Page 73 of Silent Heart

“No, I don’t know how much they left us in the will, and even if they did want to give me the inheritance, they don’t have the liquid assets.” That voice belonged to Duke.

It took every drop of my strength not to launch at him. The rat bastards! Just that small snippet of conversation was enough to know what they were talking about. My grandparents had a tidy portfolio of investments that sat untouched, collecting decent interest, and of course the farm increased in value every year—thus the higher taxes this spring. They didn’t plan to touch their investments, saying those were for us when they passed.

“Well, maybe you should sell some of your fancy-ass shit, and then you could pay your high credit cards,” Duke snapped, in response to whatever Ottis said.

“So long as we agree, the farm gets sold,” Ottis’s wife sneered. “Everyone else is on board.”

“Harley’s not,” Duke interrupted.

Ottis’s wife scoffed. “She hardly matters. She’s going to make more than us with that fancy doctor job someday. Her livelihood won’t depend on the farm.”

“I’m not signing or agreeing to anything. It could be years before Gran dies,” Duke asserted. “Until then, I’ll work the farm like I was raised to.”

“Goodie-goodie,” Ottis sneered.

“Watch your fucking mouth.” Duke stomped away. As he rounded the luxury vehicle he stopped short, gaze fixing on mine.

We exchanged a silent communication. I now knew where he stood. Someday, the farm would be gone, our family’s legacy finished.

Unless I buy him out.

I gave him a nod, pushed in the brake, and started the engine. Could I do that? Could I save enough once I was a veterinarian to buy my cousins out of their shares?

Not if I wanted to work at the Moosehorn Veterinary Clinic with Dr. Hoffner. I would have to sell out and take a job at a prestigious place. Probably one in Chicago, where the salary would be mid-six figures. If I lived as cheaply as possible, saving every penny, I could just do it.

Filled with hope, I pulled sharply out of the parking spot. Gravel kicked up from my wheels. But it was the shift in foliage that caught my attention. I could have sworn I saw I pair of blue eyes set on a black canvas, draped in greens. When I looked harder, all I saw was forest.

I shook my head. Great, now I was seeing camouflaged men in the trees!

***

It took all afternoon, but the work was well worth it.

My dorm felt like a small home away from home. Stomach rumbling, I decided to try the cafeteria, where I could dine for a mere six bucks. It would add up, but if I dropped fruit or boxed cereal in my tote, and kept snacks in my dorm, I could make it on one meal a day.

I’m finally living the dream.

My blue jeans and fitted tee were at odds with the amount of thigh, ass, and belly on display around me. Showing off tummy with a crop top was for a twenty-something student. I didn’t lookthatout of place. Still, I kept my head high and sauntered down the path to the cafeteria. Soon, the trees would change color and rain leaves over the sidewalk.

After my dining card was scanned, I loaded a plate and found a seat. I was one of the only diners not on my phone. I had a book, a cozy mystery I’d been dying to read all summer, but I didn’t need to hide behind something. I was capable of sitting alone, eating alone.

Like someone else I knew.

I immediately slammed down on the thoughts of Kole.

The buzz of conversation swirled around me.

It was the group of girls who seemed like freshmen that I could hear the best. A guy whose facial hair was dark with age leaned against their table.

“So if you need anything, just give me a call,” he insisted.

Something knotted in my stomach at the offer.

It was only confirmed when he turned, gave me a once over, visibly shuddered, and walked away. He wasn’t interested in a thirty-four-year-old, even I would put money on it that we were close in age.

I wanted very much to say something to the girls. But if they were anything like the stereotypical late teens they seemed, they wouldn’t want a lecture on guys preying on their youth and naivety.

I just hope nothing happens to them.

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