“Mixed with old bills and trash,” Hunter said with an irritated grunt.
I didn’t try to comfort or console him. He already knew exactly how I felt about his father . . . he also knew that his father had loved him and his brothers. He’d just been a closet douchebag.
“I also found an admissions letter,” I said softly, my fingers tightening around the source of my worries and excitement. “I found a welcome packet and class lists filed away with military paperwork.”
Hunter studied me, understanding mixing with a deep need to know exactly what I was up to.
“You were going to A&M.”
“I told you I’d planned to go to college,” he responded easily.
“But you were going, Hunter,” I argued. “You were set to leave.”
Of all the things he’d told me about Madison and what happened during the fallout of her leaving, that hadn’t been one of them.
He had told me he’d wanted to go to college—that the two of them had always planned to go away together. But when he couldn’t get her to come home, he’d enlisted in the Army.
He never mentioned he’d already had dorm room assignments. Or that he’d been going to A&M for a purpose. His major chosen long before he’d ever been accepted—as I’d read in his essay.
“Izzy . . .” he murmured when that nervousness started overwhelming me again. “Izzy, I don’t care if you know that.”
A stuttered laugh left me, but it held no humor. “Hunter, I’ve known for years. I told you, I found all this when I first went through your dad’s old office.”
Considering I’d cleared out that office before Hunter turned the back rooms into a new office for me a few months after I’d started working for him, he should’ve put that together.
“But you’ve been paying off your dad’s debts, and you only just started accepting your salary. So, I’ve been holding off because I knew it wasn’t the right time for this.”
He held out a hand, but I pressed the stack even closer to my chest.
“Don’t be mad at me.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “But you love fighting.”
Despite everything, a laugh tumbled free. “Hunter . . .”
“Well, tell me, and I’ll let you know if I’m mad.”
“I contacted A&M,” I blurted out and watched as surprise slowly covered his expression. When he didn’t add anything, I continued. “It’s been too long since you were accepted, so you’ll have to reapply. But I spoke with this woman in the ag department and told her your situation. She said for agricultural economics, there are some classes you can take from here, but not enough. You would need to be there.”
“Is—”
“So, I talked with the crew,” I hurried on, afraid to let him stop me before I got everything out there. “They all agreed they want to help you do this. They’ll make sure the orchard is taken care of daily. I’ll make sure Dixon Farms is taken care of. We’ll all continue to make it grow and thrive the way you’ve worked so hard to ensure it has.”
There was a beat of silence as he studied me, face unreadable. And it made my stomach twist uneasily.
“You deserve this,” I whispered.
Hunter had made good on his promises those years ago.
The raises for the skeleton crew. The insurance. Everything.
I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, and my dad was deliriously happy being back in that peach orchard. All the men were.
Hunter was a different Dixon to work for than his dad, he proved that over and over again. The least we could do was give him the opportunity to fulfill his dreams.
“College takes years,” he finally said.
“I’m aware.”
“Longer than I’ve had control of this place.”
I hated how unsure and insecure I suddenly felt. I hated that it felt like if I tried to speak, no words would come. What I hated most was that I felt that way just at the thought of Hunter being angry with me.
For thinking I’d stepped too far.
The thought that he might want me gone after this conversation . . .
It was rare to find a friend like Hunter. Someone who saw all the dark, broken parts of you and didn’t shy away or get uncomfortable. Just accepted them with an easy silence and understanding I couldn’t lose.
Just when I thought my lungs might collapse, a wicked spark lit in his eyes. “Sounds like a pretty decent setup for you and your dad to take over Dixon Farms.”
At his teasing tone, I exhaled so roughly that I folded over on myself, the papers crumpling in my grasp.
His low, rumbling laugh slid over my skin like a balm. And then his hands were on my waist, and he was pulling me onto his lap. Once I was there, and his feet were resting on the seat I’d just been occupying, he tilted my head up and searched my face.
“Breathe, Isabel. I’m not mad.”
“But I read your essay,” I blurted out and finally turned the pages around to show his old admissions essay on top.
“That’s probably embarrassing for me,” he said with a huff.
“It was incredible. That’s why we wanted to do this.” I set the small stack against his bare stomach but didn’t release my hold on them or look away from his amused stare. “It showed how passionate you are about farming and that orchard. How you wanted to make sure you knew as much as possible for the success of this business.”
Hunter’s expression softened and, after a few moments, he took the papers from me and began thumbing through them.
His old essay. My emails with the woman in the ag department. A list of classes he would need to take and what that would look like for him. What his options were.
I’d even made a plan if he wanted to do his general education classes here and then head to College Station for his major.
“The application is on my computer,” I muttered when he got to the last page.
The corners of his mouth twitched as he tossed the papers on the table and placed his hands on my hips. His eyes lingering on the pages for another second before meeting my own.
“Thank you.” He swallowed, the action seeming to take a lot of effort. “I know you put a lot of time into that, and I can’t believe you did just because you found some papers.” His chest pitched with a muted laugh, but his expression remained serious. “And I can see how hard this was for you. I can see how worried you are, even now, even though I don’t have a damn clue why.”
“What if I’d crossed a line?” I asked pointedly. “What if you wanted me out of your life because of it? And what if you were angry with the crew for being in on it too?”
He gave me a bemused smile. “Isabel, crossing a line would’ve been y’all actually trying to take over. This?” One of his hands hung in the air for a beat before falling to my hip again. “This about blew me away with how much y’all care.”
A short, incredulous huff burst from me. “You care about us, of course we care about you.”
He didn’t respond to that, just continued studying me before saying, “You can talk to me about anything. You know that. Even if it results in us fighting. This panic rolling off you? You shouldn’t be feeling it.”