going to make out a wedding list so the planner can get the invitations sent. That means you need to get your guest list done by tomorrow evening. Some of our people will be the same, but Daddy says the planner will sort it all out.”
“I’m sure she will. How are you holding up?” Pax asked.
“Trying to keep busy. Otherwise I worry too much—about Daddy’s…” She couldn’t even say the word. “And whether we’re doing the right thing.”
“Hang in there, Alana. He seems to be getting a lot of joy with all this wedding planning. Focus on that.”
His deep voice soothed her, like a hug right over the phone.
“Thanks, Pax. Can you come over for supper to help with some of the planning stuff?”
“I’ll be there, darlin’.”
When Alana got back to the house, her dad was sitting at the dining room table with folders and papers all around him. He looked up over the wire-rimmed reading glasses perched on his nose and smiled. “Sit down. I want to go over some of the books with you, and then we can start talking about the guest list. I don’t want to leave anyone out and hurt their feelings.”
“Daddy, I hate paperwork,” Alana groaned, “and Pax and I really want to keep the wedding a small affair.”
He patted the chair beside him. “Honey, we both hate to do the office work, but it has to be done if we want the ranch to be successful. Pick one day a week to take care of it all so it doesn’t pile up. Your mama loved all the organization and books, so she did it before she left us.”
Her father almost never said when your mama died or even when your mama passed away. It was always when she left us.
Alana sat down and kicked off her boots under the table. “All right then, let’s get with it. What do I need to learn today?”
He pushed a whole stack of folders to one side. “Let’s go over my will first and get that out of the way. I’ve left everything I own to you, of course, but since you’re getting married and Pax will be living here, I’m wondering if I should put it in both your names. Until you have a child to inherit the place, it could be a nightmare if, God forbid, something happened to you. Pax wouldn’t even be able to pay for a sack of cattle feed.”
“Let’s not talk wills today, Daddy,” she sniffled. “It makes me too sad. That can always be changed after the wedding is over and done with.”
“All right, but you need to keep that on the back burner,” Matt said. “As soon as you get back from your honeymoon, we’ll revisit this folder.” He laid it to the side. “Now, let’s get into finances. You already know what the operating cash is for the ranch and how much we’ve put into savings in case we have a bad year down the road, but I’ve had some personal accounts for years. I’m meeting with my lawyer tomorrow to sign all those over to you as well. One is for your wedding, so I don’t want you to give a thought to how much anything costs.”
All Alana heard was honeymoon. “Pax and I thought we’d wait until later to take a trip. I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can, Daddy. I couldn’t bear it if…” She couldn’t say the words.
Matt wiped a tear from her cheek. “Don’t cry. We need to talk about it like it’s a second honeymoon for me and your mama. We’ll be together again, and I’m so looking forward to looking at her all I want. After the wedding, I want you kids to at least have a long weekend honeymoon.”
“But that would be time I could spend with you,” Alana argued.
“It’s important for you and Pax to have some time away from the ranches and from family. It’ll make your marriage stronger.” Matt patted her back. “So, where do you and Pax want to go? What’s always been your dream vacation? We never went on anything that didn’t have to do with Cattlemen’s Conventions or rodeos. I’m sorry for that. I should have taken you to the beach or the mountains or even to New York City,” he said.
“I loved going to the places we went to,” she said.