“Raines might be around,” she added. “And I really need to check in with him on the land deal that his boss is considering.”
“You never mentioned where that property was,” John reminded her, and he looked very suspicious.
She kept her poker face and just smiled. “I’m not supposed to talk about it,” she said. “It’s a big tract of land in a very special location. Oil reserves have been mentioned. If we’re goingout saying that the owner is willing to sell it, there could be complications, and his boss might not be able to close the deal.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Heather said.
John just glared at Josie. “I’ll go get JJ and the truck,” John said abruptly, and left the room.
Heather smiled at Josie. “Never mind John,” she laughed. “He’s been in a very bad mood lately. Nobody knows why. He has those once in a while. Just pretend you don’t see it. He’s not as irritating as he might seem.”
“It’s okay,” Josie told her. “In a hundred years, you won’t care anymore.”
Heather burst out laughing.
John was staring at both laughing women. “What’s so funny?” he wanted to know.
“A private joke,” his mother laughed.
“Are you coming with us or not?” John asked with visible impatience.
“Right now,” she said. She smiled at Heather. “I’ll see you later,” she promised. “If he doesn’t dump me in the river on the way to town,” she added facetiously.
“Don’t tempt me,” John replied, and he wasn’t smiling.
Josie just shrugged and followed him out the door.
Ten
Josie was ready when John came back to pick her up. He didn’t have JJ with him this time and he looked as if he was angry about something. She climbed up into the truck, noticing that he didn’t offer to come around and open the door for her as usual, and they drove back to the ranch in a long static silence.
“I know we were going to get the tree, but there was an emergency. One of the men got stepped on by a bull and needed Dad to take him to the doctor. It was old Bill. You know JJ’s been hanging around him, listening to stories about the ranch in the old days?”
“Oh, yes,” she said quietly. “JJ loves ranch history.”
“He’s crazy about Bill, too, so he wanted to go to the hospital with Dad and Bill. I told him we’d get the tree later.”
She nodded. “Good idea.”
“I took the feed and salt by the ranch while you were getting your stuff. Is that it?” he asked, eyeing the small bag she’d brought.
“I don’t have many clothes with me,” she confessed. “I honestly thought this trip would only last a few days.” She sighed. “That’s life.”
He smiled in spite of himself. “That’s life. Mom’s closet is full. If you get desperate, she’ll loan you something.”
She smiled gently. “Your mom’s very special.”
“Was yours?” he asked.
She nodded. “Very. She was the first to go and the last to leave in any emergency. She was special.”
He glanced at her. “Didn’t you think about how it would affect her when you started getting in trouble with the law?”
Her face tautened. She’d always been a straight arrow, never even fined for jaywalking. But she couldn’t admit that to John. She looked out the window. “I guess not,” she said in a quiet tone.
He studied her covertly, scowling. She was a puzzle he couldn’t solve. Everything about her seemed conservative, never wild or outlandish. He wondered why.
Well, he told himself firmly, it wasn’t his business. They were stuck with her through the holidays. He’d just grit his teeth and make the best of it.
