“What’s goin’ on?” he asked.
“My grandmother’s pastor just called,” she said. “And I hate to ask this of you, but I don’t have anyone else.”
Cash got up off the bed again. “You have me, Larky. I can go check on her.”
“Would you?” Her voice turned wounded, and Cash hated the sound of it.
“Where are you, hon?”
“Just outside of Jackson,” she said. “I could come back, but there was a ton of traffic in town, and they had this wild road closure up by Jenny Lake that added twenty minutes to the drive already, and?—”
“Hey, you don’t need to come back,” Cash said. “I’m forty minutes away, and if you think it’s more important than that, I can send my grandma over there right now.”
“That’s the thing,” Lark said. “With Grammy, you never know if it’s important or not.”
“What did the pastor say?” Cash stooped and picked up the shirt he’d discarded. He just needed his boots, hat, jacket, and keys, and he could hit the road. Oh, and his wallet.
“He said she didn’t show up with the cookies for their outreach program.”
Cash didn’t know what any of that meant.
“Cash, she’s been baking cookies and taking them to the church’s outreach program every Sunday for five decades.”
He put the pieces together quickly. “And she didn’t show up today.”
“No,” Lark said. “The pastor said he called her, but of course, she didn’t pick up.”
“Are we even sure your grandmother’s phone rings when someone calls it?”
“No, we are not,” Lark said. “So add that to the list of things you need to check when you get there.”
Cash headed out into the kitchen. “I’m on the way, and I’ll call you as soon as I figure out what’s happening.” He grabbed his keys and wallet from the drawer at the end of the island. “Will you have service?”
“It’s pretty good between here and there, yes.” Lark’s voice sounded tinny, and Cash’s heart tore for her.
“Babe,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m fine.” Lark sucked in a long breath. “Really. I just didn’t want to leave, and this is one of the reasons why, and now it just feels even harder.”
“I know, hon, but you don’t have to shoulder this. Focus on getting home safely, and I’ll handle Grammy, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “You’re right.” She exhaled loudly. “Okay. Thanks, baby.”
Cash put his cowboy hat on and grabbed his jacket from the hook, the nickname she called him—baby—ringing in his ears. She’d used it several times in the past few days, though he’d never called attention to it.
“I’m headed out now. More soon.”
“Yep. More soon.” Lark ended the call, and Cash got in his truck and started the drive to Coral Canyon. Just because he could, he called his grandma on the way through the apple orchards.
“Cash, darling,” she said when she answered. “What is up?”
He grinned at the way she spoke. “I’m on my way to you,” he said. “Lark’s grandmother didn’t show up for the outreach program, and she called me to go check on her. I was wondering if you and Gramps had plans for one of your three p.m. dinners, and if I might be able to crash it?”
She laughed, and the sound buoyed Cash’s spirits. “Yes, dear. You’re always welcome to crash our dinner.”
“What’s on the menu?”
“Your grandpa bought some steaks yesterday,” Grams said. “He’s going to grill those up, and I was going to bake off a couple of sweet potatoes.”
