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Elijah
Elijah ran a hand through his mussed hair and heaved a sigh as he let his gaze sweep over the field of hay. Half of his work was done, and tomorrow he’d have to do the rest. He wiped his brow, then peered up at the sun. They only had a few weeks left before it would be too late to cut the hay for storage. It’d be near impossible for it to dry if they waited until the end of September.
Thankfully, they had a few good hot days left. Then they’d have to focus on the potatoes and onions in the other fields. It had been a rough start, but now that they finally had the upper hand on their farm, he could see a profit coming their way in the new year.
He smiled to himself as he watched every brother, right down to the twins who were going to start their senior year this fall, working hard. There wasn’t a single soul who didn’t put the good ol’ Keagan effort into play.
And they all had Wade and Annabel to thank for it, too. His oldest siblings were the glue that held this family together. Not a single soul had been lost. That was saying a lot, considering their parents had abandoned them about fourteen years ago. There were times he thought for sure that someone would call Child Protective Services on their sorry bunch, but somehow they’d managed to avoid it.
Elijah slapped his hat onto his head and trudged toward the house. It would be better to leave the tractor behind at this point. It was getting late and they’d run out of daylight before he could finish the field.
His stomach growled as if alerting him to the fact that his youngest sister was likely finishing up supper. For a fifteen-year-old, she could cook ten times better than anyone in their family—including Annabel. Even Charlie knew how to pull her weight and contribute to their family as a whole.
If they continued working hard, Elijah could see the Keagan family rising up in the ranks. The Baker family had an orchard and cattle. The Callahans did a little bit of everything. But the Keagans could corner the market on agriculture. None of them had any education in the matter, but they’d learned on their feet and he was proud of how far they had come.
They just had to keep moving forward.
Lights flashed on the horizon a little way from the house. Headlights from the looks of it. The sedan was sleek and shiny. When he squinted, he could have sworn that it was a black convertible. But that was ridiculous. No one around here would buy such a ridiculous foreign car.
Even as he passed that judgment, he couldn’t help the yearning he had for something so nice. What he wouldn’t give for a brand-new truck that could haul more and go faster. Instead, he had a poor, beat-up, rusted Ford.
He used to be proud of his vehicle. He’d got it with his own money when he was twenty. But as a near decade had passed, he wasn’t too keen on it anymore. Sure, it could still run, but just barely.
The car sped closer, spitting gravel until it careened to a stop in front of the house. Some of his brothers stopped what they were doing to stare out at the sight just like he had.
Lucas came up beside him, exiting the barn as he’d passed it.
A woman exited the car, only distinguishable by her long, black hair that she tossed over her shoulder. She looked familiar enough, but it was hard to say from where.
“Who do you think that is?” Lucas nudged him with his elbow.
“How the heck would I know?”
His brother wagged his brows up and down. “Because if you knew, you could call dibs.” He chuckled and strode toward their visitor.
Elijah darted after him, grabbing his shoulder as he pulled him backward. “You’re not going to hit on a stranger at our house.”
“Why not? I’ve done it before.”
His eyes darted back toward the waiting car. Even narrowing his vision didn’t help him make out who this visitor could be. His hand tightened on Lucas to prevent him from accosting the woman who’d arrived.
Lucas shrugged out from under his grasp. “Ow, geez, Elijah, what’s wrong with you?” He rubbed his shoulder, tossing his brother a dirty look.
“I mean it, Lucas. You’re not going over there. Let Wade or Annabel handle it.”
Lucas rolled his eyes, letting out a huff. “You’re not serious.”
“I’m dead serious. You’ve broken enough hearts as it is.”
Glee spread across his younger brother’s face, but he quickly hid it with a frown. “I haven’t broken any hearts.”
“Yeah? How many voicemails do we have to listen to on the house phone before you admit you’re leaving a trail of disappointed women in your wake.” Elijah pulled Lucas behind him and headed toward the house. When he heard his brother coming behind him, he stopped and faced him. “I mean it, Lucas. Stay put.”
“But it’s supper time. You can’t keep me from eating whatever Charlie made.”
“Then go in the back.”
