He got the meaning without me having to expound.
“Yes, we’re talking about her.”
He didn’t call her Holly, but neither did he call her Georgina.
“Why’d you kick her out of her house, Denver?”
Denver’s jaw went rigid.
“I didn’t fucking want to.” He growled, frustration clear on his face. “Like I was telling Boone when you walked in, that place was a fuckin’ death trap. She was using extension cords and heaters to stay warm. There were just as many holes in the house as there were windows. And swear to Christ, there’s so much random shit in there from Cantrell not throwing anything away that it’s a fire’s dream.”
“So you kicked her out for her own good?” I wondered.
“I offered her a rental in town, but she refused,” he admitted darkly.
As she would.
She was a proud woman.
“Did you know that she taught herself how to take care of animals and heal wounds in farm animals at the age of twelve?” I asked.
Denver sighed. “There was a lot of shit that girl had to do to survive.”
“Why’d he leave it to you, Denver?”
Denver stayed stubbornly silent.
Boone, however, answered my question for him.
“Because they had so many back property taxes on it that she would’ve never been able to cover it,” Boone answered as he got up. “About ten years’ worth of back taxes and late fees. The tax assessor and Cantrell Cain had a good ol’ boy agreement that wouldn’t extend to Holly if she inherited.”
“Oh,” I sighed. “And let me guess, neither one of you thought ‘oh, Holly needs to know this so she doesn’t hate me?’”
“Holly hates me?” Boone blinked.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re related to the man she despises. Of course she hates you. On principle, of course. But she still doesn’t like you.”
Denver groaned.
“Are you done on this computer?”
“No,” I said. “I was looking up your schedule.”
“Why?” Boone asked.
“Because I wanted to make some doctor’s appointments that I assumed you would want to go to…” I pointed out.
Boone’s eyes gleamed. “Of course I do.”
Ten
Girls with small boobs catch feelings because they have nothing to protect their hearts.
—Nettie to Boone
Boone
I was tired as hell, but I still agreed to go out to dinner because Denver’s invitation had made Nettie bounce on her toes.
