Even though the white picket fence in front of her grandmother's house showed peeling paint and bare wood, the love with which it was built still lingered. The story behind the only picket fence in downtown Valley View had become legend.

"I told William I wanted a house with a white picket fence," Rachel would tell everyone who ever asked and even those who did not ask. "On our tenth anniversary he gave me the fence."

Caitlin never realized until now that it was not the fence that brought happiness. It was a dream becoming reality by the hands of the man she loved. "Like my horse charm bracelet. It's not fancy or expensive, but the man who holds my heart gave it to me." She shivered with excitement, knowing she was home.

"There you are, sweets," Rachel said standing on the front porch. "I worried the whole time you were gone. Now you're home, where you belong, even though it won't be for long," she said.

"What? You can't leave, not after we found each other." Her eyes opened wide in fear.

"Wipe those worry frowns from your face. I'm not going anywhere. You, young lady, will soon marry Garrett and live at the Second Chance." Her genuine smile and sparkling eyes helped Caitlin calm down.

Caitlin laughed. "You are a true romantic," she said joining her grandma and putting her arm around the older woman's shoulder. They headed inside and Caitlin breathed deep, smelling fresh baked cookies, cinnamon, coffee, and lavender. All the smells she remembered as a child and teenager when she visited Mrs. Carrington. If she had only known then who the woman was, life could have been different. For some reason, this was the direction her life took.

Caitlin looked around the house. The windows were still adorned with white lace curtains. The water pitcher and basin that had been Mrs. C's mothers sat on the washstand in the front entryway. The furniture screamed, "I've been here since the 1950's and I'm not leaving." Seeing the books overflowing the bookcases throughout the house, Caitlin understood why this was the first library. She did not miss all the romance paperback novels scattered about the living room. "That's where she gets all her romantic notions," Caitlin thought.

"Go on upstairs. The first door to the left, sweets."

Caitlin traveled up the wooden staircase, looking at the school pictures of Rachel's son, her uncle, which aligned the wall. "Now I understand why my mother's pictures aren't hanging here. We will change that today."




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