“I actually have a couple of degrees in nutrition, so I know the benefits of those choices. But how about we just put you in charge of cooking and we’ll eat whatever you make.”
Avery gave a decisive nod. “That would be best, I’m sure, because it will save us all grief later on, and I know a lot of great recipes anyway, although if your degree is in nutrition, I’d really like to discuss the subject with you at length, because had I not gone into music, I would have most certainly studied nutrition…”
She continued on while Harper and Wyatt exchanged looks. Wyatt cleared his throat.
Avery paused and Wyatt said, “Think I’ll just head on down to the shed and get the gourd seeds in the planter.”
“I’ll be down as soon as I get Avery settled.” Harper ignored his smirk as she stepped off the porch beside Avery. Fink certainly had interesting relatives.
Chapter Nine
Wyatt sat at the corner of the counter in Danny’s Diner, using his straw to stir his ice water, watching the lemon swirl in graceful circles halfway down the glass. Harper hadn’t wanted to come.
It might have a little something to do with Avery, although the woman had said she was tired from traveling and was turning in early.
Still, it discouraged him that Harper had turned down his invitation for dinner. He hadn’t exactly asked her out on a date, but close. And she’d said no. Didn’t bode well for his chances.
Someone bumped his shoulder, then plopped into the stool beside him. He glanced over. Rusty.
“Hey, man.”
“It’s not too often I catch you without a smile.” Rusty waved at the waitress and ordered a drink.
Wyatt straightened and tried to pull the corners of his mouth up. Rusty was right; it wasn’t often that he acted this morose. In fact, he usually only felt like this before he left Harper to head out on some adventure.
“That better?” He pointed a forced smile in Rusty’s direction.
“Looks fake.”
Wyatt snorted and went back to stirring his glass.
“What’s the problem, man?”
Should he get Rusty’s advice? Rusty wouldn’t lie. But what kind of advice would he end up getting from a guy that Wyatt had never even seen with a woman? There just wasn’t anyone else to whom he could turn. Sure, he had tons of buds who’d drop everything to climb a mountain with him or go spelunking. And most of those guys were good with the ladies. But the girls they hung with weren’t like Harper. The things he did that would impress a “normal” woman got a big yawn out of Harper.
He waited until Rusty finished ordering his burger and fries.
“If I wanted to catch a girl’s attention, what should I do?”
Rusty ripped open the paper on his straw. “We’re talking about Harper?”
Wyatt went back to focusing on his glass. So much for being hypothetical. “Might be.”
“So why don’t you just tell her? Seems like the direct route would be the best with her.”
“That could ruin our friendship.”
Rusty ran a hand over his jaw, nodding. “Thought you said you were leaving to go to Chile before fall?”
He traced the condensation on the glass with one finger. “I am.”
Rusty leaned back, offended. “I’m not helping you. What, you think Harper is a summer fling kind of girl?”
He jerked his head around. “No! I want her to go with me.”
“To Chile?”
“Yeah. I have to go. My dad’s expecting me. I pretty much told him I’d move down with the idea of taking over management eventually.” He let out a breath and turned back toward the bar, taking hold of his glass and turning it on the smooth surface of the counter.
“And you think Harper’s gonna move to Chile?”
The incredulous way Rusty asked the question made Wyatt realize how foolish his whole idea was.
“She’s never going to move to Chile. Holy cow, it was all her parents could do to get her to go with them to see Niagara Falls.”
That trip was a lifesaver now. Otherwise, Harper wouldn’t have had a passport. “I know. You’re right.”
Carla sashayed up to the bar and set Wyatt’s meal and Rusty’s burger and fries down with loud clinks. She pulled a bottle of vinegar out from under her arm and set it in front of Rusty’s plate. “You always ask for it. Figured I’d just bring it to you. You boys need anything else?”
“Nah. Thanks darlin’.” Rusty waved her away.
Wyatt gave a shake of his head. She snapped her gum and hustled off.
Rusty dumped vinegar over his fries.
Wyatt watched with some revulsion. “Those things are going to be soggy.”
“They’re better that way.”
The pungent odor of the vinegar burned his nose. “If you say so…”
Rusty picked up a dripping fry and squished it into his mouth. Wyatt wrinkled his nose and turned back to his water.
Rusty swallowed, then said, “So, either you need to stay here, settle down…which wouldn’t hurt you a bit. Or you need to lay off the idea of having Harper.”
Wyatt bristled. “Maybe she would love me enough to go to Chile with me.” He wished it were that simple.
“And maybe she’ll grow fins and a tail.”
Good point.
Rusty held a dripping fry over his plate. “Seriously, man, she might go to Chile with you. But some people don’t have the wandering gene. Just like you need your danger and excitement, Harper needs the security of her family, friends, and hometown. She’s a great girl, but she wasn’t born to run.”
“Chile could become home to her.”
“And a penguin could live in Death Valley.”
“That’s a little strong.”
“It’s a true comparison.”
Wyatt smashed down the top roll of the roast beef sandwich. Mayonnaise oozed out in white blobs. Maybe he wasn’t being fair to Harper. Rather than worrying about how to attract her, maybe he should concentrate on how to get over her.
