Read Online Milk Money by Cecelia Dowdy - Free Book Online

matched her outfit, and Emily could hear Kelly’s disappointment. “I’ve wasted my whole day getting ready for Martin, only to be disappointed.”
    “Did you call him?” Emily asked.
    Kelly raised her eyebrows, scowling at Emily. “Of course not. If I call him, he’ll see how anxious I am.”
    Christine spoke. “Maybe you should call him anyway. Something might have happened. What if he was in an accident or something?”
    Kelly widened her eyes. “Do you think something could have happened to him?”
    “It’s hard to say,” Emily said. “Why don’t you call him, and if he doesn’t answer, you could leave him a message.”
    Kelly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and pressed a few buttons. She spoke into the receiver, leaving Martin a message. She snapped her phone shut. “Hopefully he’ll call me back tonight or tomorrow.”
    Christine spoke. “I wanted you all to see my new purse.”
    Emily fingered the expensive handbag, and Kelly rolled her eyes. “You know you can’t afford that, Christine. If you want my advice—”
    “Which I don’t.”
    Kelly pursed her lips. “Whatever. But don’t come crying to me to borrow money when you can’t pay your bills. If you want to do what’s good for you, you’d take that purse back to the store tomorrow.”
    Emily had learned a long time ago that you couldn’t reason with Christine. She decided to tell them about the discussion she’d had earlier with Frank. “You’ll never believe what Frank told me tonight.” She glanced at the clock. “I wanted to call Mom and talk to her about it, but I’m sure she’s in bed now.” She told them what Frank said about the files he’d found on her father’s computer, implying he may have been planning to sell their farm shortly before his death.
    “Whoa!” Kelly interjected. “That’s deep. Do you think your stepmom knew about this?”
    Emily shrugged. “I don’t know. I sense she might be trying to protect me from something….” She thought about it for a few minutes. “It makes my head spin when I think about it too much. My father is the last person who would sell this place. He always said he would farm until he died.” She covered her lips when tears came to her eyes. “And he did farm until he died.” Her mouth quivered, and she went to the sink and got a glass of water. A few tears spilled onto her cheeks, and Kelly and Christine were beside her in seconds, hugging her. “I miss Daddy so much, guys. It hurts so bad.”
    Christine squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “I wish there was something I could do for you. With the Lord’s help, it won’t hurt so much after a while.” Emily breathed deeply and wiped her eyes. Kelly handed her tissues, and Emily dried her eyes and drank her water.
    “There’s nothing anybody can do to make me feel better.” They returned to the table as she continued to speak. “You know, I feel like such a loser.”
    “Why?” asked Kelly.
    “I loved my dad and I miss him, but I seem to be the only one in my family who’s taking his death so hard.” She gestured toward the phone. “When I talk to Laura, she sounds happier than she was here at the farm. It almost makes me wonder if she’s planning on never coming back.”
    Kelly slapped Emily’s arm. “Stop saying such nonsense. She’ll come home. I’m sure a change of scenery is helping her deal with her grief. What about your sister?”
    “You know I only hear from Sarah when she needs something. Since she doesn’t live nearby, it’s not like I can just drop by her house and commiserate about Dad.”
    Christine sighed. “Emily, you can always call your sister. I’m sure she’d find the time to talk to you. Besides, you don’t know how Sarah is dealing with your father’s death.”
    Emily shook her head before changing the subject. “You know, I was cleaning up earlier, and I found a stack of programs from my dad’s funeral service. Remember my cousin Monica?”
    Christine nodded. “Yeah,