Promise Kept

by Jodi Vaughn

  “How do you know?”

  “Well, I have it on good authority that Riley and his friends got into some trouble. Seems like the cops were called when they tried to present a fake ID at that club. They begged Sloan not to tell their parents. In exchange, they have to do volunteer work.” Tabitha waggled her eyebrows.

  “Volunteer work?”

  “Yeah. Right here,” Tabitha said.

  “Does Elizabeth know?” She glanced at the front porch where Elizabeth was taking a break from the harvest. She’d wanted to stay out in the field with the rest of them, but Heather insisted she go rest. Finally, she had relented.

  “Of course not. Nobody does.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “Remember Allison, the one you met in church?”

  “The beautiful blonde?”

  “Yes, she’s Sloan’s sister. We usually eat dinner together once or twice a week. Anyhoo, Sloan slipped up and said something and I managed to pull the entire story out of him.”

  “So what you’re saying is you would make a better interrogator than a spy?” Heather grinned.

  “Yeah. Actually, I would.” Tabitha grew serious as if she were contemplating the idea.

  Heather laughed.

  “Hey, what’s going on?” Grayson pulled up on his side-by-side vehicle. He was dressed in golf clothes.

  “Last day of harvest. Elizabeth said you had a lot of work to get done on your farm. I didn’t realize that meant golfing.” Heather narrowed her eyes.

  His face turned red. “I got my work done early and Sam came by with some of the guys to ask me to golf. Said I hadn’t been in a while. And I called Elizabeth to make sure she didn’t need me. She said she didn’t.”

  “Did Sloan and Mitch go with you?” Tabitha asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Did you win?” Tabitha asked.

  “Win? That’s not exactly how golf is played.” Grayson arched his brow.

  “Oh yeah? Well, I know for a fact that Gabriela is a better player than all you guys put together. I bet she would win.”

  Grayson narrowed his eyes at Tabitha. Heather bit her lip to stop from laughing.

  “I’ve never seen Gabriela play golf in all the years she lived here,” Grayson said.

  “That’s because she picked it up in New York.” Tabitha rolled her eyes. “I’m going over to speak to those boys to tell them to quit staring at you and get to work.” She pointed to Heather.

  Heather shook her head.

  “Are they bothering you?” Grayson’s tone was rough.

  “They are just being boys. And I wouldn’t lump them all together. Riley was the only one who asked me out.”

  “Riley?” He jerked his head toward the boy in question.

  “He seems to think we’re the same age.” She shook her head. “I told him I’m way older than him.”

  “He’s too young to understand that you should never ask a woman her age.” Grayson crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You did.” She gave him a look.

  “See. He should learn from my mistakes.”

  She laughed.

  “You want me to give Riley a talking to?”

  She looked over her shoulder. “Nah. I think he’s moved on to greener pastures.” Riley was now putting the moves on Tabitha. He must have said something, because the next thing Heather knew, Tabitha was dumping her water bottle over his head.

  The rest of his friends rolled with laughter.

  “Yeah, well, I better remind him exactly why he’s out here. Sloan’s not going to take too kindly to his actions.” Grayson gave her one last look and walked toward the group of boys.

  The way he looked at her made her stomach warm and tingly.

  She’d never felt like that with anyone and it scared her.

  She knew if she was going to make Harland Creek her home, she was going to have to start letting herself be vulnerable with the people.

  Even with Grayson McCade.

  Chapter 24

  Heather stepped out of the shower and quickly toweled off.

  The last day of tulip harvest had her hurting in places she didn’t know she had.

  And it felt terrific.

  They had harvested for weeks. Tomorrow they would start focusing on the other flowers.

  She towel-dried her hair and put her jogging pants and T-shirt on.

  Over dinner she and Elizabeth had talked about decluttering the larger bedroom upstairs for her. And tonight they would start that project.

  Since Elizabeth still couldn’t manage the stairs, Heather would pack up the items and bring them down one box at a time.

  She stepped into the room and turned on the light. She glanced around, taking in the bright room. Heather understood why Elizabeth picked this room for her sewing. The windows were large and would let a lot of light in, and the pale-yellow wallpaper looked like someone had plastered the sun itself in the room. She pushed the sheer white curtains to the side and looked out into the star-filled sky. She liked that the room wasn’t modern or up to date. To her it felt like home.

  Her gaze landed on the sewing machine sitting on a small table. She certainly wasn’t going to be using that and figured Elizabeth would like to have it downstairs in her room.

  She unplugged the machine and wrapped the cord and foot pedal up.

  The stairs creaked as she walked down. “I think we should set up your sewing machine in your bedroom. You’ve got a small space by the window that would work well.”

  “That’s a great idea.” Elizabeth stood from the recliner and hobbled over to her room. She flipped the switch. “I think that sewing table is too heavy for you to carry by yourself.”

  She set the sewing machine under the window. “Not if I fold it up. I’ll be right back.”

  She hurried up the stairs. She took the folded fabric and put it in one of the empty boxes that Agnes had brought over earlier. Once the table was clean, she set it on its side and folded the legs under. Testing the weight, she decided she could safely take it down the stairs.

