“So spill it. I want to know about her.”
I shrug, take a sip of beer, and then start filling Charlie in about Roxanne, what it was like when she first arrived, our camping trip, the feeling I get every time I see her. After I finish, Charlie sits with his feet up on the edge of his fire pit, nodding slowly.
“I’ve never heard you talk like this before about anyone. Iknew it, man. I knew it the moment I saw you two. Damn. I wish I could find that.”
“It’s going to be tough in a town full of Jolenes,” I say.
“Tell me about it. I’m happy for you, though.”
“Thanks,” I say, standing up and stretching. “I think I’ve had enough excitement for one evening.”
“Me too, but hey, I wanted to give you this,” Charlie says, rising and fishing something out of his pocket. He hands me a piece of paper.
I unfold it, and the numbers blur for a second. When they come into focus, my knees nearly give out. “Charlie … this is a check for a million dollars.”
“Congrats, you can read,” he says, slapping me on the back. “I told you I wanted to help. I’ll send more in about a month.”
I’m so overwhelmed by how much this will help that I throw my arms around my brother and hug him. “Thank you.”
“Yeah, hey, no problem. I’ve got a lot to make up for. This is at least a small first step.”
“Thanks. Mom and Dad will be proud of you.”
“Finally! Get some sleep, yeah?” Charlie says, yawning as we head in.
“I will.” I hustle up the steps because I can’t get to my phone fast enough to call Roxanne. I check my watch. It’s 10:47 p.m. there, I might be waking her up, but even leaving a message will make me feel better.
My body flutters when I hear her sleepy voice say, “Hi.”
“Roxanne?”
She perks up. “Yes? Are you okay?”
“I am now, just needed to hear your voice,” I breathe.
“Did you have another nightmare?”
“Sort of, but I wasn’t asleep.”
“Oh?”
“I’m … I’m coming home tomorrow. I can’t take much more of the smog in the air and the pretense on the people.”
“I get that. What happened tonight? You sound really shaken up.”
“Some bored millionaire’s wife thought I might be interested in having a roll in the hay with her in exchange for funding for the ranch.”
There’s a clatter, like she fumbled the phone. My chest lurches. “Roxanne? You okay?”
“Yes—sorry, just dropped the phone.” Her voice sounds higher, strained. “So … were you interested in that?”
I cringe just thinking about it. “Hell no. Found the entire exchange pretty insulting. Talk about a desperate housewife.”
“Seriously, I feel sorry for her husband.”
“I know. How’s it going there?”
“Really well. I made some progress with Goose, and Rusty showed me how to shear a sheep yesterday. It’s supposed to be a bad storm tomorrow night, though. I’m hoping you make it home before then.”
