world fell away completely.