I got to admit after Mama died, I kind of felt like one. Daddy did his best, but there were days when he grieved so hard. I was so young I didn’t know what to do for him. The sadness didn’t leave his eyes for a long, long time. I was glad in those times that I could spend time at Callahan Ranch with Iris and y’all.”
She stood to her feet and pulled him up with her.
He led her away from the graveside. “I liked having you there, but then I ruined it with that kiss.”
“We were two awkward kids who didn’t know how to react,” she said.
“Amen to that.” He opened the truck’s door for her. “Let’s go get some ice cream.”
He took one last look at the grave site from his truck before starting the engine. “The flowers look pretty. How often do you change them out?”
“Every couple of months,” she answered. “More often if the weather’s been bad or the sun fades them. Mama’s always had flowers on her grave. Daddy and I see to that.”
Pax fastened his seatbelt and said, “Mam takes care of Daddy’s and Grandpa’s, but when she’s gone, I’ll step up and do it. You might have to help me remember when and show me how to make them look good.”
“Be glad to,” she said. “We can take care of the grave sites together.”
“Good, but I hope it’s a long time before I have to do that. I want Mam to be with us for many, many years,” he said.
“We don’t always get what we want,” Alana whispered.
Chapter Fifteen
For the next few days, everything seemed to move in slow motion. The wedding planner had things under control. Alana’s dress had come in and now hung on the closet door in her bedroom, a constant reminder of the beautiful wedding that was wrapped up so snuggly in a great, big, fat black lie. Alana had spent the last two days in the office with Matt, learning the finer points of what she’d need to do with the computer work when the time came for her to take over everything.
Then suddenly, it was Thursday, and she realized that she hadn’t seen Pax since Sunday evening. They’d sent texts back and forth all week long, and she’d called him a couple of times. She missed him, yes, but it wasn’t an all-consuming ache to be with him. When people were first in love, they couldn’t stay away from each other.
That’s high school infatuation, that pesky voice in her head said.
“Where is your mind?” Matt asked from across the desk. “You’ve been looking off into space like you expect angels to float down from heaven.”
“Might be nice if that was possible.” She smiled at her father. “How do you feel today, Daddy? You didn’t eat much lunch, and we’re supposed to be out at the barn right after supper to start cleaning it up for the wedding. You need to keep your strength up.”
“I don’t have much appetite,” Matt told her. “Iris is coming over, and we plan to sit back and supervise this evening, so I don’t need a lot of energy to do that. You don’t worry about me, darlin’. I’ve accepted things and I’m ready. Everything I wanted, other than getting to know my grandkids, is happening. I told Pax already, but I haven’t told you. The funeral arrangements are taken care of, so you don’t have to worry about decisions like that when the time comes. And I’ve talked to the lawyers. The minute the preacher pronounces you man and wife, the Bar C becomes y’all’s joint property. Iris and I had a long talk after dinner on Sunday. She’s having papers done up to give Maverick full ownership of the Callahan Ranch. Everything is working out perfectly.”
Alana’s chest tightened and the room did a couple of spins. She felt everything going dark and her body slipping out of the chair, then the phone rang and the noise jerked her back from the abyss.
“Yes, that’s right,” Matt was saying. “Tell the boys that we’ll meet them there in half an hour. I’ve ordered pizza and beer to be delivered at five-thirty, and they get double pay for working overtime on this for us.”
Alana had never fainted before in her life, but if the pain in her arms and the throbbing ache in her head were symptoms, she didn’t want to do it again. “What was that all about?” she asked.