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Authors: Kristine Rolofson
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“No.” Her mother sighed. “I’ve tried so hard to get her to move into town with me, but you know how stubborn she is. And she makes me feelridiculous for worrying about her after we argue about it.”
“She loves that place.”
“Kate, honey, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses out there for Gran.”
“Because?”
“Gran’s first husband wasn’t anything to shake a stick at.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I don’t know how she did it. My father—Mother’s second husband—ran the grocery store. We lived in town until my father retired.”
“And that’s when they moved back to the ranch?”
“Yes. Your grandmother always ran the place, even when I was a little girl. We all spent weekends out there. She always was a really hard worker.”
“She’s a very strong person,” Kate said, wishing she had just one-tenth of that strength. Here she was, a twenty-seven-year-old woman in the prime of her life, and she felt ridiculously exhausted at the end of each day. “Why are you upset about her writing her memoirs, Mom? Do we really have family secrets?”
“I guess I don’t want everyone knowing our business,” she said, but Kate wondered if there was more to it than that.
“But Gran’s life is so unique, and she’s lived so long.”
“Long enough to know that you shouldn’t go stirring up the past and making folks remember things.”
“Remember things like what?”
Silence greeted that answer, so Kate tried again. “Was her first husband a criminal or something?”
“I am not going to discuss this with you, Kate.”
Bingo. The first husband, Hal Johnson, must have done something very wrong. And Martha didn’t want it rehashed, though he’d been dead long before Martha was born. Why would Martha be embarrassed by anything that Hal had done? It didn’t make sense, but maybe Gran would explain it all.
“Okay,” Kate said, then changed the subject. “Gran seems to be getting around pretty well, don’t you think? And her mind is just as sharp as it ever was.”
“I go out there every morning and every evening,” Martha said, her voice breaking as if she was trying not to cry. “Or sometimes I come out and spend the afternoon. It would be so much easier if she would move into town. I worry so.”
“What can I do to help? I know a week isn’t much but—”
“Would you stay with your grandmother out at the ranch for a few days?
“Of course,” Kate replied, glancing toward her mother. “Is that all?”
“It’s a lot,” she said. “Not that I don’t want you at the house with me, but if you were there I wouldn’t worry so much. And your grandmother listens to you. If you tell her she needs to move off of the ranch, she might just do it.”
“I don’t want to force her to leave the Lazy K, Mom.” In fact, she couldn’t picture her grandmother anywhere else but puttering around the old ranch house and wearing one of her faded print cotton dresses.
“None of us may have a choice much longer, Kate,” her mother warned. “One fall, one false step…it scares me to think of all the things that could happen to her and no one would be there to help her.”
“Dustin told me he doesn’t live in the foreman’s house because it’s too far away from Gran. The bunkhouse is only a short walk from the main house.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I think he looks out for her,” she said, picturing him hovering over her at the party. He was just as handsome as he ever was, she thought. More so, even. And the boy looked just like him. Each time she looked at him she remembered the pain she’d felt when she’d heard about Lisa Gallagher and herpregnancy. She shook off the memory. “Grandma loves having that little boy around.”
“He seems nice enough. I imagine he reminds her of your uncle Hank at that age.”
“No one ever really talks about Hank. What was he like?” Her mother’s half brother had died several years before Martha married Ian
“No.” Her mother sighed. “I’ve tried so hard to get her to move into town with me, but you know how stubborn she is. And she makes me feelridiculous for worrying about her after we argue about it.”
“She loves that place.”
“Kate, honey, it hasn’t always been a bed of roses out there for Gran.”
“Because?”
“Gran’s first husband wasn’t anything to shake a stick at.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I don’t know how she did it. My father—Mother’s second husband—ran the grocery store. We lived in town until my father retired.”
“And that’s when they moved back to the ranch?”
“Yes. Your grandmother always ran the place, even when I was a little girl. We all spent weekends out there. She always was a really hard worker.”
“She’s a very strong person,” Kate said, wishing she had just one-tenth of that strength. Here she was, a twenty-seven-year-old woman in the prime of her life, and she felt ridiculously exhausted at the end of each day. “Why are you upset about her writing her memoirs, Mom? Do we really have family secrets?”
“I guess I don’t want everyone knowing our business,” she said, but Kate wondered if there was more to it than that.
“But Gran’s life is so unique, and she’s lived so long.”
“Long enough to know that you shouldn’t go stirring up the past and making folks remember things.”
“Remember things like what?”
Silence greeted that answer, so Kate tried again. “Was her first husband a criminal or something?”
“I am not going to discuss this with you, Kate.”
Bingo. The first husband, Hal Johnson, must have done something very wrong. And Martha didn’t want it rehashed, though he’d been dead long before Martha was born. Why would Martha be embarrassed by anything that Hal had done? It didn’t make sense, but maybe Gran would explain it all.
“Okay,” Kate said, then changed the subject. “Gran seems to be getting around pretty well, don’t you think? And her mind is just as sharp as it ever was.”
“I go out there every morning and every evening,” Martha said, her voice breaking as if she was trying not to cry. “Or sometimes I come out and spend the afternoon. It would be so much easier if she would move into town. I worry so.”
“What can I do to help? I know a week isn’t much but—”
“Would you stay with your grandmother out at the ranch for a few days?
“Of course,” Kate replied, glancing toward her mother. “Is that all?”
“It’s a lot,” she said. “Not that I don’t want you at the house with me, but if you were there I wouldn’t worry so much. And your grandmother listens to you. If you tell her she needs to move off of the ranch, she might just do it.”
“I don’t want to force her to leave the Lazy K, Mom.” In fact, she couldn’t picture her grandmother anywhere else but puttering around the old ranch house and wearing one of her faded print cotton dresses.
“None of us may have a choice much longer, Kate,” her mother warned. “One fall, one false step…it scares me to think of all the things that could happen to her and no one would be there to help her.”
“Dustin told me he doesn’t live in the foreman’s house because it’s too far away from Gran. The bunkhouse is only a short walk from the main house.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“I think he looks out for her,” she said, picturing him hovering over her at the party. He was just as handsome as he ever was, she thought. More so, even. And the boy looked just like him. Each time she looked at him she remembered the pain she’d felt when she’d heard about Lisa Gallagher and herpregnancy. She shook off the memory. “Grandma loves having that little boy around.”
“He seems nice enough. I imagine he reminds her of your uncle Hank at that age.”
“No one ever really talks about Hank. What was he like?” Her mother’s half brother had died several years before Martha married Ian
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