Reclaimed (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

“So, you met her?” Andrea leaned against the table toward Paul, her tone too cheery for innocent curiosity.

“Yep.” Paul wiped his face with a napkin to mask his scowl.

Dre’s eyes gleamed as if fate had just taken a twist. “And?”

What was with her? She knew better than to poke at his singleness. Why did she suddenly think he needed a woman in his life?

“She tried to take my head off.”

Tom rested against the back of his chair as a small chuckle escaped. “Heard she was a bit of a pickle.”

“You did?” Dre’s head whipped toward her husband. “Who told you that?”

“Chuck. He and Jim both had, shall we say, interesting conversations with her.”

Dre’s face puckered. “What reason did they have to meet her?”

“Business.”

Paul watched his sister as she challenged her husband with a look. She was as feisty as she was kind, and for some reason, she had his new neighbor’s back. What was that all about?

“Have you met her, Dre?” Paul asked.

Her expression relaxed. “No, not yet, but I saw her at Holeman’s. She stopped her shopping to help old Mrs. Blake with a ten-pound bag of flour, and when she was checking out, she bought a Coke and gave it to the clerk. Just because. Pickled people don’t do things like that.”

True. That was a bit mysterious. Paul tried to imagine the bitter Miss Wilton helping poor, arthritic Agnes Blake. He couldn’t picture her doing it with a smile. Actually, he couldn’t picture her stony face with a smile at all.

“Maybe she’s got a sore spot for men.” Tom got up, poured a fresh mug of coffee, and then slid onto the stool at the kitchen island. “Mike lived here for almost six years, but I’d never seen her around. You’d think his daughter would show up for a visit every now and again.”

A sore spot for men? Could be.

“Old Jerry Tripp was working the checkout that day.” Dre shook her head. “She was perfectly kind to him. Like I said, bought him a Coke and everything.”

Or not. Intriguing. But not enough for a return trip.

Dre planted her chin on her fist. “I’m gonna go say hey.”

Paul raised an eyebrow. “You are, huh?”

“Yep.” Dre nodded as she stood to clear the breakfast dishes. “’Bout time too. I’ll take some of my double chocolate chip cookies, and we’ll just see about this pickle rumor.”

Oh, Dre. Always on the lookout for wounded puppies and lost kittens. And vinegar-soaked spinsters.

Paul grunted. “Wear a helmet.”

Andrea spun from the dishwasher, scowling at him. Her hands came to her hips. “Kindness goes a long way. I won’t need it.”

Across the counter, Tom rolled his eyes and grinned all at once. Thirteen years and he obviously still adored her. It pleased Paul that his baby sister was well loved, but it also pricked a little jealousy way down deep. It seemed God had passed him over when it came to the two-by-two pairings.

Ugh
. It was all right. He had a good life. Tom and Dre took him in as a part of their home whenever he was around. They were all the family he needed. He wouldn’t have this nip of melancholy if Andrea hadn’t unintentionally stirred up regret.

He was happy. And he had stuff to do. It was time to get after it.

Suzanna set a fresh pot of coffee to brew and stretched her fingers. Who knew typing could give you cramps? She’d met her entry quota for the day, but a new reservation request had blipped on the resort database, and she’d snagged it. Heaven knew she could use the bonus.

Rocking her head back and forth to work her neck muscles, she left the kitchen, heading for the makeshift office she’d erected in the front room. A white truck covered in a thin film of dirt rolled by the picture window. It turned in her drive, and Suzanna groaned. Two vultures in one day. She must have inherited the most sought-after two hundred acres in all of Cottonwood County.

Sighing, she pushed her loose hair off her face. She stepped out the front door prepared for another battle. Crisp fall air cooled her skin, sending a ripple of goose bumps down her arms.

The truck door swung open and a woman jumped out. She wore cowboy boots with faded jeans, and her long blonde hair fell in an attractive cascade down her back. Reaching into the cab, she emerged with a Saran Wrap-covered plate and a smile stretching across her face.

Could it be? An honest hello, a sincere welcome, rather than a “nice to meet you, now get out”? What took so long?

“Hey there.” The woman approached with easy confidence. “I’m long overdue. My name’s Andrea Kent. I live three miles down the road.”

Genuine friendliness gleamed from the woman’s blue eyes, melting Suzanna’s reservations.

A smile tickled the corners of her mouth, the first one in weeks. “Suzanna Wilton.” She met Andrea’s hand with a warm shake.

“Well, Suzanna, it’s real nice to meet you. I thought you might enjoy these.” Andrea handed Suzanna the plate. “I hide them from my kids so’s I can have me a chocolate fix whenever the need arises. Living out this far, a girl’s gotta stock up.”

A friend.
Oh, please, let her be a real friend.
It’d been so long since she’d had an honest friend.

Suzanna traced a cookie under the plastic wrap. “Rock Creek is a good drive from out here, isn’t it?”

