Magnolia
Less than ten minutes later, we're pulling up in front of a brand-new craftsman style house. It sits among a sea of new houses, settled around a man-made pond on the outskirts of town.
“This used to be a cornfield,” I whisper, and Lukas snickers.
“Yeah, I think we snuck out and went to a bonfire out here once or twice back in the day.”
I know that growth can be good, and that change is inevitable. We need families to move to Copper Ridge, to build new houses and businesses to thrive, but there’s something sad about coming back to the area you once knew and seeing the changes for the first time.
“I think Rick is still at work, but he should be home soon.” Lukas nods to the empty space in the garage as we exit the truck.
“He’s a vet, you said?”
Lukas jingles his keys in his hand before tucking them into his front pocket. “Yup, built a practice just a few blocks down the road. Sees all kinds of animals there but also makes trips out to some of the local farms for large animals. It’s been a godsend for a town like ours.”
We reach the front stoop, and Lukas presses a series of buttons on the keypad. There’s a jingle, and I can hear the lock churning.
He opens the door, moving to the side to let me enter first. He calls out a hello as he slips off his boots on the floral welcome mat. I do the same, toeing off my sneakers and leaning over to tuck them close to Lukas’s boots.
The house is pristine, a brand-new build with gorgeous crown molding and wooden beams that cross overhead.
There’s a muted sage wall along one side of the entryway and a table that runs the length of it.
A purse is tossed haphazardly on top, its contents spilling out, and a half-filled baby bottle lies on its side.
“I’m in here,” a woman’s voice calls, and I freeze midstep. Lukas catches my blunder and stops, turning around and taking one large stride in my direction until we’re standing toe to toe.
“You okay?” he whispers, his voice low. He reaches for my hand, squeezing once, and I squeeze it back, pushing out a heavy breath as I nod, letting him lead me down the hall.
We pass by a large living room. A chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling, a cozy gray sectional taking up the center.
A basket of laundry sits next to it, filled with tiny clothes and burp rags waiting to be folded.
The entire home feels like a home filled with love, memories already made with Lukas and this family, and I’m the outsider wandering through it.
We reach the threshold of the kitchen, and I go to loosen my grip from Lukas’s, but he tightens his hand further. I smile a little, curling my fingers around his palm.
“Hey, Candi,” he says, and I force my stage face on, begging my smile to be as natural as possible as I step out from behind him, coming face to face with the mother of his child.
Candi stands at the kitchen sink, her back to us and yellow dish gloves wrist-deep in soapy water. Her long black hair lies flat against her back, and she’s rinsing out a pile of baby bottles. She shuts off the faucet with the back of her hand, and then she turns to face us, her eyes meeting mine.
I expect them to lower, some sort of sneer from her or judgement, at least. I mean, this is the woman from Lukas’s past. Even if it ended as amicable as he claims, there has to be some tension on her side.
But she meets me with nothing but a smile, then that smile widens, brows lift, and her eyes flit back to Lukas.
For a moment, I swear some secret conversation passes between them.
“Hey,” she says a little brighter, pulling the gloves from her hands. She tosses them on the counter next to a baby monitor and reaches for a towel, wiping her hands as she circles around the island.
My first thought, after her lack of animosity, is that she’s stunning.
The closer she gets, I can make out the details of her features. Creamy pale skin. Round doe eyes, and a small beauty mark that sits on the apple of one cheek. She’s beautiful. A real-life Disney princess, and suddenly, my unwashed hair and baggy sweater seem a little frumpy for this meeting.
“You must be Magnolia,” she says brightly, coming to stand in front of us. She pauses once we’re an arm’s length away. “Is it weird that I want to hug you?” She looks over at Lukas and giggles a bit. “I feel like I know you from all Lukas has told us.”
“Oh?” I turn to face him, expecting him to blush or brush off the comment, but he just smiles down at me.
“Mags is just in town for a day to see her grandma.”
“Oh, and how is she?”
I know the confusion on my face is obvious, but Lukas doesn’t falter. “She’s doing great. A couple more weeks in the rehab center, but I imagine she’ll be discharged home soon.”
“Thank goodness, what a scary thing for everyone to have to go through.” She turns to me, and I know my emotions are written all over my face.
