Mrs. Sweet was right about at least one thing, motivation did seem to help her game. She landed two out of four.
The next round he succeeded in nailing three out of four again, only this time Mrs. Sweet improved to three out of four as well. He was either going to have to throw the game or let her dig fence post holes. Who knew, at his age, that this would be such a hard choice?
Standing in the same spot he’d stood the last few rounds, he tossed the first two, holes in one, then cringed when not one but two of the next tosses went straight in. There was no way for her to beat him.
Shaking her head, she strode right up to him. No point in throwing since she couldn’t beat him. Instead she shoved her hand at him, waiting for him to do the same. When he did, she shook it. Her grip stronger than he’d expected and yet femininely smooth. That oxymoron seemed to fit her perfectly, Strong and smooth. “Looks like you’ve got yourself a post digger.”
“I can’t talk you out of it, can I?”
“Nope.” Her smile widened. “And thank you for not letting me win.”
“You’re welcome, I think.”
“I’d better get back to work.” She spun about and made her way back to the house.
To his surprise, he watched her until the screen door slammed closed behind her. She really was one helluva woman.
Chapter Five
What was that expression her father used to say when Alice was a little girl: He was busier than a one armed paper hanger. That’s pretty much the way she’d felt this last week. Extra runs into town, working side by side with the hands or her kids bringing the ranch back to life one step at a time. The routine was both exhausting and invigorating. Today, she felt especially old and tired. Were grandmothers supposed to work this hard?
Carson came bouncing down the stairs, hurried into the kitchen, grabbed a glass of juice from the table and guzzled it in one very long swallow. “No time to eat. There’s a problem at the new development and I need to get there ASAP.”
Instantly, she spun around and began slapping a breakfast sandwich together. “Hold your horses.”
“Mom, I don’t have time.”
“Two seconds isn’t going to kill you, but if you don’t get some protein in you, that sugar rush you just inhaled will have you crashing in no time.”
Carson knew better than to argue with his mother. All the kids knew when there was leeway and when Alice meant business, and right now, she meant business.
Wrapping the sandwich halfway in a paper towel, she handed it to her son. “Now, that didn’t take long.” She pushed up toher tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek. “Go fix whatever’s wrong.”
Taking a bite from the warm egg sandwich, he bobbed his head and mutteredLove you.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she hollered at his back. She loved having her grown children nearby. She’d gladly spend every minute of her day at the stove if it meant having a full table for meals. And most of the time, it was darn near bursting at the seams.
“Oh.” Carson doubled back. “Clint didn’t answer his cell. Let him know that I can’t check fence lines and I got a call from the doc, some of our cattle are on their side of that fence.”
She bobbed her head, wondering why their neighbor didn’t call her. “Will do.”
Once the door was shut and the kitchen cleaned up, she headed toward the barn. No surprise, she found Clint replacing worn leather on a bridle with the careful precision she’d come to expect from him.
The man lifted his head as she crossed through the open doors. “Mornin’”
“If you’re looking for Carson, he had to go put out some fires.”
Clint’s eyes narrowed, his brows buckling into a perfect V.
“Figurative ones.”
His expression easing, the man nodded and returned his attention to the work in front of him.
“So, looks like I’m your man for the day.”
She couldn’t swear to it, but she thought she noticed a tinge of a smile before his expression went blank and he raised his gaze to meet hers. “Horses are ready but if we’ve got fencing to fix, better take the four-wheeler.”
“It’ll make it easier to find the breach.” A small sack in each hand, she lifted them like the scales of justice. “And I brought lunch.”
