Deal of a Lifetime Read online

  With a last narrow-eyed glance at the dog, Alex settled next to her and gripped the edge of his seat. “I think I’m ready.” He pulled out his phone, checked the time and with a grimace returned the phone to his pocket.

  “Got somewhere to be?” Sera frowned as she pulled out of the shed. This guy wasn’t interested in looking around. At that moment she decided to let Cy know in no uncertain terms how much he owed her for babysitting his cousin. “We’ll start out front.”

  Sera pointed to the fields on either side of the lane leading to the house. “Horse pasture. Just my mom’s horse and mine now.”

  “Very nice.” Alex let go of the dash and leaned back in the seat. “Do you ride?”

  A feeling of nostalgia washed over her as they passed the two horses. At one time she had ridden her palomino gelding every day. “Not as much as I used to. You?”

  Alex shook his head. “The few times we visited, Cy and I would ride his ponies down to the creek. But it’s been a long time.”

  At the mailbox Sera turned left onto the berm of the main road but soon opted for a tight rutted two track that took them into a patch of woods.

  The golf cart bounced over a fallen branch. At his grunt she gave him an appraising look. “How’s your head?”

  “Not bad. Your great-aunt’s coffee helped quite a bit.” He glanced around. “Lots of trees.”

  “We have twenty acres of timber. It might be ready to be logged. That’ll give me some extra cash.”

  “Is money tight?” Alex didn’t look at her when he asked the question, just held on to the dash and scrutinized his surroundings as she motored through the woods.

  At his question a tingle ran down her spine as she remembered who she was talking to. Cy’s cousin. Cy Carter, the neighbor who had indicated his interest in buying her family’s farm. “Just something we do periodically.”

  Leaving the woods behind, she followed the narrow path uphill until they came out among the bare trees of the apple orchard. She shut off the golf cart and leaned back against the seat. “Your cousin has a flag—”

  “Finally I have a signal. I have to make a call.” He jumped out of the cart and strode off.

  “Okay.” But her reply was wasted. He was already walking away, talking rapidly and gesticulating in the air. Why exactly was this New York cousin visiting his country relative? Soon enough, he would be out of her hair.

  His face was pensive as he walked back to the cart. He shoved the phone in his pocket, glanced briefly at the Saint Bernard and resumed his place next to her. He drummed his fingers on his thigh. “Does the quiet ever get on your nerves?”

  “You get used to it.”

  He gestured at the trees around them. “What kind of trees?”

  “Apple.”

  Alex’s brows raised in surprise. “All of them?”

  “Yep.” She nodded. “These apples are eating apples. Crisp, sweet. They ripen early September. I sell them at the farmer’s market in town.” She pointed to the low cloud cover hanging over the creek. “Your cousin’s place is on the other side.”

  “What about that place?” He pointed to a small log cabin at the base of the hill next to another grove of trees. Smoke coming out the stone chimney disappeared into the fog.

  “That’s the oldest structure on the farm.” She followed his gaze, thinking of the older man inside recovering from pneumonia. With a stab of guilt, she remembered the flue should have been checked last year and she hadn’t had the money to hire someone. This year, for sure.

  In the sudden silence a moan sounded from the cart bed. They both looked over their shoulders at the big dog.

  Alex’s left eyebrow lifted so high it disappeared under a shock of hair. “Was that a growl or a groan?”

  Sera shrugged and frowned, pretending to be concerned. “You just never know with him. Ready to head back?”

  “Sure.” He pointed to the trees next to the small cabin. “Are they apple trees, as well?”

  “Yes, but they’re not the best. Sometimes Aunt Hope makes apple crisp, but I don’t know what my mom was thinking when she planted them. She always said how great the soil up here was for apples, but I just don’t get it. I can’t give them away.” She turned the cart around and headed back toward the house.

  “So you and your great-aunt own the farm.”

  Sera peered at Alex, wondering why he was asking so many questions, but he was looking around at the orchard. “My brother and I do. Aunt Hope will live here as long as...as long as we do.”

