Page 47 of Trick or Tease

SAbrINA

I threw myself into chores the next morning, desperate to keep my hands busy and my mind off everything that had happened.

The familiar routine of milking, feeding, and mucking stalls was exactly what I needed.

It was work that didn’t require me to think about lying lawyers or broken trust or the way my chest still ached every time I remembered how good it felt to be in Garrett’s arms.

The cows didn’t care about my drama. They just wanted their breakfast and to be left alone, which made them excellent company for my current mood.

“Well, Bessie,” I said, settling onto the milking stool beside one of my favorite cows, “you’re probably the only female around here who won’t judge me for being a complete idiot.”

Bessie turned her big brown eyes toward me, chewing thoughtfully on her cud. She was a good listener, always had been. Never interrupted, never offered unsolicited advice, never made me feel stupid for the choices I’d made.

I had been milking her through one bad breakup after another. Technically not breakups. Most were just bad dates. Bessie heard it all. She knew all about the shitty kissers and the handsy assholes. Bessie had heard about my crushes and every other problem I had over the years.

“I fell for him again,” I continued, working the familiar rhythm of milking while I talked. “Can you believe that? After everything he put me through in high school, after years of him treating this place like it was beneath him, I actually thought he changed.”

The stream of milk hitting the pail was oddly soothing.

“Lucy thinks I should give him another chance. Says tearing up that contract proves he chose us over his fancy city life.” I snorted, shaking my head.

“But you know what I think, Bessie? I think he just got caught. I think he was planning to screw us over right up until the moment his boss showed up and forced his hand.”

Bessie let out a low moo that sounded almost sympathetic.

“Exactly,” I agreed. “And even if he did change his mind, even if last night was real, how am I supposed to trust him? He lied to me for weeks. I think he was trying to blind me with sex. He kept me distracted.”

Even as I said it, I knew that wasn’t entirely true. Because the last week he’d been avoiding me like the plague. He completely withdrew. I couldn’t decide if that made me angry or hurt. It made me think that maybe he knew the end of the farm was coming, so he didn’t have any use for me.

He got what he wanted, and he was going back to the city for his Grade A women. He didn’t need his country bumpkin piece of ass anymore.

I was knee-deep in self-pity when my phone buzzed.

Billy: Can you come by the farm this afternoon? Something important I need to talk to you about.

I stared at the message, my stomach knotting with anxiety. If this was about Garrett trying to apologize through his brother, I wasn’t interested. I made my position pretty clear last night when I flipped him off.

I wasn’t just flipping him off. I was telling him to fuck off.

And I meant it.

I was not interested in being used for sex or anything else.

But Billy was my friend too. He had been through hell because of his brother’s scheming. The least I could do was hear him out.

Billy.

Not Garrett.

Me: Fine. What time?

Billy: Around 2? Kitchen.

I spent the rest of the morning trying not to speculate about what Billy wanted to discuss.

Maybe he was planning to kick Garrett out.

Maybe he wanted to talk about how to move forward with the farm now that the corporate lawyer brother had proven himself untrustworthy.

Maybe he just needed someone to vent to about family drama.

I texted Lucy to see if she knew what Billy wanted. Her response was pretty noncommittal, which told me she knew but wasn’t going to tell me. That was not a surprise.

By the time I pulled into the familiar driveway at two o’clock, I had worked myself into a state of nervous energy that had me drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. I just wanted to get whatever this was over with so I could go home and continue pretending Garrett Hogan didn’t exist.

It sucked because if Garrett was staying, I wasn’t going to be visiting. And I knew it would put a serious damper on my relationship with Billy and Lucy.

That sucked really badly. I was losing my best friends because that selfish asshole was trying to take everything from me.

I found Billy and Lucy sitting at the kitchen table, both of them wearing expressions that I couldn’t quite read. There was a stack of official-looking papers spread between them, along with what looked like a manila folder full of documents.

“Hey,” I said cautiously, settling into the chair across from them. “What’s all this about?”

Billy and Lucy exchanged a look that made my stomach clench with suspicion.

It was that kind of silent, secret language that couples that had been together forever spoke. I had a feeling I would never get close enough with anyone to develop that secret language.

“We wanted to show you something,” Lucy said gently. “Something Garrett suggested.”

I immediately started to stand up. “No thanks. Not interested.”

“Wait,” Lucy said. “Seriously, you need to see this.”

“If this is about him trying to apologize?—”

“Sabrina, please,” Billy interrupted, gesturing for me to sit back down. “Just look at the papers first. Then you can decide if you want to hear him out or not.”

