Seeds of Summer Read Online Free PDF Page A

steers.”
    His brown eyes brightened. “Especially hunting strays. Or drinking from the windmills.”
    â€œMore like swimming in the water tanks.” She pinched his ear, and he pulled away.
    â€œDo you miss him?”
    The tires hit a chuckhole as Natalie turned into their lane, and the two of them jostled inside the cab of the truck. “What kind of question is that?”
    Dillon cracked his knuckles, a habit she loathed almost as much as her sister’s nail biting. “You haven’t been around much lately. I thought maybe you and Dad…that maybe you didn’t get along so well anymore.”
    Natalie pulled up to the house and shut off the Ford’s diesel engine. Sometimes her brother saw things through a magnifying glass, things she’d rather not acknowledge. But it was true. Life hadn’t been the same since Vegas.
    â€œIt’s not that we didn’t get along.” She opened the truck door and the hinges groaned. “I’ve been busy…trying to figure out what to do with my life. Sometimes we grownups don’t always see eye-to-eye.”
    Dillon frowned. “Are you sad about the contest?”
    She fought back the emotion, allowed it to deaden her senses. “Not so much.”
    â€œWhat about that guy…Ryan. You still dating him?”
    â€œNo, I’m not.” Natalie scowled. Ryan was the last person she cared to think about. Unwilling to say more, she headed for the house.
    Chelsey met her on the back porch, a dishtowel slung over her shoulder. “A guy’s waiting for you in Dad’s office—says his name’s Mr. Thompson.”
    A curse slipped from Natalie’s tongue as she checked her watch. She’d forgotten about her appointment with Dad’s attorney. One glance in the hall mirror confirmed her hair was a mess, and she quickly raked her fingers through the black strands before entering her father’s office.
    The man sat with his back to her, his balding crown framed by dark tufts of hair on each side.
    â€œI’m sorry for keeping you.” She reached out her hand and offered him a warm smile.
    â€œNo problem.” He started to stand. “Since I’ve been out of the office all week, I figured you’d want to get this over with as soon as possible, but if today isn’t convenient we can reschedule for another time.”
    â€œYou said on the phone that my father had a will?” Natalie noted his briefcase and cleared a space on the oak desk.
    â€œYes, albeit a short one.” Mr. Thompson laid half a dozen papers on the desk, spreading them out for her to view. He then withdrew two scrolls of paper each tied with a string and handed them to her. “Before we begin, here are a couple of items your father gave me to go along with the will. They’re addressed to your brother and sister. I believe he mentioned they were poems.”
    Natalie lifted an eyebrow, never knowing her father to write an ounce of poetry. Willard, yes, but not her dad. She stared at the scribbled names, wondering why he’d given them to his lawyer and why there wasn’t one for her.
    â€œYour father was a unique man.”
    She glanced up from the scrolls. “That’s putting it mildly, wouldn’t you say?”
    â€œWhat I mean is that while he wanted his legal matters in order, he failed to do the same with his finances.”
    Natalie eased into the wooden desk chair. “What do you mean, exactly?”
    â€œTrust me, your father planned for your futures, but his plan had a few…kinks.” The attorney rushed on. “As his only heirs, heleft you and your brother and sister the entire estate, to be divided equally among you when they reach the age of twenty-one. Until then, he appointed you guardian of the children and conservator of the ranch. You’re also the executor of the estate.”
    She skimmed the papers on the desk. “Then I don’t