Page 29 of Seeing Harper

“Why’d you make my favorite? What’s happening?”

“Nothing. I was trying to be nice. Besides, we all love it, too.”

Harper looked at her suspiciously.

“Promise! Nothing is going on.”

“If you say so…”

Harper quickly ate her second serving of gingerbread, then rinsed her plate and put it in the dishwasher. She gathered up her stuff and walked toward the door. “I’ll see you later,” she said.

“Where are you going?”

“To help Dad check the irrigation systems, then to the Bigsby’s.”

“You don’t have to do that today. Dad asked Scotty to bring the boys with him today. He wants to see if any of them show any interest other than just playing in the trees.”

“He did?”

“Yep. He did.”

“Oh. Well, maybe I’ll just run out and help,” Harper said.

“Harper, baby. He’s trying to face the very real fact that you have dreams that don’t fall in line with what he’d envisioned. He’s not in the best of moods, but he’s working through it — I hope. Don’t go out there make him think maybe you’re second guessing.”

Harper shrugged. “He’ll have his way soon enough. I’m not sure how much longer the Bigsbys can hold on. They’re going to have to sell the center. And they can barely keep up with the little bit of maintenance they’re doing on their house, much less the barn. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold it all and found a smaller place to just live out their lives on.”

“And if that happens…”

“When it happens,” Harper corrected.

“Harper, this is your home. You’ll always have a place here in any capacity you want it, but your dad needs to learn that you’re not his only hope for the future here. He can pass the business to any number of other options, who will also make sure you have a place if you ever want one. Let him come to terms with that. And if the equine center goes away, you can look at it as an opportunity to spend a little more time on yourself, and less time bouncing between here and there.”

“That’s true, I guess.”

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll even find your mate,” Libby said, waggling her eyebrows.

Harper tried and failed to smile, then quickly looked away.

Libby leaned her head a little to the side as she advanced on her daughter, paying close attention to her facial expressions. “Harper, is there something you’re not telling me?”

Harper shook her head.

“Then why the sudden sadness when I mentioned a mate?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Sure it is. What’s going on?”

“Just wondering if my mate is even out there. Or maybe he’s found someone he thinks is his mate and it’s not me that’s he’s found.”

“Why would you say that?”

Harper shrugged again. “Just seems like somebody, somewhere would have shown a little interest in me at least. And there’s been nobody. Maybe I don’t have one.”

“Maybe yours is just waiting for the right time. And he’s so special that fate is saving you just for him.”

“Maybe,” Harper said, not really believing it, but knowing that her mother would continue trying to make it seem okay until she was satisfied that Harper wasn’t sad anymore.