Page 27 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
Olivia slides the barn door open with a heave, making it look easy despite her dress pants and heels. We step into the shadowy interior of the barn. “Hey Mom? You still here?”
Mrs. Hawthorne appears at the other end of the barn’s center corridor. “I’m back here—” She freezes when she sees me, her hand flying to her chest, her smile stretching as wide as Olivia’s did. I’ve only seen her a few times since graduation, and not since long before the last time I saw Brody, but she looks exactly the same anyway. A little more white in her hair, and a few more wrinkles, but she’s just as beautiful as ever, and I find myself wishing I could figure out her secret. If I age half as well as Hannah Hawthorne has, I’ll be content. “Well, look who the cat dragged in,” she finally says.
“Hi, Mrs. Hawthorne.”
She rushes forward and pulls me into a hug. “Look at you!” she says, giving my shoulders an extra squeeze. “Goodness, child. How are you? And call me Hannah. You’re grown now. Enough with this Mrs. Hawthorne business.”
I am...overwhelmed.And am I crying? I sniff as I pull back, not wanting to get mascara-tinted tears on Mrs. Hawthorne’s—Hannah’s—shirt. What is wrong with me? I don’t mind hugs. I love hugs. But I’m not necessarily a person whoneedsthem. A product of being an only child, maybe, and one practiced in traveling the world alone. But Hannah’s hug...it’s like it unlocks some dormant need buried in the hidden chambers of my heart.
I belong here.
The thought surprises me. I belonghere? As inherehere? I don’t know who my subconscious thinks it is, but I don’t need these unbidden smarty-pants revelations randomly popping into my head. I belong in Silver Creek about as much as I belong on the moon. And yet, that statement somehow doesn’t feel as true as it might have two days ago.
“Oh, hey, it’s all right,” Hannah says.
I shake my head and start to laugh as I wipe my eyes. “I don’t even know what’s wrong with me.”
She pats my back reassuringly. “You’ve got a lot of memories here. Coming back is bound to make you feel something.” Her eyes dart to Olivia before landing back on me. “How long are you in town?”
“All summer,” Olivia answers before I can, that same measure of something in her voice. She’s worried about me being here. I can tell.
“Well, what a treat that’s going to be.” Hannah shoots Olivia a look that almost looks like a warning then tilts her head the opposite direction. “I’ve got a guy here fixing the milker. But there are plenty of new babies to see if you want to come visit for a bit.”
Kristyn perks up. “Baby goats?”
I sniff and laugh. “My cousin, Kristyn,” I say to Hannah.
Hannah smiles warmly. “Baby goats,” she says, turning and heading down the corridor. “Come on, girls. I might even have some work you can help me do.”
Thirty minutes later, Kristyn and I are gathering a dozen kids from the pen just behind the barn, ushering them inside for a vet visit scheduled to happen later this afternoon. We aren’t very good at our job, mostly because we are way more interested in snuggling than in making the goats go anywhere.
“You’re my favorite one,” Kristyn whispers to the jet-black newborn she’s cradling in her arms. “Don’t tell the others.”
Finally, I chase the last goat into the barn, and Kristyn follows. I close and latch the door behind us. It’s been years since I’ve been here, but I still remember a lot of how things work. Hannah wouldn’t have cared if I only ever wanted to hang out when I showed up with my high school angst and drama, but if I was willing, she always found something for me to do. I recognizenow, all these years later, what a gift that was. Working on the farm kept my mind busy and drained the tension out of me in record time. Especially when I was spending time with the babies.
“I love it here,” Kristyn whispers as we make our way back to Hannah and Olivia.
I smile. “It’s great, right?”
“It’s more than great. It’s magical. It feels like a movie set. Like one of those places that makes you roll your eyes because no place is actually this idyllic unless it’s fake.”
Hannah is settling up with the repair guy when we approach. “All right,” she says. “I’ll call you if it gives me any more trouble, but Brody will be back next week. I’m sure he’ll be able to handle things.”
My heart trips when she mentions Brody, which is just ridiculous.Iam ridiculous.
“How did it go?” Hannah asks, finally turning her attention to us.
“Thirteen goats collected and accounted for,” I say.
“And thoroughly snuggled,” Kristyn says.
Hannah grins. “Perfect. Let’s go check on them and make sure they’re settled, then what if we head over to the kitchen for some lunch?”
“Oh, no. We wouldn’t want to trouble you. We didn’t expect—”
“Nonsense,” she says, cutting me off. “It’s no trouble. Olivia is already on her way over to ask Lennox if he’ll fix something up for us, and that boy hasn’t figured out how to say no to his mama yet. I doubt he will today.”
“That won’t interfere with his work?” Kristyn asks as we walk toward the stall where we left the kids.