As though Rusty heard his thoughts, he said, “You and Harper were made for each other. But you need to settle here, not drag her halfway across the globe.”
“I can’t.”
“Did you promise your dad?”
“I did.” There was more, but he wasn’t going to try to explain to Rusty the feelings he had towards his dad and how his mother’s death and memory complicated everything. He didn’t even really want to and wasn’t sure he could.
They ate in silence for a while and the words rolled over in his head. He wanted to prove to his dad he was trustworthy and capable. Maybe make his dad regret not wanting him. His chest tightened the way it always did when he remembered standing in the lodge kitchen after his mother’s death. Like his grief wasn’t enough, his dad had flatly stated that his Uncle Fink in Pennsylvania had agreed to allow Wyatt to live with him. To finish school in the states. It wasn’t that Wyatt had loved his dad or the resort and hadn’t wanted to leave. It was the sting of not being wanted by his own father. That sting had burned all his life.
How that translated to this burning desire to please his dad, he had no idea. But, yeah, something inside of him craved for his dad to be proud of him. Something else craved his mother’s happiness, even though she was long gone. She’d wanted him to get along with his dad.
Rusty looked at him questioningly. “Wouldn’t he understand that you want to stay here? Isn’t there someone else who could take your place?”
Wyatt pushed his glass away. “He needs me there. The whole thing is going to be mine someday. Yeah, the agreement was verbal, but it’s what has to happen.” Maybe his dad’s rejection should have made Wyatt desire to reject his father in the same hurtful way. But it had the opposite effect. There was almost nothing he wouldn’t do to make his dad proud.
Harper tidied the last of her books in her tiny university office. She really wanted to go with Wyatt to eat, but it was just a friend thing, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could k
eep up the pretense. The button scenario had been hard, but being tangled up with him on the floor had shaken her. She hadn’t expected to have to fight so many different sensations.
So, she’d come to her office. Finals had been over for a month, but she’d been expecting to be back in the office because of research and hadn’t made it back in to put the last of her things away. Avery had gone to bed early, so tonight had seemed like a good night.
She was teaching the same courses this year as the last two, so there was no real preparation. Although she tried as hard as everyone else to stay up on the latest data—and in nutrition the data constantly changed—she also tried to use the same books for several years, to help keep costs down for her students.
She looked around the small office one more time, smiling at the picture she had sitting on her desk of Wyatt and her three half-brothers. Wyatt lay on the floor, the boys sprawled out over and behind him. Kent, the youngest brother, sat on Wyatt’s chest. The day she took the picture, Wyatt had just come home from trekking in the Amazon rainforest. He’d been without service for weeks and had been without a phone for almost as long, when a bridge had collapsed and he and his two companions had fallen in the swollen creek below. They’d all made it, but it ruined his phone. The family hadn’t heard from him until he showed up at the farm, brimming with tales of adventure.
Although he’d told her he’d be in and out of service, she’d been worried sick when she hadn’t heard anything for three whole weeks. As usual, though, she hadn’t been able to stay angry and had snapped that picture not long after he arrived. It was one of her favorites. She sighed, part of her wishing that Wyatt could just stay home, part of her knowing that he wouldn’t be who he was if he did. All of her was baffled by these new feelings simmering in her heart. Nutrition was her specialty, not psychology.
“Harper. I’m glad I caught you.”
She whirled around. “Dr. Hitten.”
“Jeff.”
“Yes, of course. Jeff.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s late. I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be here.”
He shifted the stack of books and papers he held in his hand. “I’ve been getting things geared up for the research project. Has your situation changed? We could really use your help.”
“No. I’m needed on the farm.”
Jeff nodded. He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. Harper realized as she stared at him that people probably considered him handsome. He always seemed to have an abundance of undergrads hanging around. She’d assumed they were jockeying for position, but maybe they just wanted to be around the handsome, smart professor.
Her gaze skimmed over him. She couldn’t remember seeing him in anything but a dress shirt and pants, usually covered with a lab coat. He never did anything to accentuate his physique, but now that she looked, he seemed fit under those loose-fitting clothes. His shoulders weren’t as broad as Wyatt’s, but his stomach was flat, his chin square, and his eyes honest and compassionate.
Dr. Hitten would be perfect for her. They’d never run out of things to talk about. He was already tenured, she soon to be. He wasn’t going anywhere and she didn’t want to. She thought he might be a little interested in her. Why couldn’t she fall for a guy like him, instead of…
Her brain blinked red warning lights. She hadn’t fallen for Wyatt. Had she?
“You were looking for me?” Harper asked, breaking the silence and banishing her unwelcomed thoughts.
He cleared his throat. “Yes. Actually I was. We’ve been asked to collaborate with the psychology department on a different project that starts this fall.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
“It is. And I already told them that we’d do it. However, there is a pile of paperwork that needs to be sorted and graphed. It’s the kind of thing I’d usually have a doctoral candidate working on, although it’s more complicated than it typically is because of the collaboration.” He lifted a hand. “I thought you might be willing to do the work. It would look good for the upcoming tenure vote.”
