by Sophie Mays
Hannah sighed and stood to retrieve her laptop from the nightstand. Maybe it would help to talk to someone else. Pulling up her email, Hannah typed up a message to her long-time penpal, Rosalind. Their correspondence had started a year and a half ago when Hannah had sent her a letter inquiring about an ancestor of Rosalind’s who had been great friends with an ancestor of Hannah’s.
R,
I know you Brits don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but mine has been amazing! I’ve missed my family so much that spending time with them has made me ecstatic. AJ lasted almost 48 hours before staining me with paint. Carson has again successfully managed to call all of us by everything except our given names. Emma’s lost her glasses 23 times, and 11 of those times they were on her head. Jake somehow managed to claim ownership of 3 different pies. It’s been so much fun being home. And now I might have the chance to move back.
Mama and Daddy told us that they were offering us each 50 acres of land as an early Christmas gift. We’re going around the land tomorrow to see which parcel each of us might like. I don’t even know where to start. I went to Austin to have a chance to explore what I want to do for the rest of my life. But, now I may come back home without really taking the chance to find my passion.
I wish you could see the place I’m being tempted by, though. Our land is some of the most beautiful out there, and I’m not just saying that because I grew up here. I wouldn’t mind taking care of it like my parents have done; like I helped them to do when I was little. Actually, it would be great if you could see it. I’m officially inviting you to come take a tour of the gorgeous place I might be living at soon. Maybe you can whisper support for the decision I’ve kind of already made.
Tell me about what you’ve been doing lately. I’d love to hear how you’ve been.
Best wishes,
Hannah
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The next morning Hannah went out with Jake and AJ on the four wheelers. They went around to four different parcels, joking around and talking at each one.
“So have you sold anything recently?” Hannah asked AJ.
Her sister nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been selling the usual prints. I sold two abstracts last month. I’ve been thinking of trying to do a nature series, but I don’t know if I want to base it off of particular places during certain times of year, or focus on the colors, or something else.” AJ said.
AJ had loved painting since she was knee-high to a grasshopper. It started out with the usual crayons and finger painting, but when it stayed consistent throughout elementary school, her family had the inkling that it might be a lifelong passion. AJ had started selling at the county fair when she was in high school and she’d been going ever since.
Hanah thought AJ’s work was beautiful, and she was gratified to know it wasn’t just sisterly pride on her part either. AJ had won more than a few awards when she chose to submit. She’d even won a national award once. Hannah had seen her sister get lost in a painting before. It was the kind of complete absorption that made her wish she had a hobby that inspired half as much passion in her.
All of her siblings had that. Carson and Emma had food and baking respectively, AJ had her art, and Jake had traveling and wine. They all had things they pursued, hobbies and jobs that made them happy.
Hannah had always been the bookworm. She was the most likely out of all of them to get lost in the pages of a novel. Unlike Jake, who had made it his personal project to discover as many countries as possible, Hannah had always been content to explore other places using the written word. Books were of everlasting interest to her, but her appreciation of them wasn’t something she felt she could turn into a career. Not because there weren’t careers that involved books, but because her love was for her personal interaction with stories. She couldn’t imagine teaching or being a part of the literature industry.
When they got to the second parcel, Hannah asked Jake if he’d met anyone in his recent travels that he liked enough to keep in contact with.
He started going on and on about a vineyard in Australia with the most knowledgeable proprietor he’d ever met. Hannah and AJ exchanged an amused look when Jake mentioned the owner’s daughter exactly twice, and then talked around her, though it sounded as though they’d spent some time together. Jake never spoke excessively about women he was interested in, as if speaking about them would jinx any further interactions.
When they got to the third location, Hannah was captivated.
The trail opened up to a clearing with five cabins. Hannah remembered a summer flitting in and out of these cabins with all her siblings. It had been the year they wanted to try roughing it as much as possible. Which meant running around, splashing and swimming in the large stream, going back to the house for any reason at all. She was always the one who stayed the longest out of anyone else. Something about the place just emanated peace and comfort. It was one of her favorite places out of all their land.
“I think I want this one,” she said without really thinking.
AJ and Jake looked at her with raised eyebrows.
“Oh, do you think someone else will want this section?” Hannah asked with concern.
Jake snorted and AJ rolled her eyes. “We don’t understand why you want this section,” AJ said. She turned the key on the four wheeler and swung a leg over the seat to stand, stretching her arms high above her head. “Those rickety old things are falling apart.”
“Are we even looking at the same cabins?” Hannah asked with an incredulous laugh. She stood and moved closer to the cabins, surveying them with a critical eye.
“Are we?” Jake asked. He leaned forward in his seat, resting his arms on the handlebars. “Because I see a bunch of barely held together wood.”
“Well, I won’t say they don’t need a little love and care,” Hannah started, putting her hands on her hips.
