Holly came into the kitchen, dragging her feet as she looked at her mother. She had the saddest eyes Libby had seen on a six-year-old. They were big and blue like her brother's, but where his were sullen, Holly's were old and sad as if she had seen too much and been here too long. The death of her father had been the end of the happy little girl Libby adored.
“Come here, baby.” Libby reached for her daughter and gave her a quick hug before the child pulled away and sat at the table.
Am I going to lose her too? Both of my kids have deserted me. Life as a widow sucked, but she was sick of telling herself to deal with it. She could feel herself unraveling thread by thread. Will I be able to save my family before I hit rock bottom? Maybe the visit to the lawyer's was the opportunity they needed to regroup. But who was she kidding? Farmers, right? She outlined her plans to the kids and waited for the explosion she knew her decision would bring.
“I'm not going; you can't make me.” Josh glared at her and cursed under his breath.
“I can and I will make you go. You're underage and in enough trouble as it is. This might be the only way to keep this family together, and I'm going to take it. You will do as you’re told for once.” Libby leaned against the kitchen bench, folder her arms, and glared back at him, refusing to give in this time even though her stomach was churning through yet another confrontation. “Holly, are you okay moving to the country, sweetheart?”
Libby watched her daughter's gaze flit around the room before coming back to make contact with her. “Can we have a puppy if we move?”
“I think that's a good idea. We can buy one before we leave if you like.” Libby's heart tightened as she thought about the possibilities for her little girl. There was every hope she would come out of her shell once away from the city and where they all had room to spread their wings and grow.
* * *
The weekend passed in a haze of housework and sorting. Once Libby had decided to make the move, she needed to decide what she was keeping and what was going to the secondhand shop. She assumed the house had furniture, but she’d take hers anyway. Who knew what an old man's taste was like? Aaron told her she only had two weeks to take up residence and fulfill the initial phase of the will.
She had given her notice at work, but surprisingly, instead of feeling jubilant upon handing in her letter of resignation and bidding her coworkers good-bye, she felt reluctant, bereft, even. Libby was having the worst case of cold feet now that her mind had been made up. But there was too much money at stake for her to walk away from it. She was nothing if not practical and would learn all she needed to tackle the work. Surely they could find help somewhere or even Google what they needed to know. Libby would be a willing participant in anything new, and the kids could do with learning some life skills. No one died from getting their hands dirty once in a while.
The house had to be clean before she could hand it over to the real estate. Libby had decided the best option would be to rent it out. The rent money would at least cover the mortgage, and if things didn't go according to plan, they had somewhere to come back to. It was one less thing she had to worry about.
Josh wasn't talking to her yet, but that was nothing new. Maybe a whole new environment and change of lifestyle will adjust his surly attitude; I can always hope.
Volume Two
Chapter 1
Her body tensed with excitement as he ran his finger down the side of her face. As she looked into his smoldering, dark eyes, she found it hard to believe she'd had any negative thoughts about him. He certainly wasn’t the man she first thought he was. With her, he was sensitive and gentle, his soothing words calming her anxious feelings over moving to the farm. He encouraged her to go, telling her it was the right move for her and the children. His chiseled lips looked cold, but as they touched hers, they sent a warm thrill through her body. He teased her top lip with his tongue, sweeping along the ridges and toying with the nub now swollen from his kisses. She lay back in his arms and closed her eyes, giving into the need to pull him closer.
The bed gave way with another weight seconds before a small, wet tongue lapped at her mouth. Coughing and gagging, Libby dragged herself from her dream as she pushed Holly's new puppy away and wiped her lips with the back her hand.
Holly giggled hysterically at her mother's reaction.
“That was not funny, Holly.” Libby coughed, struggling to let go of her dream. “Dog spit doesn’t do it for me first thing in the morning, not before my first coffee anyway.”
“It's time to get up, Mum.” Her daughter bounced on the bed. “We need to get moving before the truck arrives.”
“Since when did you get to be so organized, little one?” Libby pushed aside her blankets and swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“I have