This could fix everything. She should be happy and excited about the opportunity. Only…she wasn’t. And she couldn’t figure out why. But after all the work she’d put into getting tenure, it grated her not accept this opportunity. Forcing her lips into a smile, she said, “I’d love to. Thanks so much for offering this to me. I hadn’t been allowing myself to think about the tenure vote, because I was sure there was no hope for me.”
“You have a good reputation around here as a hard worker and a team player. That should help you. That, and if you get paperwork for this new project together and organized, should help things work out in your favor.” Jeff leaned against the doorframe. “I have to warn you, though, there’s some research involved. It’s complicated stuff. It’s going to take a lot of time.”
“I have to work during the day, but I’ll have all evening to spend on this.” Working on it should help keep her from thinking about Wyatt. Maybe Avery would be interested in helping.
“Good. If anyone can get it done, you can.” He gave a short nod. “The psych department is going to email me the info they have. Plus there are some books and papers. I’ll get everything together and you can drop by my office tomorrow to pick up the physical stuff. I’ll forward the electronic info to you, so you can get started ASAP.”
Harper nodded. This was a great opportunity. Maybe everything wasn’t lost like she had supposed. She didn’t know why she wasn’t more excited. Once she got the stuff, the fun and thrill would probably hit her.
“I’ll get on it as soon as you get it to me.”
“That’s a plan.” One side of his lip lifted in a smile before he pushed off the door jamb and walked away.
Harper took one last look at the picture of Wyatt and the boys on her desk before she flipped the lights out and locked the door behind her.
Chapter Ten
Harper twisted the handle of the spigot. Water sprayed out over the pumpkin plants landing with satisfying thumps on the large, flat leaves. Yellow blossoms peeked out from under the green canopy. Unfortunately, with the current dry conditions, the plants needed a drink, or they’d end up with fist sized pumpkins this fall.
Harper’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She reached for it. “Hey, Mom.”
“Harper, honey. How are you?”
“I’m great, Mom. How’s Fink?”
“They just moved him out of the ICU this morning.”
“That’s great news.” She ducked and ran a few steps to get out of the sprinkler’s way.
“Yeah. But they told us not to be in a rush. He’ll need a lot of time to heal. They’re talking about sending him to in-patient rehab.” Her mom sighed. “We could be out here weeks yet.”
“Do you need me? You know I’ll come.”
“I know, honey.” Her mom sighed again. “But really, I’m fine. Jillian is doing great with the boys. Did I tell you she was in the circus?”
Harper stopped in the act of bending down to move the hose. “No. Seriously? I bet the boys love that.”
“Yeah, they love her. I think they’ll miss her more than their grandparents when we finally leave.”
Harper snorted. “Well, it’d be hard to top a circus performer.” Especially for her three little stepbrothers.
“Jillian is a great girl.”
“I’m glad that is working out for you at least. Is Fink keeping his chin up?”
“He memorizes the doctors’ instruction pamphlets and follows them to the letter.”
Harper swung the hose over the end vine so she could stretch the sprinkler a little farther. “Bet that drives you crazy.”
“It does. Especially when the pamphlets contradict each other.”
Harper bit back a laugh. At least Fink hadn’t had a major personality change.
“The doctors are starting to wise up. They’ve given him several rather long pamphlets on good eating and the benefits of exercise. I think that’s just to keep him occupied. If he’s memori
zing pamphlets he’s not harassing them about anything else.” Her mom laughed.
“At least you can laugh about it.”
“Oh, that’s Fink walking down the hall, and he’s not supposed to be out of bed. I’d better go.”
“Talk to you later, Mom.”
Chapter Eleven
Wyatt carried a box filled with everything they needed to stake out the corn maze, following Harper to the edge of the seven-acre patch. The corn was slightly over ankle high. The perfect height in which to work. They walked along the edge of the field, past the pumpkins, which were vining out nicely.
“Usually the entrance is about right here, isn’t it?” Harper stopped and looked around.
“I think it’s a little farther on,” Wyatt said. Not that he wanted to carry the heavy box any farther.
“Here, let me hold that while you eyeball it up. I know there’s a way you always do it that gets us just as good as if I measured it.” Harper turned and took the box from him.
“Watch it. The knife’s in there.”
Harper snorted, but handled the box gingerly. Like the knife would jump out and bite her.
Wyatt grinned to himself as he turned back and lined up their position with the fire pit twenty-five yards away. Parents liked to be able to sit by the fire and talk while watching their kids race down to the corn maze.
“Right here,” he said, taking the box back. “You can kind of see the trail from last year.” The path got worn down in the fall, but over the spring and summer the grass grew, hiding it.
“Okay, this is where we’re going to start, then.” Harper set the box down.
Wyatt reached into his back pocket and pulled out the maze they’d gridded out on a spread sheet. He unrolled it and adjusted it for where they stood. An unfamiliar sense of sadness settled around him. If he went to Chile, this could be the last time Harper and he ever made the maze together.
“You remember our first maze?” he asked casually.
Harper reached down and pulled several small stakes from the box along with the hammer. The sun glinted off her hair which was pulled straight back and stuck in a ponytail. She squinted up at him. “Of course. It was pretty simple.”
Better Together Page 8
