Prologue

PROLOGUE

A nnie

“Hello, anybody home?” I call out after walking through the door of my family’s home. My chocolate lab Rocky greets me at the door. His tail is wagging as he walks between my legs and licks my fingers. “Hey boy, I missed you too. Where is everyone?”

As an only child life could get lonely around here. My family home was large and located on a plot of farmland. The land belonged to my mom’s grandad who had been a dairy farmer too. Grandpa worked hard, and the farm did well but when it came time to pass the business on mom wasn’t interested. Grandpa was desperate but she was not into farming. Daddy was his employee. Grandpa has forbidden all his employees from taking an interest in his daughter, but daddy was never good at following the rules. He took interest in her anyway. She ended up pregnant with me. Grandpa insisted they get married and it ended up being daddy who took over the family business. A business I was planning on running one day. I loved the farm with all my heart. The animals kept me company during what would’ve have been a very lonely childhood. Rocky also served as my trusted friend but he was getting old now. I dropped my bags in the front door and went to look for my family. I had come home for Thanksgiving. I hadn’t seen them in a couple of months and they knew to expect me this afternoon so it didn’t make sense that there wasn’t a human in sight.

I walked toward the library knowing daddy liked to hide out there when he was feeling overwhelmed. When I got to his door I was ready to knock but he was standing by his desk and turned around a smile forming on his lips. The smile fell flat as his lips turned down. “Annie.” He said my name on a sigh like he was filled with relief and grief all at once.

“Hey daddy,” I walked deeper into his office to see mom and . . . my stomach dropped as I stared at my high school boyfriend, Ford. The same boyfriend who cheated on me for years. The very guy who made me feel like I wasn’t enough, who didn’t speak to me politely. The guy who acted like a complete jerk over and over again and always came groveling for me to take him back. And I did. Every damn time I believed he would change. That he didn’t mean what he said. I put up with so much it made my stomach sour.

“Look at you Annie, beautiful as ever,” Ford said walking towards me.

“What are you doing here?” I looked from him to daddy to mom. Everyone was frowning. “What’s going on?”

Something wasn’t right that much I could tell.

“Honey you should have a seat,” mom said from her perch on the loveseat. She looked tired and defeated. It was a look she carried well day in and day out. She worked as a nurse in the hospital about an hour away from here. As much as she loved the farm she also liked having her own job and life away from here. I don’t think she ever planned on staying on the farm but a surprise pregnancy changed the course of her life. She would never admit it out loud but she didn’t have to. She was miserable with dad who ran his mouth and couldn’t regulate his emotions. He was either angry or shut down.

“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” I felt my anxiety heightening. I didn’t want to sit. I wanted to know why my ex was in my father’s office and why the hell they all looked like someone died.

“The Attorney General is suing the farm for violating state water quality laws causing a public nuisance,” daddy explained his head bowed in defeat.

“To put it simply your idiot father received many warnings that he wasn’t practicing proper waste management. What do you think he did with those warnings?”

“Joyce you aren’t helping,” daddy cut in his voice even and quiet.

“I knew he couldn’t handle this farm. He was just a worker I don’t know what my father was thinking.” Mom shook her head knowingly like she always did when daddy screwed up. He had a knack of forgetting to pay the bills on time, or not following regulations. We had hired people to help over the years but somehow something would still go wrong.

“He was thinking you were pregnant, and I was responsible for putting food on the table,” daddy snaps back at her.

It’s my childhood in a nutshell. Only this time my two-timing ex is here to witness the mess of my life.

Ford has his head bowed. His hands in the pockets of his chinos. “Your father called me. The charges are serious. He’ll probably have to do a major overhaul of his waste management to meet environmental standards. I’m in school but I’ve spoken with my father and he’s willing to take on the case and give your father a special rate,” he explains.

“Why would he do that Ford? We aren’t dating and the farm has been having financial trouble.”

“Are you trying to help here Annie or cause us more trouble?” Daddy asks.

Rocky walks up to the door of the office and begins to bark at Ford.

“It’s okay buddy. Stop barking,” I say. Rocky walks up to me and rubs his body against my thigh. It’s like he can sense how alone I feel. How utterly defeated I am in this moment. I am an agricultural science student at Riverside U. I planned on taking over the farm and making some changes. I knew daddy wasn’t running things up to par but I also didn’t think things were this bad. I stayed away most of the time because coming home was never pleasant but I tried to make it home for the holidays.

Ford sighs. “Look Annie, I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye but I love your family and I hope we can get along.”

My mouth dries and my jaw slackens. Mom gives me a pointed glare that without speaking says assess your next words. I gaze at my dad and wonder what the hell he was thinking. If he was in trouble why didn’t he talk to me?

“I’m sure we can get along just fine,” I answer.

“Good, because I sent you a text last week inquiring if you could help me find housing on campus at Riverside U. I didn’t hear back from you.” Ford raises his eyebrows expectantly.

Pompous ass.

Sweat beads my forehead now. “That was you? It came through as an unknown. I didn’t save your contacts in my phone.”

I watch mom wince at my statement.

“Why would you leave Harvard?” I ask.

“Because it’s easier for me to be at Riverside and commute to work part time at daddy’s firm,” he explains. His father has a well-respected firm in the city.

I nod but the thought of having Ford at school with me makes me nauseous. He must be in his first year of law school. I planned on going back to Riverside to complete a Master’s degree after I was done this year.

“It’s lovely you two will be attending school together again,” Mom adds. She doesn’t hide the conspiratorial look in her eyes very well. She wants me back together with Ford. I think she took our final breakup harder than I did.

“Yes,” Ford agrees and then his eyes find mine and he gives me a bashful smile. Ford was always a handsome guy. He has that charming James Marsden look with dark blue eyes and scruffy brown hair, a slick jaw line and cut cheek bones. But his looks don’t matter because on the inside he is a lying cheating egotistical prick. I won’t be falling for his charms again. At least I hope I won’t.

Daddy clears his throat. He’s seating behind his desk now. It’s a solid mahogany desk that belonged to my great grandfather. “Now that we’ve had introductions can we please talk business? We need to save this farm.”

“You should have thought about that before you shot it to hell,” Mom bites back.

At this rate we aren’t going to get anywhere. I can just imagine what kind of Thanksgiving this will be.

We get back on topic and Ford explains the process of paperwork an attorney at his dad’s firm will need to file.

When he is done he wishes us a happy Thanksgiving.

“I look forward to seeing you around, Annie,” he says ever the charmer.

I force a smile but its saccharine. “See you Ford.”

Ford leaves the office and mom stands to walk him to the door.

“Is he going to be a problem for you Annie girl?” daddy asks.

Yes.

“No daddy, I can handle Ford.”

“Good.”