"Same." If I could snap my fingers and they would all fall dead, I would.
"You shooting them? That's about all you can do."
"I was trying to until you showed up and I lost the opportunity."
"Hmph," he grunts. "Wes came to get me and told me there'd be whiskey."
I walk out to where I'd laid in the dirt and retrieve the bottle of wine. He eyes it distastefully when I hand it to him. "This is a lady drink."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, please. Don't be such a pansy."
He laughs an old man laugh. "Your grandma used to call people that."
“I remember."
He takes a drink of wine, makes a face, and hands me the bottle. "That shit is awful."
"More for me."
"I didn't say I wouldn't drink it. Just that it's awful."
The sun is setting further now, the sky moving from deep orange to purple and pink. I'm not in a position to shoot a gopher anymore, but every few minutes I see a head pop up from a hole. If only I had a rock and a slingshot, David and Goliath style.
"How's that heart of yours doing?" Gramps dives straight into the reason why he was brought out here.
"It hurts, but I'll get through it. At least I have the ranch to keep me busy."
"You better be careful, or you're going to end up like Wes before he met Dakota."
"Wes had PTSD from the military and that's why he buried himself in the ranch. Not a broken heart."
"So? You'll build a wall around your heart and bury yourself in the ranch. Same difference." He taps his knee. "Some broken hearts last a lifetime."
"Aren't you romantic?" I frown at him. "Sawyer had other shit going on too. Like dealing with his grief over his wife."
"Quit blowing smoke up my ass. Maybe he was grieving hisformerwife, but he fell in love with you, Jessie."
I open my mouth to argue, but he stops me and continues. "That boy was spending a lot of time with your nephew and teaching him to sign, in addition to teaching your family. He wasn't just doing it out of the goodness of his heart, even if it started out that way. He did it because he loves you."
I take a big swig of wine and hand it over. “Love doesn't always win, Gramps. Sometimes other problems are too heavy.”
He takes the bottle. "Pretend you're on a ship and it's sinking. There are no life preservers. You can either go down with your ship, or jump off and swim, but still risk drowning. What do you do?"
"Jump off and swim, obviously."
"That's what love is like. If you think Sawyer is worth it, jump off the damn boat. Start swimming."
"But our parents'—"
"All relationships have problems to overcome in one sense or another. You give upthisrelationship forthisproblem, you'll only find another one with someone else down the road. What I'm really saying is that if you want to be with Sawyer, you should be. Everything else is details."
I lean back in my chair and draw my knees up and my feet in. "You have anything else to say?"
"Yes," he says. "I'd also like to add that you are a handful and Sawyer likes that about you. It takes a certain type of man to handle a person as strong as you, Jessie. Strong in personality, but also in will. Not everyone is up to the task."
I eye him. "How did you become so wise?"
"I'm old as dirt, that's how. And I pay attention. So, are you going to listen to me and call Sawyer?”