  “Be careful.” Elizabeth’s face was pinched in worry.

  “I’m stronger than I look,” she joked.

  “I don’t doubt that.” Elizabeth let out a sigh once she had set up the table in the bedroom.

  Heather set the sewing machine on the table and plugged it in. She looked around her room. “I can set the box of fabric under the table until we can organize it.”

  “Honey, I’ve never organized fabric in my life. I usually dump it out and find what colors I want to quilt with and go from there.”

  She grinned. “I’ll go ahead and bring down the clothes in the closet. That way you can go over what you want to keep and what you want to donate.”

  She hurried up the stairs and back into the bedroom. She dragged a large box over to the closet and turned the light on. It was deep enough for her to step into and was overflowing with clothes. She began piling the clothes along with their hangers. Next came the shoes. She piled them on top. There were some decorative boxes at the top of the closet she pulled out.

  She’d bring the broom upstairs and give it a good sweeping out once she took everything down to Elizabeth.

  “Here we go. All the stuff in the closet.” She set the box down in front of Elizabeth who had taken a seat in the wingback chair beside her bed. “Don’t start deciding on what you want to keep until I bring an empty box in here.”

  She went out on the front porch and grabbed an empty box. She found a pen and wrote Donate in large letters on the side.

  “Now. This is the donate box.” She pulled out all the shoes and handed them to Elizabeth. One was a sparkly pair with a fat heel. The other were old sneakers and one pair of shiny leather dress shoes.

  “Are these in style anymore?” Elizabeth held up the sparkly heels.

  Heather bit her lip.

  “I want honesty,” Elizabeth deadpanned.

  “No. None of them are. If you donate them, someone might buy
them for a costume or something.”

  “Fine.” She chucked them into the donate box. “Next.”

  Heather grinned and pulled out two items. One was a large-sized floral blouse and the other a floor-length dress in a drab brown color.

  “Maggie wore that for her high school graduation. And she wore that shirt all the time in the summer.” Elizabeth cocked her head. “Should I keep it just in case she wants it?”

  “This is early eighties at best. I don’t think that fashion is ever coming back.” Heather cringed.

  “You’re right. Donate.” Elizabeth sighed.

  They went through the clothes fairly quickly. Heather discovered some jeans in her size that Elizabeth said she should keep. There was one white dress with tiny roses that she liked. It was a size too large, but Heather didn’t care.

  “I can take it in for you. If I had the looks you have, I’d be wearing dresses every day.” Elizabeth smiled.

  “I don’t know about that.” Heather handed her one of the two decorative boxes.

  “Oh my. I’d forgotten about this.”

  “What is it?” Heather sat at her feet and watched as she pulled off the lid.

  A big smile broke out across her face. “It’s my old church hat.”

  “Hat? Like the kind Agnes wears?”

  Elizabeth laughed. “No, honey. It’s my old Easter hat.”

  “Is that really a thing? To wear a hat for Easter?”

  Elizabeth gave her a wide-eyed look. “Of course it is. In the South at least. When my kids were young, they would all get a new outfit for Easter Sunday. And Maggie and I would wear our Easter hats. See?” She pulled out the once white lace hat with a wide brim. There was a bow that tied at the back.

  “Put it on and let me see.” Heather grabbed a hand mirror off the dresser and held it out as Elizabeth tried on the hat.

  “Oh my. Look at that old face staring back at me. It looked better when it was white and I was young. I wonder if I can bleach it and make it white again.”

  “I think you should just let it go. Unless you want to turn it upside down and use it as a planter.” Elizabeth scowled and handed it to her. “You might change your mind once you see how it looks. Try it on.”

  She put the old hat on and looked at herself in the mirror. “I don’t think it’s my style.” She took it off and handed it to her.

  Elizabeth sighed. “I guess some things are unredeemable. Stick it in the trash.”

  Heather’s stomach ached at the woman’s word. “I wouldn’t say that.” She shrugged. “I mean what if you donated it? Someone might still want it and find it a good home.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t know if I want my hat in someone else’s home.”

  “I think it would look very pretty on a little girl having a tea party. Once her mother dyed the hat pink, of course.” Heather nodded encouragingly.

  Elizabeth frowned. “Maybe I’ll save it for John’s little girl.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’ll put it over here in the keep pile.”

  “That was unusually refreshing. I think we’ve done enough for tonight. My physical therapist really worked my leg today. I think I’ll head to bed.” Elizabeth stood and stretched.

  “Did you take your medicine?” Heather moved the donate box into the living room.

  “I did, mother hen,” Elizabeth groused.

  Heather grinned and walked back into the bedroom. “Good night.”

  “Good night.” Elizabeth headed into her bathroom to prepare for bed.

  Heather gathered up her new-to-her jeans and headed upstairs. She opened her closet and frowned at the food stockpiled in the bottom. She hated that she still felt the need to hoard food for an emergency. She had three packs of crackers, peanut butter, and a small bag of cucumbers she bought from a neighbor who had a roadside vegetable stand. She’d also kept some granola bars which she’d had since her trip from Georgia.