  “But your brother lives in Nashville.”

  How did he know that? “True.” He had been alone in the kitchen with Aunt Hope, and Aunt Hope trusted everybody.

  “So where do your parents live?”

  As always, the question caused her heart to stutter. After ten years, she thought the response would get easier. But it never did. “They passed away.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Alex glance her way. She pulled up to the arch leading into the backyard, grateful he had waited until the tour was over to bring up the subject of her parents. “Here you are. You should go on in.” She waited until he stepped out, and without a backward glance, she and the Saint Bernard went for another ride. Being outside in the fog and the rain was still better than being inside with the inquisitive stranger.

  * * *

  ALEX AGAIN WOKE to silence Sunday morning. The thick fog had hovered over the area all day. Except for supper, Sera had kept out of sight. While Aunt Hope napped after lunch, he sat at the rolltop in the front room. The desk surface was covered with stacks of papers as was the floor between the chair and the bookcase. The amount of dust told him the stacks hadn’t been disturbed in years. He spent a few hours working on the theater mall complex planned for the local area, then found an old paperback and spent the rest of the day reading.

  Now he lay still in the comfortable bed. No rain drumming on the roof, no water running through the drainpipe at the side of the house. He glanced at the window by the bed. Faint light shone through the gauze curtains.

  He lay in the soft bed thinking about his cousin’s comment. After Sera’s tour the day before, he wasn’t surprised Cy wanted the farm. Though the house and barn both were in serious need of maintenance, the structures were solid. And the property was fine. If just Sera and her great-aunt lived here, no wonder they couldn’t keep up. He was surprised she hadn’t sold long ago. Alex wasn’t shocked that Cyrus wanted to expand his operation. One thing he and his cousin had in common was a desire to outdo their fathers. Of course Cy would be interested in Last Chance Farm.

  The clothes he had worn on the flight in two days ago were pressed and folded neatly on top of the dresser. Aunt Hope could give his laundry service a run for its money. His loafers, placed near the cookstove the day before, had finally dried but would never be the same.

  “But they’ll get me home.” Alex stretched. Despite the fog yesterday, he had enjoyed riding around the farm with Sera in the golf cart. After brushing his teeth and combing his hair, he dressed and grabbed his overnight bag.

  He strolled down the stairs and cast a last glance over the pictures in the hallway before entering the kitchen. The room was empty, but the light on the coffee maker was lit. He opened the cupboard and removed the mug with the yellow script. He set his bag by the back door and helped himself to coffee.

  The two dog pillows were empty, as was the rocking chair. He strolled over to the sink, where a beam of light lit the purple and pink blossoms of the African violets. Through the window he saw Sera’s truck parked next to the barn and wondered how she had recovered it. He walked outside, keeping an eye out for the dangerous Saint Bernard.

  He approached the truck. The bed was filled with firewood. Seeing no signs of life other than a tiger-striped cat, presumably the culprit who had chosen this farm for a home for her and he
r kittens, skulking through the herb garden, he decided to walk up to the orchard and make a phone call.

  From the top of the hill, he could see the stream below, winding its way between the fields of corn and grass. Beyond the bare trees he could make out the silver tops of Cyrus’s grain silos, an American flag at the top of the tallest was the only bit of color in the landscape.

  After a quick call to the airport and some schedule changes, he punched a familiar number. “Good morning.”

  “Alex?” The phone sounded as if it had been dropped.

  He looked at the receiver to see if he had hit the right number and then hit the speaker button. “Carrie? Are you there?”

  “Alex? Hold on.” Carrie Oliver must have gone outside because Alex heard the sound of a door closing. Daughter of the founder of Oliver and Associates, Carrie was one of his two closest friends from law school. She had been instrumental in bringing him into her father’s firm. “Hi. You’re up early.”

  “So are you.” Alex looked at the surrounding trees, picturing the sidewalk and steps outside Carrie’s apartment. “Where are you?”

  “Helping Will.” Through the phone, the sound of a siren whooped nearby, then faded.

