Chapter 1
The sun was just beginning to rise over fields of prairie grass, wheat and clover as Lauren Tate drove down into the valley she’d left eleven years ago. Barbed wire and wooden posts lined the two-lane backroad that dead-ended into an old mine shortly after running through her hometown of Magpie, Montana – population fifty when she’d turned eighteen. Probably several less, now. There hadn’t been much keeping the economy going when she’d been growing up, and she couldn’t imagine it had changed much for the better since.
She stood to inherit a big part of this valley, not that she really wanted it. Growing up out here in the boondocks, where prairie dogs, snakes and magpies outnumbered the people had been boring, and she couldn’t wait to get out. So a couple months after graduation, she’d just left in the dead of night, determined that nothing and no one would hold her back from seeing the world.
Now, getting closer to the farm where she was raised and the two women who were going to expect some explanations, she felt equal parts exhaustion and resignation. They would take her in, no doubt about that. But there would definitely be a price.
“I thought you said no one knew we were coming,” Maddie said from the backseat. Lauren’s daughter was just one of many secrets she was bringing back. Arguably the biggest.
“I didn’t tell anyone. Why do you think they know?”
Maggie pointed to the sign coming up on the right side of the road. “Because your name is on that sign.”
Lauren looked closer at the welcome to magpie sign and her lips curved into a gentle smile. Someone had added a plus sign and the number two behind the current population of one hundred, and hanging from the bottom of the larger sign was a smaller banner that read “Welcome Home, Lauren!”
“Beth.” She shook her head and laughed, pulling off onto the shoulder and turning off the engine. “I should have known she’d spill. I’ll be right back.” She went and got the smaller sign, putting it in the back seat before getting behind the wheel and continuing down the road. Maddie frowned. “Beth – your friend from high school? How would she know if you didn’t tell her?”
“She has a way of knowing things – it’s not something she talks about much. She has a sort of intuition, that you’ll learn to appreciate once you get to know her.”
“So she’s psychic?”
Lauren shook her head. “She hates that word. All you need to know is that you really can’t hide anything from her, so it’s best not to even try. And if you get hurt, she’s the one you go to, because she has all sorts of knowledge about how to use plants and nature to heal.”
Maddie’s nose wrinkled. “I bet her kids don’t like that very much.”
Lauren chuckled. “I’m sure they wouldn’t if she had any, which she doesn’t, as far as I know.” Though she supposed Beth was probably starting to get restless in that respect. Lauren, Vinnie and Beth were all descendants of the three founders of the Magpie community, and the land and town responsibilities had always been passed down to the daughters rather than the sons. Lauren had kept in touch with Vinnie and Beth over the years, though less so in the last few. Both of her friends had mentioned the lack of heirs in each family somewhat recently.
“How much farther do we have to go?” Maddie looked out the window and let her forehead rest on the glass. They’d been driving almost non-stop for twelve hours, and had gotten up early to sneak away before that. Maddie had napped on and off, but she was probably nearly as tired as Lauren was, and ready for a proper bed and pillow.
“Not far now.” Lauren stifled a yawn. “Just a few more miles until the turn off to grandma’s farm.”
Maddie leaned her head back against the seat rest. “It’s been a long time since I saw another car. Are there really only a hundred people where we’re going?”
Lauren knew this was going to be a major adjustments for her urban daughter. Maddie had been born in Denver, and it was the only life she’d known in the ten years since. Going from a bustling city filled with people and amenities to a small farming community with one grocery store and no movie theater or fast food restaurant was going to be a big life change for them both.
“I know this will take some getting use to,” Lauren said. “But we didn’t really have a choice, and we’ll be safe here. You didn’t tell anyone where we were going, right?”
“No,” Maddie said. “I don’t want Mike to find us. He can’t hurt you again. We won’t let him, right?”
“That’s right. I never should have gotten mixed up with him, but he won’t be able to hurt us here, even if he does find us. I just need to get us settled before he comes looking.”
Lauren yawned, not bothering to hide it this time. She wanted nothing more than to lay down somewhere safe, and sleep without worrying about someone breaking in to come after her, or worse, hurting Maddie. Mike Halverson had been completely charming when she’d met him two years ago. He’d been the perfect companion and she’d thought maybe the perfect dad for Maddie until he finally convinced her to move in with him six months ago. That’s when the control issues started, and the yelling, and the threats that eventually became promises and bruises. It seemed clear that it was only a matter of time before he started hurting Maddie, and Lauren was not going let that happen.
He had promised to come after her if she left. She’d only mentioned her mother in passing, and never where she grew up, so he’d really have to work to find her here. And there was something about Magpie and the founding families that offered some protection as long as they were in the valley. She didn’t know what it was or how to explain it, but she was definitely going to take advantage of it in this situation.
Beth obviously had sensed something was wrong, and that she was coming home. She’d have to pay both of the girls a visit soon, and see if they had any insight to keeping a psychopath from hunting them down.
And then there was Maddie’s father, Colter. If he was still around, he’d definitely want to be a part of Maddie’s life – once he found out about her. That was a conversation she wasn’t looking forward to, but she knew Maddie needed a good male role model.
The old homestead rose up on the left, a somewhat imposing triple-story clapboard house with a wrap-around covered porch on two sides. A lush set of gardens had taken over the front yard area, and in the back, there were trees that she knew would be ripe with fruit any day now. Her chest grew tight as she watched the front door open, and two women step out on the porch, watching her approach.
“Look, Mattie.” Lauren pointed at the house. “That’s where we’re going. And your grandma and great-grandma are up and waiting.”
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