Harm turned the car off the main road and onto a gravel drive. The road cut an opening in an old, faded, split rail fence that bordered the surrounding fields. The drive itself was lined with trees, their branches thickly covered in fiery orange leaves. Mac gazed out the window, taking in the scenery, half expecting to see a farm stand pop up around the next corner, selling pumpkins and apple cider. Mattie's face too was glued to the window, watching the green hills with their copper trees roll by. Leaves fluttered to the ground as they drove, showering the car in a symphony of gold confetti. As they exited the grove of trees and rounded a corner, a rather large, white house came into view.
Mac could hear Mattie audibly gasp as she caught site of the house. Even from a distance it was impressive. But despite its size, the house still had a rustic, homey charm. It was covered in white washed, wooden siding, with dark red shudders over all the windows. A covered porch wrapped around one entire side of the house. Mac could see it was home to several wooden chairs. She could picture Harm's grandmother sitting in one of the chairs, drinking a cup of tea and watching the sun set behind the painted hills. This was probably the most serene place she'd ever seen in her life.
Harm parked the car near the front door and shut off the engine. Smiling at Mac, he opened his door, stepped out and took a deep breath of country air. He then came around to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Offering her his hand, he helped her out of the car. As she stepped out into the crisp fall air, Harm pulled her forward and kissed her softly. Locking eyes with her, he lingered for a moment. Then he proceeded to open Mattie's door. Together, he and Mac unloaded the wheel chair and helped Mattie into it.
On their way to the front door, the three of them stopped to gaze at the house and its surroundings. As they stood, staring admiringly, the door opened and a woman with short, pixie-like, silver hair appeared in the doorway. Smiling, she stepped out onto the porch into the warm autumn light. She wore a bright burgundy sweater, old, faded blue jeans and work boots. She was nothing like the woman Mac had envisioned. Mac had never known any of her own grandparents, but she always expected that a grandmother would look a certain way. She would be a sweet, round faced little woman in a calico dress with her white hair pulled into a bun, and she would be serving platters of cookies to a swarm of grandkids. This woman in no way fit that stereotype. She was tall, slender and smartly dressed. She had a clever twinkle in her blue-grey eyes and her short, cropped hair gave her a playful, edgy look. And if first impressions were correct, she looked as though she could single handedly run this farm. Not only run the farm, thought Mac, but still be home in time to put a hot meal on the table.
Sarah Rabb assessed her three visitors with a smile.
"Harm," she said in a warm, welcoming tone.
Harm rushed forward to meet her and threw his arms around her.
"Grandma," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. "You look fantastic."
Harm stepped back so that he could make introductions.
"Grandma, these are my girls," he said beaming. "This is my fiancé, Mac."
Harm placed his hand on Mac's shoulder as he spoke and Sarah Rabb's face lit up with joy.
"Mac," she gushed. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you."
As she spoke, she strode forward and enveloped Mac in a warm hug. Surprised, but flattered, Mac returned the gesture.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rabb."
"My goodness," said Grandma Sarah stepping back to admire Mac. "You're stunning."
Mac's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"Harm always told me how beautiful you were," she continued. "I can see now that for once in his life, he wasn't exaggerating. In fact, I don't think he quite did you justice."
They all laughed and Harm's grandmother eyed him teasingly.
"Mrs. Rabb, thank you so much for having us here," said Mac, her cheeks still pink.
"Oh, it's my pleasure, Sweetheart," she said squeezing Mac's arm. "And please, call me Sarah or even Grandma if you want. Mrs. Rabb sounds so formal."
Mac nodded and a smiling Harm grabbed her hand, giving it a kiss. Lacing his fingers with hers, he turned to introduce Mattie.
"Grandma, this is Mattie," he said, playfully messing up Mattie's long hair.
"Miss Mattie," said Grandma, grasping her hand. "I am so happy that you're here. Look at that face and those beautiful curls. My Harm sure knows how to attract beautiful women."
"Well, he is quite the charmer," Mattie joked and everyone laughed once again.
