Page 5 of Saving Hanna
“I’m still listening, but not for long. Spill.”
“Okay, let’s just say I have something you want and you have something I want.”
“Huh, and what would that be?” I was just about over this man. He had better get to the point soon, or I was going to leave.
“One night with you in exchange for the deed to your farm. The one that your brother took from you.”
~*~*~*~
I couldn’t think straight as I pulled away from the diner. After hearing the rest of what Aiden had to say, I didn’t know if I should be angry or happy. One night with him seemed like a small price to pay to get back the farm that I loved so much.What could he possibly want with me?I didn’t know what he thought I could offer him. I wasn’t the best conversationalist, and to be honest, there wasn’t anything special about me. I was an old-fashioned country girl and even though I lived in the city, I never lost that. What could possibly happen if I gave him his one night? But the more I thought about it, I realized I was stupid for telling him, “Yes.”
Keeping my eyes on the road ahead, I got a glimpse of Aiden pulling out of the parking lot and heading in the opposite direction. Even though he was a good distance away from me, I could see his license plate. “ELITE1. What the heck does that even mean?” I asked out loud.
There was nothing else I could think about except the proposal that Aiden offered. It would be so wonderful to have my piece of heaven back. I missed it so much, and to think I would have my dream come true was beyond anything I could have hoped for even if it did come with a small price. The more I thought about it, I wondered why Aiden was making such an exchange. Upsetting thoughts entered my mind as I contemplated the worst of scenarios.What if the farm wasn’t there anymore? What if everything was gone, the house, the barn, everything?
My heart raced as I assumed the worst. Stepping harder on the gas pedal, there was only one thing that would satisfy my mind. I had to see for myself. Taking a sharp left at the stop light, I headed south on Hwy 35. I knew it would be a good hour’s drive, and by the time I got there it would be almost dark, but I was on a mission.
I wasn’t sure what I would find once I got there. It had been a year since I left the farm, never having the courage to go back. I wasn’t certain what shape it would be in since it was purchased from the bank. Some to-do company by the name of Elite Exchange, Inc., owned it. Just then I remembered Aiden’s license plate. All this time I assumed it was a development company that purchased it, not Aiden. Maybe my guess was wrong about them being more interested in the land than what was on it. Maybe everything wasn’t gone. There was still that glimmer of hope that everything was the same as when I left.
