Daisies in the Canyon(3)

“What is that?” Abby sniffed the air.

“It’s a small community down here in the canyon. Folks brought covered dishes for our dinner. It’s a respect thing,” he said. “We’ll eat after you hear what Jackson Bailey has to say. I asked the sheriff, Cooper Wilson, to join us for lunch.”

“Why?”

“Because he was Ezra’s friend and I wanted to. You got a problem with that?”

“Not unless he puts a hand toward my piece of fried chicken,” she said. That smart-ass remark brought a picture of his hands to her mind. Strong, wide hands that looked as if they’d know how to please a woman. A tingle shot down her spine when she let her mind wander, thinking about just how his hands would feel on her. She quickly blinked away the image and concentrated on her surroundings.

The house faced the east and the living room sported a big window looking out on the porch and over the front of the property. While he drank his morning coffee, Ezra probably sat in the well-worn old leather recliner and watched the Texas sunrises. Abby dropped her duffel bag beside suitcases and plastic bags tied in knots at the top and did her best to ignore the recliner.

The room looked like it had been arranged by a man interested in comfort instead of beauty. The sofa took up most of the space on the back wall, with the recliner and an end table at one end and a floor lamp at the other. The coffee table testified by the scuff marks that lots of boots had been propped on it through the years. Two wooden rockers faced the cold fireplace, but Rusty had turned them around, making a semicircle. Without waiting for the ladies to sit, he’d claimed one chair. The prissy sister sat in the one next to him.

“If we’ve got folks coming, we’d best bring in some kitchen chairs,” the hippie sister said.

Abby noticed the sparkly diamond stuck in the side of her nose when she passed her. No, sir, that girl wouldn’t make it past the first week, much less a whole year. The only sound in the house was the scrape of two chairs being dragged across the floor. Hippie sister ignored the recliner and sat down in a wooden chair. Abby took the second one.

“There’s only three people coming,” Rusty said. “And there’s a recliner right there.”

“This is fine,” Abby said.

Someone rapped on the door, and Rusty yelled, “Come on in.”

The sheriff walked in, followed by a tall, dark cowboy and a very pregnant lady with flaming red hair.

Rusty stood up and made introductions. “This is Jackson Bailey and his wife, Loretta, and Cooper Wilson. Jackson owns Lonesome Canyon on one side of Malloy Ranch. Cooper’s ranch is on the other side. Y’all come on in and have a seat. We were waiting on Jackson to explain things before we had dinner. Y’all are welcome to stay and eat with us.”

“Smells good in here. Ezra would have liked the idea of a dinner for his daughters,” Cooper said.

Dammit! Why did he have to have a deep Texas drawl to go with those brown eyes? He could have had a name like Andy or maybe Greg, to cancel things out, but not Cooper. Before Abby could blink, she’d already conjured up a picture of him whispering sweet words in her ear that sent her hormones reeling.

Get a hold of yourself, woman. At the outside best, you’ll be here one year and then you will sell this rotten piece of earth to the highest bidder. Remember your rules for life: number one is that you don’t start things you can’t finish.

Abby inhaled deeply. She didn’t give a damn what Ezra had liked in life or after death. He hadn’t even cared enough to take a look at her when she was born and he hadn’t been around to see one single solitary accomplishment in her life, so he didn’t deserve the right to call her daughter after he was dead.

Loretta sat between the two men and smiled brightly. “We know that you didn’t know Ezra, but we are sorry for your loss all the same. I can see y’all three got his blue eyes. He and I were friends of a sort, even though he was quite a character. Welcome to the canyon. It’s kind of bare right now, but in a few weeks when the wildflowers pop up, it’s lovely. Bluebonnets, wild daisies, coreopsis, and flowering cactus sure give it a different look. And trust me when I say it grows on you. The sunsets are beautiful and pretty soon you’ll wonder why you ever wanted to live anywhere else.”

It would take six bags of chips and at least a dozen of those little chocolate bars to wipe out the anger in Abby’s heart. Ezra could have a relationship with Loretta but not with his own daughters. That was just plain wrong.

Jackson combed back his dark hair with his fingers, laid a hand on Loretta’s knee, and said, “Ezra asked me to be the executor of his will and I brought a copy with me to leave here for you three to go over. But to cut past the legal jargon, the deal is like this. Rusty will pay each of you on Friday evening for forty hours of work at minimum wage. Room and board is provided. Rusty will bring in staples once a week. If you want anything he hasn’t bought, then it’s up to you to buy it yourself.”

“I wasn’t expecting a salary,” Abby said.

“The money is yours if you sit on the porch and do nothing or if you learn the business of ranching. Rusty will teach you if you have a mind to learn. Next item. Ezra died on New Year’s Day. Whoever is still here on that day one year from now inherits this ranch. If anyone of you wants to buy out the other two, there will be enough money to do that in the money he has left to you. If you leave before the year is up, you get your share of the money but relinquish any rights to the ranch. So if any of you want to go today, you can leave here a fairly wealthy woman. That’s your choice. Just call me or tell Rusty when you are ready to go and we’ll take care of the rest.”