  “Helping Will do what?” Will was the other close friend from law school, except Will had lasted only a year before dropping out. With the chirping of the birds and the wind rustling the leaves in the trees, Alex felt very far away from Manhattan. “Is he there? With you?”

  “Actually,” Carrie said, chuckling, “I’m with him. He’s rearranging the seating area outside the bar, getting ready for a rush of customers. Springtime in New York, you know. ” A backup alarm beeped. “What are you doing?”

  “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” He waited for her response.

  “Did you visit your parents yet?”

  Alex looked up at the blue sky. Of course Carrie would assume he would see his parents while working in the area. “No, there was a lot of rain here that caused flooding. I didn’t get to see them yet. Long story.”

  “Oh. Listen, I better go see if Will needs any more help. Did you look at the property yet?”

  “No. Like I said, it’s complicated.” He didn’t bother to tell her the weekend had been wasted. “Tell Will I said hello.”

  “Okay. Bye, Alex.”

  “Bye.” Alex slipped the phone into his shirt pocket and started back down the hill. Carrie and he had been splitting the theater mall complexes. If not for his familiarity with the area and the fact that his relatives lived close by, she would be the one from Oliver and Associates on this trip.

  * * *

  “NICE TRUCK.” Sera eyed the late-model extended-cab pickup her neighbor parked by the back door. “Really green.” The paint seemed to sparkle in the afternoon sun.

  With his long legs, the tall man didn’t have any trouble exiting the truck. “Thanks. Owner had to sell it quick. I couldn’t pass up the deal.” He leaned against the truck and crossed his massive arms. He crinkled his eyes. “So what have you done with my cousin? Do you have him plowing the back forty?”

  “He’s probably still asleep.”

  “He’s a New Yorker. I’d expect him to be up and around.” Cyrus’s face broke into a broad smile as he looked over her shoulder.

  Sera turned. Alex approached them with a matching smile and an outstretched hand. “About time you showed up.”

  “Hey, buddy, did Sera make you sleep in the barn?” Cyrus gripped his shoulder in a one-armed hug.

  “Apparently the only cell reception is up at the orchard.” He looked at Sera for the first time. “How did you get your truck back?”

  Sera inclined her head toward Cyrus. “Your cousin and his heavy equipment.” When she saw the Saint Bernard appear from behind the mock orange bush, she whistled.

  “It’s the least I could do with her having to put up with you all weekend.” He punched Alex in the shoulder, then knelt and threw an arm around the dog’s neck. “Hey, Rocky, how are you, old fella?” He ruffled the fluffy ears.

  The dog growled.

  Sera felt more than saw Alex’s head as it swiveled in her direction. Knowing his eyes would be accusatory, she kept her gaze lowered.

  “Rocky?” Alex sputtered. “I thought you said his name was Cujo.”

  Busy inspecting her fingernails, Sera shrugged.

  “She told you his name was Cujo?” Cyrus threw back his head with a laugh. His shoulders continued to shake as he stood and leaned against the truck.

  Alex came forward. “I should get my bag.”

  “Your bag’s on the porch.” Sera clenched her hands, wondering at the sudden trembling in her fingers.

  “Then I should say goodbye to Aunt Hope.”

  “She’s at church.” The sooner he was gone, the sooner things would return to normal.

  “Tell her I said thanks for everything.” He reached out his hand.

  She stared at the long fingers, the buffed nails. She reached out, shook his hand and then withdrew hers as if she had touched a hot skillet. “I will.”

  “Listen, Sera, there’s something you should know.” Cyrus had sobered and glanced from her to Alex and back again.

  “Let’s just go, Cy.” Alex tugged on his cousin’s arm.

  Cyrus brushed him off. “I didn’t plan on Alex staying here. The bridge flooded and you were at the airport, so that was a coincidence.”

  Sera looked from one man to the other, wondering why Alex seemed so uncomfortable and Cyrus so serious. “Giving him a ride was no problem, Cy. And thanks again for bringing my truck back. And the firewood.”

