He lived alone on a large stretch of land in eastern Tennessee, owned a successful agricultural machinery business, and was known for being private, distant, and unreadable.
“I’m here for the girl,” he said flatly.
Something dropped inside my chest.
“You mean Mara?” Elaine asked, forcing a smile that never reached her eyes. “She’s not very strong. Eats more than she works.”
“I need someone willing to learn,” Samuel replied. “I pay today.”
That was it.
No questions. No hesitation. Cash was placed on the table and counted quickly—as if I weren’t a person, but a problem finally being removed.
“Pack your things,” Gordon said without looking at me. “And don’t embarrass us.”
Leaving Without a Goodbye
Everything I owned fit into one small duffel bag: a few worn clothes and a single paperback I refused to leave behind. Elaine didn’t stand when I passed her.
“Good riddance,” she muttered.
The drive felt endless. I stared out the window, hands clenched, imagining every possible reason a man like Samuel Wright would want a seventeen-year-old girl brought to his property without explanation.
Work. Isolation. Something worse.
I cried silently, afraid even my fear would be considered too much.