about Jeremiah. They have secrets like little school girls, and they whisper a lot.”
“Jeremiah and I are really good friends. We were together a lot in the summertime when I came to the ranch. Dotty worked for Nana some back then because when school was out she didn’t have a job and Jeremiah always came with her. When he got old enough, Grandpa put us both on the summer payroll. And they always whisper and tell secrets. It’s just the way they are.”
As if on cue, the rain stopped, the clouds moved on to the south, and the sun lit up the inside of the van.
“Looks like the rain is over,” he said.
Using the back of his hand, he brushed the last of the tears from her cheeks. “And they told me about why Dotty lives at the ranch.”
“That’s a good thing for her and for Nana. She needed someone to need her, and Nana needed someone to boss and keep her company. Want to go to McDonald’s and get a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“I’d love one,” she whispered.
“I’ll drive. When the ladies call we can swing back by here and I’ll get my truck.” He nodded to his truck parked right beside the van.
“How’d you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. I drive past here on the way to the tractor supply and saw the van. Thought you might have had some trouble, so I stopped to check.”
He hit the button and the side door slid open. He swung his feet around, set his boots on the ground, and carried her around the van to the passenger’s side where he settled her into the seat. Then he trotted around the back of the van and crawled into the driver’s seat.
“Does it take long before the numbness goes away?” she asked.
“A while, and it’s not in an instant. One day you’ll just wake up and it will be filled with memories that are good rather than sadness,” he answered.
“Thank you, Greg.”
“You are welcome, Emily.”
“The ladies told me about the intervention to stop Dotty from drinking and all about how they were kind of like mail-order brides, except Clarice,” she said.
“I guess that was kind of like the forerunner of all this eHarmony.com and all that stuff today. Women wrote. Men proposed and they got married. Nowadays it’s text, call, and then get married.”
He parked as close to the McDonald’s entrance as possible and hustled around the van to open the door for Emily. He ushered her to the counter with his hand on the small of her back.
It didn’t feel right to be so sexually attracted to a man when she was grieving, but there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. Her skin was tingly, her face flushed, and her breath shallow. It was a pure wonder that another lightning bolt didn’t strike her dead right there under the dollar menu at the McDonald’s checkout counter.
“Two coffees, one black,” he told the lady taking orders and then looked down at Emily with a question in his eyes.
“Just black for me too,” Emily answered.
“Did they tell you why she drank?” He carried two full cups toward the nearest booth.
Emily nodded. “Because her husband died.”
He waited for her to slide into one side before he slipped into the opposite one. Their knees touched under the table, but he didn’t move and neither did she.
“They’d been married more than fifty years. They never had any kids of their own. Probably a good thing since she had to work to support them both, and she did a good job of it. Worked in the kitchen at the school until she retired and for Nana in the summertime. Then Jeremiah grew up and moved away and her husband died. She hit the bottle pretty hard until Nana, Rose, and Madge took charge. Nana brought her to the ranch and put her to work full-time, and Jeremiah came home from Conroe and sold the trailer. He didn’t want his momma to ever go back to that place because he was afraid she’d drink herself into the grave. He says that Nana saved Dotty’s life when she gave her a purpose in life. He thinks that as long as Dotty had to
“Jeremiah and I are really good friends. We were together a lot in the summertime when I came to the ranch. Dotty worked for Nana some back then because when school was out she didn’t have a job and Jeremiah always came with her. When he got old enough, Grandpa put us both on the summer payroll. And they always whisper and tell secrets. It’s just the way they are.”
As if on cue, the rain stopped, the clouds moved on to the south, and the sun lit up the inside of the van.
“Looks like the rain is over,” he said.
Using the back of his hand, he brushed the last of the tears from her cheeks. “And they told me about why Dotty lives at the ranch.”
“That’s a good thing for her and for Nana. She needed someone to need her, and Nana needed someone to boss and keep her company. Want to go to McDonald’s and get a cup of coffee?” he asked.
“I’d love one,” she whispered.
“I’ll drive. When the ladies call we can swing back by here and I’ll get my truck.” He nodded to his truck parked right beside the van.
“How’d you know I was here?”
“I didn’t. I drive past here on the way to the tractor supply and saw the van. Thought you might have had some trouble, so I stopped to check.”
He hit the button and the side door slid open. He swung his feet around, set his boots on the ground, and carried her around the van to the passenger’s side where he settled her into the seat. Then he trotted around the back of the van and crawled into the driver’s seat.
“Does it take long before the numbness goes away?” she asked.
“A while, and it’s not in an instant. One day you’ll just wake up and it will be filled with memories that are good rather than sadness,” he answered.
“Thank you, Greg.”
“You are welcome, Emily.”
“The ladies told me about the intervention to stop Dotty from drinking and all about how they were kind of like mail-order brides, except Clarice,” she said.
“I guess that was kind of like the forerunner of all this eHarmony.com and all that stuff today. Women wrote. Men proposed and they got married. Nowadays it’s text, call, and then get married.”
He parked as close to the McDonald’s entrance as possible and hustled around the van to open the door for Emily. He ushered her to the counter with his hand on the small of her back.
It didn’t feel right to be so sexually attracted to a man when she was grieving, but there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. Her skin was tingly, her face flushed, and her breath shallow. It was a pure wonder that another lightning bolt didn’t strike her dead right there under the dollar menu at the McDonald’s checkout counter.
“Two coffees, one black,” he told the lady taking orders and then looked down at Emily with a question in his eyes.
“Just black for me too,” Emily answered.
“Did they tell you why she drank?” He carried two full cups toward the nearest booth.
Emily nodded. “Because her husband died.”
He waited for her to slide into one side before he slipped into the opposite one. Their knees touched under the table, but he didn’t move and neither did she.
“They’d been married more than fifty years. They never had any kids of their own. Probably a good thing since she had to work to support them both, and she did a good job of it. Worked in the kitchen at the school until she retired and for Nana in the summertime. Then Jeremiah grew up and moved away and her husband died. She hit the bottle pretty hard until Nana, Rose, and Madge took charge. Nana brought her to the ranch and put her to work full-time, and Jeremiah came home from Conroe and sold the trailer. He didn’t want his momma to ever go back to that place because he was afraid she’d drink herself into the grave. He says that Nana saved Dotty’s life when she gave her a purpose in life. He thinks that as long as Dotty had to
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