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one big trophy for highest academic achievement in high school. Her high school diploma sat in the center of her achievements, its gold, foil-embossed letters declaring highest honors. And tucked in one corner was the blue ribbon she’d won at the county fair for one of her watercolors.
    All those achievements mocked her now. What good had any of those bits of plastic done her? Dejectedly, she waded through the garbage bags full of clothing and sat on her old sticker-covered twin bed. She shouldn’t be here. She’d had a plan, goals, and considering how hard she’d worked, she refused to believe she was back to square one.
    She took out a sheet of paper. Making lists always helped smooth things out in her mind, and she desperately needed the mental balm.
     
     
1. Pay off car repairs.
     
     
    The old hatchback meant escape and freedom, and she’d need her car if she was going to get to job interviews. It would also be a roof over her head if things got desperate.
     
     
2. Get a job.
     
     
    Naturally. Though how she’d get it was another question.
    Steps three through five listed the bills she needed to pay off in order of highest interest. Of course, she didn’t have anything to pay them with.
    Looking at the piles of clothing-filled garbage bags, it wasn’t hard to figure out where most of her paycheck had gone. But almost all her clothes had been on sale, and she’d had to stay fashionable and look the part of a professional if she was going to work in New York. That, at least, had been her justification when she’d seen her latest credit card bill.
    A whole lot of good her fashion sense did her now. She remembered there was a consignment store on the far end of Main Street. Perhaps she could sell her clothes there. Most of her wardrobe was in good condition—plenty of items hadn’t even been worn yet. But even if they sold, it wouldn’t be enough to pay all her bills. And if her credit score sucked, she wouldn’t be able to rent an apartment in the city.
    She crumpled up the sheet and rewrote her list. Her number one priority now had to be making money. She needed to work off that debt. Nothing else could happen until she paid her bills.
    Determined, she went online to search the town’s classified ads.

CHAPTER THREE
    “ T HINK YOU’VE MIXED that soil enough?”
    Chris looked up at the sound of Jane Orbach’s voice echoing through the greenhouse where the seedlings and more delicate crops were raised. The farm overseer nodded at the pile of black earth before him. “Trying to bury your troubles, or is there a body we haven’t accounted for?”
    “Maybe I’m digging for answers.” He stuck the spade into the ground and wiped his brow. Jane had two grown children and was divorced. She’d always been a willing sounding board, and today, Chris really needed her guidance.
    “William or Simon?” Count on Jane to know the source of his problems.
    “Both. We had a big fight last night. Simon failed English, and he didn’t do so well in his other classes, either.” The scene from the barn had been replayed at the dinner table, except that his father hadn’t taken issue with Simon’s poor grades. In fact, he’d seemed delighted. “Dad encouraged him to quit school and work on the farm, and told him we couldn’t afford to send him to college, which is a lie.” It infuriated him that William would try to manipulate Simon like that.
    “Sending your kids to college ain’t cheap,” Jane agreed solemnly. “But if it were going to be a cakewalk, I assume you wouldn’t look like you were facing the executioner on your birthday.”
    “There are...issues.” Chris sat heavily on a stool. “I thought I’d have a better handle on the finances by now. But I had to dip into his college fund to pay a few bills.” He pinched the furrows between his eyebrows.
    “That’s the farming business for you. You can’t blame yourself.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “Things’ll get better, you’ll