Free The Billionaire's Romance (A Winters Love Book 2) by Holly Rayner

or gnarly bark peeked out from under their white caps and the only thing that disturbed the perfect white scene were the imprints of footsteps that crisscrossed each other along the path. It was cold, but not uncomfortably so and it was so peaceful underneath the umbrellas of snow-laden trees that it seemed even the sound had been blanketed by the winter storm.
     
    We came to the perennial gardens and walked through one of the greenhouses that was filled with lush, fragrant flowers and dark, leafy green plants. It was nice to warm up…defrost a little from being outside. Aaron seemed fascinated by the construction of the greenhouse and he was asking one of the attendants a lot of questions about it. When he came back over to where I was admiring the blossoms on some of the baby trees they were beginning to grow inside the greenhouse he said,
     
    “Are you too cold?”
     
    “I’m okay….you’re not ready to leave yet are you?”
     
    “No, not yet. Come with me.” He took my hand and led me out of the greenhouse and down along one of the peaceful paths towards a little structure that stood on the edge of the wooded path. It looked like a little boat house. There was a bronze plaque on the outside that said, “Dedicated to Harvey Hamilton I, 1992.” I was surprised when Aaron opened the door and invited me in. Once inside, I saw that it was indeed a boathouse. The walls were lined with canoes and kayaks and paddles. The difference between this and any other boathouse that I’d ever seen was that these boats were encased in glass and they all looked handmade with intricate detail visible on the wood.  Even the wooden paddles were carved with elaborate designs.
     
    “What is this place?” I asked him.
     
    “Years ago, there was no passage across the river during the winter when the water would rise. The only means of getting around would be by boat. There was a man who lived here who used a relatively small inheritance he received to finance making boats for all of those in the community who couldn’t afford to buy their own. There were people who couldn’t get to work or school because they lacked the transportation and the resources to pay for it. He did such fine work that everyone wanted one and he started taking special orders. The boats got so popular that he stopped working at his other job altogether and began a business just building the boats….”
     
    “Hamilton’s grandfather?”
     
    Aaron nodded, “Yeah. After you and I talked, I got curious. This man is seventy-eight years old and I wondered why he wouldn’t just give in and retire already. The company doesn’t make a lot of money anymore and that’s why his kids want out of it. It’s likely that if they don’t sell, it will go under in a few years. It could be turned around, but only with a lot of money poured into it. The old man is generous with his donations and his employees….too generous for his own good, according to the kids. But you can see in his eyes how much he loves that place. His father worked for his grandfather and expanded the business to several states in the U.S. Hamilton expanded it to Canada and Alaska and he re-started the tradition that his grandfather had begun…every year he gives away thousands of canoes and kayaks to people who live in regions where they need them for things like getting to work and getting to town.”
     
    “Wow, that’s nice,” I said. “How did you find this place?”
     
    “I remembered something that Hamilton said to me and did some simple research. The thing is, it’s something I wouldn’t have ever done before. I would have never thought about had it not been for you even questioning me on this. And it is nice what he does….and I’m trying to take that away from him.”
     
    “So…are you thinking about not buying out his kids?”
     
    “They’re set on selling. If I don’t buy it, they’ll find a company who will.”
     
    “Oh….”
     
    He came over to me and