Her Heart's Desire (Sunflower Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

theater, but maybe it could use one where her oldest
friend from grade school could perform and charm any audience. If
Zoë had pursued a career in sales, her friend would be rich. Her
smile endeared her to everyone.
    “But then, if she wasn’t here, I wouldn’t
have her to lean on right now,” Lia said, climbing into her truck.
Their differences didn’t interfere with their friendship. However,
she envied Zoë one thing—as an older sister to siblings, her friend
received family respect—unlike Lia’s brother, who looked at her
more and more like a child since their parents had died, which made
the challenge of proving her farming capabilities that much more
difficult. If Craig would only see reason, he’d be proud of her,
instead of doubting her.
    Two years in age difference was a lot when
they were in high school, she a sophomore to his senior status, or
when they were in college, but not now. Just because he majored in
business and she in art didn’t mean she couldn’t manage the farm
like a business. In the face of Mister Doubter, as long as the
weather held and the crop came in—fingers crossed—she’d break even
on her first, fulltime farming effort. He’d given her a year to
fail.
    Just the same, even with mixed feelings,
she’d be happy to see him. Family history and grief knitted them
together, a special kind of bond. She sighed. Craig was headed home
for the weekend to spend time with her and to pay respects to their
parents. She couldn’t pull off the small graveside memorial service
tomorrow afternoon without him. Lucas and Megan would be there and
Zoë, too. A few other close friends and neighbors had been
included. If she were a betting woman, she’d put money on the fact
that Craig had other items on his agenda, like trying to talk her
into selling the farm again. He had better be ready for a
shocker...did he even understand the two-letter word, no? If he
decided to sell his half, she’d find a way to deal with it, but her
inheritance wasn’t for sale. End of story.
    Lia pulled into a quick-stop station shaded
by tall grain silos, filled up the truck with diesel, then ran
through the car wash before heading back to the farm, traveling the
two-lane blacktop highway rather than farm roads to keep the truck
clean. As she drove, she noticed hints of changing color. The sun
appeared more golden, rather than summer lemon. Leaves showed the
first fall tinge of orange and gold. Fields of sunflowers turned
their heads to the light. Tassels on corn glinted like golden silk
thread in fields spreading out for miles, signs of summer slipping
into fall. Any day now, a first soft frost could arrive and make
the world look different. A Kansas fall was like a rose bud—it
opened fast and faded too soon.
    But she could capture it all in a painting to
preserve the feeling year round.
    Arriving at the farm, she nosed the truck
into the garage. Gentleman Jack greeted her with loud barks from
the mudroom where she’d left him. For a Brittany Spaniel, he obeyed
well, yet true to his bloodline, whenever able, he’d cast for quail
and pheasant—no matter the season.
    “Were you a good boy?” She let the dog loose.
He bounced past her in a spurt of energy before sprinting back.
Together they walked around the old two-story farmhouse. Spring a
year ago, her father had replaced all of the windows with efficient
double-paned ones. It lowered the heating and cooling costs, which
made a difference in her budget between eating well or not. The
butter-yellow paint on the house had faded along with the black on
the shutters. With the right ladders, she could save money by
tackling the job herself. Well, with the right ladders and a few
male friends with strong forearms. She had a few candidates in
mind, men she could bribe with good food and beer. Maybe she could
ask Lucas to organize a painting party. After all, if he was going
to keep inserting himself into her life, he might as well be
useful.
    The house was more