by Ava Catori
Hannah: The Hawthorne Sisters
Ava Catori
Copyright 2013, Ava Catori
This story is a work of fiction.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 1
“Ms. Hawthorne, if you’ll sign right here.” The man’s pinched nose barely held his glasses on, as he pointed to the dotted line.
It was like a bad dream, the kind you couldn’t wake up from. Hannah’s childhood home was about to be auctioned off. If she couldn’t save it, who would? She had less than two weeks to come up with the money. Hannah’s stomach seized and lurched, knotted from the stress. She wanted to do this for her family, but had no idea how to raise the cash.
Her mother should be the one handling these details, but she was still lost within herself, stricken with grief after losing her husband in an accident. It was too much for her. They all had trouble believing he was gone. The ice storm…Hannah took a deep breath and pushed the thought away. They’d cashed in their life insurance policy to keep things afloat as long as they could financially. With no new money coming in, there wasn’t enough to cover their costs.
Hannah paced across the wooden floor. Her boots scuffed, clicking as she strode. She knew Allie couldn’t handle it, Maggie was busy with college, and Sarah was too young to be burdened with something of this magnitude. It was up to her. She hoped when her mother came back to reality, she’d pitch in. Either way, it was time to get things done before there was nothing left to save. Their small farm was everything.
Daddy’s meager salary driving a delivery truck part-time was just enough, combined with their farming, to pay the bills. Now with that salary non-existent and the farm not running itself, Hannah realized somebody needed to step up. She’d take control and make things right. She had to, otherwise her family would crumble. Her mother was heartbroken, her sisters lost, and Hannah’s inner strength was slowly ebbing away.
Rigid with steely determination, Hannah made a list of everything they could sell. She’d find answers no matter what it took.
She didn’t expect to find an answer in Bryce Callahan. He’d come to them after hearing the news. He was a friend of her father’s, and a neighbor. If there’s anything I can do, he had said.
And there was, but could she ask the man who lived down the lane for enough money to cover their debts and keep them from auctioning off their home? No. It wasn’t her way. She wasn’t afraid to work hard and wasn’t looking for handouts. What she needed more than anything was guidance.
Hannah hated asking for help, but there was no way she’d let her family down. Pride sat hard on her chest, and forcing it off, she knew what she had to do.
Bryce and her father had been friends for years, helping each other out time to time. She should have asked sooner, but Hannah was too stubborn. She was determined to fix things on her own. Now she was against the wall and time was running out. The imminent situation forced her hand.
Pulling her old truck onto his property, she watched the dust pillow up behind her. With a deep breath, she hopped out and went looking for her father’s friend.
He found her first. “Hi Hannah. What brings you over? What can I do for you?”
“Hey, Mr. Callahan.”
“Call me Bryce.”
She looked at him, realizing he saw her as the adult she was. She’d always just been ‘Tuc’s girl.’ “Bryce.” The word felt odd coming from her mouth. He’d been Mr. Callahan for so many years. He wasn’t as old as her father, but her parents taught her to respect those older than you. He was easily ten or fifteen years her senior. She guessed he was in his mid to late thirties.
She didn’t know how to start, how to form the words. Swallowing her pride wasn’t easy, but it was the right thing to do. “I need help,” she finally spit out. Hannah flushed with embarrassment, her cheeks burning hot. Admitting she couldn’t do it on her own felt like failure. She thought that determination would be enough, but it wasn’t.
Anger welled up inside. This was her fault. She should have done things differently, and now she was forced to swallow her pride. Ashamed to be standing before him about to ask for help, Hannah’s stomach balled up, clenching. A deep breath, and she stepped out of the storming clouds that were brewing inside.
At twenty-two, she had limited life experience. This was bigger than all of them. There were days she was angry with her mother for not doing more after Hannah’s father died, but she fell apart after they lost him. Gretta, Hannah’s mother, married Tucker Hawthorne young, and to hear them speak of it, it was love at first sight when they were growing up. They knew they’d be together, and were inseparable. Her mother did what she could, but falling into a deep depression, most days she barely got out of bed.
Hannah felt bad for Sarah, her youngest sister. Most of them were grown, but Sarah was still young. Allie was a couple of years older than her, Maggie a couple of years younger, and Sarah was the baby of the family. She’d just turned fourteen not long before they got the news. She was forced to grow up fast, with Mom folding into depression. Sarah came as a surprise pregnancy, but Mom and Dad were overjoyed when they got the news.
Bryce’s tanned skin complimented his dark eyes. Small creases said he squinted a lot in the afternoon sun. Some would call it a farmer’s tan, others would call it hard work. Bryce spent most of his days outside maintaining his ranch. He lived off the land like many did around these parts, and it took time and dedication to make it through the colder months. Wyoming wasn’t known for being easy on you. The weather was changeable most days, and could surprise you in the blink of an eye. Thankfully snow hadn’t fallen for a bit, and the cold, hard ground was dry.
