Page 65 of Falling For Pine Hollow

Warmth spread through my chest. His grandfather’s legacy had brought him here. But finding his heart, that was something he’d done on his own.

We reached the ridge just as the sun crested over the mountains, washing the landscape in gold. A ruined Scottish castle stood in the distance, weathered stone walls, arches open to the sky, ivy crawling up ancient stones. Its silhouette was proud, steadfast, and beautiful.

“My mum brought me there once,” I said quietly. “One of her favourite places.”

Oliver slipped his arm around my waist, drawing me closer. “Then we’ll go there next.”

The wind carried the scent of spring across the ridge. Wild heather brushed against our ankles. The world was waking up again, full of hope and possibility. Just like us.

He kissed my temple. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

I smiled into his shoulder. “I’m thinking… I’m very happy.”

He let out a breath, a soft, relieved sound. “Good. So am I.”

We stood in silence for a while, breathing in the view, the mountains, the endless stretch of sky. His hand found mine again.

“You know,” he said, “if someone told me last year, I’d leave London for a village with more cows than people, I would’ve assumed they’d lost their mind.”

“And now?”

He paused, eyes drifting over the Highlands, his new home. “Now I think I'd have lost mine sooner if I hadn’t come.”

Emotion tightened my throat.

We headed back down the trail, fingers intertwined, steps in rhythm. When the town came into view again. The colourfulrooftops, curling chimney smoke, the loch unfurling like a ribbon, I felt something settle peacefully inside my chest.

My life wasn’t waiting to fall apart anymore. My bakery and my home were safe and secure. And my heart was no longer carrying its weight alone.

He squeezed my hand. “Hmmm, so what’s for tea tonight then?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll bake something.”

“And I’ll try not to burn the vegetables,” he said, earning a laugh.

We walked the final stretch with ease, two paths merging, two worlds no longer separate. A future blooming like spring in the Highlands.

Together.