“Over here,” Bonzo said.
They went back and forth for a minute or two. Eventually, the auctioneer said, “Gentlemen, remember this is a cash sale or you’ll need to produce a bank letter today.”
“Covered,” Bonzo said.
“Two million,” Beck said, glaring at Bonzo. “And so you know, I’ll never let you have this place for under five. If you want it, come get it.”
“Fuck,” Seth muttered. “That’s like calling out the devil.”
“Going once,” the auctioneer said.
Bonzo consulted with his investors. The men standing behind him grumbled, threw up their hands, and then ultimately conceded, walking away from the crowd as if the defeat was too brutal to face.
“Going twice! Sold!” The auctioneer slammed the gavel down and shook Beck’s hand. “Congratulations, Mr. Stallard. I have a feeling you and your brother will be very happy here.”
Beck winked at Lindsey. “I think you might be right.”
* * * *
An hour later, Lindsey met them in the barn. She was humbled beyond words but angst-ridden, too. “How do I thank you for something like this?”
“Who, me?” Seth asked. “This one is on Beck.”
“I know better,” she said. “One doesn’t do anything without the other.
“Sounds like you’re speaking from a voice of experience,” Beck said, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead.
“I am.” She pecked his lips and turned around in the barn, taking in the very area where they used to meet and get their gear ready for the local horse shows. Back in the day, they’d shown Arabians and American Saddlebred. They’d often competed against one another, and when her brother had been alive, he’d been right there with them.
“You ever miss him?” Seth asked, seemingly reading her mind.
“I miss who he was before the drugs,” she said honestly.
“You feel the same way about your Aunt Lisa, I guess,” Beck said.
“You know?” She had become so accustomed to her aunt being too far to reach that she really didn’t look at her as a drug addict anymore. She was a functioning addict who worked at the hospital and showed up for work day after day without any signs of an addiction.
“We’ve known for a while now,” Seth said quietly.
“Yeah, well, maybe I look over it because she’s my only living relative.”
“It’s easy to do,” Beck said.
“Not really.” She scoffed. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done but she wouldn’t listen to me anyway.”
“Enough doom and despair,” Beck said, holding up the deed. “What do you say we celebrate?”
“How would you like to kick off the celebration?” she asked, working her walk.
“Whoa!” Aunt Lisa’s voice filled the barn. “Hang loose there, boys. I don’t want an eyeful!”
“Aunt Lisa, I thought you were already gone.”
“Nope,” she said, squeezing Nathaniel’s hand. “I just wanted to pop by and tell you how sorry I am.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For being a self-serving bitch,” she said. “It wasn’t until Nathaniel pointed it out that I realized I left this place. I left and didn’t come back. Then, when you lost it, I didn’t offer to help. It wasn’t my problem. You’ve always been the one who sacrificed for our family, Lindsey and I’m sorry you’ve had to do that.”