Chapter 15 – Conner

What was I doing? I’d come to get my errant dog, but I couldn’t tear him away from the treats he seemed to be enjoying so much. 

That was definitely my reason for hanging around the barn with the one person who probably never wanted to see me again. 

Right? 

I refused to think anything was going on with me, so instead I focused on something else. “That cat is pregnant.”

“Yeah?” Lena rolled her eyes. “I hadn’t noticed, what with it being so obvious and all.” 

I wanted to get angry at her tone, but instead I smiled. She leaned back against a stall door, seemingly not caring that she was sitting on the dirty ground. Her overalls—an odd choice of clothing for a grown woman—were streaked with dirt that told me she must have been working outside since I saw her a few hours ago. One of the buckles was undone, leaving the top of the overalls hanging haphazardly over her pale blue t-shirt. 

As she lifted a hand to run her fingers through her messy hair, I noticed a hole in the armpit of the shirt. This girl was a mess. 

She pulled her hand back with a grimace and looked at it. It was only then I noticed she had peanut butter on her fingers and now in her hair. She wiped the rest off on her pants.

A laugh rumbled out of me, and she narrowed her eyes. I was past the point of overstaying my welcome now, not like I’d been welcome in the first place. “Duke likes you.” I couldn’t hide my surprise. Duke liked lots of people he knew and trusted, but he didn’t curl up against their legs and rest his head on their laps. Other than me, he was mostly standoffish with strangers, wanting to be scratched and then left to his own devices. 

“Doesn’t sound like you approve.” She dug her hands into his fur, and he closed his eyes. Traitor. 

I watched the two of them, noticing the sad tilt of Lena’s shoulders, the way she stared at Duke like she needed his presence. Maybe that was why I was still here. I couldn’t take him away from her when she looked so … sad. Was she sad?

The thought didn’t sit well with me. I’d always known Lena to be combative, capable, strong to the point of irritating most of the time. Definitely not sad. 

A sigh wound through her, and her shoulders sank lower. Her head fell back against the wooden stall door behind her. “I still don’t know why you’re here, Conner. I’m really not in the mood for our nasty banter today.” Something in the way she looked at me told me she blamed me for whatever had happened.

I pursed my lips. “You’re mean.”

A harsh laugh escaped her. “Excuse me?”

“To me. I don’t understand why you hate me so much, yet you adore Carter.”

“I don’t adore Carter. Who even says that? He’s my friend. I care about him.”

“But he’s an Ashford too.” What made Carter so different? Why had she decided our families’ fight extended to me and not him? 

“Yeah, he’s an Ashford, but he doesn’t treat me like I’m any less than him.” 

My brow furrowed. “Lena …”

“Besides, you’re the one who is mean. Not me.”

I’d admit I struggled to contain my meaner impulses sometimes, but I wanted to be different. “I’m sorry.” 

She laughed again. “You’re sorry? That’s rich coming from you.”

“What does that mean?”

She pulled her hand back from Duke, not answering me. The cat stood, arching her back as she stretched. She stepped onto Lena’s legs that were crossed like a pretzel, turned around once, and lay down. 

Duke wiggled across the small space between him and Lena. His long tongue drooped out of his mouth. Giving the cat one slobbery lick, he rested his head on Lena’s knee. I watched the animals’ rearrangement with fascination. 

The woman who’d fought with me in town, the one who’d pushed me into the bay, hadn’t seemed like someone who’d garner such affection from the most honest of creatures. Yet, something drew them to her. 

“Why are you staring at me?” She cocked her head to the side, studying me. Her earnest gaze sent a wave of discomfort over me, and I shifted, trying to keep my balance on the uncomfortable bucket. 

“It’s just … Duke … he ran from me and came to you.”

“And?” She scratched his head. “We’re friends.” A laugh that sounded slightly less sad escaped her. “Are you really that upset he came here?”

“Not really.” It was the truth. “I’m more upset that he left our property at all. I don’t like the idea of him wandering Superiore Bay on his own.”

“Well, what was different?”

“What do you mean?”

“Something made him want to get away.”

I thought for a moment. She was right. Something had been different. “Red was there.”

“Red? That a codename for a girl or—”

“My brother’s fox.”

She smiled at that, but there was still a heaviness to it. “Ah, well, that would do it. I imagine he doesn’t like the fox. I’ve seen Conrad in town with him.” She leaned down to talk to Duke. “I find a pet fox a bit eerie too, boy.”

He opened one eye and then closed it with a body-heaving sigh. 

Something was still bothering me. “Why didn’t you accept my apology?” 

Her smile fell away, and she busied herself stroking the cat. Loud purring filled the space between us. “I wasn’t exactly sure which thing you’re sorry for.”

“Are there really that many things?”

“Yes.” She gently moved the cat from her lap and stood, wiping off her pants. It was no use, there was no getting them clean. “Now, I love Duke being here, but really, Conner, you should keep better track of your dog. It’s a long walk from the Ashford Estates to here.”

The way she said estates left a sour taste in my mouth. I felt very much like I was being dismissed. Duke stood up, bending forward with his butt in the air to stretch. He followed Lena toward the door of the barn, sparing no look for me. 

