Elizabeth Lee - Storm Warning

“Excuse me, sir.” He addressed Edwin as politely as he could, considering he was steaming mad. “But my family has worked your land for how many years now? Thirty? Forty? We’ve never once asked you for an advance. Isn’t there something you could do to help us out?”

Coop knew the old man was sitting on a fortune. Anyone who looked at Calumet County plat book knew that Edwin Prescott owned more than his fair share of the land. Probably had bundles of cash and bars of gold buried out on his property somewhere. He’d seen the desperation in his father’s eyes, heard it in his voice when he’d asked the question, and it pissed him off that Edwin had brushed him off without a second thought. Barely even blinked an eye. It wasn’t fair.

“Brantley.” Jim tugged on his son’s arm, warning him not to say another word with his stare.

“I’m sorry, Dad, but it’s not like we’re not good to repay him. You said it yourself that the crops will be profitable this year.” He tried to reason his outburst to his father, but he could tell it wasn’t working.

“Boy, you better get in that truck,” he gritted between his teeth.

“You might want to listen to your old man,” Hayden added as he stood from the chair and took a step forward, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked like an idiot. Trying to show off for Edwin. Oh, look at me, Grandpa. I’m defending you. Dumbass.

It took every ounce of self-control Coop had not to bum-rush City Boy right then and there. Let’s see how impressed your grandpa is when I’m pummeling your ass.

“I apologize, Edwin. Damn kids.”

“I know how ya feel,” Edwin nodded. “This one’s been giving me hell this summer, too.”

Coop pulled his arm free of his father’s clutch and, with one last death stare at Hayden, stomped back to the truck. Edwin and his grandson could kiss his country ass.

By the time his dad joined him in the cab, Coop was cracking his knuckles and thinking about how good it would have felt to just knock that rich little bastard out.

“What the hell is the matter with you?” Jim asked as he turned down the lane and on to the road.

“Me? What the hell is the matter with you? You didn’t try very hard to convince that stingy old bastard to help us out.”

Jim let out a sigh of frustration and anger hardened his voice. “There’s a couple things you need to learn, boy. Namely, how to read people. I could tell what Edwin’s answer was going to be as soon as I asked the question. No use beating a dead horse.” He rested his arm out the open window and looked over at his son. “Bottom line is we work for him, and you need to be respectful of that. There’s a hundred other farmers around here that he could rent to and your bad attitude could have cost us that.”

“Sorry.”

“And whatever is going on between you and his grandson better get ironed out quickly. I better not hear about you stirring up trouble with that kid.”

“He’s an asshole.”

“I don’t care what he is. Stay away from him.”

Coop nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Second of all, I’m going to give you a free pass this time, because I know you think you were trying to help, but if you ever speak to me or another adult the way you did back there, you’re going to regret it. You’re not too old to turn over my knee.”

Coop fought back a chuckle as he imagined his dad trying to whip him. He was a head taller than him and probably had a good twenty pounds on him.

“Better wipe that smile off your face,” Jim cautioned.

“Yes, sir,” Coop replied when he saw the seriousness flash in his dad’s eyes. He might have been bigger than his dad, but he knew what was going on between them at that moment was no laughing matter. Besides that, images of his dad tossing hay bales across the barn ran through his mind. Probably wasn’t a good idea to underestimate his dad’s strength.

“I know you think you’re a man, and hell, in some ways you are, but sometimes things aren’t fair, and the sooner you learn when it’s the right time to walk away, the better off you’ll be.”

FULL of angry energy and nowhere to put it, Coop was looking forward to seeing the only friend he felt like he had. Kyle had plans for the Fourth—something with his mystery chick—so this year it would be him and his Ellie May. Just the two of them. He really needed to get his mind off the situation with the farm, and he knew exactly where he wanted his focus to be.

Tonight was the night. He pulled over at Thompson’s Grocery and bought a dozen multicolored wild flowers. The bouquet was a bit more than he could really afford but he wanted to do this right.

It wasn’t every day you told the girl you’d wanted forever that you loved her. He knew from his parents that relationships were about friendship, trust, and compromise. He was ready for that. He and Ellie May already had that. He was even ready for whatever beating Kyle Mason would put on him. The bruises and possible broken bones would heal. He grinned at the image of Kyle being his best man at the wedding one day. They’d laugh about the day he’d got his ass kicked for finally manning up.

