Finally a Family. Carolyne Aarsen

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СКАЧАТЬ faint smile mocked her even as she read the interest in his eyes.

      “Uncle Ethan.” Ethan Westerveld.

      Well, she wasn’t reciprocating his interest. Coming to this Westerveld stronghold had never been a goal. Cozying up to one of “them,” certainly not on the list, no matter how good-looking he may be.

      Besides, his whole posture, that look on his face, the smile bordering on self-confident smirk all added up to consummate flirt. Shades of Alex.

      She turned back to Dan Westerveld, determined to regain some kind of ground. “Looks to me like you’ve got peonies coming up in the front. What kind are they?” she asked, making conversation as she walked to the window, allowing herself a good look at the yard she had so admired.

      “They come from hearty prairie stock my mother’s mother planted on their home site.” Dan stood beside her, his hands in the pockets of his pants. “Sam gave me some cuttings a few years back. He farms…farmed, the old place.” Dan laughed lightly. “Have to get used to the idea,” he said softly. “He was a good man, my brother.”

      “I’d like to tell you again I’m sorry,” Hannah said. Politeness deemed she show some respect for his loss. She wished she could be a bit more sincere, but there it was.

      “He had a rough few months, toward the end. He was in a lot of pain, but he died knowing he was a child of God and that he was going on to a better place.”

      Hannah acknowledged the sentiments with an impersonal nod. She should have known she would bump against Sam’s presence and the beliefs of his family often and in many guises. She might as well get used to the pious talk.

      “Have you met my nephew Ethan?” Dan asked, walking around to the other side of his desk. “Ethan, this is Hannah Kristoferson. Hannah, Ethan Westerveld.”

      “We met,” Ethan said, laying the magazine aside on a table and sauntering over. A man in charge of his world and comfortable in this place.

      “If you want to call that a meeting,” Hannah countered, annoyed with his attitude.

      Ethan didn’t stop until he stood in front of her. “Of course it was.” His eyes flicked over her face, as if taking her up on her challenge.

      Hannah caught a glint of humor in his gray-green eyes, but she refused to respond.

      “Now that you are both here, we can begin.” Dan picked up a pair of glasses and slipped them on his face as he moved some papers on his desk aside. Without looking up, he motioned to the two empty chairs in front of the desk. “You two can sit down instead of circling each other like a couple of banty roosters.”

      “Only one rooster, Uncle Dan,” Ethan corrected, hooking the other chair with his shiny cowboy boot and pulling it closer. “And one hen.”

      “That could be insulting,” Hannah said.

      “Just trying to be biologically correct,” Ethan returned.

      “The term is politically correct.”

      “Honey, when it comes to chickens the only politics is, the male rules the roost.”

      “Until he gets henpecked.”

      “Can we start?” Dan prompted, shooting his nephew a warning glance.

      Ethan sat, resting his one booted foot across his knee, pushing the chair on its back two legs. Obviously the man felt at home.

      Dan gave her a thoughtful look. “Before we start, however, I also want to extend my condolences on the death of your mother.”

      His sympathies, though kind, caught her off guard. Though it had been only four months since she’d stood alone beside her mother’s grave, the sharpest edges of her sorrow had already been dulled.

      “I’m sure you must miss her,” Dan continued.

      “I do, though we hadn’t seen much of each other the past few years.”

      Ethan looked puzzled. “But I thought—”

      “I had assumed as much.” Dan cut Ethan off. “It had taken us some time to find where she had lived.” He uncovered a large envelope, which he placed on the desk in front of him, and folded his hands over the top.

      “I feel I should make some kind of formal announcement. While this isn’t classified as an official reading of the will, Sam did ask that I read this bequest in this fashion.” Dan waited a moment, then picked up the envelope. “I have to warn both of you that I already know what this envelope contains. As executor of Sam’s will, I perused every item relating to his estate, including the letter accompanying the will.” He paused, his attention resting on Ethan. “I want you both to understand that the contents of the document I’m about to read to you are known only to Sam’s lawyer and me.”

      Ethan nodded and Dan’s eyes went to Hannah. She didn’t know what was required of her, so she nodded, as well.

      Dan gave her a gentle smile and Hannah’s curiosity grew.

      What was in the envelope that necessitated her flying across the country to attend this meeting?

      Dan opened the envelope and pulled out some papers.

      “I’ll read Sam’s letter first.” He cleared his throat and began. “‘Dear Hannah. I’m going to start with you, because if you are here, you have come the farthest and probably have the most questions….’”

      Hannah wrapped her arms across her chest, bracing herself as Dan’s even voice read Sam’s words, an eerie echo from the grave.

      “‘…I’m sorry I never phoned you or explained why I left. I wanted to, but that’s all I’m going to say about that. I didn’t do right by you. I have had tons of time to sit and think and I keep thinking of how I just left you and your mom. So, this is a way to fix that mistake. Dan, I hope you can get hold of her and find her. And, Ethan, please, just be patient.’”

      “What does he mean by that?” Ethan said.

      “You’ll see,” Dan said without looking at his nephew. He took a careful sip of water from a glass sitting at his elbow, as if preparing for what he had to say. He read on.

      “‘I thought a lot about what I’m going to tell you. I didn’t make this decision quick or easy. But this is the right thing to do. Hannah, I want you to have half of my farm…’”

      “What?” The question exploded out of Ethan as his tilting chair slammed on the floor. “Read that again?”

      Dan adjusted his glasses and sighed. This time he held his nephew’s angry gaze. “Please, Ethan. Just wait. This is difficult for me, as well, but please let me finish.”

      Ethan glared at Dan, then leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Hannah tried to ignore his hostile body language as she collected her own confused thoughts. Half of a farm? What could that mean?

      Dan pinched his nose, blew out his breath, and continued. “‘Hannah, this is all I can give you, to be fair to Ethan. But you get this half of the farm on one condition. You stay СКАЧАТЬ