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

Tex bounded out over the top of Jesse’s legs the second that the truck stopped, and the dog set up a howl as he chased a rabbit into a mesquite thicket not far from the barn. Jesse didn’t stop to watch the race but rather headed straight on into the tack room and went to the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

Mia came out of the tiny bathroom and propped her hands on her hips. “I’ll take care of this. You can call it a day.”

“I don’t need any help, Mia. I want to work the rest of the day in here. I need to reacquaint myself with where everything is. Tomorrow, I’m going to make sure my old four-wheeler and my dirt bike are completely in running order. I want to know if I’ve got all the tools I need or if I need to make a trip over to Bonham,” Jesse said.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Her green eyes flashed anger.

“All right then, I’ll make a suggestion. You said that you needed to do some computer work in the office when we were eating breakfast. Maybe you could do that, and let me have some time out here,” Jesse said.

“I’m nineteen years old, and I’ve worked on this place more in the past few years than you have. Hell, I’ve worked on a ranch more than you have since you left this one.” Mia glared at him.

“Yes, you have, but I’ve got about twenty years of life experience that you don’t have, and I had eighteen years of ranch work under my belt before I left here, so you can shed your pissy attitude. It would break Mama and Daddy’s heart to know that the two of us couldn’t work together, so let’s start all over and try to get along.” Jesse pulled a wooden box out from under the worktable.

“Hmphh,” Mia all but snorted. “Don’t test me.”

“Same back at you.” Jesse started to reach out and brush a spider from her hair but kept his hands to himself.

She inhaled so deeply that she almost busted the buttons off her shirt, and then let it out in a whoosh. “I don’t like you.”

“That’s plain as a snout on a hog’s nose. I don’t have any idea why, but you can get over it,” he chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded.

“Your mother could get on a soap box pretty quick when she was your age. She had that same fire in her eyes, and the same attitude,” Jesse said.

“Don’t you bring Mama into this,” Mia said. “This is between us.”

“I think maybe you’ve got a burr under your saddle because of something else going on in your life. You blushed when Pete mentioned Ricky. Who are those boys anyway?” Jesse asked.

“That’s my business and not a bit of yours. I saw the way Mama was lookin’ at you. I know you were friends, but you left her behind, so leave her alone now. She and Grady are good friends. She doesn’t need another guy friend.” Mia glared at him.

“You don’t even know me. I’d hoped we could get along with each other. The folks have sung your praises every time I’ve talked to them. Why have you taken such a dislike to me when we’ve just met?” Jesse asked.

“Integrity,” Mia answered, then stomped across the room and slammed the door behind her.

* * *



Addy’s hair was still damp from her shower when she checked Sonny’s vital signs and wrote down her findings on his chart. With the new trial medicine, Grady insisted that Sonny’s blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature be recorded twice a day. Bless his heart, he’d stopped by that morning for a second time just to see if she was all right. He’d said he could feel the tension at the breakfast table, and he wanted to know if she needed to talk. She had assured him that she was fine, and he’d given her a friendly hug and gone on his way.

“I’m glad Jesse is home,” Sonny said. “I’d like for all three of my boys to come back to Honey Grove, but to have Jesse is special. He’ll always be our first.”

“Seems like just yesterday that we adopted him,” Pearl sighed.

“Hopefully, he’ll take some of the worry about this place off you,” Addy said as she put her stethoscope back into her little tote bag, “and I agree about time slipping by. Seems like only yesterday that Jesse and I graduated from high school, and he left to go to the Air Force. It’s like time stood still, and he’s only been gone a few hours.”

“That’s the way of it when really good friends get together again,” Sonny said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s two years or two months. True friendship don’t know time or distance.”

“I guess that’s right about me and Jesse. The heart doesn’t know about time and years, does it?” Addy agreed.

“No, it doesn’t,” Pearl said.

Mia came into the kitchen in a whirlwind. Her long, brown hair was twisted up on top of her head in a messy bun that was still a little damp from her shower. “What can I do to help?”

“Set the table and then get the butter and strawberry jam out of the fridge,” Pearl said. “Jesse is going to be starving. He took a biscuit with him this morning, and that’s all he’s had all day. He’s always loved hot rolls with my jam on them.”

“I suppose he’s going to want to go over the books, too?” Mia asked.

Addy could tell from her daughter’s tone that the idea wasn’t setting too well with her. “And why wouldn’t he? He needs to see what’s going on here on Sunflower.”