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

“Everything seemed clear cut back then. Not so much right now.” She removed her hand and stood up. “We’d better go see how Pearl and Sonny are doing. I hope this doesn’t jack his blood pressure up too high. I probably should check it before dinner.”

“Face the music.” Jesse smiled.

“Sounds like the title of a country music song, doesn’t it?” Addy said.

“Would be a good one,” Jesse answered as he stood and extended a hand to help her up.

“We could write it for sure, couldn’t we?” She put her hand in his and smiled up at him. “Thanks for understanding.”

“Always.” He winked like he used to when they were in high school.

“I was afraid you’d—” she started.

He laid a finger over her lips. “I could never be mad at you for looking out for me. We’re best buddies, remember?”

“Always.” She laid a hand on his cheek, turned, and went into the house.

“You’re just in time for dinner,” Pearl called out from the kitchen

Addy checked Sonny for signs of high blood pressure as she went into the kitchen. His face wasn’t flushed, but his eyes were red, no doubt from crying. She hoped that he had stood firm in front of Mia and she hadn’t seen that she had upset him to the point of tears.

“How are you holding up after all this drama?” Addy asked. “Should we do a midday check on your vital signs? Jacked-up blood pressure isn’t good.”

“About like you, I suppose, and we should check him over after we eat,” Pearl answered for him as she wiped her eyes on the tail of her apron. “But we’re getting it all sorted out, and we’re so glad she came home. She could have been too stubborn to even come back.”

“Did she apologize and talk to you about a job?” Addy asked.

“She was very sorry,” Sonny said. “I believe it was harder on me to be firm with her than it was when I had to make you responsible for your mistakes, Jesse.”

“She has to learn, but that don’t mean it’s easy on us,” Pearl added.

“So what’s the verdict?” Jesse asked.

“She has to work for minimum wage. She’s not a boss over any of the summer help because she quit her job without notice. She has to report to you every morning and work beside you,” Pearl said.

“That’s for both of you, so y’all can get to know each other,” Sonny explained. “She has to tell her mama where she’s going and when she will be back, and if we catch her lying, she’s fired. All this is only if you see fit to hire her.”

Jesse cocked his head toward Addy. “Did you call them before she got here? This sounds a lot like what you told her.”

She nodded. “While you were loading the alpaca feed, I called and asked them to back me up, and to add in anything else that would teach her a lesson. I didn’t want them to be shocked or feel sorry for her when she walked into the house looking like something the dogs drug up.”

“That was a smart move,” Jesse said.

Addy heard footsteps in the hallway and busied herself getting chips from the pantry. Mia looked a little better after her shower, but she still needed a good night’s sleep and maybe some ice packs for her swollen eyes. She took her normal place beside her mother at the table and bowed her head for grace.

Sonny’s prayer was a little longer that day, and when he finished, there was a lump in Addy’s throat the size of a lemon. At that moment, Addy would have given anything if she could have told Mia that Jesse was her father. She wanted nothing more than to hold her daughter and tell her that she would be working beside Jesse so that she could get to know him. But deep in her heart she knew that she shouldn’t rush things. Mia had to really get to know Jesse first.

Mia took two sandwiches from the platter and piled chips on the side. “I’m starving,” she said. “I only had a hot dog and some chips all day yesterday. I had no idea how much gas money I needed to get here, so I was afraid to use too much for food.”

“Well, you are home now,” Pearl said. “We’re happy that you made it. Eat good. If Jesse hires you, you’ll have a long afternoon of work ahead of you.”

She didn’t even glance his way but kept her eyes on her plate. “What’s for supper?”

“Chicken pot pies and banana cake for dessert,” Pearl answered. “Pretty simple food after you’ve been having all that fancy stuff from a Las Vegas buffet. Sonny and I thought about going to Vegas a few times to see the bright lights and some of the shows, but it just never worked out.”

“Nana, I’d rather be sitting right here in this kitchen eating sandwiches than in that fancy hotel blowing all my money on food and the poker tables,” Mia said.

“I can add a hearty amen to that,” Jesse said. “I felt the same when I was able to get home for visits. My job with the Air Force was often dangerous and exciting, but there’s nothing like home.” He reached for a sandwich at the same time Addy did.

His fingertips brushed against hers, sending her on an emotional roller coaster that brought back memories of the day and the weeks after he had left.

The timing had just never been right.

Addy’s grandmother’s voice was clear in her head. I told you to tell your baby’s father about her. If you had, you wouldn’t be facing this turmoil today.