Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (The Ryan Family #1) by Carolyn Brown

Tommy sure didn’t look anything like she had imagined. He might be as tall as Anna Grace, but not if she was wearing her signature Prada shoes. He had golden skin, jet-black hair, a round face, and a tattoo of a dreamcatcher on his arm. He wore black-rimmed glasses, a faded T-shirt, and well-worn jeans.

“I’d love a snack,” Tommy said. “When Anna Grace called me to say that she was really moving out, I didn’t even take time to get a bite of supper. It’s a wonder I didn’t wind up with a speeding ticket.”

“It seemed like hours instead of thirty minutes until he arrived,” Anna Grace said as the two of them entered the house. “I hope it’s all right if I already put my things away.”

Cricket carried the container of leftovers to the kitchen and took a half-gallon jar of sweet tea from the refrigerator. “Y’all help yourselves, and Tommy, you are welcome here anytime, but be forewarned, if you arrive right after six any day of the week, I might make you help harvest vegetables from our garden.”

“Not a problem. I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, and I know all about gardening. My granddad is a member of the Chickasaw tribe, and he thinks that all children need to learn about the land and about growing food.” Tommy removed the lid from the container. “Oh, man! This all looks so good. Thanks for bringing stuff home for us. Come on, darlin’, let’s dig in.” He picked up a mushroom and fed it to Anna Grace.

“My God,” she gasped. “That is amazing, and those cupcakes are homemade, aren’t they?”

“Yep.” Cricket nodded. “You’ll judge all chocolate cake by them forever after you take the first bite. Y’all make yourselves at home. I’m going to have a shower and go to bed.”

“Thanks again,” Anna Grace said. “What time do I need to set my alarm for?”

“Six thirty, but I’m surprised that your folks let you keep your phone?” Cricket asked.

“I have a clock, and I’ll be getting one of those pay-as-you-go phones at the Dollar Store tomorrow,” Anna Grace answered. “My mother checked my purse and took away all my credit cards, my phone, and wouldn’t even let me bring my hair dryer or curling iron with me. I have one month to change my mind about all this, she says, or they’ll take me out of the will.”

Tommy gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead. “You’ll survive. You are strong, and I love you.”

“Good night.” Cricket left them to encourage each other and headed down the short hallway to the bathroom, which she now had to share with Anna Grace. She turned the water on in the shower, put the toilet lid down, and sat on it. She fetched her phone out of the pocket of her dress and called Jennie Sue.

“You’re never going to believe what I did today, and what happened tonight,” she said.

* * *



Cricket was whipping up eggs in a bowl when Anna Grace came in the kitchen the next morning. “You can make the toast. Put two slices in the toaster oven.”

“I usually just have a kale shake for breakfast.” Anna Grace yawned and looked around for bread. “What’s a toaster oven, and I don’t see a loaf of bread.”

“I make our bread. It’s in the green plastic box right there by the toaster oven.” She pointed toward the small appliance sitting on the cabinet. This was going to be a bigger chore than she’d thought. Hopefully, Anna Grace was a fast learner. “The bread has been sliced. All you have to do is put two slices in the tray, close the door, and turn the knob to toast.”

Anna Grace followed the directions without being told a second time. Cricket kept a close eye on her while she scrambled eggs to go with the bacon she had already fried.

“Now take it out and smear butter on it. You’ve eaten in enough restaurants to know how to do that,” Cricket said.

“I made toast!” Anna Grace beamed as she carefully spread butter on the thick slices of homemade bread. “This smells so good. How do you make it?”

“That’s a lesson for another month.” Cricket finished the eggs and piled them up on a plate beside six slices of crispy bacon. “Pour two mugs of coffee while I get the orange juice.”

“Mother would scream at me for eating like this,” Anna Grace sighed. “I’ve been taught my whole life that you can never be too thin or too rich.”

Cricket set the plate of eggs and bacon on the table, then brought out a half-gallon container of juice. “I guess those are two lessons you’ll have to unlearn. I’ll say grace this morning. We’ll take turns. Tomorrow it will be your turn.” She sat down and bowed her head.

“Thank you, Cricket,” Anna Grace said when the short prayer ended. “I’ve never prayed out loud before.”

“Another lesson you’ll learn here.” Cricket served herself half the eggs and three pieces of bacon, then passed the plate over to Anna Grace. She poured herself a glass of juice, slid the jug over toward Anna Grace, and picked up a piece of the toast from a plate that was in the middle of the table.

“We never ate together except at dinners when we had guests.” Anna Grace followed Cricket’s lead and put the rest of the eggs and bacon on her plate.

Cricket hoped that Anna Grace learned to like this new world because, from what Tommy had said, this was the kind of upbringing he had had. If she didn’t learn to be independent, all the love she had for him might not be enough.