Read Online Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr - Free Book Online Page A

loose jeans tucked into her rubber boots, and her gray hair was kind of all over the place. “How do you do?” Amber’s mother said. “I’m Sinette Hawkins. It’s so nice of you to help Amber with math. I guess Hawk and me, we’re just too far past all that new math. And her brothers are busy helping their own kids.”
    “I don’t mind,” Courtney said.
    “Now are you sure your father doesn’t want to join us for dinner?” Sinette asked. “Because there’s always more than we can eat. I do that on purpose—someone is bound to stop by and Hawk likes a hot lunch in the middle of the day, so I keep plenty of leftovers.”
    Ah, that would explain Amber leaning toward the chubby side, Courtney thought. “No. He said he has something to do.”
    And right then a kid in a wheelchair zoomed into the kitchen. Amber introduced him as her nephew, Rory. He was only eight, wore thick glasses, and maneuvered that chair around like it was a Corvette. “I’m ready for my spelling words,” Rory announced. “Amber, you wanna do my spelling words?”
    “I can’t, Rory. I have to do my homework with Courtney. She came all the way out here to help me with my math.”
    “How long does it take to do spelling words?” Courtney asked.
    “Maybe fifteen minutes,” Amber answered with a shrug. “He’ll get ’em all right.”
    “Then let’s do ’em,” Courtney said, barely recognizing herself. But he’s in a wheelchair, she thought. And even that doesn’t give you slack from homework?
    During homework, Courtney found out that Rory had muscular dystrophy. When she asked if he’d get out of that wheelchair pretty soon, Amber said, “There’s no cure. Yet.” Courtney was afraid to ask any more questions. After homework, they went out to the barn where they kept one cow and two horses. There were also chickens and a couple of goats and a few dogs, one of whom seemed to move a little slow. “She’s pretty much ready to whelp,” Amber said. “The family’s got a bet going—want to get in on it? Her last litter she dropped seven pups.”
    Courtney bet nine.
    Hawk, Amber’s dad, was a skinny old farmer. They caught up with him while he was hosing off his tractor out by the family’s big vegetable garden. It was hard to tell if his name was the shortened version of his last name or due to his hawkish nose. He was a little hunched but strong, like maybe he’d been working real hard for a lot of years. Yet when he met Courtney, he turned out to be a little silly.
    “I been looking forward to this,” he said, putting out his calloused hand to her. “Been dyin’ to see the hairdo!”
    “Dad!” Amber scolded, clearly mortified.
    “What? I been dyin’ to. Must take commitment, eh?”
    Courtney laughed. “Sort of.”
    “Courtney,” Amber said pleadingly. “He swore he wouldn’t make fun.”
    “I didn’t make fun,” her father protested. “I can’t help wondering what it feels like. Can I touch it?”
    “It’s just hair,” Courtney said, leaning her head toward him.
    “So it is. I just have to ask—what did your dad have to say when he first laid eyes on it?”
    “It totally freaked him out,” she said almost proudly.
    And Hawk smiled knowingly. “Knew there had to be a good reason.”

    When Lief saw that window of opportunity—Courtney making a homework date with a girlfriend from school—he was ready to get back to that Victorian on the premise of a tour and some free garden stock. It had only been a couple of days, but Courtney didn’t provide many such opportunities. He realized he’d never thought ahead enough to ask Kelly for a phone number.
    The tour and veggies were an excuse, though he did find the property curious and interesting. But really, it was the brokenhearted blonde with the delicious mouth who drew him. And bless her little soul, Lief was almost glad she was overcoming lost love. That would buy him some time. Although he just couldn’t stop thinking about her, he had so many