“Give her a chance.She seems like a nice girl.Supper is ready for you.There is some cornbread warming in the oven.It’s not quite like your grandma’s, but I’m getting closer to recreating the recipe.”
I can’t bring myself to tell her perfection can’t be recreated.Instead, I focus on why she drops her hand from my shoulder and reaches for her purse.
“You’re not leaving me to eat dinner alone, are you?”
“I’m afraid so.As handsome as you are, it’s Sunday night, and there is a Bingo card with my name on it.”She tosses me a wink, the lines around her eyes crinkling slightly.“Don’t worry, I promise to still show up for breakfast even if I win the jackpot.”
“You better.I’d go hungry without you.”
She cocks her head to the side, a thoughtful expression flitting across her aging face.“No, you wouldn’t, but it’s nice to be needed.”
I reach into my back pocket of my Wranglers and pull out a few bills.Handing her a wrinkled twenty, I smile at her.“Since you’re feeling so lucky, get an extra card on me.Early retirement sounds nice.”
“Hmm,” she murmurs, taking the twenty from me.She folds it carefully.“It’s not a terrible idea.Maybe then you’d finally get off this ranch and find yourself a nice woman to eat supper with instead of banking on an old hag like me to keep you company while you eat.”
“You’re not old.”
“I am, but I have a much more exciting social life than you do.”
“Don’t worry about me.I get by just fine.”
She shakes her head softly.“Keep telling yourself that, son, but you’re the only one who actually believes that.”
ChapterTwo
Maddox
Idrag my fingers through my damp hair and make my way back down the stairs to the kitchen.I fix myself a plate and pop it into the microwave before moving to the living room where Granddaddy sits in his recliner watchingGunsmoke.
Setting a hand on his shoulder, I offer him a smile.“How’s it going, Granddaddy?”
He lifts his chin, and his eyes narrow as he tries to place me.
“It’s Maddox.”
“I know,” he grunts, his cheeks reddening slightly.He tears his gaze away from me.“You’re not invisible, you know?I can’t see my show with your big body standing in front of the screen.”
I bite the inside of my cheek.As much as I’ve gotten used to him dismissing me, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting.I miss the days when he’d greet me as soon as I got in the door.He’d ask me a million questions and offer advice.Sometimes he’d tell me stories over dinner, and if he was having a good day, we’d sit on the front porch and enjoy a couple of beers.
My gaze slides to where Abby is sitting on the sofa across from him, her phone nowhere in sight.
I tip my chin toward her in lieu of a greeting.After Judy left, I went outside on the porch and had a little chat with her.I explained in a calm tone that I couldn’t afford her being distracted, and that I’d have to let her go if I caught her on the phone again.To my surprise, she took accountability for her actions and apologized, and that’s when I saw it—the similarity she bore to my sister.Della is generally a people-pleaser, and in that moment, I got the impression Abby is too.After all, it takes a special person to care for the elderly.They gotta have an abundance of patience, and a good heart.She was clearly having a bad day, and as someone who has had their fair share of those, I convinced myself to give her a chance.
“Have you eaten?”I ask her.“Judy makes enough food to feed the entire ranch.”
She offers me a smile.“Oh, yes.William and I ate earlier.He was stingy with the cornbread, though,” she says, turning her attention back to my grandfather.“Isn’t that right, William?”He meets her gaze, and she winks at him.His lips curve slightly, but he doesn’t respond, and I shake my head slightly.
He may not know who I am or what year it is, but the man hasn’t forgotten how to flirt.
“He does love his cornbread,” I mutter.The microwave beeps from inside the kitchen, signaling that my food is ready.My initial plan was to bring my dish in here, that way I could spend some time with Granddaddy and not eat my dinner alone, but that doesn’t seem all that appealing anymore.
I jut my thumb over my shoulder.“I’m going to eat dinner.I’ll check in after his show and help with the nighttime routine.”
“No worries.The agency clued me in on William’s routine, and Betty left a very detailed list.We’ll be fine.”
I’m not entirely sold on that, but I nod anyway and make my way into the kitchen.I take my plate out of the microwave and set it down on the table before grabbing a beer.I eat quietly, listening as Granddaddy converses with Abby about the show they’re watching, and when I’m done, I help myself to another beer and head for the back porch.
I sit there for a while, just enjoying the quiet as I stare at the acres of land stretched before me, praying I figure out how to keep every inch of it.As the night drags on, I realize it’s likely not gonna happen, not without a fucking miracle.
