Maggie wiped away the beads of sweat that were building up on her forehead. It wasn't very hot, but working in a lumber mill was exhausting. She now understood why her Pa was always so exhausted every day after work. She carried the stack of freshly cut wood over to its proper place and went back to cut more.

She felt guilty. Her father suffered through this six days a week just to support her. She knew then that she couldn't let him come back to work here after he got better. He could find another job- one that wasn't so hard on him.

"You can go home early, young man."

Maggie turned her head to see one of the managers looking at her. "But the work isn't finished," she said, remembering to lower the tone of her voice as she spoke. Not many people in this town were willing to hire a woman, at least not for anything she knew how to do. So, she had tucked her hair into a hat, bound her chest in cloth, and put on a pair of overalls.

"It wasn't a suggestion," the man replied. "Go home."

With a frustrated huff, Maggie set down her saw. Another worker quickly came up and took over the job.

Part of her was grateful. She was exhausted and getting off early meant she could go home and rest, but she also needed the extra couple hours of work. Her Pa needed medicine and it wasn't cheap. She thought about walking up to the manager and demanding he let her finish out the day, but decided against it. He would likely get mad and fire her.

She walked down the dusty road in the direction of her house.

When she arrived, her father was still in bed where she had left him. She approached his bedside quietly, not wanting to wake him. His face was pale and sweat was beginning to gather around his hairline. Underneath his eyes was slightly red and puffy.

His fever had lasted for the past three days with no signs of improvement. The doctor had come by and told her what to do for him, but she couldn't afford the medicine just yet. Until she could buy it, she fed him soups and made sure he had plenty of water.

Maggie started to back away, but stepped on a creaky floorboard. She watched as her father, Charlie, slowly opened his eyes.

"Maggie," he said hoarsely. "You're home early."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "I'm going to get you some soup, wait right here." She left for the kitchen and returned with a warm bowl of soup, smiling when she saw that he had managed to sit part of the way up by himself.

The next several days passed in a similar manner. She fed her father breakfast, left for work, came home, and ate dinner. He still showed no signs of getting better, but he wasn't getting any worse either, so she held onto hope.

She was relieved when Sunday arrived. Sunday meant she didn't have to go to work at the lumber mill and she could stay home. The barn was filthy.

Maggie wrinkled her nose as she stepped into the barn. She had gotten behind on her chores. She turned the cow and the stallion out into the pasture and completely changed out the bedding in their stalls. It smelled much better after she had done that. Only now she smelled strongly of hay, manure, and sweat but it wasn't something she was unaccustomed to.

The sound of hoofbeats filled her ears and it was quickly followed by a voice.

"Maggie?"

The color drained from her face and she stood there in the barn, too shocked to move.

Vincent's tall figure appeared in the doorway of the barn. He was clutching his hat in his hands and looking rather solemn.

She had not spoken to him much over the past two years. They exchanged brief formalities when they did run into one another, but that was it. For two years he had made no effort to visit her or to try and be friends again.

She quickly scolded herself. She had been the one to push him away. She had also regretted it every moment afterward. He made her feel something that she was too shy to admit aloud. Something no other person had ever made her feel before.

"What are you doing here?" Maggie asked.

Vincent shifted and put his hat back on his head. "I am engaged," he said. "I thought you should know."

The words sent a stabbing pain to her heart, but she tried to ignore it. It wasn't her place to care about his marital status. She had given up the right to that a long time ago.

"To who?" She forced herself to ask.

"Caroline Hazelton."

Maggie knew that name. Her father was the owner of several businesses in Atlanta. She had met Caroline herself at some of Evangeline's parties. The woman was beautiful but spoiled and snobby. She and Evangeline got along well.

"She's lovely. You're a lucky man." That was all she could muster. She turned away, putting the shovel she had used to clean the stalls back into its proper place. She grabbed a bucket of pig feed and marched out the door, walking right past him but not looking his way.

If he had come all this way just to upset her, he had succeeded. She heard footsteps following behind her and remembered the last time he had visited her home. It had been a day much like this one.

"I don't want to marry Caroline," Vincent said. He jogged a bit to catch up with her.

"Don't say that." Maggie stopped and turned to face him. "Caroline is kind and beautiful. She will make you happy." She didn't say it aloud, but she also wanted to add that Caroline was a rich and well-mannered lady. She may have been spoiled but she was a proper society lady.

"She's a snob," Vincent said, looking her in the eye. "We have nothing in common. She just wants to sit around or go to parties. She never talks to me."

"You'll find something in common with her."

"I don't want to," he protested in a calm tone. He reached out and gently took the bucket of pig feed from Maggie's hand and set it on the ground. His fingers brushed against hers as he did so.

She looked up at him, unsure of what to do. "We have gone over this, Vince." His nickname left her mouth so comfortably although it had been a long time since she had called him that.

"I know you feel the same way as I do," he replied softly, still looking into her blue eyes.

His gaze just about made her melt. "You're engaged," she said sadly. It finally hit her when she said those two words. He was going to be married and she would never see him again. It would be considered improper, especially because of her social and economic status.

"One word from you," he replied. "One word from you confirming what I know to be true and I will break off my engagement."

Maggie stared at him in disbelief. He was willing to risk his father cutting him off. He was willing to risk giving up his life of luxury just for her. She must have stayed quiet for too long because he slowly straightened himself and nodded.

Vincent nodded slowly and backed away. "Goodbye, Margaret."

She watched as he turned and walked back to his horse, which he had tied to the fence post. She watched as the only man she had ever loved walked out of her life forever. The thought made her stomach churn.

She told herself that this was for the best. He would be miserable if he came to live her simple life and if his family accepted her, she would be miserable living the life of a domesticated lady.

But she started to think about everything he had ever said to her. He had made it clear that he did not approve of his father's excessive spending or treatment of his employees. He had told her he would be happy- that she made him happy.

"Vincent!" She shouted just as he reached his horse. Before she knew what she was doing, she was sprinting towards him, skidding to a stop just a foot in front of where he stood. "Please. Please don't marry Caroline Hazelton."

Her heart pounded when he did nothing but stare for a moment. But then his arms were around her and his lips were on hers. Her body stiffened, but only for a moment before she relaxed.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," he murmured against her lips.

The words caused her heart to flutter. She had dreamed of hearing him say that to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and broke the kiss for a split second to speak. "I love you too."

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Word Count: 1520