Chapter 179

Finn finished loading up everything from his special night with Tess. It had actually been more work than he had let on to Tess, but it had been worth it. Being with Tess would have been amazing in any situation, but being under the canopy, out in the fields, in such a beautiful place with such an incredible woman had been an experience he could never have imagined.

He had disassembled the bed frame and had stacked the mattress and box spring and the parts of the frame into the back of his truck. He had taken everything else out already, so all that was left was the bed. Most of the stuff had been borrowed from Drovers, and had been easy to return, but he needed to take his new bed somewhere. He took out his phone and dialed. He needed to get his new living situation confirmed.

"Hey George, I just wanted to check back in with you about the place." Finn said into the phone. "I'll take it. I'd like to come by and sign a lease as soon as I can."

"So, I take it you've got as good a reason to stay in Gungellan as I can think of," George replied. "Come on over now if you want. We can get the lease signed now and you can move in as soon as you give me a deposit and first rent."

"I can be there in twenty minutes. Thanks for the help. I owe you big," Finn responded.

Finn turned his truck down onto the driveway of Roop's Landing. He was pleased things had worked out as well as they had. He wanted his own place, totally separate from Tess and her family, but he really didn't want to be all the way in town. He planned on spending plenty of time at Drovers Run and didn't like being a ninety minute drive away. He had called one of the only people he knew in Gungellan outside of the McLeods, looking for some help. He was just hoping George would direct him to some locals with apartments or cottages available to rent, but George did one better.

"Finn, you're in luck. I've got a place I was looking to rent out. It's not very big, but for one person, it ought to do really well. It's mostly furnished, but you'll need a few things. You can come check it out if you want," he had said.

That was the morning Tess had left on her trip. Finn had gone right then to see if the place would work. It was a nice one bedroom cottage. It had a small front porch with room for a chair or two. Inside, it had a small kitchen and a nice sized bedroom. There was a living room off the kitchen that had a couch and a couple chairs. There was an alcove off of that set up as an office, but Finn thought he would like to make it a music area once his instruments arrived from the US. It had a kitchen table and all the needed appliances. He would need to furnish the bedroom and buy a TV, but everything else he would need was already there. It was perfect, and only a twenty minute drive from Drovers Run. It was separate, so as not to intrude too much on Tess's family, but also conveniently close. It was also separate enough from the main house of Roop's Landing that Finn felt he still had decent privacy from George and Amanda.

"Hey George, thanks for helping me out. I'm here and I've got your deposit and rent." he said into the phone as he pulled in.

"Come on inside, Finn," said George on the phone.

"George, I really appreciate your help. I don't know too many people around here, and I don't want Tess to feel obligated to help me with stuff like this. I want to be her boyfriend, not her dependent."

"I'm happy to help out a newcomer to the area, especially since you have caught Tess McLeod's heart. We call it Tori's Cottage after my daughter who lived here for several years. She got married and moved in with her husband a few months ago, that's why it's available now. I don't have many rules. I just ask that you take care of the place. If there are any things that break or need maintenance, just tell me asap so I can make the repairs and keep things in good condition. The little garden behind the cottage, you can treat that as yours, just take care of all of it, please. Oh, and we have a high speed internet set up at the house and the cottage is already connected, you'll just need to get a new router and plug it into the connection. Tori took hers with her. We included that in the rent," said George.

"Not a problem George." Finn said as he signed the six month lease. He shook George's hand. "If you don't mind, I actually happened to buy a bed while I was in town, would it be okay if I move it in now? I've still got my room at the pub for the rest of the week, but I'd like to at least drop off the bed if I could. It's in the back of my truck," said Finn.

"You've got a signed lease, and I've got the keys right here for you. It's all yours now. Move in whatever you want. I can give you a hand with the bed now if you want." offered George.

"That would be great, thanks. Oh, one more thing. Do you know if there are any cable providers who show American football games? I will get up very early in the morning if I can watch my Seahawks live."

"Sorry Finn, That's not something I know much about. I bet you could find some sort of online service for that. But let me know if you get the games, I've never watched an NFL game before. I'd watch one with you and let you explain it to me. I'd be happy to watch the footie with you too, explain it if you need me to."

"Thanks George, It's nice to have a buddy to catch a game with sometimes," said Finn.

Finn was pleased. He was starting to feel settled in what was becoming his new home. He was glad to be back in the country after spending so much time in a big city. Country folk back home were kind, and it wasn't much different here in Gungellan. He was looking forward to becoming a part of it. He decided to head out to Fisher to buy a nice TV, and some additional bedroom furniture. He also was thinking about buying an electric bass and a small amp. It would be a while before most of his stuff arrived from Seattle, and he didn't want to wait that long to play music. He recently found that he was inspired to play more. He would need to buy a truck as well, he didn't like having to use a rental all the time. He would also like to get a horse, but that was a bit further down the road. He would need to negotiate boarding for a horse with George later, but Finn was ready to put down some roots in Gungellan.