Page 109 of Valentine Nook
My eyes scan the words again. Have I missed something? According to this report, the land is sound, borders the national forest in Colorado, and works on a fifteen-year cycle of forestation. I mean, fifteen hundred acres seems a little small to me, but Alex is much closer to the internationalsustainability programs than I am, so maybe he has a more ambitious plan . . . but I’m still going to need some help.
“Al, mate, use your words.”
His finger jabs at the paper. “That’s Haven’s place. Wylder Ranch.”
I read the words for a third time and a fourth. After the fifth, I look up at him and his expectant—albeitangry—expression. I’m guessing he wants me to be as outraged as he is, but I’m slow on the uptake this morning.
I should have stayed in bed. With Holiday. And had coffee. But I’ve been neglecting my duties of late, working the bare minimum the past few weeks, and the work’s piled up. I also want to take Thunder out before it rains this afternoon, so I reluctantly got out of bed before the alarm went off and started work.
“I don’t see where it says Wylder Ranch.”
He almost stabs a hole in the paper, trying to show me the address. “There. 4539 Talisker Summit Road.”
“That’s Haven’s place?”
He nods, mouth mashed together, glaring at it hard enough I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned to dust.
“How d’you know?”
“I went there, remember? Miles came to collect me in the morning. It’s a stunning place, incredible views of the valley?—”
He peters out into a beleaguered sigh and slumps down into the chair by my desk.
Of the five of us, I’m closest to Alex. Hendricks and Miles have each other, and the age gap with Clementine was too big for me to hang out with her all the time. Alex is the one I grieved with when our father died.
He’s the one I trusted to lead the international side of Burlington Estates when I decided I wanted to stay closer to home.
Like me, Alex works hard, takes his role seriously, anddoesn’t concern himself with trivialities. Over the years, he’s had a couple of semi-serious relationships, but because he’s not restrained by the same expectations I am, they always ended without the eagerness to make it down the aisle.
Alex dragged me away from the mess of Caroline and Jeremy. He protected me during those early days when I wanted to drink through the humiliation. He’s always been there for me.
But looking at him now, it’s abundantly clear that my head’s been too stuck up my own arse to see how much Alex has been hurting too. And thehookup, as he keeps referring to it, was considerably more than that.
“I don’t understand. Did she send you this? Did she finally call you back? She wants you to buy it?”
“No, no, and no. It was in my weekly report of potential investments. It was top of the pile.”
“Oh.” I’m not entirely sure what to say.
“She worked so hard to keep it.”
“After her father died?”
He nods. “Yeah. I don’t know why she’s selling it now.”
Running a hand through my hair, I think about the many reasons I invented for hownotto take on Burlington when our father died, and I had a mountain of advisers. Something I know Haven doesn’t.
“Maybe it was too much for her. You said she does most of it by herself. Maybe that’s why you haven’t been able to get ahold of her. Perhaps she sold the Christmas tree shop too.”
He chews on his lip, running his fingers through his thick stubble. “Do you think?”
“Yes.” I nod. And for the first time in a long time, I see a glimmer of hope in his eyes. I briefly wonder if that’s what I look like when I’m thinking about Holiday.
Alex picks up my mug, sips, screws his face up at what has to be tepid coffee at best, and puts it back down.
“What were you doing anyway?”
I shake my head. “Nothing important.”
