Page 98 of Seeing Harper

“I refuse to acknowledge he has a real name. I don’t care what he can and can’t do for the farm. I don’t like the way he treated you, and I plan to make sure they both know it.”

“I wasn’t assaulted, though, Mom. Sexually harassed, yes. Assaulted, no. And some women have so very much worse. I’m just highly offended and tired of his constant comments and entitled behavior and the blatant denial he’s feeding Dad, and that Dad is believing him.”

“Sexual harassment is nothing to be scoffed at, Harper. Plain and simple. It doesn’t have to break down into a full on assault to be unacceptable.”

“True,” Harper said. “But there is something else you should know that is partly responsible for my aversion to him.”

“Okay,” Libby said.

“I’ve found my mate.”

“Who? Oh, wait. Clay, right?” Libby said, smiling smugly as she raised her eyebrows and smiled at her daughter.

“How did you know?” Harper asked.

“You were so happy when he came to help you out at the Bigsby’s. And then when he surprised you by coming back to help the next day. And the way he just jumped up and got in your car to go with you when you left the party. Not to mention I’ve always loved Clay. He’s quiet, and strong. He’s never overly emotional and is always respectful. Not a lazy bone in that boy’s body. He can do anything you ask him, and never hesitates, no matter the task — cooking, building, whatever it is that needs to be done.”

Harper smiled as she listened to her mother give a glowing opinion of Clay.

“So, is it official? Will there be an announcement?”

Harper’s smile fell. “Well, I’m not sure.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t know if we are actually mated.”

“Well, did you…”

“Yes! Yes, but I very emphatically told him not to bite me. I wasn’t sure that he didn’t have someone else and I didn’t want to get trapped in a messy situation. But in my heart, he’s my one. And I really think that I’m his one, too. But, because there’s no actual marking, I don’t know if it’s official or not, but I certainly feel like it is.”

“Well, then you need to talk to him.”

“I will. As soon as he gets home from school. He’s taking finals this week, then he’ll be coming home.”

“You’re worried,” Libby said.

“I am. He said so many times how much he cares and always had, but he was also rushing to get me, us, clothed and away from where we were and talked about wanting to scream it to the world, but quietly so nobody knew yet.”

“Baby, the clothed thing could be because he didn’t want anyone to see you that way but him, and also because he didn’t want to damage your reputation.”

“That’s kind of what he said.”

“Harper, he’s Clay. There’s not a mean bone in his body. Give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him when he gets home.”

“What if he thinks the other girl he mentioned the day before is his real one?”

“Then he’s wrong, and he doesn’t deserve you if he can’t tell the difference. But I’m telling you, that’s not the case. He cares, baby.”

Harper nodded.

“Have you heard from him since he went back to school?”

“Yes. He messaged me to let me know he’d made it back to school. Then I answered and told him I missed him. And then he answered, but I don’t know what he said because the last two messages were deleted,” she said, the end of the sentence taking on an angry tone.

“Why’d you delete them before you read them?”

“I didn’t. But I left my phone on the table when I went to the restroom in the hotel restaurant one morning. When I got back I didn’t check my phone because we had to go to the opening day of the trade show and I’d already overslept and made us a little late. But looking at the times of the deleted messages, it could have only been one person that deleted them,” she said, a rumble under her voice.