saw her shaking her head. “Aw, honey, what didya go do somethin’ so foolish for?”
“Just stupid, I guess.”
She covered his hand with hers. “No, more like lonely and sad. You gotta stop turnin’ to Toby when things get tough. You’ve been taking care of the ranch every day, all day, then spending every other minute at your daddy’s side. And loneliness makes a person do things they normally wouldn’t do.” Not one to let him wallow in self-pity, she smacked him lightly. “Stupid things. Toby isn’t the right man for you. And it’s not fair to give him hope that you’re gonna get back with him.”
“He don’t take no for an answer too well.”
“Well, can you blame him? Your kind of no—leadin’ him on when you have too much drink inside you—isn’t really a no, is it? That’s not bein’ fair to him or yourself. You’re not the type to play with someone’s heart.”
“I just wasn’t countin’ on Daddy dying,” he whispered. The food, so tasty a moment earlier, now sat like lead in his gut. “I miss him so much. I planned on leaving, but he got sick, and now…I feel so darn guilty. I know I need to stay and make the ranch work—there’s nobody else, and it’s what Daddy woulda wanted—but it don’t stop me from still wanting to go. And it hurts.”
“Your daddy and me only wanted you to be happy.” Patty’s eyes filled with tears. “You gotta do what’s best and right for your heart. Now,” she said, turning away, but not before he caught her wiping at the wetness. “Finish that darn breakfast. We got folks comin’ in later on, and I got to prepare. It’s some corporate group from New York City, and you know they’re gonna be picky.”
He tucked into the pancakes. Corporate contracts were very different from families coming to the ranch or the ladies’ weekends that were becoming more popular. The family-oriented ones tended to be laid-back and didn’t care to be on so much of a schedule, which he and the rest of the ranch liked. Plus they tended to be friendlier people overall and treated them less like the hired help.
Corporate retreats, on the other hand, were highly regimented, with meals and activities on a strict schedule. The employees barely recognized the staff at the ranch beyond an impersonal hello or a thank-you, if they even said that much. Patty loved the families because they often liked to spend time with the animals or relaxing in the great room or on the porch, and she’d get to know them, whereas the employees were more apt to stay in their rooms, calling and requesting things the ranch often didn’t have accessible.
“When’re they scheduled to arrive?” He wiped his mouth and brought his plate to the sink. “We got shearing today, and then there’s that auction.”
“Not until later on, near dinnertime. Plenty of time for you to rest up and get rid of them bags under your eyes.” Patty placed her hands on his shoulders and tipped her chin up to give him a straight-eyed stare. “Don’t be spendin’ your life drinkin’ away your problems. Your daddy knew one day you’d sell the place and leave. You don’t gotta worry about us. Beau made sure everyone would be taken care of.”
The heavy burden on his shoulders and in his chest lifted somewhat.
“Thanks, Patty.” He kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Shea-Shea.”
He smiled at the nickname she’d given him when he was a baby.
“Now go on with yourself and get to work. Them sheep don’t shear themselves, you know.”
Chuckling, he left her, exiting through the back door of the kitchen, which took him to the fields. Not a single cloud marred the endless blue sky. Patty’s Yellow Rose of Texas bushes dotted the landscape, their lemony heads nodding in the gentle breeze. Multicolored birds fluttered around the various feeders she’d had him hang from the branches.
He breathed deeply of the fresh air and instantly felt better. He’d always found it impossible to remain depressed or angry when he surveyed the land. The ranch sat on one hundred and fifty acres and included trails for horseback riding. About a mile inland, the lake gleamed in the sunshine. They’d stocked it for fishing, and ducks sailed along peacefully, while Ross and Rachel, the two bad-tempered swans his father gave Patty years earlier as a birthday present, kept an eye on everything. The barns for the horses, cows, and sheep were