Charlotte sat up. “Which reminds me! I started one of those online contribution things to help raise money to cover Daddy’s expenses. With everything going on, I haven’t checked donations lately.”
She punched a few buttons on her cell phone, then punched a few more. Her face went white. “Rich, would you make sure I’m not hallucinating?”
Lucky scrolled through her iPhone. Mr. and Mrs. Smith from Atlanta contributed two thousand dollars. Dayum! “Mr. Tibbles, ten bucks, Twinkles, ten bucks, Patches, ten bucks. Oh. Mrs. Griggs, fifty.” Trust the woman to make donations in her cats’ names. More contributors filled the list, this or that cousin or other relative, folks from Mama’s church, with the occasional neighbor pitching in, a donation from Loretta Johnson, and…
“Bo?” Lucky handed the phone off like Charlotte had, mouth suddenly dry.
The last entry read, “Anonymous, Nice, France. One hundred thousand dollars.”
Anonymous, hell.
The color came back to Charlotte’s grinning face. “You know that’ll pay off the rest of Dad’s bills and yours, and keep him and Mama going till he gets back on his feet, right?”
Just enough, and not too much more. Trust Lucky’s mentors to take care of things, like they always had.
But they better not expect any favors in return. And he’d probably never find a trace of who really sent the money, no matter how hard he looked. He’d always considered himself the best, but lately he’d found a few better.
Not by much, but better.
“Victor donated the money, didn’t he?” Charlotte blurted.
Time to have a talk with his sister about mentioning Victor’s name around Bo. The past was the past, but still… Bo didn’t need to hear about Lucky’s ex.
“Nice, France. He’s got a sister there.” And she’d never trouble herself with Lucky’s family. So had to be Victor. Or more likely, Victor and Nestor.
Charlotte kept going. “You know he made a college fund for the boys, right?”
“Yeah. He said he did.”
“Todd’s decided on Clemson. We’ll be down in a few weeks to move him into his dorm.” She fixed her gaze on Lucky. “Okay if we stay with you a few days? Now you’re back, I don’t intend to let you get away again.”
Charlotte and her boys? In Lucky and Bo’s house? The noise, the running around?
Oh, hell yeah. “Sure. We can put you up for a few days. I’ll start getting things ready as soon as we get home.” Though leaving the farm tomorrow might kill him. Only, with Mama in the next room, Bo still on assignment, and no time to sneak out to the barn, Lucky might die from lack of sex. “Um… Okay with you, Bo?”
“You even have to ask?”
No, reckon not. “You’ve been off work a few weeks already. Will your boss give you more time?” Sooner or later, Charlotte would have to return to Spokane. Damn it.
Charlotte reclined on her arms, turning her face to the sun. “Um… That’s something else I need to talk to you about. I’m quitting my job and enrolling in nursing school. I’ve been taking classes online already.”
“Why now?”
“Well, with Todd in college, and Ty planning on joining the Navy when he graduates, I reckon I need something else to focus on when my babies are gone.”
“How will you handle Todd being so far from you?”
“I’m not sure. But I’m a Lucklighter. I’ll manage somehow.” Charlotte winked.
Lucklighter-speak forI’ll find someone else’s life to meddle in.
Oh hell.
***
Lucky laid his head back on the passenger seat headrest and closed his eyes, unwilling to watch his old home growing smaller in the side mirror. Easier to ignore his mother standing on the front porch, in the exact spot where she’d watched him leave over twelve years ago.
“Hey, you okay?” Bo said, resting his hand on Lucky’s knee. Brown eyes, full of concern, wrinkles etched between his brows.
