Page 27 of Harvest Moon

“It’s nice. Quiet. Barbara and Henrik were there for me when I needed them, and I’m glad I can return the favor.”

I looked down at the goats. A few others had come over for pets.

“Yeah. My ma and pa used to have a farm sort of like this. That’s why I went to school—figured I could fix things up, get everything running tightly, but then they sold it. To, um, the Sterling Corporation.”

He hissed between his teeth.

That felt nice—there wasn’t a much better way to express how I felt about the whole thing. Finally, somebody understood why my ship had been set adrift, even if I hadn’t found the words for all that disappointment.

“Yeah,” I said. “I know. Before I left town, they’d already torn the old house down. I’m sure it’s nothing like the place I grew up, and it’s only been a couple weeks.”

“That why you came out here?”

Ford was petting the kid’s velvet ears, so he didn’t see when I shrugged. “And Lexis. I knew he was out here. Wanted to see him again, I guess.”

“That Claud’s cousin?”

“Yeah. He came out here because she’s pregnant. And she’s worried about—” I caught sight of him stiffening out of the corner of my eyes, and fell silent at once.

“Point is,” I continued, pretending I didn’t notice the twitch in his jaw or his narrowed eyes any more than the happy goat under his hand did, “I sure am glad there’s something I can do here, land to work. Thank you for giving me a shot, Ford. You and Barbara and Henrik too.”

Ford didn’t say anything, but when he turned around out toward the fields, he clapped his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze, and I couldn’t help thinking that even if things weren’t perfect and talking was tough, Ford McKesson and I might have some kind of understanding between us.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you the equipment.”

15

Alexis

The next day looked a lot like the ones before it. Birch leaving before any reasonable human woke for the day. Claudia rushing out of the house after getting a phone call, with nothing but an unhealthy pastry and a cup of decaffeinated coffee for breakfast.

And there I was. No family. No pack. No run the night before.

Was this what being an adult was like?

It was... lonely.

I almost missed my mother’s constant, if perpetually sour, presence. I wondered what she would think of Ridge showing up in Grovetown. No doubt she’d see something deep and sinister in it, like him stalking me, even though he’d hardly been willing to say a word when confronted with my presence.

I had a vague memory of the Grove pack giving him a scholarship for college. Mostly, I remembered being proud of it, because that was my cousin’s pack, affluent enough to help the man I adored go to school. In retrospect, it was a whole lot of living vicariously through other people and their successes.

It was time to get back to being Alexis.

I pulled my handheld recorder out of my trunk and checked the charge on it. It was good to go, and so was I.

I changed clothes and was out of the house just a few minutes later. Maybe it was a cop-out of a place to start, but I walked over to the alpha’s home first. He’d offered me a whole freaking canoe, and while I wasn’t ready to commit to that, maybe he’d know the best place to start.

Plus I kind of wanted to see the canoe in question, just to satisfy my curiosity. I’d never been offered anything quite so extravagant by anyone not asking for something in return.

Grove House was unmistakable.

I mean, first of all, it was the only house I’d ever seen that had its own sign, declaring its name, right on the low wrought-iron fence that ran around the front yard. A fence that seemed to be purely decorative, since it was short enough for any wolf to jump over, and it didn’t even have a gate that barred the front walk. The whole house followed in that pattern. It was beautiful, extravagant, and unless twenty people were living there, they couldn’t possibly be using it to its full potential. It was three freaking stories. Three! Sure, maybe the top was an attic, but it was there.

As I turned up the walk, I paused for a moment to stare. It was like something out of a movie. I almost wanted to whip out my phone and start taking pictures like some kind of tourist.

Who would I show? Ridge?

I shook my head, steeled myself, and headed up to ring the bell.

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