“A little?” AJ giggled.
“But they’re not that bad,” Hannah insisted. She looked at the cabins again, a little sad that there wouldn’t be enough time to fix them up enough for a spontaneous campout. She would love to spend more time with her siblings all together like they had that one summer.
“Well, you’ve picked a good parcel to like,” Jake said. She could feel his mirth as he watched her. “I don’t think anyone will fight you for it.”
“Come on, Jake,” Hannah huffed with exasperation. “You know how easy it would be to fix these cabins up.”
“I actually don’t,” Jake said, shaking his head, “It’s always been you taking a hammer and nails to stuff, Barbara the Builder.”
“Oooh,” AJ hummed, “You should tell Carson that one. He would love it.”
“You’re both ridiculous,” Hannah said with a laugh. “Let’s go see the last one. We’re trying to get through all of them in the next few days.”
She and AJ hopped back on their four wheelers and they headed out. AJ kept talking about how the last location had the perfect amount of light and quietude for painting outside, but Hannah was still thinking about the cabins. Now that she’d decided which bit of land she wanted, her mind was running with different ideas of what to do with it. She wasn’t sure she wanted to plant anything. It would be hard anyway with the cabins already there, and she definitely didn’t want to tear those down.
She would have to think on it some more. Hopefully, the perfect idea would come to her.
Hannah considered the matter carefully over the next few days. She asked her siblings whether they’d chosen their parcels and what they might want to do with them. She realized that everyone else was mostly focused on picking a place. No one was trying to make a plan that would involve sticking around for the near or distant future. After having such a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, Hannah realized that the most likely outcome would be her siblings leaving their home at the ranch to get back to their busy lives.
She wondered how often she would be able to draw them back for visits. Maybe it would be easier if they had some specific time set for meeting up, something o
utside of holidays. They could call it a family reunion and have it at the old cabins after she fixed them up.
Hannah paused as the idea bloomed in her mind all at once. That’s what she could do with the cabins! She could make it a family spot. Not just for her family, but for anyone who wanted it. Families could come out and camp, spend time together, hold family reunions. Maybe she would even widen the scope and make it a venue for holding events. The cabins were beautiful and could be set up for weddings, parties, and retreats, too.
The idea of bringing families together to celebrate and have fun with each other made Hannah’s smile widen. She grabbed her laptop to send off an email and found one waiting for her instead.
Hannah,
Sounds like you’re having a wonderful time with your family. I don’t know if you realized how homesick you’ve been. I didn’t want to say anything in case that made it worse. I hope you can bask in being home for as long as you want. Which, as you’ve mentioned, might end up being longer than you’d planned. I’m sure your family is as happy to spend some time with you as you are to spend some time with them. From what you’ve said before, you’re all very close. I have no doubt they’ve been gladdened by your presence.
Your parents are offering one amazing early Christmas gift! I’m assuming you’ve gone exploring by now. Did you decide on a parcel? It might take a bit before you find which place feels exactly right if I’m correctly guessing about the approximate size of your family’s land. Actually, I would love to see it if you wouldn’t mind having me. My parents are going to be in Switzerland over the Christmas holidays, and it would be nice to experience the American version of Christmas.
You asked how things have been and, to be honest, they’ve been a bit hectic. I would love a chance for some down time. Your family sounds energetic, but absolutely lovely. Having some company over the holidays would be very welcome to me this year. However, I know how close you are with your family. I would completely understand if you would rather avoid having a stranger impede on your special time with them. Let me know either way.
I hope you find what you’re looking for Hannah.
Cheers,
R
Hannah put aside her laptop, thinking about her friend’s words as she got out some drawing supplies instead. AJ was the true artist of the family, but Hannah had a few skills herself. She could definitely draw up some preliminary plans for how the cabins could be improved.
As she drew, she wondered if Rosalind was serious. Hannah had only been joking when she invited Rosalind to drop in over the holidays. The other woman always seemed busy with work, jetting all over the world at the drop of a hat for important meetings and business deals. Would she really want to come to Hannah’s family ranch for the holidays? Hannah was proud of her family and where she came from, but it had to be more boring than what Rosalind was used to. She was probably simply being nice Hannah had offered. Rosalind was sweet like that.
By the time Hannah had gotten almost everything on paper, she was distracted by her excitement for her plans for the cabins,
R,
I really hadn’t realized how much I missed it here. Austin was interesting, and I’m happy that I got to experience it, but I never really put down any roots there. I feel at peace here on the ranch, especially with my parents and my brothers and sisters around. Maybe it’s because I was supposed to be here all along. Maybe it’s because my family has been here for generations. I wonder what Great-great-grandma Hazel would have to say about me settling down here. It was where she found happiness after all.
