Hearts Like Ours | Red View Romance #1

🍎 Three

The feelings that came with meeting Dawson McAden hit Layla like a wall—a wall that she needed to tear down as soon as possible. A wall that she would refuse to acknowledge, if she could help it. But then, it was hard to ignore feeling like a flustered teenager with sweaty palms and a racing heart, especially when the last time she'd felt anything like that, she had been a flustered teenager.

Reasoning with herself started as soon as their conversation did, like a record playing in the back of her head reminding her that she was only human, and she'd have to be a rare kind of woman to never experience physical attraction. Especially to a man as tall, broad, and naturally handsome as Dawson. Something about those kind brown eyes, strong jaw, and delightfully crooked nose had done her in.

He wasn't anything like the polished celebrities she was used to seeing, or the well-dressed businessmen that filtered in and out of the office all day. His chestnut hair was tousled with a haircut that probably cost him ten dollars, his flannel was wrinkled and his jeans were torn. Clearly he hadn't bothered to shave that morning, which only added to the disheveled, not-even-trying appeal. No, she couldn't blame herself for the natural reaction. But she also couldn't let it be anything more than that. She couldn't, and she wouldn't. End of.

Kenzie showed her around the store, introduced her to her cousin Adam and explained the recent renovations, then took her on a long walk over to the new barn she'd designed with her brother Jack for weddings. It was big and bright with high ceilings, rustic beams, and down-to-earth details like mason jar lights and swaths of flowing white fabric that were draped across the room far above their heads. It was just enough to be enchanting while leaving space for every bride and groom to make it their own with centerpieces and decorations.

Layla could certainly see the appeal of getting married here. Things here seemed to move a little slower. Surrounded by the lush landscape, a couple could no doubt picture a relaxing, easy life together.

Whether anybody's life actually ended up that way, she couldn't be sure. Sometimes, it was easier to imagine it didn't. At least then, she wouldn't wonder if there was anything she could have done to end up that way herself. No, her life had been go, go, go, for as long as she could remember. All work, no play. And the few times she'd broken that rule, the few times she let herself dream of something else, she'd regretted it. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

She couldn't help thinking the barn was nothing like the venue she'd be getting married in-- not that they had one picked out yet, but between her parents and Colin's, she could only imagine the sleek, modern location they'd no doubt decide on. There would be no fairy-lights, no chalkboard signs or vases filled with wildflowers. No princess dress. It would be refined. Swanky. Sterile.

They started back the way they came, towards the store and the stunning two-story Colonial manor that sat nearby. The gentle breeze swayed the white porch swing, and rustled the leaves of the weeping willow that grazed the roof of the wraparound. Was the inside as tasteful and grand as the outside, Layla wondered? 

Kenzie had described a little about life on the orchard during their video chats, and Layla knew she'd be moving out of the main house once she was married and the work on her and Marshall's new house was finished. Layla thought she'd be lucky if her new home was even half as serene.

A bird chirped overhead as they walked under the oak tree that shaded the pond. "So it will just be Jack and Dawson living in the house once yours is built?"

Kenzie nodded. "Our parents moved to Red View once Jack and Dawson took over the business, and our older brother Cliff's been living in Amsterdam for a few years now. Feels like forever. But my parents are over a lot, and so is Adam, so I doubt the house will ever feel too empty."