Page 18 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

“Where?” Sariah said.

“On the old Hickory Ridge homestead.”

“What? They can’t build a mall there. Talk about wrecking all our childhood memories,” Sariah said.

“It wasn’t just us,” Kane said. The entire community had loved that farm. There was a creek with a rope swing that was a popular swimming spot for kids in the summer. In high school they’d all had bonfires on the property. The owner, Mr. Webber, had always been welcoming the community onto his property. His wife was a retired schoolteacher who had taught at Maple Creek High for forty years. They’d both passed away within the last few years.

“I know,” Sariah said. “It was a well-loved place. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Get the word out and gather more people to that town meeting.”

“It won’t be easy to fight against the developers. All those people care about is turning a profit,” his grandmother said, shaking her head in disgust.

“Gramps would be so upset if he were alive to hear this news.”

“Why do you say that?” Sariah asked.

“He used to work on that farm when he was a young guy. The property meant a lot to him.”

“It meant a lot to me too. We had a lot of good memories there.”

Kane’s heart warmed to hear her talk about it. They’d had their first kiss on that property. They’d spent the entire day by Maple Creek, swimming and picnicking in the sun. When the sun had set and the place had cleared out, he’d finally been brave enough to make his first move. He’d never forget it. The fireflies had just started to appear, and the crickets were chirping all around them.

But that was a long time ago. He was sure Sariah wasn’t talking about the memories between the two of them. There had been plenty of other happy memories throughout the years. If he were being honest with himself, he would admit that his memories with Sariah were by far the best he’d experienced at Hickory Ridge. But those kinds of thoughts weren’t helpful. Sariah had moved on. What they’d had was ancient history.

“What are you going to do to save the farm, Kane?” his grandmother asked.

“I think the first thing to do is to get the word out to the community that this property is getting turned into a mall.”

“That’s a good direction to head in,” Sariah said. “I can help with getting the word out.”

“We can tell people at the funeral,” his grandma offered.

“No, Grandma, that day is for Gramps.”

“You don’t think that would be one of the best ways you could honor him?” his grandma pointed out. “He wouldn’t want Hickory Ridge to be turned into a shopping center.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Kane agreed. Maybe the funeral would be an ideal gathering for spreading the word about the plans to demolish the farm. Those were historical buildings. The farmhouse dated back to before the Civil War. The barn was over a hundred years old. Mr. and Mrs. Webber had done a great job keeping the buildings in good repair. He wondered what kind of condition they were in now that the couple had passed. “I think we should head over there and check out the property.”

“I’d love to go with you,” Sariah offered. “Maybe we can go after we finish up in here.”

Kane turned around and surveyed the room. “What do we still have left?”

His grandma twisted to look at him. “I have the donate box filled. I think I’m going to go get some more from the garage.”

“I can go with you to give you a hand,” Kane offered.

They left and his grandma led him to a corner of the garage where she had a bunch of empty boxes stacked up. He grabbed a few and handed two of them to his grandma.

“This ought to be enough for now,” she said.

He followed her back into the kitchen with two of his own in his arms. He helped her sort through the piles they’d made on the table. Sariah had her cabinet emptied so she joined them in their sorting effort.

His mom showed up in the doorway. “How’s it going in here?”

“We’re making great progress,” his grandma said. “I think we’re going to end up donating most of this stuff. I don’t plan on cooking as much in my new place.”

“Make sure you keep a few things to keep you afloat until you decide to move out,” his mom said.

“I’ve already thought of that,” his grandma said. “Do you want to go through the donate pile to see if there’s anything you want to keep?”

---