Drake
Dinner could not have been more somber. That seemed to be the word Drake applied to his entire visit with Emma. Somber and cold. So alone.
He waited for Stefanie, not touching his food as it cooled. “Where is Stefanie? Is she coming down?” He craned to see around the side of the wall or down into the living room. Where had she gone? She couldn’t still be in town. He could’ve sworn he saw the truck parked behind the barn just before he came in to eat.
Hannah shook her head, keeping her gaze focused on her plate. “No. She has something that she’s working on.” Her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose swollen and pink.
Drake didn’t want to focus on the news. He didn’t want to dwell on the fact that Emma had been given an expiration date. Things got real and he wasn’t ready for that kind of real – the kind of real that was like coming home after a vacation and having to start back to work the next morning as if you never left.
He forced a smile. “Well, maybe she has something important going on.” Hopefully, she had the papers to Bella Acres. And if there was any luck or any justice in the universe, she hadn’t heard about Emma’s condition and the worsening time frame. Because that would dampen her success. How sad, if she couldn’t enjoy her victory for even one whole night.
She had gone into the bank, as far as Drake was aware. Mr. Burns backed her, so she should be celebrating. Except anything that was worth celebrating right then, wasn’t worth having with Emma as sick as she was.
Drake couldn’t swallow the two week prognosis without gagging.
Two weeks.
How could it be that his sister would be gone in two weeks?
Time became indescribable. Not understandable.
He finished his cold dinner, grateful no one else – namely Nate – joined them at the table and grateful Hannah didn’t want to talk.
Drake pushed away from the table and cleared his plate. He would have to find Stefanie. He had to know what was going on with her. Plus, he’d been socked in the gut with the Emma news. He had the overwhelming need to talk it out with Stefanie – but only if she knew about things already.
If she didn’t, he certainly wasn’t going to drop the bomb on her day.
In the hallway, Drake knocked softly on Stefanie’s closed bedroom door.
No answer.
Hannah had mentioned the office. Just a few doors down, the office door was closed. Soft orange light glowed from under the crack.
As far as Drake was aware, Nate didn’t usually spend his time in the office. Usually, he sat beside Emma whether she was asleep or awake. He would sit beside her with his hands folded and his eyes trained on her.
Drake approached the office door and rapped the panel with his knuckles. The door pushed open with his knock and he peered inside.
Stefanie’s blue gaze shifted towards him for a split second and then returned to the wall.
Utter confusion and overwhelming panic covered her face.
Drake carefully closed the door. He claimed the wingback and shifted closer to the desk so he’d be closer to her. “Stefanie, are you okay?” He wanted to ask if she got it, but he needed her to lead the conversation.
Stefanie half blinked and then blinked fully. “I’m not sure. I don’t know, I don’t know.”
The conversation was going to be a dead end unless Drake led the way. “Did you get Bella Acres? Did you at least get to buy it?” Drake couldn’t help her unless he had all the information. Even a little bit of information would help.
“Yes, oh yes, I did get Bella Acres.” She patted a bundle of papers in front of her. Finally her gaze shifted down, she pulled down some of the papers in the file, and rifled the stack of papers inside. “Not only did I get Bella Acres, I got all the bills that go with it.”
Her sardonic smile held no hint of amusement but she laughed anyway. “I don’t know how to run a ranch by myself. I don’t know how to...” She lifted her worried gaze to his. “I was so focused on getting Bella Acres that I didn’t think about what would happen when I had it, except... that I would have it.”
Drake nodded slowly. He’d known it was going to happen, but he wanted her to have Bella Acres so badly – something good for once. He didn’t think to tell her that he would make sure she didn’t have to worry.
Plus, it didn’t hurt having her think she would need help. He narrowed his gaze on her, full of concern. “I know how to run a business. I know how to run land. I’m great with finances, remember? But I’m not a ranch hand. I’m not foreman material. That’s where Nate would come in.”