Shuffling her boot in the dirt beneath her, Hannah tucked a hand in the front pocket of her jeans. She wanted to be direct, tell him exactly what she needed, and yet something held her back. She couldn’t come out and admit they were about to lose the farm, could she?
“We’re in a bit of a money crunch.” She cleared her throat. “I’m wondering if you might have some ideas that would get us through a tight spot.” She quickly added, “I’m not looking for handouts.”
“How much of a bind are you in?”
Dropping her head, the shame hit her. She couldn’t save her family. She thought she could. She thought with enough hard work… “We’re going to lose the farm.”
“I didn’t know.”
Hannah sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. The wind had kicked up gently and was blowing at her back, forcing a strand of long, blonde hair into her eyes with a wispy softness. Snow was forecast for the week’s end, but they’d gotten a warm spell for a few days – well, as warm as you could find on a Wyoming January day.
“I thought I could handle it. I had all the answers,” she started. She took a long pause and looked at the man before her. “I screwed up and didn’t account for so many things. This is my fault. I need to fix it.”
“What can I do to help?”
“I was hoping you might have some ideas.” It was excruciatingly painful to admit defeat. She wanted to do right by her family, wanted to solve their problems, told them she would – and in less than two weeks, if she didn’t come up with the cash, they’d sell their home right out from under them in some stupid auction that would not only steal away their family home, but humiliate them in front of the entire town.
“We could hold a fundraiser. You know people would help out h
ow they could,” he started.
“I don’t want to go public.” She looked down. “It’s too embarrassing.”
“Sometimes humility…”
“Are you saying I’m not humble?” Hannah stepped back, annoyed at his choice of words.
Bryce shook his head. “I’m saying asking for help is okay when you need it.”
“Never mind.” The hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge. Hannah folded her arms across her chest, pulling her shoulders in tightly. “I’m not interesting in humiliating my family…”
“What did you want from me?”
Hannah sucked on the inside of her cheek, and looked up.
He watched her closely.
“My dad… he spoke highly of you, told us if we ever needed help…” she trailed off.
Bryce eyed up the woman before him. She’d grown into a gorgeous young girl, but was stubborn and independently strong at times. Her father spoke of her with pride, as well as with frustration. His brain flicked to Tuc; he still had trouble accepting he was gone at times. Bryce wasn’t a social kind of guy, but ole Tuc and him, they got along pretty well. He’d kick one back with him from time to time after a hard day’s work, and they’d share stories of their lives.
Bryce promised Tucker Hawthorne he’d look after his family if they needed anything, just as Tucker had promised to look after Bryce’s sister if something happened to him. Bryce’s sister was a rebel rouser, always getting into trouble, and Tuc promised he’d bail her out if Bryce wasn’t around to do it.
“I have some money tucked away. It might be enough to help.”
“I can’t take your money.”
“It will save the farm.”
Hannah looked at the man who was offering her the cash to make it better, and just as she was about to say thank you, she knew she had to do it on her own. “I appreciate your time, but I’ll figure it out.” Hannah turned to her truck, with a small wave over her shoulder.
Bryce watched her leave, not trying to stop her. She was determined. She’d figure it out. And if not, it was a life lesson.
When Bryce was the highest bidder at the auction, Hannah was stunned. Why? How? She felt defeated and like she’d let her entire family down. She couldn’t take the money from him when he offered; her own damn pride got in the way. When it came down to it, she couldn’t follow through.
Bryce handed the keys to the home back to Gretta, Hannah’s mom. “My gift to you,” he smiled softly. “Tuc was a good man. He loved his family with every bit of himself.”
Gretta stood stunned, half amused, and humbled to the core. Hannah, on the other hand, wasn’t quite sure what to make of the man of the hour. She barely said a word.
The rest of the month brought more snow than anybody wanted, blanketing the ground and making working outside more difficult. There was word that February would be just as harsh. At least they had a few days reprieve in early January.
Calling a family meeting at the end of the month, the girls gathered around the table, looking at ways to cut spending and ways to bring income in. Maggie could tutor, Allie was talking of moving out anyway, and Sarah could babysit. Hannah took over most of the farm chores, while Gretta said she’d force herself out of bed and step up like she should have from the beginning. One thing was certain, they wanted to stick together as a family, and felt like together they could make it work; but it had to be a team effort, and one woman alone couldn’t do it.
“I’ve invited Mr. Callahan over for dinner to say thank you. He insisted it was unnecessary, but I wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Gretta said.
Sarah chimed in. “He’s a nice man. I couldn’t believe he bought the farm.”
“It was a nice thing, wasn’t it?” Gretta smiled at her daughter. Her heart broke for Sarah, knowing how much she missed her father.
“What does he want? That’s all I want to know. That was a lot of cash to put out.” Hannah’s voice was confrontational.
“Whoa. How about you stop yourself long enough to be thankful, instead of always assuming things?”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t an amazing thing, but don’t you think it’s odd this guy just practically spent his life savings on some other guy’s family? What does he want in return?”
