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

“I’m still in shock,” Jesse answered. “If I would have asked when Mia’s birthday was, I could have figured it out on my own. I just figured that Addy had met someone at college or out in the Panhandle, and that’s why she stopped writing and calling me. I should have known we were better friends than that.”

“Should have, could have, would have,” Sonny said. “Those are all in the past. What are you going to do about the future?”

“I feel like I’m navigating uncharted waters at the dark of midnight in a horrible storm,” Jesse said. “I hope that someday Mia and I can have some kind of relationship, and that Addy and I can at least be friends like we used to be.”

“We didn’t even know you kids were dating,” Sonny said. “It wasn’t until she moved in with us and Pearl saw a picture of Mia when she was a little baby that we began to put things together. Those two pictures are identical. Then we did the math, and your mama remembered that Addy didn’t even come tell you goodbye on the morning we took you to the recruiter’s place. We figured y’all had had a falling-out, and that’s why she didn’t want anyone to know that you were the father.”

Jesse pulled the truck up under a shade tree, not far from where Henry and the boys were working. “We only had one night together, Dad. That last night before I left, and we both cried and swore we wouldn’t let that night ruin our friendship. She slipped out before daylight without even telling me goodbye.”

“Guess God had other plans,” Sonny said. “I just wish we would have known before Mia was fourteen. We could have done more to help them. And I damn sure wish I could get a hold of that kid she’s run off with. I would kick his ass all the way to the Gulf and then kick him off in the water.”

Jesse chuckled. “I’m sorry for all this mess, Dad. You sure don’t need all this stress when you are trying to keep this disease from getting worse.”

“Family don’t always mean there’s smooth sailin’, son. Sometimes the waters get rocky, but we’ve always got each other to lean on,” Sonny told him.

“Amen.” Jesse got out of the car and propped Sonny’s chair up against the tree. He set a bottle of water in the holder on the arm. “Thanks for coming along and supporting me today.”

“Anytime, son, anytime.” Sonny slid out of the truck and made his way to the chair.





Chapter Ten



Addy could not sleep at all that night. She tossed and turned, beat her pillow into submission, threw the covers off, then pulled them back up over her body, and finally gave up even trying. She padded down the dark hallway to the kitchen, got down the Jack Daniel’s, poured a double shot, and carried it out to the porch swing. The night was considerably cooler than the day had been. She had just set the swing in motion with her foot when Jesse walked up on the porch with a beer in his hands.

“You couldn’t sleep either?” He stopped the swing, sat down on the other end, and then set it in motion again.

“I keep going over the past nineteen years and wondering what turning point brought all this about. I think it was moving here. If we hadn’t come back to Honey Grove, she never would have met Ricky and made all these bad choices,” Addy said.

Jesse shook his head. “It’s plain that you’ve been a good mother, so stop blaming yourself.”

She took a sip of her whiskey. “Thanks for saying that, but if I hadn’t wanted to come back to Honey Grove, none of this would have happened.”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” Jesse said. “All you have to do is kick a mesquite bush or an old scrub oak tree and a dozen bad boys will come running out. There would have been someone like Ricky out there in the Panhandle. Those guys aren’t worth their salt, and they’re always lookin’ for an easy target. When they’re together full time, and she’s not doing something behind your back that seems thrilling right now, the novelty will wear off.”

Addy took a small sip of her whiskey. “I figured you’d be angrier than you are.”

“Shock can kill anger pretty quick,” he said. “We can’t undo what’s done, but we can move on. I’d like for her to know that I’m her father when she comes home.”

“If she comes home,” Addy said. “And it’s just been the two of us for so long, that I think it’s best if I tell her all by myself.”

“Oh, honey, she’ll come in here with her tail tucked between her legs, begging you to forgive her,” Jesse assured her. “And if you think it’s best to have that conversation with her by yourself, then that’s what you should do. I haven’t been in the picture enough to ask for any favors.”

“What makes you so sure that she’ll come home?” Addy asked.

“You and this ranch are her stability. When she gets tired of Ricky, she’ll want her roots again. I know because I came home,” he admitted. “That last hitch in the Air Force seemed like it took forever. By the last year, all I could think of was coming home to the ranch, wearing my cowboy boots, and never having to stand at attention again. Then I got scared that something would happen to me, and I’d never eat Mama’s cookin’ again or see Daddy before it was too late.”