He’d sworn to look out for her. What better way to do that than as her boyfriend? After the horrific incident in the barn, he’d vowed never to hurt her like that again. From now on, the only expression he’d be causing to pass across her beautiful face was a smile.

“DID you have a good week, Miss Cameron?” Sophie’s voice pulled Cami from her daydreaming.

“Yeah,” she beamed, stirring her spoon around in her half-eaten bowl of Cheerios. “It was awesome.”

“So you left the house?” Sophie asked as she wiped down the kitchen counter.

“Nope.” She shook her head, looking up into Sophie’s warm green eyes. “Didn’t have to. Have you met Kyle? The landscaper.” She grinned to herself. He was so much more than that.

“Haven’t met him, but I’ve seen him.” Sophie chuckled, running her fingers through her sandy-colored hair. She had been the Nickelsons’ housekeeper for as long as Cami could remember. She knew everything about Cami. From her favorite food to how she liked her bed made and each and every time she’d snuck out of the house to go meet her girlfriends or Hayden. There was an unspoken agreement between the two. Sophie took care of Cami, and in return, Cami treated her with respect, unlike her parents, who just fired off orders at her day after day.

“What about the Prescott boy?” Sophie rested her arms on the counter and smiled.

The creases around her eyes, which she lovingly referred to as laugh lines, appeared. Cami’s mom had offered to get Sophie an appointment with her plastic surgeon as her Christmas bonus one year, but Sophie wore her age with pride. She may have been on the better side of fifty, but she’d told Cami’s mother that she’d earned her stripes and was grateful for each and every one of them.

Of course, Theresa had laughed her off and couldn’t fathom why Sophie would want to look her age. But Cami knew that Sophie was the proud single mother of two and had worked extremely hard when her husband died suddenly to provide for her children. Both of whom were on their way to becoming successful professionals—a doctor and an architect. In fact, Cami was sure that, once they were out of college and able to support themselves, Sophie would leave her. The only reason she kept the job with her family was to pay for her childrens’ education.

“We’re on a break.” Cami shrugged. “Besides that, I haven’t gotten so much as a text from him, so he obviously isn’t missing me too much.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good summer,” Sophie commented, picking up the cereal bowl in front of Cami. “You deserve to be happy, sweet girl.”

“Thanks, Sophie.” Cami reached out and squeezed Sophie’s hand with hers. “Funny story about how I met him. I thought he’d broken in the gate…” She started to tell her all about how she and Kyle had run into each other—minus the part about her being topless—when her father stepped into the kitchen.

“Who broke in the gate?” He sauntered over to the counter and pointed at the coffee pot. Sophie knew what was expected of her at this point and started to fill a travel mug with coffee—one sugar, one cream—just the way Mr. Nickelson liked it. To-go.

“No one, Daddy.” Cami averted her eyes. “It was just a misunderstanding. I didn’t know you’d hired a landscaper for the summer.”

“Yeah, well, if he doesn’t take care of the mess around the gazebo he’s going to be looking for a new place to work,” he noted, grabbing the coffee from Sophie without so much as a thank you.

Cami held her breath at the thought of not seeing Kyle again. She wanted to confess exactly how she felt about him to her father, but she didn’t because she knew that he’d oppose the idea of her getting involved with the help. Besides that, Derek Nickelson and Kevin Prescott had been friends longer than Cami had been alive. They’d all but betrothed their children to one another. Bottom line: Cami’s father only saw Hayden Prescott as a suitable match for his daughter.

“I’ll let him know.” Sophie held her shoulders back and appealed to Mr. Nickelson with a take-charge attitude. “I’ll make sure he cleans up the gazebo and the rosebushes, too. You’ll get your money’s worth, Mr. Nickelson.”

“That’s what I like to hear, Sophie. I knew there was a reason I hired you to oversee this place.”

Cami felt the air return to her lungs as Sophie smiled a silent “You’re welcome” in her direction.

“Ladies.” He raised his coffee in one hand and tugged a suitcase behind him with the other. “I’m headed to Tulsa for a conference. Take care of my girl, Sophie,” he added as he walked out the door.