“None of us ever saw that kid Danny again,” said Henry. “Then Mr. Miller put up about a hundred or so ‘No Trespassing’ signs. All this only made us more curious. I mean, we were ten. We’d sneak up to his property and hide in the trees. He lived in this shitty cabin and had this crumbling barn. I remember bringing binoculars once. We’d sit there and wait. Wait for something to come out of the barn. I was almost disappointed when we found out the reason we never saw Danny again was because his family moved to Denver.” Henry laughed. “But, I tell ya, it is so beautiful up there. Surrounded by the mountains, but up high enough to feel like you’re on top of the world.”

“Is it a contender?” asked Claudine.

“He’s one of those guys that would never sell.”

“Never say never.”

“Literally the best view I’ve ever seen.”

“Why am I just hearing about it now?”

“Claudine, it’s not for sale.”

“Everything’s for sale.”

While Claudine was on the land hunt, he’d never been happier designing a dream home. He knew it made more sense to wait until they found the right property. The location would have an extremely important impact on the final design. But he couldn’t help it. Feeding on the energy of a new company, so happy how it had reinvigorated their marriage. He’d never been so in tune with his work. Taking meetings with craftsmen, day trips to check out materials firsthand. A perfect day was spending the better part of an afternoon comparing different rough stones. Every part of his design was considered, from the open floor plan he was constantly adjusting based on flow to the zigzag driveway that would eventually deliver you to the front door. In his gut he knew he was creating something special. They were on the brink of great achievement. He was so close to having the house done on paper; they just needed the land.

Find the land, build the house, sell the house.

As pieces were falling into place, he watched with awe as Claudine fed off the momentum. Tackling each problem with precision and patience. She was someone with a vision, yes, but what made her stand out was that she saw the path to completion. Could grasp the big picture from an early stage and figure out in real time how to get there.

She jumped up. “Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To your secret plot of land.”

“It’s a bit of journey. We’d need to drive ten minutes out of town, then turn off the highway and head up about a mile. And that’s just where we park so we’re out of sight. The rest is on foot, straight through the forest.”

“I’m down for an adventure.”