“Hannah, really? I don’t have the answers, but as far as I’m concerned, our prayers were answered. We’re not homeless, we’re in the community we’ve always known, and we learned that he is an honorable man that’s asked for nothing in return. He handed me the keys, for goodness sake.”
“Right,” she said, not sure she was totally convinced. It’s not that she had bad thoughts about him, or thought he was up to no good, but why on earth would he risk his own future? Who’s to say his place wasn’t going to need the cash dumped into it? Either way, it just felt – weird.
When Bryce Callahan showed up at their door, she didn’t mean to notice him that way. As much as she hated to admit it, Mr. Callahan was an attractive man.
Chapter 2
“Bryce,” she said, letting him in their home.
“Hannah, it’s nice to see you.” Removing his hat, he stepped inside. “Gretta, girls,” he greeted, standing awkwardly at the door.
Gretta moved toward him and took his arm. “Please, come in. We’ll be eating in the other room.”
He was polite, nice, made decent conversation, but something felt off. Maybe it was the way he looked at her, or even the way she had to keep stopping herself from looking at him, but something wasn’t right. Hannah was on edge when he was around, unable to relax. Why was that? Was he interested in moving in on her mother now that her dad was out of the picture? He was a single man. Maybe he was lonely, and here we are, a house full of girls. Hannah shook her head. That’s silly. He’s a good looking man. He could get a woman if he wanted one.
Hannah knew bits and pieces about his sister. Everybody in town knew about Beverly. She was the town drunk; the one that would streak through town naked when she’d had too much to drink, or the one that would stumble into the middle of a town hall meeting talking nonsense, but she knew little about the rest of his family. She never paid much attention to the man down the lane. There was no reason to, other than him being a friend of his father’s. Only now, she wished she knew more about the man.
“Sometimes you need to let a man step in and help.” He smiled at Hannah’s mother.
“Wait, what? Chauvinistic much? ‘You need to let a man step in?’ What, a woman can’t do it, because we’re just girls? Oh woe is me, please help me, big strong man,” Hannah shot back sarcastically.
“Hannah,” Gretta snapped. “Mind your manners, young lady.” Gretta was horrified. Bryce Callahan had just saved their day, their home, and this was how Hannah was going to treat the man. She knew better. She wasn’t some child; she was a grown woman. “I’m so sorry, Bryce.”
During the meal, Hannah had trouble relaxing. She was on edge. His good looks took her off guard at first, but her stubbornness cut through the bullshit. He thought he was some kind of hero, and his condescending attitude rubbed her the wrong way.
“No, I understand. I guess my wording was a poor choice.” His eyes never left Hannah. The cold glare she shot him said one thing, but her body language said another. Her body was turned to him, and she leaned in as if she wanted to reach out and touch him. Only her mind held her back, threw up a wall and said not to trust the man. Bryce smiled politely, and turned his attention back to his host.
“I should be going, but thank you for the lovely meal.” Standing, he said goodnight to all of the women, and showed himself out.
As soon as the door closed behind him, the girls went at it. “You were rude,” Sarah snapped at Hannah. Maggie nodded, agreeing with her little sister.
Allie yawned and stood, collecting the dishes from the table. “Sometimes you do need someone to step in Hannah. You can’t do it all.”
“Can’t you see? He’s rubbing our noses in the fact that we’re just women, and we needed
a big strong man to save the day!”
Gretta shook her head. “Hannah, I’ve raised you better than that. That was unacceptable, and quite frankly, rude.”
“Mom,” she started and then stopped herself. What was it about that man that rubbed her the wrong way? It was like he got under her skin, and she didn’t even know why. She didn’t trust him. It was in his eyes, the steely grey, the way he looked at her a little too long, like he wanted something. Slipping a finger into her hair, she twisted a piece around it and then let the tendril drop, her mind now lost on his eyes.
Allie rinsed the dishes mindlessly as Maggie and Sarah cleared the table. Stacking them in the dishwasher, she stared out the kitchen window. Maybe one day she’d have a strong man to save her from this life. There was nothing to do in this town, and certainly nobody worthy. She’d be stuck here forever. She should have gone to college, but held off to help on the farm. Now she was stuck, and without a job, it would take forever for her to escape to a more exciting life. It was time to find a job outside of the farm, and take her life back.
She’d given so many years to this family, but it was time to spread her wings and fly. Mom had Hannah, and she knew Hannah would be ruling the roost like she’d been trying to do since her father passed. She was a natural born leader, but it was hard to watch her younger sister take over so easily. Allie should have done more, but she wasn’t leader material. She fell too easily into a follower position in life. Is that all she would ever be? Loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, Allie started it and picked up a magazine in the living room. Bringing it back to her room, she curled up to read.
Mom and Hannah were still going at it when she passed through the dining room. Rolling her eyes, she went to her room, locking out the noise and frustration. Those two were headstrong ladies, and Hannah was the absolute worst. At least Mom knew when to walk away from a fight.
Maggie knocked quietly.
“Come in,” Allie called out.
“Allie, what do you think of Mr. Callahan?”