Hey everyone. I'm alive! I'm finally starting to feel better after an entire month of being sick. It took two IVs and a whole lot of prescription pills to get here. Thank you all for being so patient and understanding. I think I have the best readers in the world! :)
Colleen- Thank you for all the compliments on my writing! I hope you will be less frustrated with Cammie after this chapter. She does some thinking and soul-searching.
Emilyh7- I'm so glad you are enjoying this story! And I'm finally starting to feel better.
Smiles180- Yeah Cammie does seem to like running away. In the long run, it doesn't make dealing with problems any easier though. Hopefully she'll learn!
Hersheylife- You just reviewed again less than an hour ago, so I wanted you to know that this chapter is being updated right now because of you. I was planning on going to bed early, but I decided to finish this chapter instead. Dedicated readers make writing so much easier for me. Thank you for all your reviews and support. :)
Sophie Zielonka- Zach won't give up! Cammie just needs some time to herself to figure out what she really wants. Especially with the bombshell of who Zach really is. Glad you're enjoying the story!
kailee- Cammie just makes explaining things so difficult! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers towards me getting better. :)
bad-girl-always-bad- Your review made me laugh! Thank you for waiting so patiently! Cammie and Zach will figure things out...eventually.
Lina- Glad you like the story!
Ilovezachgoode- Updating!
Gallaghergirl11- Glad you liked last chapter!
annie- I'm finally starting to get well! Thank you for your review.
babysister1997- Updating! Glad you're liking the story.
MusicManipulator- There is no chance I will abandon this story. Especially not with such awesome readers like you!
Alecks454- Yeah Zach has been lying the whole time. There has to be an explanation though, right?
Guest- I'm updating! There is no chance of me abandoning this story, even if it takes me a little while to update.
Chapter 28: Back to Roseville
In my time since leaving the city, I transformed the home Grant and I were raised in. The McHenrys took all their own furniture when they moved out, so when I returned, I was met with an empty house and fields of overgrown weeds. Even though the king had agreed to give us back the lands and the house, our bank account had never been a part of the negotiation, so the only money I had to work with was what I had left from selling all the furniture before the McHenrys had moved in.
The second day being back in the country, I went to the bank in Roseville and took out a large loan. You have to spend money to make money, right? I put up signs around the small town, advertising that I would be hiring farmhands to plow the fields and plant summer crops. Summer was just beginning, so I was hoping the planting wouldn't be starting too late. The money those crops would make would be integral in paying back the loan.
I purchased necessary pieces of furniture for the house, forgoing luxurious items to save money. I also bought some new plows and horses to pull them, some chickens, and a couple cows. The final order I submitted was at the seamstress' shop: I needed some simpler dresses that would be durable for doing farm work, and I also begged the seamstress to make me some pants and shirts, so I wouldn't have to continue wearing Grant's. I had to pay extra for that. Even though Grant had his title back, I would not sit around and follow the rules assigned to ladies; the obedient part of me had died years ago.
Five men responded to the advertisement, and I hired them all. Some of them had been hesitant agreeing to work with a woman, but I offered to increase their wages after the crops were planted, and their hesitation dissipated quickly. The fields were plowed, and the seeds planted in two weeks.
I received a letter from Grant after a week of being back in the country, telling me the whole party would be arriving at the end of the following week as Liz wanted to get married on her land in Roseville. I desperately missed Liz, Bex, and Macey, but I still didn't feel ready to face anyone. My heart beat wildly and tears prickled my eyes when I thought of seeing Zach again. It was inevitable; he had become a part of my life and Grant's, it was no use trying to avoid him forever.
I thought about Zach constantly the week before everyone arrived in Roseville. I thought about how he had lied, about who he was, about his potential motivations for hiding the truth. Perhaps he thought I would only claim to love him for his wealth and status? He should know me better than that; if anything, I would have resented him for his wealth and status.
Wait a moment. That had to be it.
When we had met, I claimed to hate everything Blackthorne. Zach had the wealth and status of a high-ranking Blackthorne citizen that I had so openly claimed to hate. He had been afraid I would hate him.
God, this was all my fault.
My anxiety for seeing Zach grew, but instead of fearing seeing him, I desperately wanted to talk with him. I still loved him. I had already forgiven him. I just hoped he could forgive me.
The day before everyone was supposed to arrive in Roseville, I decided to go for a walk to a field that hadn't been used for crops in years. A large wildflower population had taken residence, and I thought the flowers might make the large empty house seem more welcoming for when Grant arrived. I put on my newly made blue work dress, very similar to the one that had been reduced to rags, and left my hair falling down my back, then departed for the field.
