Harper

Time healed all wounds, even the freshest ones. It had been a week since my pa’s funeral, and I was feeling better about everything. I had convinced myself that my pa just couldn’t wait to join my mom in the afterlife and they were happier there than they had been in life. Those thoughts provided me comfort and made each passing day more manageable. Of course, I still couldn’t bring myself to change their room or take down their clothes from their closet, but baby steps were far healthier than giant leaps anyway. I had promised myself that I would be stronger and focus on the more pressing matters, like the family business.

After putting up the signs in the yard, I couldn’t help but feel shame. The whole world knew of our debts, I was sure, but it was a different thing to actually admit to them. Howard had assured me that it was the best thing to do, and he’d even said he had been called left and right about the lease. Some of the offers were absurd and low, but others were willing to pay what we were charging. That filled me with hope, because I knew the bank would be more interested in taking payments than my family land. To celebrate, I decided to pick myself up and be social for a day with my old high school friends. They’d gotten in touch a few days after the funeral and had said they would come over to catch up.

I was excited, especially since I was so tired of being alone. I woke up early to tend to the farm, and then I spent the rest of the day doting on myself. I straightened my naturally wavy, shoulder-length hair. I put on makeup—which was only some mascara and eyeliner, but that was far more than usual. I even got dressed in my favorite light blue turtleneck sweater and a pair of knee-high black boots instead of my usual jeans. The cherry on top was the sheer stockings I was wearing because I was feeling fancy. I wanted to look my finest after not seeing my friends since three years before.

My only issue was food, but I tossed together a suitable brunch. There were chopped fruits, fresh scrambled eggs, some pancakes, and freshly squeezed orange juice. My mama had taught me how to host well, because I’d turned nothing into something fine. I could feel her smiling down proudly at the way I had arranged everything. If I had married a man young, I would have been a mighty fine hostess that my husband would have bragged about. Instead, I was showing off for my friends so they didn’t ask me questions about whether I was okay or if I’d been taking care of myself. The world didn’t need to know about my emotional state, and I was dead set on making sure I seemed as normal as I possibly could.

As soon as I finished setting everything up, there was a knock on my door. I expected it to be my friends arriving early, because they always tended to do so; however, upon getting closer to the door, I realized that the figure behind the screen was none other than Howard. Thinking the worst, I hastened my steps and opened the door to greet him.

“Howard, I wasn’t expecting you to stop by today,” I said, moving to the side to let him in.

“Well, I was going to call, but I wanted to stop by to deliver the good news personally,” he said with a grin that reached from ear to ear. “A few days ago, we got an offer for the lease, and, dear Lord, Harper, it’s the biggest offer we’ve gotten thus far.”

“That’s really good news,” I said. I was happy, but, for some reason, I felt like my heart was sinking. There was going to be someone else on my family property, using it as their own.

“Not just good news, great news,” Howard said. “Not only was this the biggest offer, but the man offered nearly fifty percent more than we were asking for.”

My jaw dropped when the words left his mouth.

“That was my reaction as well,” he said happily. “And, initially, I was very hesitant, but I looked over his offer, checked with his sources, and even consulted with the bank. This offer is legit, and this can be a huge payout for this farm if we play our cards right.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked him. He was speaking in riddles, and I was doing my best to keep up with his words.

“This man has connections in real estate, so, if all goes well, we could get your family business back to where it once was—perhaps even better,” he said.

I didn’t know what possessed me, but squeals of delight left my lips. I couldn’t help but reach over and pull Howard into a tight embrace as I hopped up and down excitedly. If there was a God in heaven, he was sure looking out for me.

“I knew you would be excited about it,” he said as he awkwardly wrapped an arm around me. “This is very good news for you and your business, Harper. Very good news.”

Slowly, I pulled away and looked at him. “Who would do something so generous? What person living in this town can put up an offer like that?”

“I was waiting on you to ask,” Howard said.

He stepped back and grabbed one of the many manila folders from his arm, and I had to keep myself from reminding him for the hundredth time to organize. Half amused and a little more than impatient, I watched as Howard fumbled with the contents in his hands before he decided to place everything down on a nearby table to find what he was looking for.

“Do you need any help?” I asked him with my arms slightly crossed and an expression, I was sure, that spelled out my anxious impatience.

“No, no. I’ve found it,” Howard murmured sheepishly. He stood and walked closer to me, opening the folder with a wide smile. “This man was eager to outbid, and he made sure he was up to date for every step of the processing.”

“That’s good and all, Howard, but I still want to know who this kind man is,” I told him.

“It’s Gretchen and Kyle’s son, Lincoln,” Howard finally revealed.

In that moment, I was sure I was hearing things improperly. There was only one Gretchen in the small town I lived in, and she was the mother of the boy who had stolen my heart. At once, I felt my already broken heart begin to race, and I placed a hand over my chest as if that would ease it. There was no way in heaven or on earth that the man who was interested in my land was the very man who had broken my heart and left me behind a decade before. My mind couldn’t register exactly what had been said. That man was like a jagged old puzzle piece whose worn-out sides didn’t belong anywhere in the picture anymore.

