Shattered Hearts ePub Read Free

parts for the tractor because it broke down again.  We’ve fallen way behind with our seeding because of all the breakdowns and he’s too stubborn to ask the neighbors for help,” she said with a dramatic roll of her eyes.  “That’s why I put the ad up online.”
    “Oh?”
    Maggie nodded.  “Nate won’t accept help or hire anyone local.  I mean, we did have a hired man before but he ended up stealing from us.  It was a bad situation and it made Nate suspicious of everyone and everything.  So Nate’s been trying to do everything himself and I’m scared he’s going to like, work himself to death or something.  He doesn’t know how to pace himself.”
    “I see.”
    “This is his first year farming himself,” Maggie informed me, offering up information without me even having to ask questions.  “I mean, as kids we always helped our parents out with chores and stuff, but we’ve never had to do everything ourselves until this year...”  She trailed off then and I caught a hint of sadness in her eyes.
    “Maggie?” I asked with concern, pushing my plate away.  “Are you alright?”
    “Yeah,” she said, swiping a hand across her eyes and bravely forcing a smile.  “My parents died last year in a car crash and sometimes talking about them gets me choked up.  I guess it’s still sort of raw even after all this time.”
    “Oh,” I replied, not quite knowing how to respond to that horrifying news.  “I’m so sorry.”
    “Thanks,” she replied.  She cleared her throat.  “So anyway, I know you said you’re not too familiar with farms but I could tell from your emails that you’re sweet and easy to get along with and...well, don’t tell Nate this because he’ll say it’s a stupid reason for hiring someone, but I think we’ll be friends.” 
    There was a quality about Maggie that was rare.  She was completely open and honest, unafraid to say whatever was on her mind.  It seemed remarkable that someone who’d suffered such a devastating loss could be that way.  And already I could tell she was a genuinely nice person, too.  I smiled at her.  “I’d like that.”
    “You have a really pretty smile,” she told me kindly before standing up.  “Do you want some dessert?  I made chocolate cake.  Well, I made it from a mix because I’m not half the cook my mom was, but I think it’s still pretty good?  I already had a piece...two pieces, to be honest” she confessed somewhat sheepishly.  She brought over the pan and showed the cake to me.
    “It looks delicious,” I told her.
    She beamed at the compliment, clearly pleased that I appreciated her efforts.  “Thanks!  It’s best with ice cream.  The ice cream is in the spare freezer downstairs – hang on, I’ll run down and get it.  Be right back!”
    Once I was alone, I sat at the kitchen table swinging my feet and looking around.  It seemed like a house I could be comfortable in and, as Maggie had predicted, I got the sense that we would become fast friends.  I could tell this room was the heart of the home.  It seemed like Maggie was trying her best to fill her mother’s shoes.  It must have been difficult to be thrust into that role at such a young age, I mused.
    The slam of a door jolted me back to the present.  I turned to look over my shoulder just as a young man strode into the kitchen.  He looked every bit as surprised to see me as I was to see him.  He stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me.
    He was tall, with broad shoulders and unkempt hair that was badly in need of a trim.  His ruggedly handsome face had a few days’ stubble and he appeared to be a few years older than Maggie.  He wore ripped jeans and a flannel shirt with sleeves that were cut off.  The muscles of his biceps rippled with every breath he took.
    “Hi,” I said, rising to my feet.  “I’m Amanda.”
    “Okay,” he replied, tossing the denim jacket that was slung over his shoulder onto the kitchen counter.  He walked