“I think we’re helping people,” I said, meaning it.
“Well, as long as that’s true, and not just something you tell yourself to sleep at night, then you’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Presley.”
She pursed her lips. “You might not want to tell everyone who you are. There’s lots of people around here who won’t be so kind.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Mrs. Presley got to her feet. “Enjoy the rest of your coffee. I’ll be back in a bit to clear it.”
She made it to the door before turning back around. “When you said Shelby Whitaker was an interesting woman, were you by any chance chased off the property by Shelby and her shotgun?”
I barked out a dry laugh. “I was, actually.”
She smiled to herself. “She’s a terrible shot, just so you know.”
Then she was gone, leaving me with so many questions. All about a pretty farmgirl named Shelby.
CHAPTER 3
SHELBY
The rain was back. It had started again right after Carter Allory left my farm, and I was starting to think he had brought the bad weather with him. I needed to drive into town today, but I was dreading it.
My sweet little hens needed food to keep popping out eggs and that meant a trip to the feed store. I used to love going there when I was younger. The store seemed to sell a bit of everything. But now, it was where I got the most dirty looks. Even the occasional comment.
Their anger was misplaced, but they didn’t care. Some of these men needed a punching bag, and I was it. I had tried to be cordial in the past, but I gave up after it became clear that there was no talking sense to some folks. You couldn’t reason someone out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into in the first place. Emotions didn’t follow logic.
Which was why, no matter how much I told myself their opinions didn’t matter, my feelings still got hurt when they were mean to me.
As I got dressed in clothes that weren’t filthy from work, I consoled myself with the fact that I had some friends in town, like Dora Lynn and Lila, who was my actual best friend. We’dknown each other since we were little, and now she was married to Jake, who ran the feed store I was going to.
The drive was peaceful. The rain was a steady patter instead of a deluge, more soothing than stressful. The closer I got to Ferris, though, the more armor I piled up around me, just in case.
Objectively, I understood it was ridiculous that I was a grown woman worried about getting bullied at the store, but that was small town living. It was great when you were a part of the community, but once you were the town asshole, there was no shaking that reputation.
I parked at the feed store and got out, pulling my raincoat tight around me. The hat would have come in handy, but that was just another thing the fucking Allory family had stolen from me. I could add it to the list, along with my family name and our farm.
The parking lot had a lot of trucks in it, and my heart sank. I recognized the vehicles of a few of my least favorite people. Oh well. I wasn’t going to run away from them.
Jake waved hello to me when I walked in. “How goes it?”
“It goes well,” I told him. “The ladies need food, though.”
“Again?” he asked with a smile.
“What can I say? Everyone on my farm likes to eat.” I grabbed a bag of jerky from a display by the counter. “Speaking of which, throw this in too, please. This one’s for mama bird.”
“That’s what I like to see. We need to enjoy little treats sometimes. It makes life worth living.” He rang up my order on the terminal in front of him.
I glanced around the empty aisles. “Where is everyone? Not that I’m complaining, but the lot is full and I haven’t gotten a single dirty look since I’ve been in here.”
“Oh, everyone’s gathered in the back, by the checkerboards.” Jake chuckled and shook his head. “There’s some dude from thebig city here, and these goofs are acting like he’s the king of Kentucky.”
My stomach knotted. I didn’t like jumping to conclusions, but I only knew of one big city shithead in town. Then I heard Carter’s polished laugh, confirming it.
I peeked down one of the aisles to find him at the other end of the store, talking to a pig farmer from up north. Did these people not know who Carter was? Or did they not care? Was their anger only for my parents for selling out, not for the company that had cut the jobs and benefits?
