Charlie, p.1
Charlie, page 1
Back of the Book
At fourteen, Hannah Garvin met ‘the one’, Charlene Gaines and her life was never the same. They were inseparable and spent every moment they could together. One day, Charlie left without a word and again, Hannah’s life took a dramatic change.
Hannah vowed to never fall in love again. When she meets Mick, a new arrival to the small Texas panhandle town near her family’s farm, her heart remembers what being in love was like, and yearns for more.
Will Hannah let the memory of Charlie go so she can start a new life with Mick? Or will her heart betray her and hold on to her love for Charlie?
Charlie
© 2020 by Erin O’Reilly
Affinity E-Book Press NZ LTD.
Canterbury, New Zealand
First Edition
ISBN: 978-1-98-858853-7
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of the author and publisher. Please note that piracy of copyrighted materials violates the author’s rights and is illegal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editor: CK King, Raven’s Eye Editing
Proof Editor: Alexis Smith
Cover Design: Irish Dragon Designs
Production Design: Affinity Publication Services
Acknowledgments
This story would never been written without the encouragement and feedback from my dear friend, Julie. She kept me going. On the days I’d say, “I just can’t do it,” she considered the source and understood by saying, “Let me know when you can.” And I would. Such is life on chemo drugs.
Thank you, Affinity’s editing team. First is the beta editor, Nancy, who pointed out where I needed to fill the story in or out, and where I’d used the wrong names. Next, CK, the editor extraordinaire, who helped me make the story coherent and always makes me a better author by her comments. Then comes, Alexis, who proofs the story finding any errors that might remain and making sure I’ve added all the right information. The final story then goes to Alice, who takes one last look making sure the story is as clean as possible. Thanks to Nancy for the fantastic cover design. Thank you, Affinity Rainbow Publications for taking a chance on this story.
Of course, none of this would happen without the readers who invest their time and money to read what I write. Thank you, readers. Your feedback is what keeps me writing.
Dedication
For Julie
Also by Erin O’Reilly
Addicted to You
Spectre of Fear
Next Time
Ready for Love
Return to Me
If I Were a Boy
Through the Darkness
Deception
Fearless
‘55 Ford
Fractured
That Kiss
Revelations
Wolf at the Door
Sandcastles
When Hell Meets Heaven Series
Echoes of the Past
Paradox of Love
The End Game
Requiem
With JM Dragon
Say You Won’t Go
Against All Odds
Take Me as I am
Echoes of the Past
The End Game
Requiem
Earthbound
New Beginnings
Atonement
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books from Affinity
Prologue
The night was balmy. A few fireflies lifted from the ground to flash and dance to the cacophony of crickets, cicadas, and the random howl of a coyote. On the wraparound porch, Hannah Garvin sat in the rocker that once belonged to her great-grandfather. It was at this time, in the dark of night, that she was acutely aware of the distinct possibility that she would be the last link of her once prominent and proud family farming in the panhandle of Texas. As she slowly rocked, the vision of her girlhood friend, Charlie, came to mind. She always did. Charlie was her one true friend, who knew her inside and out and loved her anyway. At least that was what Hannah thought until Charlie disappeared without a word. Her thoughts traversed memories of their times together.
Chapter One
The spring on the old wooden screen door moaned in protest, as Hannah used her hip to open the door. She was carrying a tray with three tall, plastic tumblers filled with ice and sweet tea.
“Here you go, Daddy and Mama, just the way you like it.”
“Did you make sure it has nuff sweetnin?” Sam Garvin asked.
“Sure did. You got extra, and Mama gets her special brew…one teaspoon of sweetnin.” Hannah carried her tumbler to the top porch step, where she sat leaning back against the railing. She looked out across a portion of the six hundred and forty acres of land they owned and took a long drink of her tea. “Looks like all the rest of the family have called it a night.” Hannah looked at her mother. “Mama, is there anything I can do to help you with all the extra people?”
“I don’t think so. I enjoy the boys and their families being here.”
“Okay, but let me know if it gets to be too much.”
Ada took a sip of her tea and smiled. “I don’t have my foot in the grave yet, so I think I can handle them.” Ada laughed.
“Thank god for that.” Hannah grinned.
“It’s fixin’ to rain,” Sam said.
“No way. That lightning is way over in New Mexico. It’ll peter out before it gets to the border.” Hannah gave her father a big smile.
“Mark my words, girly, it’ll rain tonight and tomorrow. Might even see some water in that disappearin’ lake.”
Hannah put her tea down and rested her elbows on her thighs. Every time someone mentioned the disappearing lake, she got the same uneasy feeling.