So far, I’m the only one that’s actually decided on a parcel to call my own. My siblings are interested in choosing, but it doesn’t seem like any of them plan to actually stay and do anything with their land yet. I’m a little sad about it, but it gave me the idea to use my land for reunions. For my family, and others, maybe even events like weddings. There are cabins on the land I’m planning to choose, and I really think they only need a bit of fixing up to bring them to their full glory.
You can’t really think I’d let you be alone on the holidays? Especially since we’re most definitely not strangers. Our great-great-grandmothers were best friends, and yours came here to meet mine. I’d say we’re close enough friends in our own right to carry on the tradition, at the very least. And close friends are totally invited to spend the holidays with my family. They’d welcome you along with me. I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to bring a few British treats with you, though. I’ve always been curious about Yule logs and mince pies. Either way, I hope you find some time to relax.
You deserve to be happy during the holidays.
Yours,
Hannah
P.S.: Our address is xxxxxx
3
Chapter 3
Hannah was packing to get ready to go back to the city. She’d enjoyed her week staying with her family, but she knew she needed to return to her little apartment and start the process of moving back. It was very obvious to her that she wouldn’t miss Austin nearly as much as she’d missed her original home. Hannah wondered if she would even keep in contact with the few acquaintances she came into contact with most regularly. She liked them, but hadn’t felt particularly close with them and didn’t expect to miss them enough to expend the effort.
She needed to work on a concrete budget plan. She wanted to start fixing up the cabins without purely living off of her parents. Even if everything worked out exactly as she wanted it to, there would probably be a period between when she started renting out the cabins and when she started making some real money with the business. Plus, she had to think about how to advertise and what activities she might offer, not to mention pricing and accommodations.
It would be a lot of work. Hannah knew she was headed in the right direction because envisioning just how much effort it would all take didn’t scare her. Thinking about jumping in and getting her hands dirty simply exhilarated her.
Hannah didn’t even realize she’d been staring into space, lost in her imaginings with a half-folded shirt in her hands until there was a knock on her door. With a start, she dropped the shirt to the bed.
“Come in,” she called.
Carson opened the door and poked his head in. Hannah straightened up at the look on his face. Her worry only increased tenfold when he spoke.
“Hannah. I need you to come with me.”
She moved toward him immediately. If he was actually calling her Hannah, something was very wrong.
She followed him down the hall to his old room. When she entered Emma and Jake were already there.
“AJ was in the stables, but she should be on her way up,” Jake said.
Carson only nodded grimly and sat at his desk. The tension was almost unbearable. Hannah studied Jake and Emma and could easily tell from their expressions that they didn’t have any idea what was going on either, but they were just as concerned as she was. Cooper was laying on top of Carson’s feet, probably able to sense his owner’s upset.
AJ walked in the door and closed it swiftly behind her.
“What’s going on?” she asked immediately.
Carson sighed. He rubbed a hand down his face and turned to pick something up off his desk. “I was in Dad’s office. I wanted to check the map again to see if we’d covered all the potential parcels. The map was on his desk, and when I lifted it, I saw this.”
He handed the piece of paper to Emma. She adjusted her glasses on her nose and brought the paper to her face. Whatever it said made her eyes go wide and her skin deathly pale. She gaped at Carson, looking horrified.
Jake snatched the paper out of her hand and started reading himself.
“It’s a letter from the health insurance company,” he said for the benefit of Hannah and AJ. “They sent it regarding the bill for Dad’s… hospital stay?!”
“Hospital?” Hannah gasped. “For what?”
Jake stared at the paper without responding. It shook slightly, and Hannah realized his hand was trembling.
/>
“Heart attack,” Carson said quietly. “Dad had a heart attack.”
There were several long minutes of silence as they all absorbed this.
“They didn’t tell us,” AJ said. Her voice trembled and her hands were clenched into fists. “Why wouldn’t they tell us?”
“Did anyone else notice that dad hasn’t really been eating meat? Like, I remember thinking it was weird he didn’t go back for third helpings of turkey,” Emma said faintly.
“He has a garden now,” Jake said. He was frowning down at the ground, his shoulders hunched.
“That’s what the land is about,” Hannah whispered. Everyone looked at her. “It’s not a Christmas present or because they want to see us enjoying our inheritance. Or they do, but it’s because Dad… might not be doing well enough to get the chance otherwise.”
Their parents had always been deeply in love. More than that, they had a solid partnership. Hannah couldn’t imagine her mom without her dad or vice versa. They complemented each other in a way that had only grown in all the years they’d been married. She knew her siblings would have just as much difficulty imagining one parent without the other as she did. What if the heart attack had killed their father? Or had some other side effects that would make things hard for their parents? The kids hadn’t even been informed of this much. Would their mom and dad have told them if they were struggling? Were they struggling right now and Hannah and her siblings just didn’t know it?