“Are you talking about Lincoln Heatherton?” I asked Howard, hoping I was just hearing things wrong of there was a new family that had moved to town while I’d been living away from home.

“That would be him indeed,” Howard said.

“I don’t understand how any of that is possible,” I said, snatching the files from his hand to read the information for myself. “He left for God knows where ten years ago, and he can’t possibly be able to afford what he’s offering.”

“Oh, he’s not the same boy he used to be anymore, Harper,” Howard said. “I ran a background check and a dozen credit checks. Hell, all I had to do was look up his name to see that he’s worth billions now. If he wanted to, he could buy out this whole town right at the bank and they’d give it to him without a fight.”

“Billions? It’s only been ten years. How can that be?” I asked in a dumbfound tone.

“A lot can change with just a little luck. But it doesn’t matter how he made it happen. All that matters is that Lincoln is saving this business, and you shouldn’t question it,” Howard said.

He looked like he wanted to dance, he was so relieved. While he was happy to have finally found the breakthrough to financial stability, I was upset that a ghost of my past had reared his ugly head to get his grubby, no-good hands on what belonged to me. It pained me to think about having Lincoln around after so long. I had thought I had healed from the heartbreak I had endured after he disappeared without so much as a note. I had thought that I had gotten stronger. I had even dated kinder, smarter, and more well-off men since then. I supposed none of them had stuck around because of Lincoln, though, whether it was because of how badly he had hurt me or because of the place he had forever kept in my heart. Regardless, I didn’t want him around me.

“I’m sorry, Howard, but we’re going to have to find someone else. There has to be a way other than having Lincoln lease my land and live in my home,” I said. My voice was a lot weaker than I wanted it to be. I didn’t want to give off any emotion in front of the frumpy lawyer before me.

Howard’s smile dropped, and he looked at me like he was looking at an alien.

“Don’t give me that look. I don’t feel comfortable having a man I barely know live in my home with me, alone,” I said, lying and yet hoping it came out with ease.

“Didn’t you two go to school together? I thought you’d be happy because you two used to be as thick as thieves,” Howard said.

“That may be true, but I haven’t heard a peep from him in a decade. I don’t know what kind of man he turned into,” I said. “I could end up chopped up and buried for all you know.”

Howard was silent for several long moments. I expected him to accept my declination of Lincoln’s offer as well as my reasoning. However, Howard started howling with laughter. I blinked a few times, taken aback by the blatant disregard of my emotions and thoughts. I stood there feeling like a proper fool, unsure if he saw through my lie or didn’t take me seriously at all. After a few seconds, my red face had changed from flustered to furious.

“What’s so funny?” I asked him.

“I’m not laughing at you, Harper, I swear,” he said while calming down from his laughing fit. “I’m just laughing at how much of your parents are in you. When we offered the same thing to them years ago, your mom had the same fears and your pa wasn’t trusting a single soul around his girls. You’re just like your folks. It just took me by surprise; that’s all.”

The redness in my face was once again because I was flustered. His words filled me with pride but also with pity. They had been in the same position as me and had turned it down due to their stubbornness. I remembered my parents being courageous; even my mom knew how to handle a gun and could out-fight the toughest of men. It was nice hearing I was like them, but it sobered me to realize that I couldn’t make the same mistakes they had.

“Harper, I respect your decision, but I know you’re not a dumb girl,” Howard said after calming down some more. His face was red, even the balding spot at the top of his head. “This is the only option you have if you want to save this place. It meant so much to your parents, and I know it means even more to you now. Please don’t decline this offer. I don’t think we’ll be able to save your property if you do.”

I thought over his words and sighed out heavily. They rang true, just as they always did.

“You’re right. I’m sure the dogs will keep me safe while he’s here,” I muttered softly. “Tell the bank that I accept the offer and I look forward to getting the payments up to date.”

Howard was happy with my words. After having me sign a few papers and accepting some coffee to go, he left in high spirits. I was left behind feeling lost in an emotional limbo. I was worried that things weren’t going to be easy, and I knew there was going to be an air of awkwardness around us once Lincoln and I met again. There was nothing I could do about having Lincoln in my home, but I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t allow him to play a role in my life other than that of tenant. There was no more space for heartbreak in my life.

An hour or so later, my friends arrived. Brunch passed by quickly, and, as they chatted with me, I couldn’t help but space out and think about Lincoln. Though I’d vowed to keep him off my mind and out of my heart, memories flooded back like a dam had been broken. There was nothing I could do to stop them, no matter how much I laughed with my girls. The fact that they had families with their high school sweethearts just made me think about Lincoln more. They all knew the story, so they didn’t dare ask me about him, and I wasn’t going to tell them that I was going to be living with him soon.

Before they left, we all made half promises to see one another soon. I knew they were well intended, but I was also aware that they had lives and families to tend to. Things changed when life got serious, and I wished I could have stayed in town and settled down instead of going off to college. I’d gotten a degree I wouldn’t even use, and I’d ended up alone with debt and heartache. I was two years away from thirty with no one to call mine, no children, and nothing going on in my life that I looked forward to.

Life could be so unfair sometimes.