by Tia Siren
I should have busied my broken heart with a lot of hard work. There were so many things that needed to be done in order to restore everything to what it had once been. The interior was a last priority, but it was so hard for me to force myself out of the house. I only really left to tend to the animals. I spent my days in bed watching television or researching farm equipment to add to a wish list. I even went as far as looking for odd jobs around town to make money for the mortgage and desired equipment. My days passed quickly and painfully. I barely ate, and it took me four days to muster up the strength to take a shower. I fell into a depression worse than my first, because I was alone, and I felt stupid for letting Lincoln back in so easily.
It had been nearly two weeks when I finally managed to pull myself out of the funk and force myself to work on the land. There was a lot to do, and I felt like I was running out of time. I looked over everything that needed to be done, and I was reminded of Lincoln when I did so. My heart felt like lead in my chest as I looked over the cut grass and designated fence area. It was hard to even swallow properly. I did my best to guard the tears that threatened to fall, and I went to the only place Lincoln hadn’t changed. I went over to the horses. I made it my new mission to replace everything I could starting there.
I walked into the stables and was greeted by Cow first. For some reason, I felt a sense of comfort. It was like my father was there, even if only for a split second. I let Cow out and brushed the beautiful horse before me, allowing her to walk away to the food once I was done. Then I let out Lady. He was more than eager to get brushed but even more excited to run out in the open for a while. I watched him fondly before turning to Ash. Unlike the other horses, Ash was not in a good mood. She refused to even leave her area. I had to tug and pull before she relented and walked out.
“What’s wrong with you today?” I grumbled as I tried to get her to be still so that I could brush her.
She refused. In fact, me speaking seemed to agitated her a bit more. I did my best to still her and calm her down. I tried everything I knew how to do, but she resisted. It got to the point where I was begging her to calm down for only a moment. Just as I stood up on the stool to untangle a knot on her mane, she bolted from in front of me and I went crashing down. I fell hard against the hay- and dirt-covered ground.
Unable to hold in my anger, I screamed out. I screamed out as loud as my lungs would allow, and I didn’t hold back. I screamed until it hurt my throat and tears began to stream down my face. I threw the brush I had been holding to the other side of the room and broke down. I let warm tears stream down my face as I crumbled into a pool of pent-up emotion. My heart felt like it had broken into thousands of unrecognizable pieces. I felt so lost and alone.
I never should have let Lincoln in. I should have declined the offer and found someone else to lease out some land and space. It had been a bad idea from the start, and my gut had told me no the entire time. I felt like an idiot for letting my guard down for even a second, because Lincoln had used that moment to take advantage of me again. My stupid ass had even been thinking about us getting back together again. I had thought I was going to be happy with him.
That thought made me cry even harder. Behind me, I heard footsteps racing toward me. I didn’t stop crying to see who it was. Moments later, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. For a second, I thought it was my father coming to comfort me. It wasn’t until I remembered my father was dead that I realized that was impossible. The arms pulled me closer, and at once I smelled a familiar scent.
Lincoln had come back
Chapter Fifteen
Lincoln
I got out of my rental car and walked up the steps of Harper’s house. With great hesitation, I knocked on the front door. I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms, but I was ready to accept whatever fate was in store as long as I could make it up to Harper. After knocking, I waited a few minutes. There was no response. I knew she was home, because her car was in the front. Was she ignoring me? I shook my head and tried a few more times. Worry began to fill me. I didn’t know if she had done something stupid because she was upset.
After a few more minutes without a response, I used the key she had given me and walked inside. I called out for her, but I was greeted by silence. I searched the house and I couldn’t find anything aside from some clothes scattered about. I decided to check the back to see if she was working on the farm. When I walked out, Jack and Gin rushed over to me, and I saw the horses running in the distance. I was headed toward her dad’s garage when I heard screaming from the stables.
Instinct kicked in and I automatically assumed the worst. I sprinted over to the stables with the dogs at my heels. I rushed in, expecting her to be getting attacked or harmed. Instead, I found Harper on the ground. She was crying and screaming. My already racing heart felt like it was ready to beat out of my chest when I realized she was so upset because of me. Harper was a tough woman who rarely shed a tear. As giving and compassionate as she was, she never let anyone see her vulnerable. I felt horrible knowing that I was the reason she was on the ground in that state.
I slowly walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. I pulled her close, trying to get her to relax and calm down. At first, she fought against me hard. She tried to pull away. She tried to punch me. She tried to slap me. She tried anything and everything she could to get away, but I held on to her. I wasn’t going to let her go. I didn’t plan on letting her go ever again. She tried hard before giving up and crumbling against me. I rubbed her back and whispered sweet nothings as I waited for her to calm down.
“It’s okay, Harper,” I whispered into her hair. “I’m here now. You’re not alone. You’re not alone.”
