My Stepmother Sold the Farm, So I Married the Man Who Left novel · Chapter 26 of 32

Chapter 26: Harvest Supper

Delores did not knock.

She came into my father's kitchen at seven in the morning, with the man in the company vest behind her, and found Nels at the stove in his undershirt and me in his flannel shirt at the table.

She took in the two coffee cups and the unmade look of us.

"Well," she said. "At least it's a real marriage now, honey. That should make the next part easier."

"What next part?" Nels asked, and turned off the burner.

Delores set a check on the oilcloth.

It was made out to Nels Torkelson for fifty thousand dollars.

"For you," she said. "To go back to North Dakota today, and sign an annulment before you go. I'd call it generous. You've just spent everything on two horses."

Nobody spoke.

The man in the vest looked at the floor.

I had my mouth open to answer when Nels picked up the check, held it by one corner, and looked at it with polite interest.

"That's a lot of money," he said.

"It is."

"Delores, I walked out of this county six years ago because I thought I owed Haakon a debt." He set the check down, carefully, on the stove, where it lay in the heat. "I don't owe anyone anything anymore, and I'm not for sale. Put that in your purse."

← Chapter 25 · All chapters · Chapter 27 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend