Shattered Hearts ePub (2 page)

Finding the farm took a few tries.  The directions I’d been given were clear enough, but when I arrived the sun was just starting to set.  And it wasn’t as though there were streets names to go by.  Instead, I’d been told to “take a left at the brown post, drive five miles down the gravel road, hang a right and go straight until the pond.”  At first I’d thought it was charming but now that I was actually trying to find my way in the fading light, it wasn’t quite so delightful.

Right around the time I was beginning to give up, I spotted one of the landmarks I’d been told to watch for.  From there, I was able to find my way to a dirt road.  I could see the lights of a farmhouse off in the distance.  Gripping the steering wheel tightly, I drove toward them and hoped I wouldn’t regret what I was about to do.

I parked my truck next to a small tractor and took a moment to look around before getting out.  The yard appeared to be neat and tidy.  The farmhouse itself, from what I could see of it in the darkness, was modest and well-kept with a small garden out front.  Swallowing hard, I walked up to the front door and rang the bell. 

The door flew open almost immediately, catching me off guard.  A pretty brunette girl with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes looked back at me.  Inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief; she didn’t look like a serial killer!  In fact, she looked to be about the same age as me.  That meant she was probably a year or two younger, I reasoned.

“Hi,” I said, extending my hand.  “I’m Amanda –”

She ignored my handshake and drew me in for a hug.  “I’m Maggie!” she exclaimed cheerfully, her warm, friendly demeanor helping to put me at ease.  “Oh I’m so glad you’re here!” she squealed.  “Come in!  You must be tired from being on the road for so long!  Are you hungry?”

As Maggie led me into the kitchen, I took the opportunity to look around the house.  The furnishings looked a bit dated but the house was clean and welcoming.  The framed photos on the walls and handmade quilt draped over the living room sofa made the house seem lived in and cozy.  It might sound funny but I could almost feel the love within those four walls.

Maggie talked my ear off as we sat at the kitchen table.  I listened quietly as I ate the black bean and rice casserole she’d had warming in the oven, nodding every so often as needed.  I wasn’t a big talker so it was kind of nice to have someone chatter away like that.  At least there wouldn’t be any awkward silences like you sometimes get when meeting new people.

“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” Maggie asked, finally pausing to take a breath.

“Your directions were perfect,” I answered carefully, not wanting to offend her.  “But I guess I’m not the greatest at following them.  Sorry I got here so late.  You were probably expecting me here a lot earlier.”

“Oh that’s fine,” she replied.  “Nate isn’t back yet either – he’s my brother.  He had to go into town to get some parts for the tractor because it broke down again.  We’ve fallen way behind with our seeding because of all the breakdowns and he’s too stubborn to ask the neighbors for help,” she said with a dramatic roll of her eyes.  “That’s why I put the ad up online.”

“Oh?”

Maggie nodded.  “Nate won’t accept help or hire anyone local.  I mean, we did have a hired man before but he ended up stealing from us.  It was a bad situation and it made Nate suspicious of everyone and everything.  So Nate’s been trying to do everything himself and I’m scared he’s going to like, work himself to death or something.  He doesn’t know how to pace himself.”

“I see.”

“This is his first year farming himself,” Maggie informed me, offering up information without me even having to ask questions.  “I mean, as kids we always helped our parents out with chores and stuff, but we’ve never had to do everything ourselves until this year...”  She trailed off then and I caught a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“Maggie?” I asked with concern, pushing my plate away.  “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she said, swiping a hand across her eyes and bravely forcing a smile.  “My parents died last year in a car crash and sometimes talking about them gets me choked up.  I guess it’s still sort of raw even after all this time.”

“Oh,” I replied, not quite knowing how to respond to that horrifying news.  “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks,” she replied.  She cleared her throat.  “So anyway, I know you said you’re not too familiar with farms but I could tell from your emails that you’re sweet and easy to get along with and...well, don’t tell Nate this because he’ll say it’s a stupid reason for hiring someone, but I think we’ll be friends.” 

There was a quality about Maggie that was rare.  She was completely open and honest, unafraid to say whatever was on her mind.  It seemed remarkable that someone who’d suffered such a devastating loss could be that way.  And already I could tell she was a genuinely nice person, too.  I smiled at her.  “I’d like that.”