  Cy inclined his head. “You’re welcome. Glad to help. I don’t know if he mentioned it, but Alex is an attorney.”

  “Oh, really?” Her eyes narrowed just a fraction as she glanced his way. “Gee, my favorite type of person.”

  “He’s a real estate attorney, Sera. He handles large-scale property acquisitions. Right now he’s got a company wanting to put in theater mall complexes in rural areas. He knows the going rate for farm property better than anybody.”

  “Terrific.” She stared at Cy, then Alex. She could hear the beat of her heart thumping in her ears. “Oh, I get it. This is part of your plan to force me into selling.”

  “Better me than the bank, Sera.”

  She propped her fists on her hips, suddenly aware she, and the farm, were a topic of conversation. “What do you know about my finances?”

  “Everybody knows.” His face looked solemn.

  She looked then at Alex, whose face had turned pale. “Aren’t you the clever cousin? Pretending to be stranded and then tricking my great-aunt and me into giving you a tour of the property.”

  “That’s not why—”

  She spun on her heel and headed for the house. “Get off my property, both of you.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “YOU COULDN’T THINK of an easier way to let her know I’m an attorney?” Alex sat in the passenger seat of his cousin’s truck on their way back to the airport. Instead of waiting for the direct Monday flight, he was so eager to return to the city he had opted for a Sunday afternoon return via Detroit. Anything to get back to normal. “Now she’s mad. How does that help your case?”

  “She’ll get over it. What choice does she have? Whether she likes it or not, she needs me.” Cyrus pressed a button in the middle of the truck console. “Want your seat warmer on?”

  “No, I don’t want my seat warmer on.” Alex ran a hand over the soft leather seat. “That’s your plan? She needs you? She seemed kind of surprised. Have you even made an offer?”

  “She and her great-aunt came over to the house New Year’s Day for pork and sauerkraut. I brought up the subject then and asked her to think about it. I understand the great-aunt is no longer on the deed.�
�� He ran a hand through curly reddish-brown hair.

  “And you haven’t spoken since?”

  “No.” He shrugged. “Dad has suddenly decided to retire. He spends all his time working on some project in the basement, so I’ve been busier than a bee in a clover patch.”

  “You realize she hasn’t yet made up her mind.”

  “I told you, cuz. One way or the other, Sera’s farm is destined to be absorbed.” He tilted his head and spoke out of one corner of his mouth. “By me. I tell you, buddy, when I set my sights on something—” he slapped the leather-wrapped steering wheel for added emphasis “—I get it.”

  “Why her farm? Why not the farm on the other side of yours?”

  “As a matter of fact, I am in the process of buying the farm on my other side. Sera’s farm borders the creek. If I own her farm, I own both sides of the creek. Water on the property is a good thing, city boy. Besides, she barely has two nickels to rub together.”

  “Would you keep the orchard?”

  Cyrus drew his forefinger across his throat with a smile.

  Alex looked out the window at the passing scenery. Plowed fields stretched on either side to the base of the ridges lining the wide valley. Cy’s intention to destroy the apple orchard made him oddly sad. When he turned to ask the man a question, he suddenly realized his cousin was more dressed up than usual. “You didn’t have to dress up to take me to the airport.”

  Cyrus slanted a look in Alex’s direction and smiled. “I’m taking the vet out for dinner later.”

  Alex wondered what the smile was about. “He’s probably used to seeing you in your work clothes. And you—” he sniffed and caught the odor of cologne “—smell good.”

  “She—” Cyrus stressed the pronoun “—is used to seeing me in my work clothes. I thought I’d show her another side to Cyrus Carter.”

  “She?” Alex stared out the side window and wondered at the queasiness in his stomach. Was he uncomfortable with the idea of his aggressive cousin steamrollering the lovely Sera and her elderly great-aunt? After all, Cy was just trying to grow his business. Maybe the queasiness was just hunger, because he hardly knew the woman. “Sera was pretty mad at you. Maybe you should take her some candy. She likes chocolate.”