“Jennifer, I can’t stand it anymore. I need you to tell me how to sell my farm.”
“What?!” She stared at him, wide-eyed with surprise.
“I miss her too much,” he said, striding around Stetson’s living room, waving his hands as he went. Past the fireplace that had kept them warm. Past the couch where they’d snuggled late at night. “These weekends together, and then not seeing each other again for days, or even weeks at a time…I can’t live without her anymore, Jenn, I just can’t. I used to think that marriage wasn’t for me, but I used to be an idiot. I’m gonna sell my farm and move to Boise and…well, I’ll work at C-A-L Ranch or something. Something!” He slumped onto the couch, and just stared at Jennifer, pain vibrating off him in thick waves. Retail wouldn’t kill him, right?
Oh God, he didn’t want to sell his farm. He loved it with all of his heart and soul. He’d given up so much for that farm – worked so hard through the spring and into the fall to make it a success. But…
He couldn’t live without Bonnie. Coming together, being torn back apart again, over and over…
Yeah, Skype was wonderful, and sure, they had it easier than people living on the other side of the planet from each other.
But he wanted to wake up in the morning to find her by his side.
He wanted to come home at night and have the lights on in the house. Have someone there to greet him, someone to care about him.
He wanted to lean over and kiss her whenever he damn well pleased.
He most especially wanted her. However, whenever, wherever he could. He was sure that if he had to say goodbye to Bonnie one more time, his heart was going to be torn to shreds.
And if that meant giving up his farm, so be it. Jennifer had been in real estate and banking for a long time. She’d know what to do, how much he could ask for, who to list it with.
This whole thing was her damn fault for introducing them, so she could surely help him figure out a way to make it happen.
With the snow melting and spring planting about to begin, it was a tough time to sell a farm – he’d have to plant what he always did and just hope that a buyer wanted to buy acres of wheat.
He didn’t know how long it would take to sell his farm, so he didn’t dare let it sit fallow and then not have a crop to harvest that fall, if the farm was still hanging on like a noose around his neck. His yearly payment on the bank loan came due every fall after harvest, and if he was still stuck with it at that point, if he didn’t have a harvest to sell, he wouldn’t be able to make the payment.
No, he wouldn’t let himself think that. He had to get rid of it, no matter how much that hurt, or what kind of hit he took on the price.
“Wow. I knew it was hard for you two to be apart, but I never considered you selling your farm.” Jennifer said the words softly and he knew that she knew just what he was suggesting here.
Knew what a huge sacrifice this was.
But Bonnie was worth it. Bonnie was worth anything.
“I don’t want to. I offered to pay off Bonnie’s student loans and then she could move to Long Valley, but she’s right – it’s more than just her student loans. She needs money for her car payment and insurance and cell phone and food,” his lips quirked slightly at that, “and so she insists on having, you know, a real job.
“So if I can’t get her here, I’ll move there. Surely C-A-L Ranch would love to hire someone like me, even if I’ve never worked a cash register in my life. I know more than those high school kids anyway.”
“I’ve been working on a plan, Luke, tell me what you think…”