With everything I let myself imagine about the relationship Lukas and Candi have, I never thought that my name was mentioned, let alone Candi knowing about Nana.
She reaches her hand out, and I wrap my palm around hers, shaking once. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“You as well.”
Lukas ushers me forward, pulling out one of the chairs to the island and gesturing for me to sit.
He crosses around the island, setting the paper bag with Ivy’s medicine on the counter before spying a Tupperware full of cookies.
He peels off the lid, sniffs them once, then turns back to Candi. “Are these raisins or chocolate?”
“Chocolate chips.”
He reaches for one, popping it into his mouth before turning toward me, offering one in my direction.
“No, thank you. I’m full.” Which is a lie. I haven’t eaten lunch yet, and I probably should snack on something, but I’m still dizzy with this situation. I don’t think I could stomach a cookie right now.
He nods, taking another one out before he closes the lid. His crystal eyes fall to the monitor, and when he brings it closer, I can make out the tiny outline of a baby sleeping on the screen. I stare at the grainy footage, my eyes daring to water. That’s Lukas’s baby.
“She had a rough night last night and was up bright and early this morning. I hope the antibiotics kick in soon.”
“You should have called. I would have come over and let you guys get some sleep.”
She waves him off. “We managed to survive, but we might take you up on the offer tonight. Both of us were up almost hourly, and Rick had to be out at one of the farms early this morning.”
There’s a silence that falls over us, and Lukas eats his second cookie, chewing thoughtfully before asking, “Whose farm is he at?”
“He’s at…” She looks over to the fridge, where the family calendar sits, and squints. “It’s a farm by yours—Nelson’s?”
“Nielsen’s,” he corrects.
The Nielsen’s have been in Copper Ridge just as long as the Harts.
Their farm is stunning, and the back forty butts up against the Harts.
They share a riverbed that runs through, and it’s always felt like an extension of their own.
If the fence gets damaged and the cows escape, the Nielsen’s have always come to help and vice versa.
“I guess they’re selling the place,” Candi says, and Lukas chokes on his cookie.
“What?” he asks, curling his hand into a fist and beating it against his chest. I reach a hand up, tapping him on the back as Candi spins to grab a glass from a cabinet. She fills it, sliding it over the island and turns to me. “Can I get you one?”
This time, I nod yes.
“The Nielsen’s are selling?” he asks again.
“Guess so. Called a few weeks ago and asked Rick to stop by and check on the cattle to verify records or something.”
“I thought their kids were taking it over.”
“That’s what Rick said, too. I guess plans changed. They’re selling the cattle to a larger ranch out west, and the land is being sold to someone from the city. The kids are moving away, and Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen are moving to a smaller place in town.”
“That’s so fucking sad.” Lukas presses his hands onto the counter, leaning forward as he curls his hands around the edge. “I bet I know exactly who is throwing down cash for all that land, too.”
“Who?” I can’t imagine who would have the means to buy all that land, hundreds and hundreds of acres, if they don’t plan to farm it.
“There’s this land developer that’s been hanging around for a while. He’s approached Grayson about buying my parents’ farm.”
“What?” I hiss. My heart immediately sinks, dropping low into my stomach.
I couldn’t imagine the Hart farm not being around.
I couldn’t imagine driving by their road, knowing that instead of their big red barn peering out from behind the pine trees, there’d be nothing—or worse, a subdivision.
People digging up the land that a family owned for over a hundred years.
Copper Ridge wouldn’t be the same without the Harts.
“We’ll never sell,” he says firmly, but there’s an irritation lacing his voice. “If there’s a fucking casino built right next to my parents’ farm, I’m going to lose my mind.”
We’ve all heard the stories. It’s hard for a small-town farmer to make a living.
They often can’t compete with the million-dollar ranches out west. It’s hard work, and with each generation that comes, it seems like that’s one more generation who isn’t up for the challenge.
But it always felt different with the Harts.
Grayson has had his mind set on taking over the farm since he was a teenager.
Theo has worked part time since he graduated high school, and now, they have Lukas.
They’re doing what they can to keep it going, but can they stand up against technology, against millions, against the threats that are right outside their door?
“Don’t bark at me,” Candi jokes, just as we hear the front door open and close. “That must be Rick.” Her eyes light up, and she glances over to the clock. “Home so much earlier than I expected. You can ask him the details yourself.”