“But Laurie has,” his father reminded him. “He told me all about it. That conversation got his hopes for the two of you up real high, and that was before he found out about the baby.”
“He knows about Amy Lynn?”
“Oh, yeah. We tried to stop it, but that tabloid has made the rounds. Janet finally decided it was pointless trying to keep it from him.”
“How’d he take it?”
“Needless to say, he’d be down here himself building a nursery, but Janet won’t let him do it since he came close to breaking a hip the last time he climbed up on a ladder. Don’t be surprised, though, if a whole crew shows up here later today with lumber and baby supplies. You know your grandpa once he gets a notion into his head.”
Harlan Patrick studied his father intently. “For a man who recently claimed he didn’t like Laurie, that she wasn’t good enough for me, you seem mighty amused by all of this.”
“It’s your opinion of her that counts. As for me, I’m reserving judgment on Laurie for the moment. Meantime, I have to admit, there’s nothing I like better than watching your granddaddy stir things up. Keeps him young.”
Despite the levity, something in his father’s voice stirred alarm. “He’s okay, isn’t he?” Harlan Patrick asked.
“He’s fine. You know your grandfather. He’s a stubborn old cuss. He’ll probably outlive us all, especially if there’s another grandbaby or great-grandbaby he feels the need to see settled in life. You’re his number-one project these days, so consider yourself warned.” His expression sobered. “You planning on coming back to work today? We could use the help.”
Guilt washed over Harlan Patrick. He’d left the ranch in a bind when he’d taken off, though his father had been gracious enough not to belabor the point. Still, he couldn’t just get back on his horse and ride off on some chore when his whole damned life was so unsettled.
“Never mind,” his father said before he could reply. “We’ll manage. You won’t be worth a hoot to us as long as Laurie’s on your mind. Just do me one favor.”
“What’s that?”
“Stop by the house and see your mother. She’s worried about you. Has been ever since you took off. She and Sharon Lynn were carrying on the night you left, blaming themselves for your going, for letting you get a glimpse of that picture. She won’t rest easy till she sees with her own eyes that you’re doing okay.”
“I’ll go by for breakfast on my way into town,” Harlan Patrick promised.
“That’ll make her happy. She’ll start the waffle iron the minute I tell her. From the day she married me and stopped working at Dolan’s, she’s happiest when she’s serving up a big breakfast. If we hadn’t had you kids, she would probably have taken over that lunch counter the way Sharon Lynn has done.”
“Surely you’re not complaining,” Harlan Patrick teased. “Seems to me nobody likes breakfast better than you, especially when you get a chance to sneak a kiss whenever Mom passes by the table. Better than sugar, you used to tell us.”
His father grinned. “It was and is.”
“Spare me the details,” Harlan Patrick replied. “Just tell Mom to make those waffles blueberry.”
“As if she’d make anything else but your favorite when she’s feeling a need to baby her youngest.” He put his hand on Harlan Patrick’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “You bring those gals of yours by when you can. I have to admit, I’m a little anxious to see my granddaughter, too.”
“I’ll have ’em out here just as soon as I can,” Harlan Patrick promised.
It was one vow he intended to keep before the end of the day. Whether he could get them to stay, though, was another matter entirely.
* * *
Harlan Patrick consumed a plateful of waffles and let his mother fuss over him for the better part of an hour before he insisted on getting into town to check on Laurie. The minute he was out of sight of the house and his mother’s watchful eyes, he hit the accelerator and drove into town at a pace all but guaranteed to have the local sheriff on his tail. Fortunately the local sheriff was his cousin Justin. He grinned when he saw the flashing lights behind him.
“Dammit, Harlan Patrick, you keep driving like that and I won’t have any choice except to give you a ticket,” Justin grumbled. He waved his citation book under Harlan Patrick’s nose before stuffing it