“You listnin’ to me, girly?”
“Sorry, Daddy, I was thinkin’ of somethin’ else. What did you say?”
“I said, you wanna make a bet on the rain?”
“What do I get out of it?”
“A day off.”
“And you have to take Mama and me out to that Dos Rios place for supper if I win.”
“Sounds like a win for me no matter what happens with the rain.” Sam laughed.
†
Later that night, a clap of thunder rattled the house. Big fat drops of rain could be heard pinging on the tin roof. Hannah woke, trying to catch the fleeting tendrils of the dream she was having. She closed her eyes and recalled that someone was calling her name and waving their arms to get her attention. That was all she remembered before she fell back to sleep. A few hours later, she woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. Hannah yawned and crawled out of bed, ready to start the day.
No day off for me. I heard that rain last night. Secretly she was glad. A day off meant entertaining her sisters-in-law and the nieces and nephew. Running after small children or holding babies was not her way to spend a day of relaxing. With a yawn and a sigh, Hannah headed for the bathroom and a shower.
“Mornin’.” Hannah entered the kitchen eager for breakfast.
“Good morning, sweetheart. Come, sit and join us. I just put the food on the table, so it’s hot.” Ada waved her over.
Bo and Mack and their families were visiting from Amarillo. The kitchen table was jam-packed with people. She nodded toward her dad. “How much rain did we get?”
“Nuff for you to lose the bet.” Sam grinned.
“Yeah, yeah, I heard the rain.” She leveled her gaze at him. “Shoulda known better than to bet with you, Daddy. You’ve been farming this land for almost forever.” She laughed. “You’d know if it’s gonna rain or not. How much did we get?”
“We got a little less than an inch of moisture.”
“Never thought we’d get anything close to that. I swear, I thought it was nothing but heat lightning off in the distance.” Hannah scooped some scrambled eggs on her plate, along with two strips of bacon.”
“Good thing you’re up.” Bo speared a biscuit from a bowl. “You need to go into town and pick up the order at Wilkerson’s.”
“Why me?”
“We helped movethe irrigation last night and you didn’t,” Bo said.
“We’re about out of hay and straw, along with chicken feed.” Sam looked at Hannah and grinned. “Besides, I need these big strong boys of mine to do some heavy liftin’.”
“Hey Sis, I’ll go into town with you,” Mack said. She could see his eyes pleading for her to accept.
“Don’t think so. Those city jobs made the two of you go all soft. You need to do some hard farm work like I do every day.”
“Are you trying to shame us?” Bo asked. “The way I see it, you chose to stay here, and I didn’t.”
“Alrighty then, I guess you told me,” Hannah countered, all the while grinding her teeth.
“Both of you stop this right now,” Sam bellowed. “Let’s enjoy our time together. I don’t want to hear anymore bellyachin’.”
“Sorry, Daddy,” Bo and Hannah said in unison.
Hannah looked at the floor and slowed her breathing, while clenching and unclenching her fist. The fact that both her brothers left home to pursue jobs other than farming had been a bone of contention between them for years. As the youngest by four years, she was left at home with no choice but to take on the duty. She was the only one to stay behind and help her parents on the farm. She shook her head and grabbed a couple of biscuits, before getting up and kissing her mother. “Do you need me to pick anything up for you or do you want to go along?”
“No darlin’, I’m going to Nelly’s to help with the quilt she’s making for her new grandson.”
The phone rang and Ada answered. “Hello. Oh Nelly, I’ll be there as soon as I clear the breakfast dishes… I’m sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do to help you?” She laughed. “Okay we’ll do the quilting tomorrow then. Bye for now.” Ada smiled at her daughter.
“That was Nelly. She took a tumble this morning and wants to do the quilt tomorrow. Guess I’ll be going to town with you after all.”
“Great. I welcome the company.”
“Patsy and Lucy, do you want to get the kids ready and come with us?” Ada was looking at Suzanna, Bo’s seven-year-old daughter. “What about you?”
The two daughters-in-law were darting glances back and forth between the brothers as if pleading for help.
“Ah, no I don’t think so,” Patsy, Bo’s wife, said in her heavy Texas accent. “Sammy is playing outside. He’ll need a bath before he can go anywhere.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Jess is playing in the room.” Lucy rushed out of the kitchen, closely followed by Patsy.
Suzanna stood stock still. “Do you wanna go with us, sweetie?” Hannah asked.
“My daddy promised me that he’d take me for a ride on the tractor today.” She took a step toward the door, then walked rapidly toward it.
“Okay. Guess that’s a no. Looks like it’s just you and me, Mama.” Hannah smirked. “I do believe they are afraid of me.”