I hummed to myself as Merlin and Arthur followed me to the field. They would occasionally get distracted by a passing butterfly or a scent in the grass, but they would always come running back when I got too far away. I hadn't felt so at peace in a long time.
My basket was almost filled with flowers when the sound of hoof beats approaching made Merlin and Arthur start barking. Three riders were racing across my land, and I cursed myself for not bringing my crossbow. How could I scare off trespassers with a basket of flowers?
The riders changed direction towards me. One of them had probably seen me. I ordered Merlin and Arthur to sit on either side of me, and my two loyal guard dogs obeyed. As the riders came closer, I swore I recognized one of the horses. Yes, I did. It was Zach's horse. These weren't trespassers!
Grant, Jonas, and Zach all stopped a few steps away from me and I smiled up at them.
"I wasn't expecting you all until tomorrow," I said.
"Liz insisted she needed the extra day to finalize some wedding preparations," Jonas said, smiling ear to ear. They clearly loved each other. I felt a twinge of jealousy in my chest, but quickly pushed the feeling away. I glanced at Zach before I could stop myself, but his face was a mask of stone.
"How are you Cammie?" Grant asked, concern on his face. The last time he had seen me, I'd been a complete wreck.
I smiled and held my arms out, pointing at the landscape around me. "How can I be anything other than happy when I'm here?"
Grant smiled back. "I'm glad to hear it. Jonas, Zach, and I are going to discuss some business matters back at the house. See you for dinner?"
I nodded, slightly disappointed I wouldn't get a chance to talk with Zach. "Fair warning, the room that is supposed to be your office has no furniture."
Grant sighed. "We'll have to talk about finances later." Grant kicked his horse, and Jonas and Zach quickly followed.
I picked up my basket of flowers and started walking back to the house. Time to devise a plan. How to get Zach aloneā¦
Talking with Zach turned out to be extremely difficult. He rarely visited, but when he did, he would speak with Grant quickly, only to leave a few moments later. I often didn't hear about his visit until after he had already left. The newly hired servants kept me informed as I often spent my days outside.
A few days before Liz's wedding, I received a note asking me to come visit her at home. Excited at finally getting to see my friends again, I decided to bring a bouquet of freshly-picked wildflowers as a peace offering. I'd had plenty of time to calm down and think on my own; I needed my friends again.
I wore one of my nicer dresses, one that had been a gift from Bex, but I hoped it wouldn't be too rumpled or dirtied by riding Chameleon; no way was I going to take a cart like a lady would. Well, a lady would have a carriage, but that was hardly in the budget. I rode slower than usual so as to not ruin the flowers I held in one hand.
As I rode up to Liz's house, servants were running every which way carrying things from chairs to empty flower vases despite it still being three days to the wedding. I dismounted and tied Chameleon to a railing on Liz's porch and walked to the front door with the flowers.
The butler answered, looking up and down at my appearance with obvious disapproval.
"Liz is waiting for you in the parlor," he said with an evident note of disdain.
"Thank you." I swept past him and followed the familiar hallway to the parlor. As I stepped through the doorway, my ears were met with a high-pitched squeal.
"Cammie!" Liz immediately wrapped her arms around me in a rib-cracking hug.
"Hi Lizzie," I managed to say. Looking over her shoulder, I saw two other people sitting on the couch: Macey and Bex. They both stood when they noticed me looking at them. "These are for you," I said, handing the flowers to Liz. "A peace offering. I want to apologize. To all of you."
"We should be the one's apologizing," Bex said.
I shook my head and hugged her, glad to finally be back with my friends. "All is forgiven."
"Zach asked us all not to tell you," Bex said as I hugged Macey last. "He really wanted to tell you himself, but I guess he never found the right time."
"He was afraid of how I would react, and rightfully so based on what happened," I said.
"You can't beat yourself up, Cammie. Anyone would have reacted the way you did," Macey said.
I shook my head. "I think most girls would be excited to find out Zach is a prince."
"Have you talked with him yet?" Liz asked.
I shook my head again. "He's avoiding me. And I suppose I've been avoiding him too."
"Do you want to talk with him?" Bex asked.
I hesitated a moment and bit my lip, the anxiety of seeing Zach again resurfacing. "Yes. We need to talk." I sighed and looked at the girls around me, all with worried looks on their faces. "Enough about me. Liz is getting married!" Macey and Bex started laughing and Liz blushed a deep red while smiling brightly.
"Can I show you my dress Cammie? I got it in the city."
"I bet you look breathtaking in it!" I said as I followed Liz up to her bedroom.
It felt good to have my friends again. Now all I needed to do was find Zach and make him stay put long enough to finally get an explanation.
