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

“Last January, we had five thousand dollars in savings and a thousand in checking,” Addy said. “Are you sure you’ve got the right numbers?”

“Looks like Mia has been pulling out money right along. Still want to transfer what’s left and maybe close out these accounts?” Betsy asked.

“No, leave them alone,” Addy said.

“Call me when you have time to come visit. I heard that Ricky and Mia are off on a vacation together. I didn’t even know they were dating,” Betsy said. “But then teenagers don’t tell mothers much, do they? I hope he’s nicer to her than he was to Justine. You do know that he’s the father of Justine’s baby, don’t you?”

Addy shivered. The situation with Ricky was even worse than she thought possible, and now Mia was all enamored with him. “I didn’t know, but I’m so, so sorry to hear that.”

“Guess we all have to pay for our decisions in some way,” Betsy said. “I should’ve paid more attention to the signs.”

“Amen to that.” Addy almost groaned, and wished she’d known about Ricky and Mia before things had gone this far.

“Here I am a grandmother at forty, so what can I say? At first Justine wouldn’t put Ricky’s name on the birth certificate, but one of our friends who is a lawyer told her to do so, so that she could sue him for child support. Justine said that she hoped that she never saw that boy again, and wishes she’d never let him talk her into that rose tattoo on her back. Oh, and one more thing before you hang up. I know you and Grady are good friends. Have you met his new girlfriend? She’s a ringer for Amelia.”

“Nope, but he keeps saying he’ll bring her around sometime,” Addy said. “Bye, now.” Addy ended the call and turned back to the Ryans, a dreadful knot in the pit of her stomach. “Mia has used all the money she had saved, and her checking account is almost dry. Between the two accounts, she’s got about sixty dollars, and Ricky O’Malley is the father of Justine’s new baby. Can it get any worse?”

“Whew, that’s a lot to take in,” Pearl said.

* * *



“Hey, anybody home?” Grady yelled from the front door.

“We’re back here!” Sonny hollered. “Come on in and have a glass of tea and some pie.”

Grady took a chair at the head of the table so that Addy was on his left. “That sounds good. I thought I’d stop and get copies of Sonny’s medical charts today since I can’t come by tonight. Got a long, boring meeting at the hospital, starting right after rounds.”

Addy got to her feet and poured Grady a glass of tea. Since the pie was already on the table, she took a dessert plate down from the cabinet and grabbed a fork from the cutlery drawer. “Will we see you before Sunday morning?”

“Doesn’t look like it.” He cut himself a large piece of pie. “The whole week is swamped down with meetings. That’s what I get for being head of the ER, but it’s also what I’ve worked for, so I can’t complain. How have things been here?”

“Same old, same old,” Sonny said. “But got to say, these new pills are keeping my problems at bay.”

“That’s great,” Grady said.

Couldn’t the man see that Addy was upset? Her eyes were swollen and red from crying, and every vibe coming off her spelled sadness in big bold letters. Jesse didn’t feel like he was in a position to say a word. If Addy wanted Grady to know what had happened that morning, she could tell him. But Jesse didn’t have to sit there and stew in his jealous juices.

He pushed his chair back. “I’m going to take my sandwich to go and help Henry mend fences. See y’all at supper.”

Grady didn’t even look up from his pie, but just waved.

Addy caught Jesse’s eye and mouthed, Thank you.

Sonny grabbed his cane and said, “I think I’ll go with you, son. I can’t help, but if you’ll park up under a shade tree, I’d sure enjoy watching.”

“Don’t forget your hat,” Pearl said. “And Jesse, pick up his lawn chair. It’s that long, red tube thing settin’ beside the washing machine. If he gets too hot, call me, and I’ll drive out and rescue him.”

“Will do.” Jesse waited for his father to head out the back door and then followed him.

“What was that all about? You jealous of Grady?” Sonny asked when they were in the truck. “He and Addy are just good friends. You ain’t got nothing to worry about with him.”

Jesse started the engine and drove around to the back of the house, then went through the procedure of opening and closing the gate. That gave him time to think about what his dad had asked before he answered.

“I guess I am jealous,” he admitted, “but as a friend. She deserves someone who can see she’s upset and has a lot on her mind. All Grady seems to be interested in today is Mama’s pecan pie. A real friend would invite her out to the porch and let her vent. I couldn’t sit there another second and watch her want him to ask about her day.”

Sonny nodded in agreement. “Ever think that maybe she’s not ready to tell him that you’re Mia’s father? That she just wants him to eat his pie and go so she can have some time to process all this? And speaking of Mia, how are you holding up after finding out you had a daughter all these years? I figured you’d be stomping holes in the porch floor or rippin’ and snortin’ around on that old dirt bike to get past the anger that Addy kept such a big secret for so long.”