West of Forever (Heartstone Ranch #1)(53)

Hopefully we’ve circumvented the field, because I can’t lose all that hay. I’ll have to buy some or barter for it, and there’s really no need, because we have plenty. If my father doesn’t screw it all up.

Sadie leans back. “We saw Lark today.”

I close my eyes and pray for a miracle to get us out of this conversation.

“Lark Gatlin?” Dad asks.

“Yeah, she was shopping when we were there. So Dad and I talked to her.”

Harper places her fork down but holds on to the knife. Not a good sign.

“We said hello to her and her mother, and then we came home,” I say, finishing the rest of the story before heads start exploding.

“Millie Gatlin should’ve run the other way when George asked her to dance in high school. I thought she was real nice back then, even though she had bad taste.”

Harper snorts. “I’m pretty sure they said the same about Momma.”

“Your mother knew quality when she saw it. One look at me, and she knew I was the best man for her.” Dad sits up taller. “Now those Gatlins, there isn’t much quality about them.”

“Lark is nice,” Sadie argues.

Yes, Lark is nice. And beautiful. And funny. And smart. And sexy. And alluring.

And…and…and.

Trouble.

That’s the word I should be holding on to. Lark Gatlin is trouble, and I’m running straight toward it.

Like a damn fool.

“Lark is a Gatlin,” my sister says. “Not much nice about her.”

“Lark is nothing like her brothers,” I remind her. “She’s never done a thing to us.”

“Oh, yes, she’s just a victim in this family feud.” Harper rolls her eyes and then grabs her fork. “You know, she was just so vocal when her asshole brother ruined your sister’s life.”

“Lark wasn’t the one who did it. Just like you, Fallon, Roni, and I didn’t do a damn thing to earn their hatred,” I say, tipping my head to the side.

“You aren’t seriously defending her, are you?” my sister asks.

“I’m telling you the truth, Harper. If that’s defending her, then so be it. She’s been nice to Sadie—they talked about chickens. She’s never done anything to us and even apologized for her family calling the cops on us. So, yeah, I’m not just sitting around hating people who aren’t doing anything wrong.”

My father sits back, arms crossed over his chest as he watches Harper and me go back and forth. She turns to him. “Got nothing to say now, Dad?”

He chuckles. “Oh? Now you want me to have an opinion?” Sadie giggles and he winks at her. “I think there are always bad apples, and then a good one drops. Maybe Lark is that, maybe she’s not.”

“Who’s the good apple on our tree, Grandad?” Sadie bats her lashes at him.

“You, Sugar Britches. You are.”

My daughter grins. “Thank you, Grandad.”

“Of course.”

Harper shakes her head. “I don’t think anything from that tree isn’t rotten.”

I can definitely attest that there’s nothing rotten about Lark. She’s sweet, and I enjoyed taking a bite of her fruit.

No way in hell I’m saying that.

I plan to get another taste in about four hours.

Sadie looks to me. “Do you think that, Dad?”

This is one of those moments where I wonder whether my daughter is genuinely curious about this or if she’s just being a little shit-stirrer. Knowing her, it’s the second option. However, she’s never going to let me walk out of this conversation.

“I think that disliking people without a reason isn’t the right thing. Lark was nice to you, wasn’t she?” Sadie nods. “Then I think you should be nice back. Regardless of what people say.”

“Unless I say it. Then you listen to me,” Dad tells her.

“Don’t listen to him.” Both Harper and I jump in at the same time and then laugh.

My father huffs. “Sure, that they agree on.”

“Sorry, Pop, we’ve learned that you are not often the voice of reason.” I look back at my daughter. “Doing the right thing when no one is looking is what I consider the makings of a good person.”

He waves me off and then turns to face Sadie. “Except if they’re a Gatlin. Then we hate them.”

It’s not worth the eternal fight. Sadie is a smart girl, and she’ll do the right thing.

My hope is that she won’t see Lark anyway. The more we can keep the families apart, the better.

We eat, talking about the plans for the week and an upcoming auction. Harper goes over some of the costs she’s concerned about, and Dad, being Dad, weighs in with his usual unhelpful advice.

My father ran this farm for sixty years, but things have changed, and he’s refused to adapt. He thinks all the new technology is useless and stupid, but it’s allowed us to streamline sales and other parts of our business. We keep better records and are more aware of what’s needed instead of guessing like my father did in his day.

Still, he holds a great amount of knowledge, and he’s more than earned my respect. So I never shoot his ideas down or refuse him the floor. I just don’t always listen, because it’s not the same farm that he built.