“Bye.”
I blow out a breath, following her to gaze through the glass door. In the distance, the treetops, barely visible over a rolling hill, highlight the back of my property. Betsy Barn is a few hundred feet beyond that.
My chest tightens as I imagine what it must’ve felt like for my grandpa to break off this chunk and sell it. The thought of selling off any of my land is like being pierced in the heart—and I didn’t buy it. I didn’t bleed to get the ranch started or save and gamble to make my dreams come true. I just did what I always do—pick up the pieces and keep things going without adding much to the mix.
The taste of defeat stings my tongue as I turn toward the living room. But as I move, I catch a glimpse of the corner of an envelope sticking out of a pile of mail.Joe Jewell, Attorney at Lawis printed in bold black ink.
My feet falter as I pause, staring at the label as if it might bite me. Bile creeps up my throat as my worst nightmare comes into an undeniable reality.
“Hartley? Can you join us, please?” Lolly calls.
I want to ignore her. I want to rush to the door and hop in my truck. Anything but hear the news. But even if I don’t hear it, it won’t change a damn thing. Lolly is respectful enough to tell me in person, and I appreciate that.
My shoulders tighten as I enter the living room. Lolly sits in a recliner with a cup of coffee, and Mira is curled up on a loveseat across from her. Faced with sitting beside Mira or the rocking chair on the other side of the coffee table, I choose the chair.
“Again, lunch was great,” I say, running my hands down my thighs. “Thanks for having me.”
Lolly smiles as if she’s not about to break my fucking heart.
The air is hot, the room feels stuffy, and I want to open a window or turn on a fan. I claw at my collar, tugging it away from my neck.
“Now that it’s just the three of us, I want to have a little chat,” she says, sipping her drink.
How can she drink something hot when it’s blistering in here?
Mira catches my gaze and lifts a brow. I give her the slightest shrug.
“Joe Jewell has been on my butt about getting my affairs in line ever since Pop passed away two years ago.” Lolly sets her mug on a doily on the side table. “I’ve put it off because no one wants to think about death.”
“I don’t want to talk about this,” Mira says, unwinding her legs from beneath her.
“Sit.” Lolly stops her from getting up with a pointed look.
I clear my throat. “With all due respect, this seems like a private family matter. I’m not sure why I’m here or that I should be here, for that matter.”
Lolly groans, rolling her eyes. “You two are proving my damn point.”
Mira and I exchange another confused look.
“I had this eloquent speech to share with you two yahoos, but I’m just going to cut to the chase,” Lolly says. “Ed Beardsley contacted me about selling the property.”
Here we go …
My stomach floats as it senses the crest of the roller coaster that I’m about to plunge down. I hold my breath, the pause in the conversation dragging out the anticipation until I’m nearly stretched as thin as a wire.
The silence screams louder than anything Lolly could say. My body tries to get ahead of what’s to come—bracing, preparing for impact—but there’s nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. No way in the world to be ready for what she’s about to share.
The drop is coming and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“And to be honest, I’ve considered it,” Lolly says. “It’s a lot of money—a lot of money. I could do so much good with it, take so many vacations.” She sighs, closing her eyes briefly. When she opens them again, she’s looking straight at me. “But that’s not what I want.”
It’s not?
I can’t take a full breath. Her words bounce around in my head as I try to reconcile them with the peace on her face.What’s she saying? What does that mean?
“What are you saying, Lolly?” Mira asks carefully.
Lolly shifts in her chair. “This isn’t just land to me. It isn’t just a piece of ground with a farmhouse plopped on it that can easily be exchanged for cash.” She looks around the room, smiling softly to herself. “Pop and I redid our vows in front of that fireplace. We …” She chuckles. “We’d hide in the closet by the bathroom to get a little privacy because you kids wouldn’t look there, and it was the only room with a lock.”