It took a while, but Harper eventually calmed down enough for me to pick her up and take her inside. She was limp in my arms. There was no resistance to my efforts, but there was no appreciation either. She just closed her eyes and sniffled. I carefully carried her to her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. Based on how messy her room was, I could tell she had spent a lot of time in that room over the past few weeks. There were water cups scattered about, newspapers littering the floors, and towels and clothes flooding out of the hamper. She was always organized and neat, so I knew she was hurting. Once she was in bed, I went to the kitchen to grab some water and ibuprofen. I walked back into the room and held it out to her.
“Here, please take this. You’re going to have a mean headache if you don’t.”
Harper scrupled before reaching out and taking the pills. She downed them in one go and finished the water in seconds. She lay back in the bed and turned her back to me, but I knew I didn’t deserve any better treatment. Slowly, I climbed into the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her tiny body. She was tense against me, but she didn’t fight.
“I know I messed up, Harper,” I said softly. “I know I hurt you, and I am sorry for that.” I grew silent in hopes that she would respond, but there was nothing said on her part. I sighed and held her a little tighter. “I promise you I will never hurt you like that again. I realized how badly I needed you in my life, and I can’t lose you over my selfish needs.”
“You’ve already lost me,” Harper muttered. “Leave.”
“Harper, I want to prove to you that I deserve another chance. I can’t promise that I’ll leave my business behind, because I worked so hard for it, but I can promise you that I’ll never hurt you. I’ll never leave you behind again. I can live without the city and the lifestyle; those things are nothing compared to you.”
“If they were nothing compared to me, you wouldn’t have left,” she whispered hoarsely.
“I promise you I will never leave you again, Harper. I will spend every day for the rest of my life making it up to you. I swear it.”
Again, I waited for a response, but there wasn’t one. Instead, Harper stayed quiet. Eventually, we both drifted off to sleep. I was content having her in my arms for a moment, but I was not going to settle until she knew I love
d her and I had made up for the heartbreak I’d dealt her.
Chapter Sixteen
Harper
I didn’t know who Lincoln thought he was, but he was not going to waltz right back into my life just like that. He chose to leave, and I was going to make damn sure he understood what that decision entailed. I woke up with a start, confused about my surroundings until I processed exactly what had happened. I shimmied my way out of Lincoln’s arms and walked right out of the room and into the guest room, where I kept the money he had left behind. It was getting darker out, so I was turned on lights as I walked. I grabbed the suitcase and walked back to my room before throwing it onto Lincoln’s sleeping body. He woke up with a sour expression until he saw me standing over him.
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared down at him. “Do you really think I’m going to fall for your bullshit again? Who do you think you are, Lincoln?”
Lincoln sat up and looked at the suitcase before looking back up at me. “You didn’t use the money I left you? That was to pay off the rest of your mortgage, Harper.”
“I know why you left it, and I’m not accepting your money. In fact, I owe you money for the horses I sold,” I told him.
“You sold the horses?” he asked, completely baffled. “Do you know how much money those horses were worth?”
“Yes. I know because you brought it up every chance you got, and I’ll pay you back every single penny once I have the money. All of that aside, I’m not falling for whatever tricks you’re playing right now, Lincoln.”
“I’m not playing any tricks, I swear,” he said, his eyes pleading with me to understand. “I realized that I love you more than the money and the city life. You were right; I changed into something I’m not supposed to be to fit into a lifestyle that wasn’t meant for me. I don’t know what I want next, but I know it involves a life with you here.”
“You had me in the palm of your hand and then you closed your fist around me,” I said. “As much as I want to believe you and as honest as you sound, I can’t believe you. The real Lincoln must have been a sham, because I fell for him twice and he left me brokenhearted. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. You fooled me twice, Lincoln, and I’m not going to give you another chance to hurt me again.”
“I swear I can make it up to you,” he pleaded, getting up out of the bed.
“I don’t want you wasting any more of my time or draining me of my energy. I have to focus on fixing up the property so I can start paying bills,” I said.
“I can help. I still have time on the lease, and we signed a contract,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. My face got hotter and my teeth gritted together. There was no way in hell he was pulling that card. He was right. He had every legal right to be in my home and stay for as long as the lease stated. He had four more months on the lease, and I couldn’t do anything about it unless I were to refund him the money he had paid. That wasn’t going to happen, because I’d already sent that money to the bank to get some of the mortgage paid off. There was nothing I could do about it, and Lincoln knew it.
“Fine. You can stay here for the next four months, but do not expect me to be nice and go easy on you. You lost your last chance at any sort of relationship with me when you left two weeks ago.”
With that, I walked out of my room and out of the house. I pulled my car keys out of my purse and walked to my car. I needed to get away for a while. There was no way I was going to be able to think with Lincoln in the same house as me. My heart was still raw and violated, and I felt like I had been used. I got inside my car and drove for an hour. I drove as far as my tank of gas would take me, and then I drove back home once I’d refilled it. It was near midnight when I arrived, and Lincoln was already asleep when I walked past the room he had been staying in. I walked to my room, closed and locked the door, and climbed into bed.
