The speed-limit signs shifted from fifty-five to forty-five to thirty-five, and among the wild trees and kudzu, he could see a smattering of colonial and Victorian homes until they gave way to the town square. Brick buildings lined the street. Banners hung from lampposts, announcing the upcoming Yarrow festival. Just past the courthouse and one left turn was all it would take to reach his family’s estate. He could already see the five-story still house rising up over the trees.

He drummed his hands against the wheel, taking in what he’d left behind more than two decades ago. Unfamiliar restaurants lined the road, and though the grocery he remembered from childhood still carried the same name, the brickwork looked recently laid, despite a thin layer of gloom. Once, he’d recognized every face in Yarrow, even if he didn’t know the names that went along with them. These people were new, and many carried gift bags stamped with the Bonner bourbon logo.

He pulled over into a parking spot. Then he tugged his sunglasses from the visor. Without them, anyone looking closely enough would recognize him for the Bonner he was. His dark brown hair, his equally dark eyes, his mother’s strong jaw.

He grabbed his jacket from the front seat despite the heat and stepped out into the warm sun. He shrugged on the leather as a chalkboard sign caught his eye.

Lavender & Lemon Balm

Come have tea with us!

It sparked a familiar feeling—warmth, like coming home, if home were anywhere but here. It was better than facing his mother right away. He started for the door, when a young woman stepped through it carrying a simple arrangement of black flowers. She wore a pair of denim overall shorts cut off at the thigh and worn work boots. If it weren’t for her dark hair, he’d have thought her a Haywood.

She held the door open as he approached.

“Thanks,” Kaden said.

“No problem,” she said, before she took off down the sidewalk.

A bell tinkled overhead as Kaden stepped inside. Herbs hung from the ceiling and jars of teas lined the walls. He pulled his sunglasses free and tucked them into his jacket pocket. Slowly, he turned in a circle, taking it all in. With each step, his mouth fell open a bit more.

A voice came from down the hallway along with a flash of red hair. “Be right there!” There was a grunt and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. “Just need to bring one more thing in from the truck. Feel free to look around.”

Rather than wait, Kaden followed the voice to a set of stairs that led to an alley. Here, time had worn away the asphalt, revealing brick underneath. Old Yarrow.

Red hair stuck up over the cab of a small white pickup. He jogged down the stairs, but when he reached the other side of the truck, the woman had disappeared.