And Anna, you may not see the wisdom in this right now, but you will. As for Holdie, Ashbucket, and Fo-shizzle?—
Everyone laughed at that but Mr. Llewellyn pressed on.
This is not a slight to you three, but a mom has to trust hergut. And my gut says y’all are definitely not it.
Holden and Ashton looked at each other, kind of hurt, kind of mystified. Ford just blew his bangs out of his eyes, annoyed.
Ready now? Here we go. Never mind. One more thing first.
There was a collective exasperated exhale.
To Annaleise, I bequeath Stella.
That was her white Honda CRV. She’d been so proud when she’d finally paid it off. It would be a good car for Anna when she got her learner’s permit in a couple of years. We’d spent hours in there—the three of us—driving to the city to shop or go to the movies.
Don’t wreck it.
Anna laughed but said nothing, obedient to Mr. Llewellyn’s wishes that we stay silent.
And it does have four-wheel drive, but that is not—I repeat NOT—to be used for fun. Only for snow. Don’t you dare take my car muddin’. Gramps will help you take care of it, remind you to get the oil changed, and teach you to change a tire. Won’t you, Daddy?
He noddedand in a hushed, rough voice said, “Of course.”
Mr. Llewellyn flipped the paper over.
Also, Anna gets my share of the ranch when I’m gone. Daddy and Mr. Llewellyn have already made the adjustments to the family partnership.
“Sick,” Anna barely whispered, and we shared a smile.
And if any of you have problems with it, you can kiss my deceased behind.
“Good grief.” Ashton shook his head, laughing. My sentiments exactly.
The brothers all nodded their agreement, and it made my heart swell. Land got into your blood and there had been plenty of family feuds in Seddledowne over who was getting the farm some day. Their immediate acceptance of Anna as a landholder spoke volumes of their love for their niece.
Now that that’s taken care of, we can move on to the other matter. The most important one.
Mr. Llewellyn took a deep breath as if he were gearing up for something, and I found myself doing the same. What was all of this about?
Please make no mistake, I was completely lucid when this was written. Mr. Llewellyn will attest to that. He watched me pen the whole thing myself. If you don’tbelieve me, he has an identical typed-out copy of this letter which is dated, signed, and notarized.
Wow. This must be really serious.
Alright. Are you ready? Drumroll, please.
Ford made abrrrrrrrrsound, and Holden rapped his fists in the air.
I almost squeezed my eyes shut like you do right before the big drop on a roller coaster—I was so excited and afraid for whatever came next. But nothing could have prepared me for the next line of her letter.
Silas Dean Dupree and Clementine “Lemon” Laura Adams, to you, I leave Annaleise Nicole Dupree.
I don’t know if anyone else gasped, but I did. I’d always planned to be as active in Anna’s life as the Duprees would allow, but I hadn’t expected this. Sophie never mentioned a word. I shook my head. What did this mean? Sophie left me Anna? Anna wasn’t athing. She was a person. Sophie couldn’t just give her to me like a piece of jewelry. And how was I supposed to share her with Silas? He lived on the other side of the country. I tried to make eye contact, to see what he was thinking, but he was staring at the floor, stone still, a tiny pucker between his brows.
Jenny couldn’t hold it in. “She had to be out of her ever-lovin’ mind.”
Mr.Llewellyn held up his hand. “Let her finish.”
I know this isn’t ideal, and it isn’t going to be possible for you to do it long term. But for the next three months, I am requesting that the three of you reside together—Silas, Lemon, and Anna. To be a family. And Lem, I don’t give a crap what Billy thinks. He can get over himself for three months. No outsiders allowed! Ninety consecutive nights of sleeping under the same roof.
