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But that didn’t mean that Mike couldn’t buy a farm too. He rather liked the idea of having somewhere quiet to come home to—and retire too—when he was done with his time at HMC. If Gerty was there…even better.
He tried to swallow and couldn’t, his throat the narrowest it had ever been. He had no idea how his gift would be taken, as it did imply certain things. He’d talked everything through with his father before he’d purchased the farm, and the sale had only gone through yesterday as it was.
His father’s words came back to him as the road he drove on turned from paved to dirt.If she doesn’t want it, he’d said.Or it doesn’t work out, Mike, then what? Do you want this farm and are willing to work it?
The answer had been yes. He might see Gerty’s ghost every time he came out here, but he knew ghosts faded, especially with enough therapy. He didn’t want Gerty to fade from his life, and he was willing to give her the time she required from him. That hadn’t changed, and he just needed to make sure she knew that.
An arch appeared, and Gerty leaned forward. “Big Ten Farm.” She swung her gaze toward Mike. “What are we doing here?” She’d always been extraordinarily full of questions, and he’d forgotten that about her.
He gripped the wheel, his own frustration starting to rise. He and Hunter had come out this morning and tied a giant yellow bow around the barn, and the thought of telling his cousin that Gerty didn’t want the farm…or him…made Mike ease up on the accelerator.
He could make something up, turn around, and take her back to Pony Power.
In fact, he probably should do that. The Lord would forgive him for the lie just this one time.
“These pastures are great,” she said, her irritation with him thinly veiled in her voice. “My horses would love it here.”
“That’s great.” He cleared his throat, the barn about to come into view. Two more seconds, and there it sat. He came to a complete stop and Gerty looked at him. He nodded out the windshield and waited for her to look too. When she did, he added, “Because this is your farm.”
Silence filled the cab. Pure, complete silence.
Seconds clicked by, and Mike wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he’d been hoping for. He knew with Gerty not to expect something, but he’d seen her explode to her feet when she’d pulled the collar out of her daddy’s gift box.
“No,” she finally said.
“Yes,” he said. “Happy birthday.” The words scraped his throat.
“Michael.” She turned toward him, and he had no choice but to look at her. “Tell me you’re lying and you didn’t buy me a farm for my birthday.”
He couldn’t even smile. “My momma taught me not to tell lies,” he whispered.
She made a strangled noise he wasn’t sure was good or not, yanked on the door handle, and flew from his truck. She slammed the door behind her, glaring at him—so she wasn’t as happy as she was when her father had gifted her a dog and a horse—and stomped away in the wrong direction.
Away from the farm, not toward it.
“Lord.” Mike didn’t know what else to add. He’d prayed over this gift for a couple of weeks now, and never once had God told him not to buy it.
His door suddenly flew open, and Gerty stood there, her chest heaving. “That’s it? You’re just going to sit there?”
“I was asking the Lord to help me with you,” he said calmly.
She yelled and slammed his door closed too. That got him to unbuckle, and he flew out of the truck and after her.
“Hey,” he barked at her. She didn’t stop or even slow down. He caught her quickly and grabbed her hand. “Hey. Can you calm down and talk to me like a human being?”
She pulled her hand away. “You can’t just buy me everything I want.”
“Why not?” he challenged. “Why the heck not, Gerty? Do you know how much two billion dollars is?”
She glared at him, but at least she wasn’t marching anymore. She hadn’t stopped though, and Mike kept pace with her. “Plus interest,” he said. “For a decade. This—” He swept his hand toward the land—which he now owned. “—Is what I wanted to give you. I know you want your own place, and I can give it to you.”
“I want toworkfor my own place.”
“Trust me, honey, you’re going to work this place,” he threw back at her. “It’s a gorgeous piece of land, but it hasn’t been taken care of in about five years.” He slowed down, hoping she would too. She didn’t, but she did detour off the road and over to the fence there.
Her shoulders lifted and fell as she faced the pasture and put one foot on the lowest rung. He gave her several long seconds and then joined her. Mike wanted to start throwing questions at her, Marine-style, but he held back.
When she didn’t volunteer anything, he sighed. “Talk to me, Gerty.”
