is, he hates my guts and is extremely protective of you.”
Easton sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know. That’s not somethin’ I want to think too hard about. Knox is like a brother to me. If he… No. Not goin’ there.” He rattled his head, shooing away the thought. “So, how was Edmonton?”
“Busy. What’s going on with you? Why were you yelling at Knox when I showed up?” Although I suspected I already knew the answer based on the small bit I’d overheard.
With half an eye on me, Easton held up the paper that was still clutched in his hand. “This showed up in the mail today. Kinda came out of left field. You know anything about it?”
I didn’t take the paper, but the quirk in my lips told him I did.
“Lachlan, did you do this?”
“I hope you aren’t mad.”
“Mad? How can I be mad? Jesus.” He stepped back and scrubbed his face, puzzling the paper in his hand like it wasn’t real. “Dear Mister Easton Campbell. We’re happy to inform you that we have selected your project proposal as one of three in our endeavor to support and sustain local strugglin’ businesses. Community is important to us, and we recognize your project as one that will help locals stay local.” He shook his head and dropped his arm, not reading any further.
“They’re comin’ to take a look at the land and get an idea of what kind of materials they need next week. Lachlan, they’re buildin’ me a new stable to use for rental purposes.”
I pinched my lips together and nodded as tears filled his eyes. “I know. I spent a lot of my free time looking for grants or things geared to help local businesses stay afloat. Then that crazy gossip lady, Randaleigh, told me about this thing the city does every year. She said they encourage small businesses from town to make proposals for things they need and can’t afford. Things that would benefit the community as a whole. If they find the proposal worthy enough, they take on the project with the help of local volunteers. Everything, time and materials, is donated. There is no cost to the struggling business owner. You fit every one of the criteria, so I wrote the proposal on your behalf with Christian’s help and submitted it before I left. We snuck it in at the tail end of this year’s deadline. I know I didn’t tell you but—”
I didn’t get to finish my sentence. Easton crushed me against the wall and kissed me to within an inch of my life. His tears fell freely. He cried and trembled and kissed me some more.
“You saved my lands, Lachlan. I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s more.”
“What?” The shocked look on his face made me smile. “What do you mean?”
“I have another proposal for you. A personal one, but I think we should take Percy for dinner first before the kid eats the legs off the table. What do you say? I missed you guys, and I want to go out and celebrate this small win with you.”
“This ain’t no small win. This is huge. This is…” He shook his head, wiping away more tears. “I’m speechless.”
I kissed him again because he was right; there were no words.
After a dinner out with Easton and Percy, one that had us talking to half the people in town about Easton’s game-changing new stables—because everyone in Jasper knows everyone’s business, and word travels at the speed of light—we headed back to the farmhouse. Erwin took Percy so Easton and I could take a walk and chat.
There was still one more order of business I had to talk with Easton about. I didn’t know if he’d go for it, but I hoped he would listen and not reject it outright.
Hand in hand, we strolled down the dirt road toward the storage barn. We still had Easton’s makeshift five-star hotel set up on a bale of straw with blankets, condoms, and lube stashed away. I was hoping we could wind up there when we were done chatting. I’d missed my man while away and was in need of some private time with him where we could let loose without worrying about staying quiet.
Fall had moved in with September, and the breeze was chilly. I pulled Easton to a stop at the same spot we’d chatted before a few weeks back. I hopped up on the fence, and he wedged himself between my legs.
“Talk to me.”
I