“With Nate’s situation, right now? There’s no way he’s going to take on anything. I’ll be surprised if he wants to stay here at Bella Acres once Emma’s... gone...” She closed her eyes and wiped her hands over her face. “I don’t have the money to run this place. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just so desperately wanted to keep my home. I’m sick of losing everything I have.” Her eyes welled up and focused on him. “I’m sick of losing everyone I love.”
Drake stood and rushed around the desk. He knelt on the ground at Stefanie’s feet and swiveled the chair toward him. He grabbed her hands in his. “Stefanie, I have the money. I have so much money and Emma won’t let me use it. Nate won’t let me help. I want to help. You have to let me.” Drake rubbed her chilled fingers in his and leaned forward between her knees.
He hung his head. “I don’t want to lose my sister. It hurts more than anything that she’s choosing this.”
“Can you convince her to try?” Stefanie pulled one hand free from his grasp and placed her fingers softly on his shoulder.
“Let’s ignore the fact for a moment that it’s too late for any type of treatment. Let’s ignore the fact she’s hidden how bad she is for a long time. If, in fact she would let me before it went too far?” He glanced up to see if she was following him...
She nodded, tracing the line of his hair to his neck with her hand. Her eyes warmed him. Her touch distracted him, but he didn’t stop.
“I would be all over it. I would help her without blinking. I would help right now, even if it was a one-in-a-thousand chance. I would do anything it would take for her. What I can’t do is force her to accept what I want. She’s always done what everyone else wanted her whole life.” Drake turned his face into her touch, realizing finally that Emma just wanted peace.
“She did treatments with marrow, I think, blood transfusions, radiation, you have no idea the things that she’s gone through. I’m just now seeing that living with Nate has brought her a little bit of happiness.” He would concede on a little bit.
Drake refused to believe Nate may have been her entire reason for happiness.
But he could give her and Nate a little bit of credit in the regards of love. “I always wanted money. I was glad to go down there with my uncle. The fact I was able to earn an education and money made it easier to cope with being away from my family. Now I have more money than I know what to do with.”
He jerked his head back. “But that’s all worthless. You and Nate won’t let me help you. Emma won’t let me help her. I have all this money and nothing to do with it.” Drake shook his head. He leaned back, sighing. “All that time I spent away for nothing wasn’t worth it. My parents were wrong to send me away.” His vulnerability stung, but he had to tell someone. He had to tell Stefanie –especially with how he felt about her – he needed her to know.
To know how his heart hurt.
“Were they wrong? Look how you turned out. Your smarts were put to use and you have all that money. But not only that, can you imagine what you would be doing now? With how smart you are and how capable you are, it would be sad to see that go to waste.” Stefanie bent her head a little closer to Drake’s. “I’m glad you were sent away. I missed you, I missed being able to see you, but I’m glad you were able to get out of here and able to make something of yourself.”
“I’m nothing. I don’t have you. I have all this money, and I don’t have you.” Drake shifted on his knees, staring up at her.
Startled, Stefanie drew back slowly. She placed her hands in her lap and studied him. The absence of her touch left coolness behind. “Why would you want anything to do with me?”
“Because you’re loyal. And stubborn. And willing to try anything. You won’t give up on people, not if you can help it. You’re a fighter.” He was going for it, just like Cyan had told him to. He was going to go for it and make Stefanie realize she was so much more than she believed she was.
Large tears rolled down Stefanie’s face, and she sobbed into her open hand. “My mom called me that. A fighter.” Her cries moved the chair.
Drake reached out and wiped at her cheeks. “She was a smart lady.” Drake’s soft voice filled the room.
“I didn’t know you thought that about me.” Stefanie lifted her wet gaze to his. She lowered her hand, and smiled timidly at him.
“You wouldn’t. I don’t run around telling people I love them.” He threw it out there. If he was going to do it, he was going to be bold.
Go big or go home right? Hopefully, he was home.
Plus, with everything else that he was wishing for the one thing that he truly wanted was Stefanie.
He couldn’t keep that hidden anymore and he didn’t want to.