My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “Ten years? But—but he left!” I nearly choked on my bacon. “He’s not his son!” My mother snorted as I gulped down the large glass of orange juice before me.
“Oh Lucille,” she cooed. “When will you learn to let that nonsense go? So much has changed since then.” Her fingers reached out and played with a piece of my hair. “But you haven’t. Still so wild.” She sighed. “Forsythe is a good man. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he works harder than anyone else on the ranch, even old Cooper. And you know how your daddy felt about him.” She dropped my hair and leaned back in her chair. “Don’t go giving him a hard time. That man is the sole reason this whole ranch didn’t go under after your father—” She stopped herself. “Well, anyhoo, just try to play nice, okay, baby?” She patted my hand and jumped up from her seat.
My brow furrowed as a familiar and unsettling feeling crept up my spine. “You said he kept the ranch from going under? What does that even mean?” I watched as my mother made herself a cup of coffee and ignored me. “What’s going on with the ranch? Is money tight? Mom?”
“Lucille, stop.” She huffed. “I don’t want to talk about it, alright? There’s enough negativity in this world, and I can’t go wasting my energy on any more of it.”
I stood up from my chair. “You can’t just ignore these kinds of things, Mom. Trust me. Money problems don’t just go away.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m serious. What happened?” Her eyes refused to meet mine. “Mom, please.”
She stomped her foot. “Oh, why do you have to go and spoil the mood!” She then brushed past me and sat back at the table, rubbing her head. “After your daddy…well, things were fine at first, but eventually, I just couldn’t keep up with all the bills andsuch. The new barn, paying the ranch hands, feeding everybody. Hell, it’s a lot. And then one day your daddy’s lawyer shows up and tells me about these old bills and funeral costs, and the more he drawled on, the more I tuned it all out. It felt endless. I thought I could muster through with small financial cuts and even sold some of our best livestock, but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t do it. I got so swept up with trying to save everything that somehow I ended up just putting us back further.” She took a sip of her coffee. “But that was years ago. You don’t need to worry yourself over that now. Things are fine and how they should be. How he always wanted them to be.”
Her last sentence left me uneasy.
I placed my hand on her shoulder with a heavy sigh. “If you need money, then tell me. It’s not much, but I’ve worked hard and have a little bit saved up. I can help. Boone can’t earn anything, and I’m sure his medical bills are an added stress you don’t need right now.”
My mother patted my hand. “I didn’t ask you here to give me money, Lucille. I told you, the ranch isfine.”
“What about Boone’s medical bills? How are you going to pay for those?”
She huffed. “Everything is fine, Lucille. It’s all taken care of.”
Taken care of? How?
“But Mom?—”
“I said leave it, Lucille.” We sat in silence for a moment.
Things must’ve been really bad. Why didn’t she tell me? And why won’t she talk to me about it?
My mother lowered her head and sighed. “Finish your breakfast, baby. And if you’re up for it, you should go visit Cooper and the others. I’m sure they’d love to see you after being away for so long.”
I took a bite of the pancakes and nearly melted at how good they tasted. “What about Boone?” I asked. “I came all the wayhere to help you with him, not play catch-up with the old ranch hands.”
She giggled at my remark. “All in due time, baby. There’s no need to rush things. You’ve been away from home for so long.” She stood up and walked over, kissing the top of my head. “Just say hi.” She stroked my hair. “Can you do that for me?”
She’s still the same.
I reluctantly nodded. “Whatever you need, Mom. But promise me something?” I looked up and met her eyes. “Next time you need help, don’t be afraid to come to me. Okay? I mean it. I might not have always been around, but I’m here now. And I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
She smiled. “Okay, baby. Now, play nice.”
If I have to…but no promises.
The weather was warmerthan I remembered. The sun was scorching hot, and I was already breaking a sweat as I marched down the dirt path and in the direction of the new barn. Wimberly trotted alongside me, her tongue hanging from her mouth, panting from the heat. It was nice having her by my side again. I was worried she wouldn't remember me, but the minute Mom let her in the house, the old dog tackled me and smothered me in wet kisses. It felt like no time had passed between us, and the very idea warmed my heart. “Come on, girl,” I called. She ran up to me and licked my hand. I stroked her head and smiled. It was nice to see her long, white hair all tamed and clean. “I guess Forsythe has been taking good care of you, huh?” Wimberlybarked at my words. “At least he can do one thing right.” I looked up at the sun, feeling it burn my cheeks. “Why is it so hot?”
“Well, it might be because of that black clothing you got on.” I looked over to see a familiar face smiling at me. Wimberly ran from my side and tackled the tall, gangly man, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud. “Wimberly!” He laughed. “Come on, girl, let me breathe!” The dog smothered him in sloppy, wet kisses.
Well, he hasn’t changed one bit. Still just an energetic soul stuck in a grown man’s body.
I crossed my arms and tilted my head. “Been a long time, Torchy.”
The man gently brushed the giant Great Pyrenees aside and wiped his face. He was completely covered in tattoos from head to toe, wearing a loose t-shirt and jeans, now covered in dirt, thanks to Wimberly. He grabbed his worn-out cowboy hat she knocked off his head and crawled to his feet with a heavy groan. “Almost a decade, little Lucille.”
That damned nickname again.
Wimberly nudged the cowboy. “Yeah, I know.” He playfully scratched her head before looking back at me. “I heard you came back, but I almost didn’t believe it.” He placed a hand on his hip. “Heck, if it wasn't for your blazing hair, I don’t think I would’ve recognized you, Lucille.”
I guess I really have changed over the years. At least I’m not too much of a stranger.
