DamionI walked back into the barn, wiping my hands on my jeans before rubbing them across the back of my neck. It was hot and I had been working hard since I had dropped Oliver off at school. It had been a hard two weeks since we’d gotten back from Wyoming. After talking with Wayne, I felt even more connected to the farm. I saw how important it was for him to have his farm stay in the family and the sadness that it wasn’t.I didn’t know if I believed in life after death or angels, but if my grandfather was somewhere looking down on me, I didn’t want him to be disappointed. I didn’t want him to have that same sadness I saw in Wayne. I was ready to give it my all and make sure he could rest easy knowing the family legacy was being taken care of.“You ready to tackle that irrigation line?” I asked Alex before taking a drink from the water bottle that was lukewarm and not at all satisfying. She got up from where she was sorting out the tools we were going to need. She was wearing anothe

AlexI couldn’t stop smiling. I loved teasing him. I didn’t feel the least bit guilty about doing it. I always followed through with my promises. I always made sure to take care of anything that came up while we were together. Our relationship had evolved a lot in the last couple of weeks. Once the no sex in the barn rule had been established, we had managed to get a lot of work done.He tried to pay me on more than one occasion, but I didn’t want his money. Truthfully, I wanted his company, and spending a few hours working on the farm every day was worth it. In the back of my mind, I knew I would eventually need to take a job, but for the time being, I liked what I was doing. I liked the freedom to come and go as I pleased.“Looks like they’re done,” Damion said from behind me.I looked toward the doors. The first couple of kids came out of school. I stepped away from the vehicle, waiting for Oliver to make his appearance. When he came out of school, he stopped when he saw the both o

DamionI rather unenthusiastically slid the bacon onto the plate of scrambled eggs before calling Oliver to eat breakfast. I wasn’t feeling all that hungry myself and stuck with my coffee. Because I wanted to give him the idea of normalcy, I sat down at the table with him.“You’re not hungry?” he asked curiously.I shook my head. “No. I had some toast earlier.”“Did you already feed the horses?”I nodded. “I did, while you were sound asleep, snug as a bug in your bed.”He grinned. “I’m not a bug.”“I think you’re the cutest bug.”He took a bite of bacon. “Did you make a plate for Alex?”Hearing her name made the burning in my gut more intense. “No. She isn’t eating breakfast here today.”“Is she going to be here for lunch?” he asked.Listening to his questions about her whereabouts only fueled my own anger. She had flipped on a dime the day before. She’d been fine and laughing one second and then her phone rang. Instead of telling me what was bothering her, she’d run away from me. I w

AlexI stared at him, trying to see him for the man I now knew him to be. He still looked like the same old Damion, but I knew he wasn’t. Everything I thought I knew about him was a lie. It had been him pretending to be someone else. I felt duped. I hated being duped. The casual shorts and T-shirt that were well worn was all part of his act. He was trying to sell himself as a casual, normal man living the country life.In reality, he was a filthy rich guy playing farmer. I wondered if he secretly looked down at all of us. He was used to his high-rise apartment in the city and having gourmet meals delivered to his door. He was the kind of man who had his dry cleaning taken out for him. He was only playing a part. Nothing about him was real, which made me question everything. All night long, I had replayed almost every moment we spent together.The thing that bothered me the most was that initial first impression I got of him. That had been the real Damion. That was the guy he really wa

DamionI stared out over the water that looked like glass. Occasionally, there would be a small ripple that would disturb the surface before smoothing out once again. It was representative of my life in many ways. Things had once been calm and serene. They weren’t now. I was hoping they would be again soon, but I wasn’t counting on Alex being part of that calm serenity.“You okay?” Justin asked.I blinked, the world beyond the surface of the water coming into focus. “I’m good,” I answered.The gentle rocking of the small rowboat we were in had lulled me into a meditative state. He had invited me to go fishing with him while Oliver was at school. Initially, I was going to politely decline before I decided hanging out with him was better than sitting around the house and sulking.Unfortunately, it appeared I could sulk no matter where I was at. I was having a hard time focusing on the fishing I was supposed to be doing. I was hung up on Alex. It was becoming a usual state of mind for me