Alex“It’s not that early,” I argued. “Roosters were up hours ago.”“It’s seven, Alex. Seven. That’s early.”“I need coffee,” I told her.She turned around, glowering at me as she reached for a mug. “Do you know they sell coffee at the gas station and the diner, and hell, I know you have your own coffee maker.”“I like your coffee,” I said with a grin.“What happened? You did something. I know that look.”“Me?” I asked innocently. “I did nothing.”Five minutes later, we were sitting on her couch, both of us with a cup of coffee cradled in our hands. “I assume you’ve already been out to Oliver’s farm?”I nodded. “Damion’s farm.”“Who’s Damion?”“Damion is Oliver’s grandson. He’s back.”“Back from where?” she asked with confusion.“New York City. That’s where he’s been living. He’s back because he inherited the farm. That’s who Oliver gave it to. That’s who Oliver was trying to tell me was coming to take over it.”She rubbed her eyes. “It’s too early. I’m so confused.”“Damion is going
DamionAfter getting up way earlier than I would have preferred, Oliver and I were both dragging a little. Thankfully, our bodies were still on east-coast time and it didn’t feel nearly as early as it had been when she’d rumbled the tractor by the window.It was a trick I was familiar with. My grandpa used to do the same damn thing when I would get home late. He hated the idea of sleeping in. He considered seven too late. No matter the day, the man was up and out of bed by five at the latest. Apparently, Alex was the same way.“Okay, are you ready?” I asked Oliver, who was sitting at the kitchen table, just finishing his cereal.He shrugged. “Do I have to?”“Yes, you have to. This school is going to be a lot different than your old school.”He put his bowl in the sink. “Don’t I have to wear my uniform?”I smiled, shaking my head. “Nope. Jeans and whatever shirt you choose is good enough.”“Do they have books?”“Absolutely. Today, we’ll go and just check things out. You don’t have to s
DamionMrs. Peters excused herself before Miss June came to stand beside me. “I’m really glad you’re back. Your grandfather always told us you’d be back one day.”I gulped down the lump in my throat. “I think he wanted me back sooner.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself. He knew you needed to spread your wings and fly. He was so very proud of you. Every time I saw him in town or at one of the football games, he would catch me up on your life. I’m sorry things haven’t been easy for you, but I’m sure glad to finally get to meet that young man. He’s going to be fine here.”I nodded. “I have no doubt in my mind he will. I’m happy you’re still here. You made a huge difference in my life. Oliver is a lot like I was. He needs a lady like you.”“I’m only sorry I only get to have him in class a couple of months. Maybe I’ll hold him back so I can spend more time with him.”I chuckled. “Oliver is a smart kid and I’m not just saying that because I’m a proud daddy. He’s really smart. His last scho
AlexI parked my truck in front of the barn, hopping out with my work gloves in hand. I reminded myself I wasn’t going to make any judgments. I was going to be positive and professional. I could show the man what needed doing without wanting to strangle him. After all, I had survived Deke. I could survive this guy.Patience, I told myself. Lots of patience. I walked into the barn, greeting the horses as I set about tidying the place up. I had left in a hurry yesterday and had left things in a bit of disarray. Obviously, the new owner hadn’t bothered to clean it up. Instead of coming back to the farm, I had gone home and answered a few of the emails I had been putting off. I wasn’t ready to take a new job just yet, but I wanted to make sure I had a job when this one ended.I had a feeling it was going to be ending much sooner than I had initially planned. I was going to play nice, but there was nothing forcing Damion to return the favor. He’d been surly and a little too domineering for
AlexHe shook his head. “I’m afraid.”“You don’t have to be afraid. We’ll do it together. Hold out your hand, nice and flat.” He did as I asked, leaning his head away from his hand as far as his neck would stretch. I put the carrot in his palm. Fiona’s giant lips brushed across his palm as she picked up the carrot. He shrieked, yanking his hand away.“It’s okay,” I said. “Those were her lips. You’re okay.”He looked at his hand and then back at the horse. “I did it!”“Yes, you did. See, it’s not so bad.”“Good girl, Fiona,” he said to the horse.“But here’s the deal. You can never feed the horses by yourself. Not yet. You need to learn how to talk to them, how to touch them, and how to be safe around them. All right?”He nodded. “Okay.”I walked him around the barn, pointing out various tools and educating him about what he could and couldn’t touch. I had worked with kids before. Usually, they were used to the farm life and had a healthy fear of certain things, but with Oliver, it was
DamionI was going to take full advantage of Oliver being in trouble. We had a long talk about safety on the farm and I was confident my message had gotten through. I wasn’t going to hold him back from being a boy, like Alex had accused. She didn’t know me or my son. He wasn’t aware of the dangers. After we talked, he helped me go through more of my grandfather’s things. I had a few boxes of clothing for the donation center and a huge bag of what I was going to classify as rags.He’d gone to his room to read a bit ago. I hadn’t heard a peep from him. I quietly pushed open the bedroom door and saw he had passed out on his bed, his book lying next to him. I smiled as I watched him sleep. I pulled his favorite blanket over him and gently moved the book. I had known he was tired. It had been a busy week. I wouldn’t have minded a nap myself.I went to the living room, peeking out the window to see if Alex was still there. I hadn’t heard her truck start up. I had come inside and managed to
DamionShe grinned. “I’ve only worked for Oliver for a couple of months.”“How long have you been a hand?”She shot me a dirty look. “I’m not a hand,” she said the word as if it had been an insult. “I’m a fixer. People, farm and ranch owners, hire me to fix a farm that isn’t performing like it needs to be. Farms that are losing more money than they make or just need a little help getting things organized, that’s what I do.”“My grandfather was losing money?” I asked with surprise.“No, but things were in a bit of disarray. He’d lost his longtime farmhand and the other guys he had working for him were taking advantage of his kindness. They weren’t doing him any favors. Planting was delayed and things were just kind of a mess. I understand why now, but I didn’t then. I thought it was an old guy losing his steam. I didn’t know he was sick.”“Neither did I,” I told her. “He didn’t tell me he was sick. He showed up at my office out of the blue and I now realize he was saying goodbye. At th
AlexI looked in the rearview mirror, smiling when I saw the little black car eating the dust kicked up from my truck. Damion and Oliver were following behind me. I was looking forward to getting to know them both a little better. I wanted to know who I was leaving the farm to. I wanted to reassure myself it wasn’t going to fall apart the moment I walked away. Once I had that peace of mind, I could move on.I would miss the farm, but it was really Oliver Senior I would miss. He was gone and there was no reason for me to stick around. Oliver wanted his grandson to have the farm. It was my job to make sure Damion didn’t completely screw it all up.I pulled my truck into one of the spots in front of the restaurant and waited on the sidewalk while Damion got Oliver out of the backseat. Oliver was a really cute kid. I could see the intelligence in his blue eyes that were so much like his daddy and granddaddy’s. He even had the same leggy walk, his long arms swinging as he moved in a fluid