I walked after them, watching as she stepped into the early evening light. It reflected off her dark hair, casting her in a glow. She took a deep breath as if fortifying herself. 

I didn’t see Enzo approaching until he’d almost reached us. His eyes narrowed as he looked from her to me to the barn we’d just exited. I knew Enzo was younger than Lena, but he acted like a protective older brother. 

“What are you doing here, Ashford?” Gone was the helpful man who’d diagnosed the problem with our boat and towed us to the marina. I was on his territory now. 

Before I could answer, Lena spoke. “Duke ran away and came here. Conner was just picking him up.” Her eyes drifted to me. “And leaving.” 

I nodded. 

Enzo, seemingly satisfied with that explanation, focused all his attention on Lena. “I was expecting you to come back and tell me the news.” 

She gave a slight shake of her head, and the hopeful expression on Enzo’s face fell. “Well, okay, we’ll look at other options.”

“Not now, Enzo. We’ll talk about it later.” 

I could take a hint, yet my feet didn’t move. 

Enzo ignored me and kept his focus on his sister. “I want to finish up the section we were working on before coming in for dinner. Mom made chili.” 

The corners of Lena’s lips lifted slightly. “That sounds heavenly right now. I’ll be out to help you in just a minute. I was going to grab Sweets some fresh water first.” 

Enzo rolled his eyes to me. “Stupid name for a cat, right?”

I only shrugged. 

He put a hand on Lena’s shoulder. “We’ll figure something out, okay?” 

I got the feeling he was talking about whatever news Lena had delivered to him with one shake of her head, whatever news had made her sad. I wanted to know what it was, to know if I could help, but I wasn’t Carter. Lena and I weren’t friends. 

Without a backward glance, Enzo walked toward the tidy rows of trees in the distance. 

Lena waited a few beats before turning to me. “Thanks for coming to get Duke. I don’t think he’d have fit on my moped for me to drive him home.” 

I looked pointedly at the rusted truck, knowing she had other ways to get around. She just didn’t like them. Lena didn’t seem to notice. 

I patted my leg. “Come on, Duke. Time to get out of Lena’s way.” 

Duke didn’t budge from her side. 

Lena crouched down, putting her hands on each side of his face. “You’re never in my way, boy, but you have to go home with your dad.” 

He looked up at me, his eyes holding a silent accusation. I know, boy, I thought. I want to stay too. I wasn’t sure where that thought came from, but it didn’t go away. 

This place was so different from the atmosphere at home where I mostly only spoke with servants. My grandfather was around, and I appreciated that, but I ate most of my meals sitting at the desk in my barn-office. Working. There were no family dinners with homemade chili. 

Our cook prepared our food, but it wasn’t the same as when my mom had been around. She’d have liked it here too if the Ashfords had been allowed on the property. The stifling quality of our life hadn’t suited her. 

I wasn’t sure what it was about this place that brought her to mind. Maybe it was that she’d always dreamed of her kids getting along, of us being each other’s best friends. But what Lena had with Enzo, I’d never had. 

Sure, I loved all three of my siblings. But Conrad was absent most of the time, Carter fought so hard against family expectations I got caught up in his view of the enemy, and Jorgina was so much younger than me I hardly knew her. She was away at college, and we never spoke on the phone. It was like she was a stranger who shared my last name. 

It had never made me sad before, but now, for some reason, I had to urge the talk to her. 

“Go on, Duke.” Lena gestured toward me and my sparkling Mercedes that looked so out of place among the dusty roads, rusty equipment, and apple trees. 

Duke finally relented and returned to my side. I didn’t like not having him there. We’d been a pair for too long. He was my truest friend, and I wondered if that made me pitiful. Suddenly, I couldn’t leave while Lena and I were still at odds. 

I stopped at my car, tapping a knuckle against the dark paint, and turned. Lena was still there, waiting for me to leave. 

“Can we call a truce?” I blurted. 

“A what?” She didn’t laugh at me like I’d half expected. Instead, curiosity rose in her gaze. 

“A truce. Sign a peace treaty. Whatever you want to call it. I’m tired, Lena. So tired of being told I have to hate people I hardly even know. I don’t want to hate you anymore or fight with you.” As I said the words, I knew I still couldn’t give her what she wanted. I couldn’t sell the land without my father. 

My grandfather’s words came back to me, and I realized I didn’t want her to fail. That wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to be. 

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Lena nodded. “A truce. Okay. No more fights in front of the entire town?”

My lips quirked up. “No more trips into the bay.” 

She stuck out her hand. “Deal.” 

I clasped her hand, feeling her warmth wind through me. Something wet hit me, and I looked down to see Duke lick our clasped hands. Lena laughed as she pulled her hand back and wiped it on her pants. “This doesn’t mean we’re friends, though, right?”

Friends. It was such a foreign word. 

“Definitely not.” 

Yet, when we shared a final smile, it felt like maybe that was possible. I got it now. Why Carter kept coming back to her despite threats from his family. Lena was special. But more than that, the thought of having a friend, having someone who actually cared, meant more than any of our trust funds ever could.