"Alright, Harm, we'll stop teasing you now," said Grandma. "Please, everyone come inside," she said, ushering them toward the door. "I've got coffee and tea and hot chocolate. Oh, and I've got warm pumpkin bread that I just took out of the oven."
…
After they drank herbal tea and ate pumpkin bread with cinnamon whipped cream, Harm went to unload their bags from the car and Grandma Sarah took the girls on a tour of the farm. They traversed the path through her garden, where pink and white roses were still blooming and large orange pumpkins rested on their vines. They then ventured away from the house and she took them past fields with perfectly spaced rows of potatoes, cucumbers and bell peppers, then past an orchard where plump, crimson apples clung to the braches of every tree.
"We're about to start our apple harvest," Sarah said as they admired the orchard. "It's one of my favorite times of the year. That's how I know fall is really here; when the apples turn red and there are bushel baskets of them everywhere and their scent infuses every corner of the house. There's nothing quite like it."
Mac listened in awed silence as Sarah spoke. She watched her face light up as she told them about her farm. Mac couldn't help but be intrigued. She'd never met anyone quite like Sarah. Nor had she ever seen a working farm up close and personal like this. It was magical, almost surreal in its perfection. Mac felt as though she had stepped into a storybook: the cool, clear air; the brightly colored scenery like an oil painting; the smell of apples, dried leaves and homemade bread; the intense feeling of home that radiated from every direction and enveloped her. She wanted to absorb every moment.
Next, Sarah took them through a stable where she kept several horses. Mac reached out and touched the nose of a bright, chestnut mare who snorted and nodded her head several times. Grandma Sarah placed a handful of oats in Mac's hand and the mare gobbled them up happily. Mac touched the horse's mane and ears as she ate, marveling at the experience. She'd never been this close to a horse before.
"If you'd like, I could take you riding tomorrow," offered Sarah.
"That would be wonderful," said Mac, her voice a bit giddier than she'd intended.
Sarah laughed and they followed her out of the barn.
"Well, I suppose we should go find Harm before he thinks we've abandoned him," said Sarah. "Besides, the two of you are probably tired. It's been a long day for you."
"I wouldn't mind taking a little nap before dinner," said Mattie. "I'm kind of exhausted."
"You two go on back to the house," said Mac. "I'm going to stay a minute longer, maybe take a little walk. I'll be back in to help with dinner."
"You take your time, Sweetheart," said Sarah. "It's a glorious day. You enjoy it."
"Thank you," said Mac. "I'll only be a few minutes."
…
Harm wandered into the kitchen where he found his grandmother rinsing green beans in a colander.
"Where are the girls?" He asked.
"Mattie's taking a nap and Mac decided to have a walk before dinner," said Sarah filling a pot with water.
"You know, Harm," she said looking up, "those girls of yours are wonderful. You truly are a lucky man."
"I know," he said thoughtfully.
"And your Sarah," she continued, "what a beautiful woman; so smart, so loving. She's one in a million, Harm."
"She certainly is," he agreed. "I'm still in awe every time I look at her. Sometimes I still can't believe she chose me."
"But she did," affirmed Sarah. "And oh my, is she ever in love with you. Her whole face lights up every time she talks about you."
"She's the love of my life, Grandma," said Harm frankly.
"Well, what more could I wish for my grandson?" She gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
They stood in silence for a moment, their faces aglow before Harm spoke again.
"It's starting to get dark," he said. "Maybe I should go get her."
Sarah nodded and went back to prepping vegetables.
Harm opened the screen door and stepped out into the fading, yellow light. A crisp, cool breeze brushed across his face, carrying with it the scent of ripe apples and fallen leaves. The dried foliage rustled and crackled under his feet as he walked the path down across the lawn, through the rose garden to where it ended near the stables. Peeking his head inside, he could see a few of the horses shuffling in their stalls. Then, as his eyes adjusted, he spotted a figure leaning against the open door at the opposite end of the building.
"Mac," he said gently, making his way across the stable.
She turned slowly and brushed a hand across her eyes, which he could see were wet with tears.
"Sweetie," he said anxiously, walking quickly to her side.
Taking her by the shoulders, he studied her tear stained face with concern.
