“Peace, I think. Familiarity. I remember my Grandpa Harris wearing the very jeans that were used for some of the swatches. They were so well-worn, sometimes I think he slept in them. The other quilt has a few scraps from his plaid shirts, so he’s still represented on it. But that denim reminds me of watching him climb into the saddle and ride. It was always so inspiring to see him on a horse. Made me want to be like him. Made me want to be a cowboy.”
“I think youarelike him,” Trinity said. “I remember your grandpa, Spencer. He was a good man. Not as boisterous as your nana, so I think a lot of times people didn’t realize how much he had to say, but he carried a quiet confidence that you embody so well.”
She wasn’t sure where the words came from, but apparently they’d been inside her, ready to come out.
“That’s probably the biggest and best compliment I’ve ever received. Thank you for saying that, Trinity.”
“It’s well earned,” she replied. “There aren’t many men left like the two of you. Genuine and dependable. Honest, what-you-see-is-what-you-get types. My Calvin was one of them.”
“I wish I’d had the chance to know him.”
Had they really never met? She supposed they hadn’t. Spencer had left town long before she and Calvin had gotten together. It just seemed like everyone in Snowdrift knew her late husband. He was a fixture in the community and a hero many times over as a CHP, rescuing stranded motorists and helping out in too many unfortunate mountainside accidents. His legacy of bravery was one that all in the town knew well.
“You would have liked him,” she finally said softly. “Everyone did.”
“Can you tell me about him?”
“Calvin?” She took a big breath. “He had a huge personality, and the fullest laugh. That’s what he liked most, making everyone laugh. Especially our kids. I can’t tell you how many mornings I’d wake up to fits of giggles coming from the living room. You would have thought the man was a comedian.” She let herself fall into the memories and get comfortable there. “The first time I met him, he had been trying to make me laugh, actually. He was in a dunk tank at one of our town’s community fairs. It was summer. I was terrible at hitting the target with a baseball. Tried a dozen times to knock him into the water. Finally, he reached out of the tank and pressed the button on his own just to put me out of my misery.” She couldn’t hide her smile as the nostalgia replayed in her mind. “But he had a serious side, too. He was great at his job. Everyone thinks of highway patrolmen as being the bad guys always writing tickets, and sure, that’s a small part of their job. But he liked keeping people safe. First and foremost, his family.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Trinity.”
It was a string of words she’d had recited to her a thousand times over at this point, but for some reason, it was the first time she felt the deep sincerity intended in the phrase. Because it was a loss. A huge one. And Spencer acknowledged that in a way that wasn’t trite or dismissive, just honest and true.
“Thank you, Spencer,” she said, her voice choked with emotion and gratitude. “He loved me and the kids so well.”
“You deserved it.”
Her lungs felt tight, her eyes stinging with tears she did not want to cry on camera. It took everything in her, but she held it all in. She tucked away the pieces of her heart and put on a smile, like always. “I’m lucky to have experienced it. I hope I’m not being greedy by admitting I’d love to be lucky enough to find a love like that again.”
“I don’t think wanting to love and be loved could ever be considered greedy,” Spencer replied. “It’s what we’re made for. And I don’t think you need luck to find it. I think it finds you.”
CHAPTER 15
“Where are you going with that?”
He wasn’t sure why he was even asking the question. A saddle in the hands of his nana could only mean one thing.
“I’m going for a trail ride. Isn’t it obvious?” she answered, like it wasn’t completely crazy to get back on a horse after her last spill. Had she even been cleared to ride by her doctor, yet? Spencer didn’t think so.
“By yourself?”
When the saddle started to slip from her arms, he rushed over to help her with it. If he had his way, he’d be putting that saddle back up on the rack in the tack room and not onto the back of a horse.
“Yes, by myself.” Her tone was no nonsense. “Do you know how many rides I’ve been on by myself over the years?”
“More than I can count, I’m sure.”
“Exactly. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
But he did have something to worry about, starting with Nana Jo’s insistence that she was fit, healthy, and strong enough to get back in the saddle. Obstinance was always expected whenit came to his grandma, but he didn’t like her stubbornness when it came to her safety.
“Give me ten and I’ll join you,” he said. If he couldn’t convince her to stay grounded, he could at least join her on the trail to keep an eye on her in case anything happened.
“I don’t need you babysitting me, Spence.”
“Not babysitting, just accompanying.”
“One and the same.”
