it up but left it unopened.
“I’ve spent the entire lunch hour,” Zach remarked, “listening to the story of Mildred Riley’s life.”
“Who the hell is Mildred Riley?”
“Damned if I know.” Zach rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Grady slid into the chair across from him and raised both legs to prop his feet on an empty chair. “You’re not having a little trouble, having two women in the same house, are you?” he asked wryly, and peered out the window. “Where’s the truck?”
“Hiding behind your barn.”
Grady nodded, as if that were a perfectly logical answer. After a minute or two of silence, he rose and got himself a beer, popping the top noisily as he settled back down.
“She’s driving me nuts, ” Zach said finally. “Plastic flowers all over the place. Salmon. Every time I try to start a conversation with Bett, she jumps in. You ever worked up a sweat in a starched shirt?”
Grady smothered a grin. “Can’t say I have.”
“Don’t.”
“I won’t.”
“I walk in and she’s got a drink waiting for me, ice-cold. She chases me down when I’m out in the field with homemade cookies and lemonade. She’s so damned nice. ”
Grady took a long slug of beer and wiped his mouth with the side of his wrist. “You told Bett how you feel?”
“Of course I haven’t told Bett how I feel,” Zach said irritably. “Bett’s got enough on her plate. A few months ago, Elizabeth couldn’t get through a day without crying; Bett’s turned that around so fast it makes my head spin to think of it. I’m proud of her.” Zach turned the cold can in his hand. “I’ve backed her up as much as I can, being out of the house so much. Tried hard to let her think none of it’s bothering me.”
Grady fixed Zach with an even stare. “Seems to me Bett just might be even more upset than you are.”
Zach shook his head. “Just the opposite. In fact, for the first time since I can remember, they’re actually getting along together.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
Grady shrugged. “Maybe. I didn’t get any smile when I drove by the last time. The times I’ve seen your wife without a smile on her face I can count on one hand. As in lately. I think you’ve got just one too many women in that house.”
“Well, there isn’t any question that Bett wants her mother there.” Zach sighed.
“Actually,” Grady said slowly, “I don’t much care what she wants. I’m telling you I expect a smile when I ride by your place, and lately I’m just not getting it. Women,” he added, “are strange.”
Zach gave him a wry look.
“Excepting your Bett. She’s not like most. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as taking all the trouble of trying to understand any of them, but it does seem to me…” Grady stood up, hitching up his trousers. “There’s nothing more fragile than a peach. You have to handle them real careful or they bruise. And sometimes a bruise starts on the inside.”
Zach stood up, sighed and frowned at the still unopened beer can in his hand as if he’d never seen it before. Setting it down on the table, he stalked toward the door.
“Want another?” Grady asked blandly. “Seeing as how you’ve taken up drinking in the middle of the day?”
With a faint chuckle, Zach pushed open the screen door and went back out to work.
Chapter 7
Bett viewed the tiny hole in the truck’s radiator with a scowl. Radiator holes were high on the list of last-things-she-needed on that particular afternoon. How had the branch managed to poke all the way up there, anyway?”
“Brittany, what on earth are you doing?”
“Just take it easy, Mom.” Bett swung back into the driver’s seat and leaned over to open the glove compartment. “I promised you we’d have sweet corn for dinner, and we will.” Sorting through a mélange of screwdrivers and maps, she finally found an unopened package of gum. Popping three sticks in her mouth, she started chewing vigorously. The gum, naturally,
“I’ve spent the entire lunch hour,” Zach remarked, “listening to the story of Mildred Riley’s life.”
“Who the hell is Mildred Riley?”
“Damned if I know.” Zach rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Grady slid into the chair across from him and raised both legs to prop his feet on an empty chair. “You’re not having a little trouble, having two women in the same house, are you?” he asked wryly, and peered out the window. “Where’s the truck?”
“Hiding behind your barn.”
Grady nodded, as if that were a perfectly logical answer. After a minute or two of silence, he rose and got himself a beer, popping the top noisily as he settled back down.
“She’s driving me nuts, ” Zach said finally. “Plastic flowers all over the place. Salmon. Every time I try to start a conversation with Bett, she jumps in. You ever worked up a sweat in a starched shirt?”
Grady smothered a grin. “Can’t say I have.”
“Don’t.”
“I won’t.”
“I walk in and she’s got a drink waiting for me, ice-cold. She chases me down when I’m out in the field with homemade cookies and lemonade. She’s so damned nice. ”
Grady took a long slug of beer and wiped his mouth with the side of his wrist. “You told Bett how you feel?”
“Of course I haven’t told Bett how I feel,” Zach said irritably. “Bett’s got enough on her plate. A few months ago, Elizabeth couldn’t get through a day without crying; Bett’s turned that around so fast it makes my head spin to think of it. I’m proud of her.” Zach turned the cold can in his hand. “I’ve backed her up as much as I can, being out of the house so much. Tried hard to let her think none of it’s bothering me.”
Grady fixed Zach with an even stare. “Seems to me Bett just might be even more upset than you are.”
Zach shook his head. “Just the opposite. In fact, for the first time since I can remember, they’re actually getting along together.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
Grady shrugged. “Maybe. I didn’t get any smile when I drove by the last time. The times I’ve seen your wife without a smile on her face I can count on one hand. As in lately. I think you’ve got just one too many women in that house.”
“Well, there isn’t any question that Bett wants her mother there.” Zach sighed.
“Actually,” Grady said slowly, “I don’t much care what she wants. I’m telling you I expect a smile when I ride by your place, and lately I’m just not getting it. Women,” he added, “are strange.”
Zach gave him a wry look.
“Excepting your Bett. She’s not like most. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as taking all the trouble of trying to understand any of them, but it does seem to me…” Grady stood up, hitching up his trousers. “There’s nothing more fragile than a peach. You have to handle them real careful or they bruise. And sometimes a bruise starts on the inside.”
Zach stood up, sighed and frowned at the still unopened beer can in his hand as if he’d never seen it before. Setting it down on the table, he stalked toward the door.
“Want another?” Grady asked blandly. “Seeing as how you’ve taken up drinking in the middle of the day?”
With a faint chuckle, Zach pushed open the screen door and went back out to work.
Chapter 7
Bett viewed the tiny hole in the truck’s radiator with a scowl. Radiator holes were high on the list of last-things-she-needed on that particular afternoon. How had the branch managed to poke all the way up there, anyway?”
“Brittany, what on earth are you doing?”
“Just take it easy, Mom.” Bett swung back into the driver’s seat and leaned over to open the glove compartment. “I promised you we’d have sweet corn for dinner, and we will.” Sorting through a mélange of screwdrivers and maps, she finally found an unopened package of gum. Popping three sticks in her mouth, she started chewing vigorously. The gum, naturally,
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