"Mac, what is it? What's wrong?"
She shook her head and wiped at her eyes again. Harm pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest, placing kisses on the top of her head. After a moment, he pulled back to look at her again, his eyes questioning.
"It's too much, isn't it?" He said.
"The wedding, the baby, Mattie, being back in D.C. You're feeling overwhelmed aren't you?" He asked looking guilty.
"And now I drag you all the way out here to my grandmother's farm."
He sighed deeply.
"Mac, I'm so sorry. I should've realized how stressful all of this was going to be," he said running a hand through his hair.
Grasping his hand, Mac managed to recover her voice.
"Harm, no," she said, shaking her head. "That's not it. That's not it at all."
She eyed him reassuringly.
"I'm not stressed out," she assured him. "Overwhelmed? Maybe a little, but in a good way."
Mac took a long, sweeping look at her surroundings.
"This place is fantastic, Harm. And your grandmother, she's wonderful. I feel so lucky to be here."
He eyed her tentatively.
"Then why were you crying?" He asked gently.
Mac examined her shoes for a second, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Tears of joy I guess."
Mac walked back over to the stalls and laid her hand on the nose of a black horse who snorted in contentment. She ran her hand gently over his shiny mane, a blissful expression on her face.
"I never knew that places like this existed, Harm. After taking it all in, I suppose I was just overcome by emotion."
He rubbed a hand over her back.
"You're so lucky to have grown up with all of this," she said wistfully.
Harm smiled at her, pausing thoughtfully for a moment.
"Do you want to see my favorite spot on this whole farm?" He grinned.
Mac looked at him curiously.
"Absolutely," she smiled.
"Come with me," he said excitedly.
Harm grabbed her by the hand and led her out of the stable. They headed in the opposite direction of the house toward a sprawling field, which was now glowing orange in the light of the setting sun. As they reached the edge of the field, Harm stopped underneath a large oak tree and raised his eyes toward its branches. Mac curiously followed his gaze upward and sure enough, nestled within the braches of the large tree was an old, weathered tree house.
"Oh," Mac gasped in admiration.
Harm smiled and pointed to a column of wooden planks snaking up one side of the tree.
"This way," he said, grabbing hold of one of the planks and reaching his other hand toward her.
"We're climbing those?" Mac asked in surprise.
"No other way to get up there," Harm grinned.
"Okay," she said reluctantly, taking Harm's offered hand.
Harm pulled her in front of him and placed her hand on one of the 2x4s that served as a ladder rung. Then, placing his hands on her waist, he steadied her as she began to ascend the ladder. He followed closely behind her, one outstretched hand hovering protectively behind her the whole way.
Reaching the top, the two of them climbed onto the platform of the tree house. Mac brushed her hands against her jeans, wiping away the dust as she surveyed her surroundings. It was a small, sturdy looking structure with a square window cut into each wall and a low, flat roof. Low enough, in fact that both she and Harm had to duck slightly as they climbed in.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, Mac studied the room. She noticed that there were scribbles and carvings on some of the walls. She ran her hand over one of the etchings, a child's depiction of an airplane carved into the wood and directly underneath it, in big capital letters, the name HARM. How amazing, she thought. This really was his childhood tree house. He'd grown up here, played here, carved these words and pictures into the wood. It was like a time capsule of his youth, a concept that was totally alien to her. A stray tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she quickly wiped it away before Harm could see it.
"So what do you think?" He asked excitedly.
"It's amazing," she admitted.
"Wait until you see the best part," he said, grasping her hand once again.
He led her across the room toward a door, which she hadn't noticed. Grabbing the small metal handle, he pulled the door open, its rusty hinges creaking. Ducking their heads, they stepped through and emerged onto a small balcony. The blazing light of the setting sun bathed them in its warmth. Harm took a seat on the edge of the platform and gestured for her to sit with him. As she settled in next to him, she gasped in awe. From this spot, they had a perfect, unobstructed view of a tree lined meadow backed by rolling, copper hills and the clear, autumn sky.
