The thought shouldn’t make my stomach flutter. It shouldn’t make me think of Boone carrying me out of the rain, or Rhett boiling water for a bath, or the way Knox talked to chickens this morning.
“You could try to coexist,” Willa suggests gently. “Just for a while. Until you figure out a long-term strategy.”
“I can’t coexist with people who stole my inheritance,” I say, but the words feel weak. “Besides, they hate me. They think I’m just a city girl trying to cash in.”
“Do they?” Josie asks. “Because they ran into a storm to find your dog. They dragged your mattress out to the living room so you wouldn’t freeze. That doesn’t sound like hate to me.”
I don’t have an answer for that. I’m distracted by the sound of the truck pulling in.
“Your men are back,” Josie says.
Not my men.
“Let it go,” Willa chastises her best friend. “She’s already stressed enough as it is.”
I stand up, needing to move. “I should get going. I’m glad I came to see you. Please know that you can text me whenever, okay?”
“Thanks, Saramaria,” Willa says, standing up too. “And I’m glad you came by.”
“Sorry about…” Josie gestures toward the door as she speaks. “I didn’t have to say that.”
“It’s okay,” I’m quick to soothe. “Besides, we’re friends. I wouldn’t hold it against you. And thanks for the cocoa.”
“Stay safe with the storm rolling in.” Willa takes my hand and squeezes. “Please be careful.”
“I will,” I promise.
I hug them both, feeling a fierce surge of affection for these women. They are the friends I chose. Not because of biology or paperwork, but because they see me.
I walk out to the truck. Boone is leaning against the hood, talking to Knox. They stop when they see me.
“Hey,” Knox says.
“Hey guys.” I climb into the back seat.
“Is she okay?” Boone asks, glancing at me in the rearview mirror as he starts the car and starts driving.
“She will be,” I say. “Her pack is taking her to get registered today.”
“Smart,” Knox says from the passenger seat. “Gives them legal standing. If I were them, I’d do the same.”
“Did you get the generators?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yeah,” Boone says. “Two big industrial ones. One for the house, one for the barn. We’ll hook them up when we get back.”
“That must have been expensive,” I say.
“Worth it,” Knox says. “Can’t have the pipes freezing. And we need power for the water pump.”
I look out the window. The rain has stopped completely, and the sun is trying to break through the clouds. The landscape is a soaked, muddy mess, but there’s a stark beauty to it.
My mind drifts back to the conversation with Josie and Willa. The legal angles. The options.
Adverse possession.Unsound mind.Breach of contract.
They’re all aggressive moves. They’re all designed to win. That’s who I am. I’m a lawyer. I fight to win.
But as I watch the miles roll by, a different thought creeps in, uninvited and persistent.