“You have a really pretty smile,” she told me kindly before standing up.  “Do you want some dessert?  I made chocolate cake.  Well, I made it from a mix because I’m not half the cook my mom was, but I think it’s still pretty good?  I already had a piece...two pieces, to be honest” she confessed somewhat sheepishly.  She brought over the pan and showed the cake to me.

“It looks delicious,” I told her.

She beamed at the compliment, clearly pleased that I appreciated her efforts.  “Thanks!  It’s best with ice cream.  The ice cream is in the spare freezer downstairs – hang on, I’ll run down and get it.  Be right back!”

Once I was alone, I sat at the kitchen table swinging my feet and looking around.  It seemed like a house I could be comfortable in and, as Maggie had predicted, I got the sense that we would become fast friends.  I could tell this room was the heart of the home.  It seemed like Maggie was trying her best to fill her mother’s shoes.  It must have been difficult to be thrust into that role at such a young age, I mused.

The slam of a door jolted me back to the present.  I turned to look over my shoulder just as a young man strode into the kitchen.  He looked every bit as surprised to see me as I was to see him.  He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and unkempt hair that was badly in need of a trim.  His ruggedly handsome face had a few days’ stubble and he appeared to be a few years older than Maggie.  He wore ripped jeans and a flannel shirt with sleeves that were cut off.  The muscles of his biceps rippled with every breath he took.

“Hi,” I said, rising to my feet.  “I’m Amanda.”

“Okay,” he replied, tossing the denim jacket that was slung over his shoulder onto the kitchen counter.  He walked right past me then, opened the fridge and began to chug milk straight from the carton.  Once the carton was empty he tossed it into the sink and turned back around.

“You must be Nate?” I tried again, surprised that his personality was so unlike Maggie’s.

He grunted in affirmation and helped himself to a big chunk of the chocolate cake.  Then he walked over to the table and plunked down right across from me.  I waited for him to acknowledge me in some way but he kept his head down, his slightly-too-long hair hanging in his face.  As I watched, he dug into the cake ravenously, eating like a man who hasn’t had a meal in days.  There was something primal about him, testosterone-driven and caveman-like.

Just then Maggie returned to the kitchen, ice cream container in hand.  “Oh really, Nate?” she chided with a scowl.  “You couldn’t even wait for us, or at least serve Amanda some cake before you helped yourself?  Rude!”

Nate shrugged and shoveled another forkful of cake into his mouth.

She shook her head in annoyance and then began to talk about Nate like he wasn’t even there.  “Honestly, my brother can be such a Neanderthal sometimes. We weren’t raised like that,” she told me sheepishly as she dished up my cake and ice cream, clearly embarrassed by her brother’s boorish behavior. 

“It’s okay,” I said quickly, not wanting to be the source of any tension in the home.  “Thanks.”

“Nate,” Maggie said, sounding slightly nervous, “Amanda will be staying here with us...we hardly even use the basement which is shame since Dad worked so hard to finish it.  It’s really nice,” she promised, redirecting her attention to me.  “It has a four piece washroom, a big bedroom and a spacious living area.  You’ll have your privacy down there, too.  I’ll take you down and show you as soon as we’re done with dessert...if you don’t like it we can fix it up however you want, or we can move you into the spare room upstairs...”

“The basement sounds great,” I assured her.  I wasn’t hard to please; as long as I had someplace safe, warm and clean to lay my head, I’d be content.

Nate raised his head then, looking right at me.  “What’s she staying here for?” he demanded, demonstrating that yes, despite my initial impression of him he was capable of stringing words together to form a sentence after all.

With a sinking feeling, I realized Nate didn’t know Maggie had hired me.  Uh oh...

“She’s going to be working for us,” Maggie explained, her face flushed.  Then, talking a mile a minute, she elaborated, “I know you said we’re fine on our own, but Nate, we’re not fine.  The farm is too much work for the two of us, especially since I’m taking a full college course load online.  We need help if we’re going to keep the farm in the family and that’s where Amanda comes in.”

A shadow came over Nate’s face.  “What do you know about farming?” he asked me accusingly.

“Uh...not much,” I admitted truthfully, squirming under his unforgiving gaze.  “But I’m a quick learner and a hard worker,” I added, offering a small smile that was intended to serve as a peace offering.  He didn’t smile back.

