Hope Remains: A Hope Springs Fanfiction

Chapter 29

Another successful year.

It was always a relief when Finbarr didn't lose very much crop, and even better when he sold all of his wheat. He often put his earnings toward gifts for Emma and Ivy, renovations on his house, and improvements to his field.

He stood very still in the crowded marketplace, listening to horses' hooves clomp down the street while pulling behind a wagon or cart. People passed him as if he was not easily seen. A group of ladies walked by, laughing and giggling. He couldn't help but wonder if Emma truly meant it when she said he wasn't allowed to come back home to Hope Springs with a woman on his arm. He had pondered those words the entire trip to the depot, and he couldn't decide if she was still with Peter and she just didn't want Finbarr to find someone else, or if they were unattached. Perhaps he ought to ask Peter.

Heavy smoke drifted across the market, and he recognized the smell of a cigar instantly. It could have been anyone, but he was sure it was Peter.

With Grady on his left to help guide him through the throng of people, he followed the smell of the smoke until he found the source a little ways away. The person didn't say anything as he approached, and he hoped it was Peter, otherwise he was about to look like a fool.

"I'm sorry I lobbed you in the nose," he apologized sheepishly.

The person grunted in surprise. "How on earth did you find me?" Peter asked. "You're blind for Pete's sake."

"Your cigar," he replied, nodding his head in the direction of the smell. It certainly wasn't a pleasant smell, but it would always remind him of Peter now. "I followed the smell."

Peter chuckled, taking a step closer to him. "And I'm sorry I smacked up upside the ear. I feel quite terrible about it."

Finbarr rubbed his ear, remembering the several terrifying minutes he hadn't been able to hear anything but high-pitched ringing. "It's amazing how one woman can make blood boil between rivals. Are you..." He sighed, scuffing his toe in the dirt. "Katie told me you were going to propose."

Peter paused for a moment before his weight shifted as if he turned more fully to face him. "Didn't Emma tell you?"

"I only saw Emma for the first time the day before we left for the depot. I...well, I ended things with her after our fight. I thought it was better to give her the rest of the time until harvest to spend with you so we didn't fight anymore."

Surprisingly, Peter snorted and repeated Finbarr's own words from weeks ago. "That was infuriatingly kind of you. It grieves me to say that I did, indeed, propose. I never knew a proposal could be met with so many tears of rejection. She told me, and I quote, 'I don't care enough for you.'"

"What?" he asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "She rejected your proposal?"

"Don't look so happy about it," Peter laughed, slapping him good-naturedly on the shoulder. "I suppose you plan to marry her then. I have little doubt you will do better than I did."

"Well...with you out of the way..."

Peter shoved him playfully and Finbarr laughed, which Peter promptly joined in. The tension eased between them, replaced by an easy friendship now that Emma was no longer between them. Emma's rejection of Peter filled him with hope. He didn't have to share anymore. In fact, he wasn't going to waste anymore time. Many years had passed, unspoken words, hidden feelings. But he wouldn't let anymore time pass in circles. He was ready. Was Emma?

"I don't suppose you'll be headed to Baltimore in the near future?" Peter asked, blowing out another puff of smoke. "I hear winters in Hope Springs are quite dreary. You're welcome to travel to Baltimore with me for a season. I can show you what life is like in the city."