Against my better judgment, I settled back into the chair and pulled the documents toward me. The legal language was dense and confusing, but as I read through the pages, certain phrases started to jump out at me.

Partial ownership transfer. Equal shares. Unanimous consent required for any sale or major changes.

I looked up at Billy with confusion. “What is this?”

“It’s a partnership agreement,” he explained. “Garrett had the idea, and I agreed. We’re giving you and Lucy each a twenty-five percent ownership stake in the farm.”

My mouth fell open. “What? Why?”

Lucy leaned forward, her eyes bright with excitement.

“It means we’re all partners now. Equal partners.

And look at this part.” She pointed to a specific clause in the contract.

“It says that any major decisions about the farm, including any potential sale, require unanimous approval from all four partners.”

I stared at the papers, trying to process what I was seeing. “I don’t understand. Why would you do this? This is your farm, Billy. Your family. And Lucy, I know you’ll be a part of this family soon. But me? I’m just your friend. Your neighbor. You can’t give me part of your farm.”

Billy’s expression grew serious. “Because Garrett realized he fucked up. Badly. And he wanted to make sure nothing like this could ever happen again. He wanted to put your fears to rest about having the rug pulled out from under you.”

“This is his way of proving he’s serious about staying,” Lucy added. “About choosing this life over his old one. He’s literally giving you the legal power to stop him from ever selling this place.”

I felt dizzy. This was the last thing I expected. “But this is your family’s farm. Your inheritance. You can’t just give it away?—”

“We’re not giving it away,” Billy said firmly.

“We’re sharing it with the people who helped make it what it is.

You and Lucy are family to us, Sabrina. You always have been.

This just makes it official. We had a successful season because of you.

We know you are going to be a huge part of the success in the future. ”

I looked down at the papers again, my mind reeling. Partial ownership of the farm. A real stake in the future we had been building together. Legal protection against anyone who might try to destroy what we’d created.

It was everything I had been afraid of losing, handed to me on a silver platter.

It wasn’t like I had a lot of options for my future. I just always assumed I would be part of the farm. But not in any official capacity. I didn’t need that. I just wanted to help my friends. They were my family.

“There’s something else,” Lucy said softly. “Garrett’s waiting for you. In the center of the corn maze. He wants to talk to you, if you’re willing.”

My heart somersaulted. “I already told him I wasn’t interested in talking.”

“I know,” Billy said. “But he asked us to give you these papers first. To show you he’s serious about making things right. The rest is up to you.”

I stared at the ownership documents, feeling overwhelmed and confused and more than a little angry that Garrett thought he could fix everything with legal paperwork. Freaking lawyers.

But underneath the anger was something else. Something that felt dangerously like hope.

“Fine,” I said finally, standing up from the table. “I’ll go hear what he has to say. But this doesn’t change anything between us. I don’t like him.”

Billy and Lucy exchanged another look, this one tinged with what looked like cautious optimism.

“We’ll come with you,” Lucy offered.

“No.” I needed to face this alone, whatever it was. “I can handle Garrett Hogan.”

The walk to the corn maze felt like it took forever and no time at all. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure everyone in the county could hear it, and my palms were sweating despite the cool October air.

As I approached the entrance, I noticed something different. The scarecrow we’d positioned at the mouth of the maze was holding a new sign, painted in Garrett’s handwriting: Come find me.

I stared at the sign for a long moment, then looked down the first pathway into the maze. More signs were visible along the route, each one positioned where they’d catch my eye as I walked.

Curiosity won out over anger. I stepped into the maze.

The first sign made me stop in my tracks: I love the way you throw yourself into everything you care about.

The second one, positioned at the first turn: I love how you make everyone around you feel like they matter.

By the third sign, my eyes were starting to burn with unshed tears.

Each turn in the maze brought another message, another piece of what felt like Garrett’s heart laid bare on painted wood.

He was killing me one sentence at a time.

I love your stubborn streak, even when it’s directed at me.

I love how you fight for the people you care about.

I love that you believe in second chances, even for idiots like me.

By the time I reached the center of the maze, I was crying freely. Not the angry tears I had shed last night, but something deeper and more complicated.

Damn him. Why did he have to be so sexy and convincing?

Because he was a damn lawyer. Convincing people was what he did.

I finally made it to the middle of our corn maze and there was another scarecrow. It was wearing my clown mask and holding a bouquet of beautiful flowers.