Shared by the Farmhands

Jasmine Rose Shared by the Farmhands Copyright © 2023 by Jasmine Rose All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. Jasmine Rose asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. First edition This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy Find out more at reedsy.com Contents Emily Emily Emily Emily Emily Derek Emily Emily Charlie Emily Emily Emily Emily Emily Henry Charlie Emily Emily Henry Emily Derek Emily Charlie Emily Emily Derek Emily Emily Derek Emily Emily Henry Emily Emily Emily Emily Emily Emily Emily Charlie Emily Emily Emily Emily I seriously needed a vacation. Basically, I was searching for a reason to pack everything up and say goodbye to the crappy city I lived in. Thanks to my father, he gave me the push I needed. Before I could second guess any of my impulsive decisions, I ordered a plane ticket straight to Alabama. Back to the place I grew up. All it took were a few clicks of a mouse and I was on my way to abandoning my life in the city. During one of our phone calls, my father informed me of some disturbing news about my grandmother. An impossible decision was in the making and I struggled to believe it to be true. My grandmother considered selling her farm. The same farm I spent weeks at during my summer vacations. Whenever I had a bad day at home, it was one of the few places I could run away to. The house had been built to match my grandparent’s dream home. Now that place was going to be owned by someone else? No way. I wasn’t buying it. No matter how many times I tried to put the puzzle pieces together, I could only ever come to one conclusion. Someone was obviously taking advantage of my innocent grandmother. They must’ve tricked her in some way, convinced her to sell something dear to my heart. My grandmother was stubborn. She wouldn’t sell such a precious place on some whim. With so many memories made on that farm, my father had to be wrong. Something must’ve been mixed up somewhere. I wasn’t getting the entire picture. Well, I wasn’t going to let it happen. While I was at it, I’d make sure to give an earful to the person who attempted to do something so sneaky. One way or another, I was going to make sure to get down to whatever funny business had been made. My grandmother could thank me later. After sitting through a four hour flight, the urge to see the home I’d spent so much time in grew more and more as we moved closer to the destination. Once the plane landed, I rushed to grab my luggage alongside the other passengers. There was nothing I wanted more than to get out of the airport. As someone who wasn’t a fan of flying, I already dreaded the thought of going back. I’d take my sweet time here. Walking, I looked around in case I spotted any familiar faces. After four years of being away, I thought maybe there could be a chance. The one person I craved to see the most wasn’t even here. Despite feeling eager to see my grandmother, she warned me ahead of time she wouldn’t be able to meet me at the airport to pick me up. I couldn’t blame her, the woman was getting older and older as the days went on. Instead of letting me pay for a taxi, she insisted on having me get picked up by someone she knew. Someone who wouldn’t mind making the trip into town and taking me to the countryside. Must’ve been a nice guy. Too bad I didn’t have the slightest clue about what he looked like. My grandmother could have given me a picture at least to give me some sort of idea. As I searched through the crowd for a person who looked like he could be what I was looking for, I checked my phone just to make sure the guy was even in the building. He should definitely be around somewhere. Expecting to find a man closer to her age with a sign in his hands, I spotted my name scribbled. Once I looked at the guy, I realized I shouldn’t have made any assumptions. Along a line of other waiting people, a man stood. One glance his way and I could have sworn the airport was the last place he wanted to be. With a frown carved onto his lips and a pointed stare, I wasn’t sure how anyone would have wanted to be picked up by him. Looking around, I tried to see if anyone else could have been looking out for an Emily. Sadly, no one else caught my attention. Finding the man once more, I cautiously approached. If it weren’t for such a scrunched expression, I’d place the guy to be near my age. Maybe in his early thirties at most. Wearing a plaid shirt and a pair of worn-out jeans, he would’ve stuck out like a sore thumb if we were still in New York. “Are you Derek?” I asked, unable to keep the hesitance out of my voice. Up close, the guy looked even more unpleasant. Why did my grandmother choose such a scary looking guy to be the one to pick me up? How in the world did she manage to make acquaintance with someone like him in the first place?