sure had the charmer role down pat. Almost everything out of his mouth seemed to be a compliment—not that she was complaining. “Lucky for you, I’m a big softy. As a teenager, I never could resist a stray. Dogs. Cats. Once I adopted a baby raccoon.”
“Raccoon?” He cringed. “I’m afraid I’d have to draw the line there.”
She laughed. “Yeah. My grandfather wasn’t too happy about it either. It was a good thing the animal moved on once it got a little older and could feed itself.”
His bowl empty, Tyler braced his bulging forearms on the edge of the table and leaned forward a bit. “So, you’ve got family around here?”
“No.” If she had, she wouldn’t feel so alone. “My mom died of MS when I was in high school. Multiple sclerosis,” she elaborated for him, just in case.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. Anyway, her illness was a strain on my dad. More than he could handle, I guess. He got married six months after Mom died. The woman had young kids from another marriage, so he moved away and made a new family with her.” Janie tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. She wasn’t sure if she had succeeded or not.
As an only child, the task of tending to her ailing mother had fallen to her. At fifteen years old, when other girls were hanging out with their friends, she’d gone directly home to take care of her mother. Right up until things had gotten so bad they’d had to get a nurse in. Meanwhile, judging by the speed with which her father remarried, she had no doubt he’d been seeing the woman before her mother died.
Tyler’s eyes widened. “What about you?”
“I suppose I could have moved with him, if I’d wanted to. He wouldn’t have abandoned me, but I moved in here with my grandfather instead.”
“So this was your grandfather’s place?”
“Yeah. My mother had grown up on this ranch. This is where I’d spent summers my whole life. It was better for everyone that I came here, believe me. Gramps was getting up in years, so it was good for him to have the company. And I’d always loved this place. There’s history. He and my grandmother bought this ranch right after they got married. They built this house and added the outbuildings as they could afford them. There are good memories here.” She realized she was getting sentimental and long-winded, and cut herself short.
Tyler had let her go on talking, and probably would have for as long as she wanted to continue. He paid attention, but didn’t interrupt. Once she’d stopped, he nodded. “It sounds like it was good you were here.”
This conversation had Janie thinking about the past she rarely revisited. She didn’t mind so much. It was better to remember than to forget. “Yeah. I think so, too. Anyway, the answer to your question is no. No family around here. I have a close girlfriend in town, but she’s got her hands full with a daughter who keeps her busy, as well as a husband, so we don’t see each other as much as we used to. The people at the church are supportive, but . . .”
“You don’t want to impose on them,” he finished for her.
“Yeah.” She let out a short laugh. “There’s that, and I can’t picture most of them helping me harvest my hay.”
He smiled. “I’m thinking you’re right. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll handle it.”
She still felt his generosity was too much. “I’m going to give you a percentage of whatever money that hay brings in.”
“Janie. Stop.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“All right.” He held up a hand to end her protest.
“We’ll revisit this subject later. Let’s get it cut and sold before we debate any more about it. Okay?”
“Okay.” That she would agree to.
She still wasn’t sure that field was the gold mine Tyler predicted it would be. Then again, what did she know? Tom had always handled the finances, and as she’d told Tyler earlier, they’d never sold their hay before. It had always been for
“Raccoon?” He cringed. “I’m afraid I’d have to draw the line there.”
She laughed. “Yeah. My grandfather wasn’t too happy about it either. It was a good thing the animal moved on once it got a little older and could feed itself.”
His bowl empty, Tyler braced his bulging forearms on the edge of the table and leaned forward a bit. “So, you’ve got family around here?”
“No.” If she had, she wouldn’t feel so alone. “My mom died of MS when I was in high school. Multiple sclerosis,” she elaborated for him, just in case.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. Anyway, her illness was a strain on my dad. More than he could handle, I guess. He got married six months after Mom died. The woman had young kids from another marriage, so he moved away and made a new family with her.” Janie tried to keep the bitterness from her voice. She wasn’t sure if she had succeeded or not.
As an only child, the task of tending to her ailing mother had fallen to her. At fifteen years old, when other girls were hanging out with their friends, she’d gone directly home to take care of her mother. Right up until things had gotten so bad they’d had to get a nurse in. Meanwhile, judging by the speed with which her father remarried, she had no doubt he’d been seeing the woman before her mother died.
Tyler’s eyes widened. “What about you?”
“I suppose I could have moved with him, if I’d wanted to. He wouldn’t have abandoned me, but I moved in here with my grandfather instead.”
“So this was your grandfather’s place?”
“Yeah. My mother had grown up on this ranch. This is where I’d spent summers my whole life. It was better for everyone that I came here, believe me. Gramps was getting up in years, so it was good for him to have the company. And I’d always loved this place. There’s history. He and my grandmother bought this ranch right after they got married. They built this house and added the outbuildings as they could afford them. There are good memories here.” She realized she was getting sentimental and long-winded, and cut herself short.
Tyler had let her go on talking, and probably would have for as long as she wanted to continue. He paid attention, but didn’t interrupt. Once she’d stopped, he nodded. “It sounds like it was good you were here.”
This conversation had Janie thinking about the past she rarely revisited. She didn’t mind so much. It was better to remember than to forget. “Yeah. I think so, too. Anyway, the answer to your question is no. No family around here. I have a close girlfriend in town, but she’s got her hands full with a daughter who keeps her busy, as well as a husband, so we don’t see each other as much as we used to. The people at the church are supportive, but . . .”
“You don’t want to impose on them,” he finished for her.
“Yeah.” She let out a short laugh. “There’s that, and I can’t picture most of them helping me harvest my hay.”
He smiled. “I’m thinking you’re right. But you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I’ll handle it.”
She still felt his generosity was too much. “I’m going to give you a percentage of whatever money that hay brings in.”
“Janie. Stop.”
“No, I’m serious.”
“All right.” He held up a hand to end her protest.
“We’ll revisit this subject later. Let’s get it cut and sold before we debate any more about it. Okay?”
“Okay.” That she would agree to.
She still wasn’t sure that field was the gold mine Tyler predicted it would be. Then again, what did she know? Tom had always handled the finances, and as she’d told Tyler earlier, they’d never sold their hay before. It had always been for
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