The next four months were going to be tough.
Chapter Seventeen
Lincoln
A week had passed since I’d come back, and it was hard to even catch Harper in the same room with me. It even got to the point to where when I would come in for dinner, Harper would retire to her bedroom. I knew I deserved that treatment, but Harper wasn’t making it easy for me to try to redeem myself. I had worked hard to become a billionaire, but getting Harper to see that I was truly sorry was the hardest thing I had ever done in my entire life. She was the most stubborn human I had ever come in contact with.
I had to stand in the doorway of the kitchen one day to talk to her about a business idea I had. She was cooking lunch for herself when I walked in, and she refused to look in my direction. I had to remain patient and calm as I reminded myself that she was just protecting her heart after I had broken it twice before. I was lucky she didn’t turn on the radio to drown out my voice.
“So, I was talking to a business partner of mine, and he has some connections with a landscaping company that can come and renovate the entire backyard,” I told her.
“Why would I want to do that?” she asked. Her voice was flat and lacked any emotion that would give away what she was feeling.
“Because we could fix up the garage, the stables, and the entire backyard in a matter of a month,” I said. “Doing it ourselves would take a few months. If we hired landscapers, we wouldn’t have to lift a finger and it would be done in less time. We, and by we I mean you, would have final say in every decision. You can tell them exactly what you want and they’ll give it to you.”
“I can hire one person to help me out and it will be a lot cheaper than your landscaping friends by a long shot. It doesn't matter if it’ll take more time; I still want to save money. Not everyone can throw thousands at other people to do the job for them.”
“I’m just giving you options, Harper. I can help pay for everything; you wouldn’t have to spare a dime for anything,” I said.
“I’ve already hired someone, and he’s starting this weekend,” she said. “I’m not changing my mind about this.”
Just like that, my idea was shot down. She didn’t try to think about it and she didn’t accept any of the facts I tossed at her. In fact, she fought harder against me when I provided her with any reason at all. Instead of continuing to argue, I decided to accept her decision.
When Sunday came, I was introduced to the young man, Eric, who was going to be helping fix up the farm. He had no idea what he was doing, and I could see that right from the start. He was so overwhelmed. It was obvious he had never worked a single day on a farm before. Instead of turning up my nose and talking down to him, I kept myself grounded. I wanted Harper to see that I was just like the old Lincoln. I was still the old Lincoln. I started teaching Eric how to do certain things. Whenever he asked a question, I answered honestly and politely instead of rolling my eyes. He caught on quickly, so it only took two weeks of training for him to learn what he had to do.
As we worked together, I felt Harper’s eyes on me, but she still didn’t try to talk to me. She watched me cut wood and build new structures for the animals. I decided to begin working with my shirt off to give her a show. I caught her staring even more after that, and she would look away, blushing and flustered.
After about three months, everything was fixed up. The vegetable garden Harper was working on was still growing, and there were no animals aside from the horses and chickens, but the entire farm looked healthier than it ever had. With the money I had left behind, I decided to surprise her with something that I knew would make everything better for her.
While she was off visiting her parents’ graves on the six-month anniversary of her father’s death, I paid off the rest of the mortgage. I met with her lawyer and gave it directly to him so that Harper couldn’t argue with me. I also decided to get my family to help me plant flowers in her mother’s old flower garden and refill the lake beside it. I didn’t know how long Harper was going to be gone, so we all moved as fast as we could.
There was also one more trick up my sleev
e, and I walked to her father’s garage to get it done.
Chapter Eighteen
Harper
It was a bitter feeling leaving my parents behind. I knew there was no life in their bodies, but the last earthly parts of them were six feet under. I was comforted knowing they were beside one another and finally reunited. As I left the graveyard and walked toward my car, I got a phone call from my lawyer. I thought the worst at once.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey, Harper,” Howard said. “Am I catching you at a bad time?”
“No. Not at all. Is everything okay?” I asked him.
“Well, I just wanted to tell you that the bank has accepted the final payment for the mortgage, so you are no longer facing foreclosure,” he said. I could tell he was excited based on his tone of voice, but I was confused.
“I thought I had six more payments to make,” I said.
“Well, your friend came up to my office to make a donation today and pay off the remainder,” Howard said. “He told me not to tell you until the bank had processed the payment.”
“What is this friend’s name?” I asked him, already knowing the answer.
“Lincoln Heatherton,” Howard said.
I quickly ended my conversation with Howard and made my way home. I was half angry and a little flattered that Lincoln had paid off the debt, but he hadn’t talked to me about it first. He must have known I would decline such a generous offer, because he’d gone behind my back to do so. I drove the half hour to my home and made my way up the dirt road that was my long driveway. As I drove, however, I noticed Lincoln waiting for me about halfway there. I raised an eyebrow and peeked my head out of my car window.
