Chapter Two

“Are you sure about this, Justin? It is an awfully long way to go.”

Justin Hunter looked up from his suitcase, giving his cousin a sly smile before moving to his dresser to remove more clothes.

“Sylvan Hills is not another country, Annie. Just a couple hours by plane and then a short drive.”

“Still, neither you nor Marley have ever lived anywhere else.”

“And that’s one of the many reasons we are making this move. I have to get her out of this city, Annie. Maybe in a smaller place she won’t look so lost.”

Marley, the twelve-year-old sister he barely knew, had come to live with him eight months prior after her actress mother died in a car accident. Their father, who had never been present in her life and far too present in Justin’s, died from a heart attack a few years earlier.

“But she is lost, Justin. Are you sure moving her away from everything she has ever known is the right thing to do?”

Justin sighed and looked down at Ann, who had been his best friend as long as he could remember. Except for a short time after a car accident had severed her spine, causing paralysis in her lower body and driving her into a self-imposed isolation, they had always been inseparable. Their shared childhood experience of emotionally distant yet controlling fathers had bonded them, and now he would be moving away from the few family members he could tolerate.

“I remember the only times I felt anything other than grief and guilt after my mother died was when I was out of the city, where I had space to run free or yell into the wind or just think without sirens sounding all around. You, of all people, should realize that.”

“I was twenty when I had my accident, and you were nineteen when your mother died. Marley is only twelve, and do I need to remind you that she barely knows you?”

Justin ran a hand through his thick, dark blond hair and sighed heavily. “Maybe I need space to sort through my guilt, too.”

Ann titled her head and studied him for a moment. “You’re her brother, not her father. You have not been responsible for her all these years.”

“I should have been. No one knows better than me what a bastard our father was. Marley’s mother barely had means to support them. It was one thing to cut me out of his will, but he did not provide for them at all as far as I could tell. Sharon was his mistress and Marley the biproduct. The most I ever did was send her a Christmas present every year.”

“You were very young, still, and had just buried your mother when you found out about them. If a fifty-something man wasn’t taking responsibility, what was a college kid supposed to do?”

“I haven’t been a kid for some time now, Annie. You will not absolve me of this one. My determination to be nothing like him did not extend far enough. But I will take care of Marley now.”

Ann sighed, seeming to give up the point for now. “Okay, so let’s talk about this extreme behavior of yours.”

He looked at her in amusement. “Extreme?”

“Yes! Marley’s counselor suggested she get a pet or grow a garden, and you bought a farm. I call that extreme!”

Justin just stared at her, and eventually, she sighed, hopefully in resignation. He was determined that this move was best for both him and his sister but hated trying to explain all the reasons why. If he completely understood them himself, it might be easier.

“Just how small is this town you’re moving to?”

“About three thousand people. The area is situated in a valley surrounded by hills and is greener than anything I’ve ever seen in my life. Do you realize you look just like your mother when you sneer like that?”

Justin could not help but laugh when the sneer became a scowl.

“Okay, so you are giving up everything—your job, your friends—to go play farmer. How are you ever going to find a wife in a town of three thousand people?”

He laughed, relieved that she was now teasing him. “Now you really do sound like your mother. And you know as well as I do that the job has been part of the problem. There’s no way I could maintain those hours and give Marley the attention she needs. I’ve always hated it and, honestly, only became a lawyer to join a rival firm just to spite my old man. I just don’t have the killer instinct you do.”

Ann smiled proudly. “No, you don’t. You are the black sheep of the family, the one with morals and a sense of obligation to the world.”

“Like you don’t.”

“I’m better at hiding it than you are. I’m sorry if I sound unsupportive. I actually admire what you are willing to do to give your sister a better life. I’m just going to miss having my best friend close by, especially now.”

“Why especially now?” She did not answer right away, which alarmed him. He returned to the bed and looked at her. “Annie?”

She smiled, and the knot in his stomach relaxed a little.

“While you are off digging in the dirt, I’ll be growing a different sort of variety.”

“You’re pregnant?” The concern he was trying to keep to himself must have shown because his cousin reached over and touched his arm.

“There is absolutely no reason why I cannot have a perfectly normal, healthy pregnancy. I’ve done all the research, talked to all the right people, and have all the best doctors.”

Justin knew she would be getting it from all sides, knowing that both her husband, another high- powered attorney in their firm, and her mother would dote on her so much she would go nuts. He decided not to add his own concerns into the mix. Annie could handle herself and anything life handed her just fine.

“Yeah, but you’re clumsy on a good day. How the hell are you going to manage with a big, round stomach? You’re going to take a corner too fast and end up tipping over. I can see you on your back like a turtle waiting for someone to tip you back up.”

Ann pinched him hard. “See. I need you to help keep me from going insane. Garret is already in full protector mode…and my mother!”

“I can imagine. Has she offered to move in with you yet?”

The pained look on her face told him yes.

“They both want me to quit the firm. They think it is too high stress and not good for the baby.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think it’s ridiculous. Women, even the special ones, do manage pregnancy and careers. Still, I have always planned to stay home once we started a family. I might talk a big game, Justin, but this is brand new territory for me. I can’t help but be a little nervous.”

“No one knows what’s best for you better than you do. Follow your gut. It’s never led you wrong.”

“Is that what you are doing now? Following your gut?”

Justin nodded. “You are going to make fun of me, no doubt, but when I flew down to look at the place, it just felt right. It needs a lot of work, but I think it will be good for Marley to help with the repairs. I hope she will feel part of something larger, that there is more to the world than grief and anger.”

“And who is going to help you with the repairs, Mr. Never Get My Hands Dirty Attorney?”

“Do I have to remind you that although my father was the never-get-his-hands-dirty type, my mother’s family were builders? I paid attention during my summer jobs on their sites, so I won’t be completely helpless.”

“They built skyscrapers, not barns, and they never lived far outside of the city either.”

“Like I said, it’s time for something new.”

Finally, Ann’s shoulders slumped, and she picked up a shirt to fold and place in his suitcase. “I guess there’s nothing left to talk about. Let’s get you packed and out of the city, Famer Brown.”