“Oh, stop saying things like that.” Ada swatted her daughter’s arm gently. “I doubt they think of Morton as a town they’d go to for their kind of shopping.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. The lure of the city took the farm girls out of them.”
“Now you give me a few minutes to get ready, then we’ll have a mother-daughter day out.”
Hannah smiled and shook her head. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat back down, sipping her coffee and biting into a biscuit she’d grabbed earlier. Her mother would have to change her clothes, do her hair, and put on lipstick before she went to town. Hannah looked down at her long-sleeved, light-blue shirt and jeans. She polished her boots on the back of her jeans leg and nodded. “I’m ready to go.”
Chapter Two
The pickup truck Hannah was driving rattled as it bumped down the dirt road toward town.
“Pull over,” Ada said.
Hannah pulled to the side and put the gear in park. She braced herself and hoped she was wrong about what her mama wanted to see. She knew she wasn’t. “Is something wrong, Mama? Did you forget something?”
“No, I’m fine.” Ada rolled down her window and pointed. “Would you look at that,” Ada said with wonderment in her voice. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it that deep.”
The sight of the disappearing lake took Hannah’s breath away. She could feel the knot that always twisted her stomach, as her eyes tracked across the wide expanse of water and focused on the far side. “Charlie,” she whispered.
“What was that?”
“Nothin’, Mama. That’s a lot of water. We’d better get going.” Hannah put the truck in gear and took off down the dirt road. Despite all the rain, a plume of dust followed behind them. Thoughts of Charlie and how they’d first met at the disappearing lake permeated her mind. No one in her fourteen years had ever captured Hannah’s full attention like Charlie had. Her first love. Only love. Forever love.
When the truck left the dirt road for the paved road, Ada turned to Hannah. “You’re being mighty quiet. Somethin’ bothering you, sweetie? You’re not worryin’ about the tiff you and Bo had, are you?”
“No, Mama. I’m just goin’ over the list for Wilkerson’s that Daddy wanted, along with the additions to his order that he told me about before we left. I don’t want to forget something and have to make this trip again today. That’s all. Sorry.”
“No need for sorry, sweetie, I was just checking on you.”
Hannah reached out and turned on the radio. “We can listen to some music.” Lady Antebellum was singing “I Need You Now,” and she changed the station.
“Okay. I guess I should go over my grocery list to see if I missed anything. With extra people in the house, I’ll need more food.”
“When are they leaving?”
“At the weekend. You always let Mack and Bo get under your skin, baby. That’s why they say the things they do, to rile you.” Ada reached over and squeezed Hannah’s arm. “Just ignore them.”
“Easier said than done.” Hannah blew out a breath and nodded. Thoughts of Charlie were crawling into every crevice of her brain. If only I could get her out of my mind. Try as she may, the memories of those days were never far away.
“Let’s not let the boys spoil our day together.”
“Okay, I’ll try.” Hannah gave her mother a weak smile. “Mama, I’m gonna drop the trailer off at Wilkerson’s first, so we can go to the market while they load Daddy’s order.”
“Sounds good to me. I don’t have that much to get.”
“We aren’t in a hurry. You can take your time and look at all the shelves.” Hannah smiled. “I know how you like to shop.”
“That I do, darlin’, that I do.”
†
The supermarket in Morton was the closest grocery by twenty miles, making it the only choice. If they wanted to go to Hereford or all the way to Amarillo it would take an extra half hour. Once inside the store, Hannah saw the huge smile on her mother’s face. It wasn’t often that they got to go out together and even rarer that her mama had all the time she needed for shopping. Her daddy usually drove into town, always in a hurry. He never let her just take it all in. Her mother was a true shopper, looking at everything on each shelf. Hannah dutifully followed behind, pushing the buggy and watching it fill rapidly.
“Look, Hannah, they have sardines. I’ve never seen them here before. I wonder what they taste like.”
“Fishy.”
“You’re probably right about that.” Ada laughed and put the tin back.
They continued shopping and soon the basket was full.
“Mama, I thought you didn’t have much to get.” Hannah grinned. “Good thing I brought the trailer. Let’s get this loaded up and head on over to Wilkerson’s.”
“Did you remember the ice chest?” Ada asked, as they left the store and headed for the pickup.
“Yep.” Hannah began loading the paper bags full of groceries into the bed of the pickup. Ada put all the frozen and stay-cold items in the two ice chests they’d brought. “Looks like we’re ready to go to Wilkerson’s. They should’ve had enough time to load the trailer.”
“I’ll just take a look around while you check on the order, sweetie,” Ada said, as the two women walked into Wilkerson’s.