Nate stood then, and, glowering, grabbed Maggie’s shirt sleeve.  It was a simple enough gesture but it brought up painful memories I’d have preferred to keep buried.  Feeling my body tense, I looked at Maggie but she didn’t appear to be the least bit alarmed.  She merely shot her brother a dirty look, which he quickly returned.  In that moment the family resemblance was uncanny.

Wordlessly, Nate pulled Maggie into the next room.  He was trying to take the conversation out of earshot, I guess, but I could still hear most of what they were saying despite their hushed tones.  It was a conversation that wasn’t meant for my ears and I felt strange overhearing it, like I was doing something wrong.

“We can’t afford to hire her!” Nate fumed.

“That’s where the room and board comes in,” Maggie explained patiently.  “It offsets the cost and gives her a place to stay.  It’s a win-win situation and besides, Amanda and I have already worked out and agreed on everything.  Stop worrying.”

“We don’t need help!” Nate hissed, still sounding furious.  “I told you I can handle the farm so let me handle it.  I’m your big brother.  It’s my job to look out for you...to look after you – I don’t need you going behind my back and making business arrangements!  Where did you even find her, anyway?”

“You
can’t
handle the farm!” Maggie insisted, standing up to her brother fearlessly, apparently undeterred by his temper.  “I know that’s not what you want to hear but it’s the truth!  It doesn’t make you less of a man to accept help, you know.  Stop trying to do everything yourself.  If you don’t hire someone I’m going to have to drop out of college so I can pitch in full-time!”

“You’re not doing that!” Nate roared, raising his voice in an impassioned way.  “College is your dream and it was Mom and Dad’s dream for you.  I’m not letting you give that up.”

“Then go back into the kitchen and apologize to Amanda,” Maggie ordered, clearly aware that she’d won the argument.  “Tell her you’re a big dumb hothead – as if she hasn’t already noticed – and let her know the job is hers.”

“What does she even know about farming?” Nate grumbled, unconvinced.

“It doesn’t matter.  She can help with the other stuff,” Maggie retorted, unfazed.  “She can look after the animals so it doesn’t take your time away from being in the field.  She can cook, run errands...it will all work out, you’ll see.  This is going to be great.  You should be thanking me, not scolding me.  I’m like, the best sister ever.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Nate stomped back into the kitchen then, Maggie right on his heels.  I pretended to be very busy eating my dessert and tried my best to act like I hadn’t heard a thing.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Maggie give Nate a nudge in the ribs.

“Sorry,” he muttered, looking at me briefly before averting his eyes.

“Nate will take you on a tour of the farm first thing in the morning,” Maggie chirped.  “It’s too dark to see much now.  But come on – if you’re done your cake then let me show you around the house!  It’s your house now too, so I want you to feel at home...don’t feel like you have to stay in the basement!  Maybe tonight if you’re not too tired we can hang out and watch a movie?”  She linked her arm through mine and led me out of the kitchen, happily chattering away like the blow-up with her brother hadn’t even happened.

I snuck a peek over my shoulder and saw Nate watching me, the expression on his handsome face unreadable.  Biting my lower lip, I whirled back around, startled that we’d made eye contact. 

I’d had a great feeling about this job and my new life until Nate had walked in the door.  Now I wasn’t so sure.  Brooding and sullen in his ripped jeans, he was every bit the tough, macho cowboy.  I just hoped he wouldn’t be trouble.

After all, I’d come to Minnesota to escape trouble, not to find it.

“D
id you sleep okay?”

I jumped as Maggie’s voice startled me.  “I didn’t know you’d be up already!” I exclaimed, startled.  “I was just coming in here for a glass of water...”  That was my routine:  wake up in a cold sweat with a pounding heart and get up for a drink.  I wasn’t even thirsty.  The water was simply intended to distract me from my thoughts.  Sometimes it even worked.

Maggie sat at the kitchen table wearing polka dot pajama pants and a pink t-shirt.  A thick textbook was in front of her.  She wrinkled her nose and closed it.  “I have an online class at 8 a.m.” she explained.  “You’d think that taking a class online would mean I could work at my leisure, right?  But nooo, the prof likes to torture us and make us do weekly chats – ugh!”