"Wow," sighed Mac admiringly.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Said Harm serenely. "I use to spend nearly every waking moment of my summer holidays in this tree house. I'd hang out up here, watching my grandfather work in the fields. I'd venture in for a meal here and there, but for the most part, this was my spot. It was hard to get me out of here."
"What an amazing place to spend your childhood," Mac said, tears beginning to well in her eyes once again.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Asked Harm grabbing her hands.
"It's just," she sniffled. "It's so perfect."
Harm squeezed her hands.
"Harm, I never had anything like this in my childhood," she explained. "In fact, I never knew that people had lives like this."
He pulled her into a hug.
"Harm," she said seriously, the tears momentarily gone from her voice. "Promise me that our child will have this kind of life."
Cradling her face in his hands, Harm brushed the tear dampened hair from her cheek and peered resolutely into her eyes.
"I promise," he said, placing a hand on her tummy.
Satisfied, Mac leaned back into his chest and the two of them gazed out over the meadow in silence until the sun finally sank behind the hills. Then, in the blue light of evening, they descended the ladder and began walking back toward the farmhouse.
As they passed the barn, Mac felt a drop of moisture on her cheek. Somewhat embarrassed, thinking it was another tear; she hastily reached up to brush it away. But no sooner had she done so, then there were two more and then four more. She suddenly realized that she wasn't crying. It was raining. And as swiftly as it had started, it began to pour. Large, cold drops pelted them, quickly soaking them from head to toe. Harm grabbed her by the hand and began running toward the house. Weaving through the narrow rows of the vegetable garden, they splashed their way through the forming mud puddles. The warm light from the farmhouse windows soon came into view and with a final leap, they stumbled onto the covered porch, sopping wet and panting from exhaustion.
Releasing her grip on Harm's hand, Mac brushed hopelessly at her sodden clothing. Wiping the water away from her face, she ran her hands through her drenched hair. As she did so, she noticed Harm several steps away, helplessly ringing the water out of the corners of his jacket. His face was speckled with water droplets and his shoes sloshed noisily as he shuffled around trying to dry himself. He looked like a giant, wet puppy.
As Mac watched the ridiculous scene unfold, an amused grin began to spread across her face. Without warning, she burst into a fit of hysterical giggles. Harm looked up from his jacket, his brow furrowed. Then, taking in the site of her all soaked and disheveled, his expression changed and he too began to laugh.
They simultaneously shook with laughter as they assessed each other's ragged appearance. Stumbling closer, Harm took her in his arms, running a hand over her matted hair. Mac's eyes met his as he touched her and her giggles soon began to subside. His arms tightened around her waist and he could feel her breathing quicken. His fingers brushed the wet hair off her forehead, then her cheeks. He could feel her shiver, but not from the cold. She met his eyes with the same burning intensity he'd become so familiar with. An almost inaudible sigh escaped Mac's lips and a surge of heat rushed through Harm's body. Pulling her forward, his lips closed on hers in a frantic kiss. His hands grasped at her damp hair as he kissed her furiously. Even in the dim light, he could see the wet fabric of her clothing clinging to the beautiful curves of her body. His heart raced at the sight of her.
Mac's hands were now under his shirt, kneading the hard muscles of his back. Harm drew a sharp breath and kissed her even more deeply, but the sound of a door swinging open startled them and they hastily broke the kiss.
Whipping their heads around, they saw Mattie and Grandma Sarah staring questioningly at them from the open door. Harm and Mac stepped away from each other in embarrassment and a moment of awkward silence ensued. Mattie raised an eyebrow at the two of them and then, rolling her eyes, wheeled herself back into the house. Grandma Sarah just grinned at them.
"Come on you two," she said playfully. "You're gonna freeze out here if you keep acting like a couple of love struck teenagers."
Harm opened his mouth to try to offer some sort of explanation, but Sarah cut him off.
"It's dinner time," she said. "Why don't you both put on some dry clothes and join us in the dining room."
Taking this as their cue, both Harm and Mac rushed back into the house and up to their room to change. Sarah watched them retreat up the stairs and once they were out of site, she burst into her own fit of laughter. Shaking her head in amusement, she closed the door and walked back toward the dining room to join Mattie.