Andrea plopped down on the front porch step as if she’d nothing better to do with her day. “You’ll get used to it. I do my best dreamin’ and schemin’ during that twenty-minute drive. It’s good for the soul. Just me, a good set of tires, and the radio. Oh, and my kids. But I’m pretty well practiced at tuning them out.”

Andrea’s easy chatter drifted over her chilled soul like a warm breeze. A sigh rolled off Suzanna’s muscles.

“I just brewed a fresh pot of coffee.” She made a move toward the front door. “Would you like to come in?”

A laugh lit her face as Andrea bobbed her head. “I never turn down a cup of coffee.” She followed Suzanna through the door. “I haven’t been in this house since I was a girl. We used to come here to dig dandelions. Mrs. Hawkins would give us a nickel for every root, and then she’d make us fresh lemonade.”

Suzanna had a mug of coffee poured by the time Andrea finished. Settling at her small kitchen table, she marveled at their instant familiarity.

“Was that who my dad bought the property from?”

“Goodness no.” Andrea sipped her coffee. “Poor Mrs. Hawkins would have spit nails if she’d seen what had been done with her place. This was a feedlot when your dad bought it. Took only three years to ruin the land, and your dad spent almost six years reclaiming it.”

“I thought it looked different.” Suzanna passed cream to Andrea, who skipped the indulgence. “I came out right after Dad moved, and all I remember was mud. And stench. Dad talked a lot about planting, but I guess I didn’t understand.”

“Grass.” Andrea’s head bobbed once. “He planted grass. And replanted. He tested the soil, amended the dirt, and planted—for years.”

“Is it recovered?” Suzanna’s gaze drifted out the window. “The land, I mean? Did he do it?”

“He did it.” Approval rang through Andrea’s voice. “Reclaimed an acreage that had been written off as miserable. People couldn’t believe it when Mike bought this place. Said it was a fool’s dream. See that creek you have on the south side?” She nodded toward the tree line.

Suzanna dipped her chin.

“Water was turning up tainted downstream. The EPA was hunting to shut the feedlot down, so the owners put the property on the market. ’Course, everyone local knew about it, and they weren’t gonna touch it. Figured it was worthless dirt. Too valuable to abuse, too hard to reclaim. Useless.”

Suzanna frowned. “Did my dad know any of this?”

Andrea shrugged. “Not sure it woulda mattered. Seemed set on it. Jack, down at the Department of Natural Resources, he warned Mike about what it would take to sprout seed here. Mike just listened, thanked him politely, and got to work.”

Drawn to the view outside her window, Suzanna scanned her inheritance. Green pastures waved against the afternoon sun, tinted with the golden hues of fall. The ground looked virgin, full of potential.

Reborn and beautiful.

Her breath caught in her throat as the vista whispered a promise. Was that why Daddy had given her his property?

God takes the broken things, Suzie doll. He can do wonders with hearts that have nothing left.
Tears stung her eyes as her dad’s voice rolled through her memory. Nothing left. At twenty-seven, that was exactly how Suzanna felt. Drained, used up, and broken.

“Mike turned this piece of Nebraska from scorned to coveted.” Andrea brought Suzanna back from the past. “One of the prettiest little spots in Cottonwood County.”

Coveted, yes. No fewer than five pressure-laden offers in the past month.

“Seems a good section,” Suzanna observed, burying her resentment.

“Not a whole section, Suz. Little less than a third. But, yes, it’s a good one. Thanks to your dad, you’ve got good grazing ground. What was he hoping to put on it?”

Suzanna shrugged. Sorting through what her father had been doing tangled up her mind. She couldn’t make sense of her own life, let alone his.

Andrea finished her coffee and stood. “Well, Suz, knowing how hard your dad worked on this place, I’d say he had a plan. I’d bet on it.”

Curiosity nipped at Suzanna. What had he been up to? She’d been so wrapped up with Jason and wounded by the past that she hadn’t paid much attention to her father’s endeavors. Had he left her any clues?

Suzanna followed Andrea to the front door. Andrea spun on her toes. “I don’t use one of these very often. I feel all formal.”

“What? The door?”

“The front door. Farmhouses only have them for looks.”

Laughter bubbled up, rusty and unfamiliar. “Well, in that case, you’re welcome to use the side door anytime.”

“Good.” Andrea tipped her head. “I’ll stop by again soon.” She turned to exit, but her boots stopped just outside the door. “Do you go to church at all, Suzanna?”

Ah, church. A preacher’s kid ought to go to church. It’d been awhile though. Suzanna shrugged without a word.

“Well, if you ever want to, we’re over at Rock Creek Bible. I’d love for you to sit by me.” Andrea touched her head as if she were wearing a hat before she dropped down the front steps. “I’ll be seeing you, Suzanna Wilton.”

The joy in her voice pulled at Suzanna’s soul. Maybe it was time to go back.