  She bent to gather the items up and put them in the kitchen but stopped.

  Not quite yet.

  She’d do it later. When it felt right.

  When she felt like she was truly home.

  Chapter 25

  Grayson muttered to himself, “I can’t believe Justin didn’t walk the fence line. I told him he needed to do this last week.” Now two of his cows had found a weak area in the fence where a tree limb had fallen after the rainstorm. They knew where greener pastures were with loads of flowers.

  Elizabeth Harland’s land.

  Thank goodness he’d checked on the cattle at sunrise. Hopefully he could catch up to the two mischievous cows before they could do any damage to her flowers.

  He heard the banging before he saw the scene.

  “Get out of here!” Heather was standing between the cows and the field of what was left of the tulips. He noticed the sharp green heads of the gladiolus bursting forth from the ground.

  She was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt and those rubber boots of Elizabeth’s. She was banging on a metal bowl with a wooden spoon and looking to defend the flowers with determination in her face.

  He grinned.

  “Are they yours?” Heather called out, looking none too happy.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Please tell me they don’t eat flowers.” Heather blocked a cow as it tried to walk around her.

  “I’m afraid they do.” He rode over to her to help block the cows. “My farmhand didn’t walk the fence like I told him. I guess I should have double-checked the fence to make sure there wasn’t any weak areas.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” She looked up at him.

  “I think I can manage them on my own.” He cut the cows off, but they tried to go the other way.

  Heather jumped in front of them and started waving her hands.

  The cows glanced longingly at the colorful field and finally turned around toward home.

  “Heather, do you mind going with Grayson? I’m sure he’s going to need help to make sure they get home,” Elizabeth called from the front porch.

  “Are you sure you don’t need me?” Heather called out.

  “I’m sure. Take the day off. I plan on getting some sewing in today. I’m behind on a lot of projects. No need to hurry back.” Elizabeth smiled and pointed to the front porch. “And wear your sneakers. It’s not muddy.” She gave them a wave and closed the screen door behind her.

  “Can I grab my sneakers really quick?” She looked up at him.

  “Sure.”

  She hurried to the house and quickly slipped into her sneakers and then ran back to him.

  He slid off the horse and held the reins.

  “You’re not going to ride?”

  “Nah.”

  They had to cut the cows off a couple of times, but once they realized they had no chance to turn back to Elizabeth’s field, they fell into a slow walk back to Grayson’s farm.

  “You’re up early.” Grayson looked over at her.

  “I went to bed kind of early last night. Harvesting really is hard work. But it definitely helps with a good night’s sleep.”

  “Yeah. I’m an early bird myself.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Besides having to feed the animals early, I love watching the sun come up.”

  “That’s what I was doing when I spotted the cows. At first I thought it was a monster coming over the hill. Until one mooed.”

  He laughed out loud.

  She slapped his arm playfully. “I’m serious.”

  “Good news for you. These monsters are vegetarians.”

  The sunrise hung low in the sky. “I never thought I would love this time of day. I think it’s because I’ve never seen it this way. Not out here in the country.” She smiled.

  “That looks good on you.”

  “What?” She glanced down at her shirt.

  “The smile. You look… peaceful.”

  She ducked her head. “Maybe I am. Finally.”

  “Did something
change?” His gut twisted.

  “It did.” She grinned. “Elizabeth asked me to stay on. Wants me to help her full-time with the farm.”

  Warmth spread through his chest. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you feel like this is the place for you?”

  “I’ve search for a place like this all my life. Someplace that feels like home.”

  “You sure you won’t get bored?” He nudged Ranger when he stopped to munch on some grass.

  She stared at him long and hard. “You know, Grayson. Some people can’t be pleased. They are always looking for the next best thing. That’s something I don’t understand. What I want in life is to have a home, work hard, and at the end of the day have no regrets.”

  “And what about having a family? Do you see that in your future?”

  “One day, yes. When I find someone who wants the same things I do. Someone who wants a quiet life.”

  He had so much he wanted to say but the cows were at the creek.

  “Is this the famous Harland Creek?”

  “It is. You haven’t seen it?”

  “No, I haven’t had time to explore the land. It’s smaller than I expected.” She glanced down at her shoes. “Maybe I should have worn my boots.”

  “Nope. Here, get on Ranger. Ride across so you won’t get your feet wet.”

  “I’ve never been on a horse before.”

  “It’s okay. Ranger is gentle.” He held out his hand. She took it.

  “Now put your foot in the stirrup. And grab the top of the saddle and pull yourself up.”

  He helped get her foot in position and gave her a boost into the saddle.

  She looked down wide-eyed. “How do I make him go?”

  “Give him a gentle kick in the sides. Don’t worry. He knows what to do.”

  She gave him a worried look but followed his instructions.

  Ranger slowly walked across the small stream and up the bank to the other side where the two cows were waiting.

  * * *

  “Hold Ranger here and let me herd them through the break in the fence.” He herded the cows through the open spot in the fence. Once on the other side, they spotted the other cows and made their way toward them to tell them of their great adventure.