you find you need some.”
“Thanks for that,” Parrish said.
“Let me know when Grace is coming back?”
Parrish shook his head. “Tell you what, I’m thinking maybe you’d do better asking Grace about her plans, rather than getting them secondhand. Just wait here.” Parrish took off for the stables at a jog, and when he came back, he was carrying a piece of paper. “Here you go.”
Jack saw a phone number printed on it. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s appreciated.”
“The info on the horse is appreciated. Not that she said she was for sure buying, but she’s interested.”
“Either way,” he said, holding up the paper, “this helps a lot.”
“Good luck,” Parrish said, turning to leave.
“Parrish?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s wrong with the roof?”
“Nothing. For its age, it’s darn near perfect.”
“What were you up there for?”
“Checking the chimney to make sure no critters made nests in it while the house has been empty.”
“Any problems?”
“Let’s put it this way, there’s going to be a few ticked-off bats if they ever try to get back in there to nest. I put wire over the opening and a spark suppressor, too.
“Grandpa had a huge barn owl get down there, and come out in the great room. He just opened the door and let the thing go out.”
Parrish smiled. “He sounds like he was a cool old guy.”
“He was, very cool,” Jack murmured and headed for his truck, paper in hand.
* * *
G RACE SANK DOWN on the drab sofa in the living room of the apartment and slowly rotated her neck to ease the soreness there. Her last shift at work had been two days ago, and ever since, she’d been packing. Finally the boxes were all in order for the moving company to pick up tomorrow. Once they were gone, all she had to do was get the suitcases in the car, along with Lilly and her mother, and they’d drive away from this place forever.
That thought made her feel so good. Being away from the land for almost two weeks had been too long for her.
Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her slacks and she pulled it out. The screen showed a number she didn’t recognize. Nine o’clock at night. She cautiously hit the answer button. “Yes?”
“Grace?” The voice shocked her. Jack.
“Yes,” she said a bit cautiously.
“Sorry to call out of the blue, but Parrish gave me your number.” She recognized Jack’s voice. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Why did he give it to you?” She hadn’t meant to be so blunt, and she immediately regretted her words.
“He thought firsthand beat secondhand.” Before she could ask what he meant, he said, “Have you figured out when you’re coming back this way?”
“Actually, yes. We’re leaving here the day after tomorrow.”
“Flying?”
“No, driving.”
“It’s a nice drive coming in from the west.”
“I bet it is,” she said, but thought of all the desert area in Arizona her maps had shown. She wanted to just ask,
“What’s the real reason you’re calling?”
Then he told her. “Have you made any decision about the ranch?”
She felt like saying, “I’m staying,” but didn’t want to make that commitment yet. Just in case. “I’m still considering everything,” she finally said.
“When you get back, we can do boundary rides.”
“What’s that?”
“We’ll ride and follow the boundary of the ranch so you can see everything, get a grasp of the size and how it has to be handled.”
“Thank you,” she said, “But I told you there are no horses at the ranch, and I—”
“I’ll bring one for you.”
That surprised her. “Oh, no, you don’t have to—”
“No, I don’t, but I will. I wouldn’t mind riding the boundaries myself. It’s been a long time since I did.”
“We’ll talk when I get back,” she said, but thought she’d rather not get on a horse again in this life. Her two experiences as a kid had been less than fun. She didn’t want to repeat them. She should have told him that when
“Thanks for that,” Parrish said.
“Let me know when Grace is coming back?”
Parrish shook his head. “Tell you what, I’m thinking maybe you’d do better asking Grace about her plans, rather than getting them secondhand. Just wait here.” Parrish took off for the stables at a jog, and when he came back, he was carrying a piece of paper. “Here you go.”
Jack saw a phone number printed on it. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s appreciated.”
“The info on the horse is appreciated. Not that she said she was for sure buying, but she’s interested.”
“Either way,” he said, holding up the paper, “this helps a lot.”
“Good luck,” Parrish said, turning to leave.
“Parrish?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s wrong with the roof?”
“Nothing. For its age, it’s darn near perfect.”
“What were you up there for?”
“Checking the chimney to make sure no critters made nests in it while the house has been empty.”
“Any problems?”
“Let’s put it this way, there’s going to be a few ticked-off bats if they ever try to get back in there to nest. I put wire over the opening and a spark suppressor, too.
“Grandpa had a huge barn owl get down there, and come out in the great room. He just opened the door and let the thing go out.”
Parrish smiled. “He sounds like he was a cool old guy.”
“He was, very cool,” Jack murmured and headed for his truck, paper in hand.
* * *
G RACE SANK DOWN on the drab sofa in the living room of the apartment and slowly rotated her neck to ease the soreness there. Her last shift at work had been two days ago, and ever since, she’d been packing. Finally the boxes were all in order for the moving company to pick up tomorrow. Once they were gone, all she had to do was get the suitcases in the car, along with Lilly and her mother, and they’d drive away from this place forever.
That thought made her feel so good. Being away from the land for almost two weeks had been too long for her.
Her phone vibrated in the pocket of her slacks and she pulled it out. The screen showed a number she didn’t recognize. Nine o’clock at night. She cautiously hit the answer button. “Yes?”
“Grace?” The voice shocked her. Jack.
“Yes,” she said a bit cautiously.
“Sorry to call out of the blue, but Parrish gave me your number.” She recognized Jack’s voice. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Why did he give it to you?” She hadn’t meant to be so blunt, and she immediately regretted her words.
“He thought firsthand beat secondhand.” Before she could ask what he meant, he said, “Have you figured out when you’re coming back this way?”
“Actually, yes. We’re leaving here the day after tomorrow.”
“Flying?”
“No, driving.”
“It’s a nice drive coming in from the west.”
“I bet it is,” she said, but thought of all the desert area in Arizona her maps had shown. She wanted to just ask,
“What’s the real reason you’re calling?”
Then he told her. “Have you made any decision about the ranch?”
She felt like saying, “I’m staying,” but didn’t want to make that commitment yet. Just in case. “I’m still considering everything,” she finally said.
“When you get back, we can do boundary rides.”
“What’s that?”
“We’ll ride and follow the boundary of the ranch so you can see everything, get a grasp of the size and how it has to be handled.”
“Thank you,” she said, “But I told you there are no horses at the ranch, and I—”
“I’ll bring one for you.”
That surprised her. “Oh, no, you don’t have to—”
“No, I don’t, but I will. I wouldn’t mind riding the boundaries myself. It’s been a long time since I did.”
“We’ll talk when I get back,” she said, but thought she’d rather not get on a horse again in this life. Her two experiences as a kid had been less than fun. She didn’t want to repeat them. She should have told him that when
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