I blush deeper.Sometimes Aaric calls me sunshine.I have no idea why.I’m dull and boring.But I like that he has a silly nickname for me.It makes me feel special.
I’m sure I’m nothing more than a silly girl to him.I’m only eleven.Iama silly girl.But his kindness means a lot to me.If I were grownup like Aaric, I would want to be his girlfriend.
Silly pipe dreams.Mama says I spend too much time daydreaming, but I don’t care.I like my imagination.It’s much better than my reality.
There’s a clap of thunder in the distance, which startles me.I jump in my spot.
Aaric tips his head back.“Looks like rain’s coming.”
I turn around to see Rebekah skipping toward me.When she gets to my side, she grabs my hand.“We gotta go, Hannah.”
She’s right.Shoot.I’m going to have to hurry to keep up with her.Our father doesn’t permit us to be on the Gallant property.He says the Gallants are too good for their britches, and we are not allowed to speak to them.If we get caught in the rain and come home soaking wet, he’ll know we disobeyed him.
Aaric gives me a wink as he waves.“Be safe going home, girls.”
Careful not to drop my sandwich, I glance back at him as I climb over a branch.I don’t think sunshine is a good word to describe me, but maybe Aaric is sunshine.He certainly brightens up my day.
I offer him a smile and then turn and jog to keep up with Rebekah, stuffing the sandwich into my mouth as we hurry home.My tummy and my heart are fuller because I was brave enough to follow my sister today.
I hope someday, when I’m grown, I’ll meet a man who smiles at me like Aaric and treats me right.But that’s probably a pipe dream, too.
One
Aaric
Ten years later…
“Aaric?”
“Yeah?”I spin around in my chair to find my brother, Adrian, standing in my office doorway.“What’s up?”
His brow is furrowed.“There’s a woman on the monitor.She’s on the west side of the property, heading this direction.She’s stumbling a lot as though she’s injured or something.It’s hard to tell from the camera angle, but she has long blond hair.”
I jump to my feet.“You think it’s Hannah?”
Adrian nods.“That’s my suspicion.Could you take the ATV and go check it out?I’d hate for Asher to see her first.Last time he found a woman on the property, he tied her to a kitchen chair.”Adrian smirks.
I roll my eyes.“Hopefully, Asher is busy minding his own business with Emma.I’ll go.”I’m already jogging toward the steps to ascend from our basement offices.
My heart is racing as I hurry toward the ATV.I really hope it’s Hannah.Her sister Rebekah married my twin brother Adam a few months ago.Rebekah has been worried about Hannah for the last two years.That’s how long it’s been since she last saw her sister.
I’ve been working with a private investigator to try to find Hannah for over a month, but it’s slow work when you’re dealing with remote mountain homesteads.We had almost nothing to go on.Rebekah’s father, Richard Sharp, told her that Hannah ran away in the night two years ago, but we all suspect he might have lied.He lied about a lot of things.
Now he’s dead, which is, unfortunately, for the best, but I still feel bad for these two women who spent their lives living under his extremely backward rule.
I head toward the dirt path that meanders between our property and the Sharp homestead.It doesn’t take me long to spot the blond in the distance.Fifteen seconds later, I come to a stop, shut off the engine, and jump down from the ATV.
The blond isn’t currently moving.She probably heard my engine and stopped.She has one hand planted on the trunk of a tree, and she’s clutching her stomach.As I get closer, I see she’s been crying.Her eyes are wide, and her cheeks are pink and streaked with dried tears.
She looks like she’s about to collapse from exhaustion.
“Hannah?”It’s an educated guess.My gut tells me this is her.I haven’t seen her since she was about eleven, so it’s hard to be sure.
She gasps.“Yes.”Her voice is weak.She’s shaking so badly, I think she might actually fall to her knees.
I rush closer and manage to catch her as she starts to tumble forward.
“Adam?”she asks, her voice weak, as I lift her to cradle her in my arms.She weighs almost nothing, but she’s wearing a long skirt with several layers, a rough khaki blouse, and a shawl.Honestly, the outfit looks like it belongs on a character in an old frontier movie.