“You there, did you hear about the time I kissed the king of Lauchtenland? He was only the crown prince then but, honey, what a lover.”
She’d exaggerate, of course, and over time forget the actual details because she’d embellished them for fifty years.
“Did I tell you about the time a crown prince and I slept in the barn on the hay. We had a passel of newborn pups, you see, and—”
“Imani’s strong, Gemma. You should tell her. Best to find out now, and from you. With that lot in there, I’m surprised she doesn’t already know.”
“She probably does.” Gemma sighed. “We talked about adoption. She’s sixteen. All we have to do is fill out forms and see a judge.”
She told how Imani wept on her shoulder, confessed her fears and insecurities, wondering if she was cursed.
“I want her to be as secure as possible, but how can I adopt her when I’ve no place to live? Her world’s been pulled out from under her far too often, so when she finds out, I’d like to have some sort of plan figured out to lighten the blow.”
“What about you? Your world’s been pulled out from under you a couple of times.”
Gemma picked at the hay beneath her legs. “I’m a victim of my own decisions. Including this recent blunder. Dash told me to get a lawyer.”
“Your old boyfriend Dash? The fancy lawyer?”
“I ran into him when I was considering this place. He was in town visiting. But then I talked to Keith Niven, Hearts Bend realtor extraordinaire, and he said to do a title search, but the Samson lawyer said why waste the money? Told me they had other buyers chomping at the bit. I didn’t want to lose this place so I signed on the dotted line. They had the deed. I had the cash. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Something is going to break your way, Gemstone. I know it.” Daddy patted his flat belly. “Feel it right here.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. But my life is here, so I’ll start from scratch and rebuild what we’ve lost. Imani leaves for college in two years and I want them to be the best years of her life.” Gemma stood and looked out into the barn. “I love this place, Daddy. I’ve healed here. So has Imani. Even the herd has healed.”
Whinny trotted into the barn, down the aisle, and nibbled Gemma’s outstretched hand.
“Are you sure the Kingstons don’t want to sell? Can’t think they care much about this place, leaving it empty for well over two years.”
“Someone in the family wants it. B. A. Carpenter was very clear on the score. Besides, I couldn’t afford it. This property is worth one point two million.”
Daddy let out a low whistle. “I wish I had the money…” His confession faded. “How much time did they give you? Three months?”
“Yes, but I want to go as soon as possible. The die is cast. Just need to find a good home for these guys.” She moved to Hercules, who peered over the lower stall wall. “Now that I know, I feel like a squatter.”
“I’m afraid you inherited my gene for wild dreams and bad decisions.” Daddy returned the sleeping Ross to the puppy pile. Tweedy and Blue had gone out for a late night stroll. Gemma was pretty sure they were athing. Maybe Blue would propose soon.
“Stop, Daddy, none of this is your fault. I love that you’re a dreamer.”
“I’m getting a permanent job, Gemstone. No more driving a truck. Cole Danner offered me a place on his crew. Paying me more than I’m worth but I’ll take it. My paycheck goes straight into your mother’s account too. She’s going to give me an allowance.”
Gemma regarded him for a long moment. “So, you’re going cold turkey on your get-rich-quick ideas? No more ‘This is the one, Mauve’?”
“Nope. Cold turkey. Got me a Roth IRA, whatever that is. We finally saw the financial counselor your mother’s been badgering me about. We’re a bit late to the retirement game, but if we work another fifteen years or so, God willing, we’ll be all right. Don’t want our cares to land on you.”
“I’m proud of you, Daddy,” Gemma said. “Dreams come in all shapes and sizes. So does success. As far as I’m concerned, you and Mama are rich and successful. You love well and you’re well loved.”
“Let’s hope the Good Lord sees it your way on my judgment day.”
They chatted a bit more, filled the puppies’ water container, and secured them for the night.
“I’ll get rid of everyone in the house, Gemma. It’s a bit much, I know.” Daddy bent to pet the dogs sleeping in the center aisle and checked their water supply. “I’ll make sure they’re otherwise engaged the rest of the week.”
Daddy always could read her like a book. She’d honed some of her acting skills lying to him about where she’d been and what she’d been up to. But the older she got the more she realized she’d not fooled him one bit.
“I met JoJo last week for pie,” Gemma said. “Why don’t we meet Mondays, get the old tradition going again? Tina’s cherry pie will make all this land business go away.”
“Like the old days? Why not?” Daddy wrapped his arm around her as they headed out of the barn. She limped a little too much. Still stiff from sitting cross-legged. “You ever going to tell me what happened out there in Vegas? Why you came home limping?”
