Page 106 of Holding Hope

I think Avalon loved it even more than Melody did. It made me realize how lucky I was. Melody was my sister—but Avalon was her favorite.

“I think they’re watching To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” I added. “You know that’s her favorite.”

Colton grunted and stood. “I’m turning in. Pelican Fly Day is tomorrow—and so is the auction. Dad wants to get to the auction house early to scope out potential.”

The auction. My stomach twisted.

Tomorrow Artemis would be taken by her new buyers. I’d avoided thinking about it—thinking only made me angry, and anger wouldn’t change anything.

“He wants to get there before Hanover does, doesn’t he?” I asked, hoping to shift the conversation.

Colton ran a hand over his face. “Yeah.”

Marty Hanover. A man who bought horses only to slaughter them—selling their meat, their hides, their bones. Dad, Colton, the Lautners, and half the ranchers in the area had tried to shut him down, but nothing he did was technically illegal. Just immoral.

“He’ll be there,” I muttered. “Preying on ranchers with less money. It’s not right.”

“No,” Colton agreed. “It’s not. Until we can stop him, buying those animals before he can be the only way to save them.”

I nodded, though my mind was already drifting away. I didn’t want to talk about Hanover anymore.

“It’s good work,” I said quietly. “Those horses deserve a happy life.” I slipped on my sandals and headed down the porch steps.

“Where are you going?” Colton called. I didn’t turn around.

“I have one more night with Artemis,” I said. “And I want to spend it with her.”

Before she’s given away to someone who doesn’t deserve her.

Clarke had been right—as usual—about Opal Springs taking Pelican Fly Day seriously. The entire town was drenched in bright yellows and soft oranges, even though summer had officially ended a few days earlier. Banners fluttered from every storefront, and pelican-themed decorations clung to every available surface. Bakeries and shops displayed special treats shaped like the birds this unofficial holiday celebrated.

In the surrounding lots, trailers and vans unloaded show ponies and horses destined for the auction. Clarke had told me most of the proceeds would go toward rebuilding the town — expanding the high school gym, lengthening the football field. It felt like everyone had a hand in making today happen.

By the time we were finally ready to head into town, I could barely contain my excitement. I’d asked Mrs. King if Melody could come with us, but she wisely declined. Colton and Delia’s wedding was only days away, and Melly needed to save her strength. Two big outings would drain her completely. I promised I’d bring her something special.

Clarke tried to keep a brave face, but I knew today was going to hurt. Artemis’s new buyers would be at the auction, ready to take her home. Clarke had spent most of last night in the barn with her — it must’ve been close to four in the morning when she finally crawled into bed beside me.

Mr. King and Colton had left before sunrise, their trucks kicking up gravel as they drove off with empty trailers—all except one horse. Mrs. King stayed home with Melody, leaving Clarke, Delia, and me to haul all the baked goods into town in Clarke’s shiny Bronco.

Delia sat in the backseat, still buried in wedding plans, tapping her pen against her notebook the entire drive. Clarke’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, her mind clearly somewhere else. I wanted to say something—anything—to help, but nothing felt right. Words couldn’t change the buyer’s mind. Words couldn’t make this easier.

I could tell her Artemis would be happy with her new owners, but how could she be happier anywhere else when Clarke was all she’d ever known?

So instead, I stared out the window at the passing fields. The leaves were beginning to change, drifting from their branches and leaving the trees bare.

The drive dragged on in silence—just static on the radio and Delia’s pen tapping. When we finally reached Opal Springs, Clarke’s mood had softened a little. Halfway through the drive, she’d taken my hand and traced slow circles across my skin with her thumb.

“Hey… can we just sit for a minute?” she asked once Delia leapt out of the car, announcing she was going to find Colton before the auction got too hectic.

I looked up from my seatbelt and met Clarke’s eyes. They were puffy, rimmed with red. Her grip on my hand tightened.

“Yes, of course.” I shifted in my seat, tucking my boots beneath me and resting my knees on the console. “What’s wrong.”

It was a stupid question—I knew exactly what was wrong—but I wanted her to have the space to say it herself.

Clarke sniffled, dragging her thumb beneath her nose before folding her hands together. “I don’t want to go to the auction house,” she whispered. “I don’t want to see my Artemis hauled off to some other state.”

I squeezed her hand. “I know, honey.”