“Lecture over,” Boone said, “except Walker. Seems to me you have planning of a different kind to do.”
After a moment Walker nodded, and that was an end to it.
Win found herself humming two days later as she walked through the manor’s ballroom, daydreaming about what it would look like on her wedding day. In seven days she’d marry Angus, and in a month and a half, they’d have their baby. The show would be over. They’d all be free to live their lives—
As long as Walker got his act together.
Everyone had taken Boone’s words seriously and gotten their chores done quickly the day before, then spent time thinking and talking in small groups about their ideas for the future. She’d spent most of the day with Angus—enjoying their present solitude—but she went out for a walk by herself midafternoon to clear her head. She wanted to think about her plans, too, how she’d combine motherhood with what she wanted to accomplish in the gardens and greenhouses. Angus was consumed with what he could grow inside all year round, but Win liked it outside better and wanted to design ways to conserve water and increase the yield of their gardens. As she paced the land, she let her imagination run free and soon moved on to designing patterned textiles in her head. She’d only started learning how to weave, but Win knew someday she’d take her new hobby a lot further. She imagined a whole line of coordinated household linens, but first she’d have her baby, help grow Base Camp and spend time with Angus. She had plenty of time to launch a company when she was ready.
She was distracted from her thoughts when she spotted Walker walking by himself. The man had grown more taciturn than usual, and her heart went out to him. No matter how many gifts he gave her, Avery refused to relent.
Meanwhile, she didn’t think Avery was any happier. It didn’t seem like she was working on films anymore. When Win came across her at her laptop, she wasn’t editing clips together. More often than not she was staring at news stories, idling on chat forums. Once Win was pretty sure she’d caught Avery on a dating site.
She wished Avery and Walker could both be as happy as she felt, and when Avery joined her to discuss the wedding, Win couldn’t help but ask about Walker.
“He’s obviously sorry about what he’s done,” Win said. “All those sweet little gifts.”
Avery shrugged. “Those gifts don’t mean anything. Sure, they’re sweet,” she added reluctantly, “but they don’t answer any of my questions, do they? He still hasn’t told me anything about this woman he was promised to, or what he’s done about it, or why it happened in the first place. He hasn’t asked me out on a date or tried to kiss me. He hasn’t given me a single indication of what he’d like for our future. He’s as closed a book as ever. That’s not good enough.”
“I guess I can’t blame you for feeling that way,” Win said, thinking about the way she and Angus had been baring their souls—not to mention their bodies—to each other. “I wish it was different, though.”
“So do I,” Avery said. “But let’s talk about your wedding. What kind of decorations do you want?”
“I want it to look like a forest in here,” Win told her. Every time she thought about her wedding, she pictured it that way. The weather was too uncertain to hold the reception outside, but her best moments with Angus had taken place out in the woods, and she wanted to feel that wild, romantic energy when she celebrated their marriage vows.
“I love it,” Avery said instantly. “We can use large branches stood on end to make trees, and pine bough swags to decorate the walls and tables. Lots of pine cones and ribbons…” And she was off. Win added her own thoughts, and soon they had a plan that they shared with Angus and some of the other men and women who would help with the setup.
“What about your family?” Angus asked later, back in the bunkhouse. “Will your parents come?”
“I won’t invite them,” she said simply. “What about your family?” Douglas was still around, helping out wherever he could, waiting for his chance to narrate the film Renata, Avery and Eve were working on and hoping to talk to Fulsom after it was done.
“I’m sure my dad, my stepmother and my sisters will come. Don’t know about my mom and stepfather.”
“We’re going to have to be family to one another,” she told him.
“I can do that,” Angus said. He nudged her suddenly. Jutted his chin in the direction of Walker, who had just entered the bunkhouse. Avery, who was going through her duffel bag near the shelves where they kept their things, pulling out clothing and refolding it, ignored him as he approached, took his own duffel bag off the shelf and unzipped it.
Conversations around the room faltered and stopped as one after another, people noticed what was happening. Walker drew out the ceremonial fan he’d gotten back from Clem weeks ago and considered it. When he didn’t move for some moments, Avery finally looked up, took in what he was holding, flushed and looked away.
She shoved her duffel bag back on a shelf and stood up.
Walker stood up, too. Paced closer to her.
Put the fan in her hands. He turned and bent down, zipped up his bag again and replaced it.
Then walked out the door leaving Avery still standing there, fan in her hands.
Tears sliding silently down her cheeks.
Chapter Sixteen
‡
“I guess the best man won,” Douglas said with a grin to Angus on the day of his wedding. He’d caught Angus on his way to changing for the ceremony, and they stood under
