Page 47 of Thaw My Heart

“Am I in trouble?” I swallow.

He shakes his head, pointing to a framed picture of the ranch hanging above the fireplace. The first photo ever taken of Lone Pine. A memento from our family’s history—or at least my mother’s. I’m only a Harlow because my trash father walked out the day I was born.

“Kit, do you know how long this ranch has been in our family?” he asks me.

“A hundred years or something like that.”

“Since 1901,” he proudly states. “Just four years after the founding of Aspen Hollow.”

Alright, so one hundred and thirty-six years. Close enough.

“Generation after generation of Harlow’s have been in my place,” he places a hand over his heart. “Keeping our family’s legacy alive. Protecting these beautiful lands.” He pauses, pointing to the large pine tree outside the window. “That pine tree has stood there for over a hundred years, overlooking all of Lone Pine and its people,” he continues. “A testament to the resilience and strength of our family’s heritage and all who came before.”

Legacies?

Generations of Harlow’s?

“And that’s where—” he starts.

“Where Lone Pine gets its name,” I finish for him. “Is there a reason you’re telling me all this?”

As lovely as it is to hear his stories. I have too much to do today, and I already know how much my uncle loves Lone Pine. Generational stories can’t be why he invited me here this morning.

He leans forward, staring at his hands. Sadness crosses his face, but he plays it off with a fake smile. “I’m just an old man. You know how much I love telling stories.”

Cole is sixty-four. He’s not old in my opinion. I lean forward. “What aren’t you telling me?” His eyes drop to the floor, his smile vanishing in a second. A rigid line creases his forehead. “Be honest, please.”

His blue eyes search mine, and he sighs with a deep wheezing sound. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I have lung cancer.”

The room spins.

My vision darkens around the edges, making me feel faint. It’s as if a phantom hand has punched me in the chest. There’s a million things I expected him to say, but I’ve got cancer, wasn’t one of them.

He continues, going on about how they found out four months ago, but he didn’t know how serious it was until recently. He’s in stage one, and thankfully, the cancer hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes, but the doctors are talking about surgery and possibly radiation therapy.

Everything that pours out of his mouth sounds like it’s underwater. My fingers tremble as I try to listen to every word, unable to process what this all means.

He grabs my hand. “I’m going to kick this, son.”

“And if you don’t?” I can’t imagine a world without Cole, and I don’t want to.

Sadness crosses his face. He inhales sharply, walking over to the large window, resting a hand on the timber wall. “I need to name a successor. Just in case.”

I now understand those popular stickers I’ve seen on cars. Fuck cancer. Fuck this whole situation.

I walk over to his side, working through his words. Technically, his next in line would be Cash… and that’s when it all clicks. This is the reason he’s back in town.

“So, Cash,” I sigh. Even as a kid, Cash hated the country. Hated the horses, the cows, the dirt. He left for the city as soon as he turned twenty-one. The only reason he’d want the ranch would be to sell it.

He turns towards me. “You.”

“Me?” I stare at him blankly, and then laugh, thinking he’s making a joke, but he just continues to stare at me. “You’re serious?”

“You’re a Harlow, Kit. More so than Cash ever will be. I want you to take my place… when the time comes.”

Me?

The room closes in around me. My throat tightens to the point of pain. I can’t think of the words to say. What he’s saying should feel like an honor, but it feels like a burden I never wanted. It’s all just too much.