Turning us away from the woman, Ladd steered me deeper into the store and stopped to look at a chess set.
“A chess set?” I asked.
He grinned. “I was just getting you away from Janet Miller. She owns the store, but herfamilyowns the local newspaper…TheRiver Falls Gazette, and she writes a section of the paper that comes out daily.”
“Like a how-to section or something like that?” I asked, confused as to what she could possibly write about daily.
Ladd glanced over my shoulder and shook his head. “No, it’s called The Daily Dirt. Their tagline says ‘we dig up the dirt so you don’t have to.’”
I sucked in a breath. “A gossip column!”
“Shhh, don’t let her hear you. She tries to pretend she isn’t the writer, but everyone in town knows she is. Was she asking you questions?”
My heart started to pound. “She knew who my father was when I said my last name.”
He frowned. “What did she say?”
“She asked if I was related to him. I told her I was a distant relative, which isn’t exactly a lie. I just hope she doesn’t write that.”
“She probably won’t. She’ll be more interested in the fact that I brought you home to meet my parents. And she’ll cover the Christmas Day event at the ranch because, as much as she likes to gossip, she does have a big heart. She’s one of the largest donors. Well, her family is.”
“Well, that’s nice of her.”
“It’s probably pocket money for her.”
We walked a bit more and pretended to look at things. “She said your family was one of the first to settle this area.”
“More like one of the first families to start ranching. Her family and another family, the Larsons, were the first two families that first settled along the river here. Her great-great-grandfather owned and operated the first general store in this very spot.”
“Really?” I said with a smile. “What wonderful history she must have with this place.”
“Yeah, I’m sure. They own practically the whole town, along with the Larson family.”
I glanced back to see Janet talking to her daughter. “So what can I get for your brothers and father?”
He looked up from something he was holding. “I told you, you don’t have to buy them gifts.”
“I know. And I toldyouthat I want to. I found a necklace for your mother and a scarf for your grandmother. I just need the boys and your dad.”
“They’re easy. Flannel shirts.”
I gave him a blank stare. “Flannel shirts.”
He nodded. “Have you not noticed my father lives in them? And my younger brothers wear them when they’re working the ranch. So do David and I.”
“You want me to give themallflannel shirts. That seems so impersonal.”
He shrugged. “They’d love them.”
“Well, where should I buy them?”
“There’s a store on the next block that’s a small department-type store. They sell men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes.”
“You really think that would be a good gift?”
He winked. “Trust me. If you were to ask my mother, she’d tell you the same thing.”
We walked around the gift shop a bit more, and when I couldn’t find an alternative to flannel shirts, I gave up. By that time, Grace had the necklace and scarf all wrapped.
