“Under the sink.”
I glance at Harleigh. “Sorry about this.”
She waves a hand dismissively as she settles into the chair. “Don’t worry about me.”
Granddad grins. “Have you ever had Joyce’s country-fried steak?” he asks her.
“I have not,” she replies.
I head upstairs to my old room. It hasn’t changed much over the years. I still keep a few clothes in the closet for situations like this.
I ditch the suit jacket and tie. Swap my slacks for jeans, pull on a flannel shirt, and slip into a pair of boots.
Back downstairs, I grab my tool belt from the mudroom.
As I head toward the kitchen, laughter drifts from the living room.
Harleigh’s laughter.
Warm. Lively.
I pause briefly and listen.
“Were those chokecherry trees I saw as we drove in?” she asks.
“Yep. I planted a mess of ’em for my Della. She made the sweetest chokecherry pie in the county,” he tells her.
Granddad hasn’t sounded that happy in forever.
Then I shake my head and get to work.
The leak isn’t complicated. Just an old pipe that’s finally given up after decades. I use a fitting to patch it. Hopefully, it’ll hold until I can get the entire thing replaced.
About forty-five minutes later, I wipe my hands on a rag and stand.
That’ll have to do for now. Thankfully, the water is flowing normally again.
I step back into the living room.
And stop.
Harleigh is sitting crisscross on the floor in front of the recliner. Granddad’s plate of country-fried steak balanced on his lap between them.
They’re sharing it.
Granddad is smiling like a man who’s just had the best evening of his life.
And Harleigh is laughing again at something he said.
For a spell, I just stand there, watching them.
Because somehow, in less than an hour, she’s managed to charm the grumpiest old rancher I know.
The tires hum against the black road as we leave my grandfather’s place behind us. The Escalade’s headlights illuminate the ranch’s boarding fence posts.
Harleigh sits beside me with one leg tucked beneath her.
“Okay,” she says before pointing ahead, “you’re going to want to stay on this road for another mile or so. Then there’ll be a fork. Follow it to the right.”
