Stunned silence.
“That’s why I didn’t want the firefighters taking chances. Damn place might as well burn to cinders, as much good as it’ll do us now.”
Hope cried softly.
I put my arm around her, and we watched the east wall cave in. Not a single wall was left standing. A sense of relief washed over me, but I kept my face somber.
Klapperich and Clayton Black seemed embarrassed by my confession of Gunderson money woes. I hadn’t embellished that part. Now with my retirement pay rolling in and a great calving season behind us, things were looking up.
“We’ll stick around and put out any embers until the last of it’s burned away.”
“I-we-appreciate it.”
Hope shook herself out of her stupor. “If you don’t need us, I have a baby to tend, and Mercy needs to get back in bed. She’s been sick all day.”
I ducked my face from view. The last thing I needed was Klapperich to ferret out my “sickness” being from breathing propane fumes while rigging this place to blow.
“No problem,” Clayton said. “Feel better, Mercy. And good luck in the election.”
“Thanks.” I noticed he hadn’t offered his support.
We walked back to the truck in silence. I didn’t argue that I was perfectly capable of driving when Hope snatched my keys.
Halfway home, she stomped on the brakes. My body jerked forward as we skidded sideways to a dead stop in the middle of the road. Before I could snap, “Jesus. A little warning next time?” she whirled on me.
“You didn’t think I deserved to know there wasn’t insurance on the Newsome property? Did you forget I own just as much of the goddamned Gunderson Ranch as you do? I should’ve been in on that decision.” She beat her fists on the steering wheel. “Dammit, Mercy, I felt like such an idiot standing there, not knowing any of this stuff.”
“Good.”
Hope’s mouth dropped open. “Good? That’s your response?”
“Yes. It’s about time. Since Joy came home from the hospital, you’ve shown an interest only in her. I understand babies need full-time care, and without doubt you are a great mother.”
“But?”
“But whenever I tried to talk to you about anything besides your baby, you tuned me out.”
Her hands opened and closed on the steering wheel.
“So yeah, since I was saddled with the books, I made some decisions.”
“You made them? Or you and Jake made them?”
“Just me.”
“Good, because Jake is a manager, not an owner,” she tossed back at me.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. But I preferred feisty Hope to fickle Hope. “What would you have done?”
“I would’ve put insurance on the Newsome property no matter what.”
“Something had to give, sis. I looked at the books and went eeny, meeny, miny, moe and picked the one we could do without at the time.”
“That’s no way to do the books,” Hope scoffed.
“If you think you can do a better job, you’re more than welcome to take over.”
“Seriously? You’d let me handle the book work for the ranch?”
The word no hovered on my tongue, but in truth, I couldn’t do it all. I didn’t want to do it all. Pretending I could handle every fucking thing thrown my way was beginning to feel more like a martyr complex than extreme efficiency. Everything would just get more complicated if I won the election. I sighed and rubbed my temples. Damn headache was back with a vengeance. “Yes. I’d gladly hand the books over to you if you’re serious enough to stick with it.”
The engine ticked, and her angry breaths slowed.
Her change in demeanor got my back up. I prepared myself for an epic fight. So I was completely stunned by Hope’s squeal of delight. Then she hugged me.
What the fuck? I was used to her abrupt mood changes, but this bordered on manic. From sadness to anger to delight in mere minutes? I squinted at her, wondering if she’d accidentally breathed in toxic smoke fumes.
Her laughter bubbled out. “Don’t look at me like I’ve lost my marbles. Doing the books is a rite of passage for the women in our family, and I’ve always wanted to do my part since I can’t do nothin’ else around the ranch. But Daddy claimed I didn’t have a head for numbers and refused to discuss it.”
Heat rose in my cheeks on her behalf. For all Dad’s good points, sometimes he could be downright mean. “To be honest, I think you’ll probably do a better job than me.”
“Really?”
“Really. It’s not my thing. So schedule an appointment with Carol. She’ll give you the lowdown on weekly stuff. I want to keep her on to file payroll taxes and all the rest of that junk. As far as day-to-day expenses? You’re in charge. You’ll be dealing with Jake. Will that cause problems in your relationship?”
“Nope. He’s already used to me calling the shots.”
That did make me laugh.
She hit the gas, and we were lost in our own thoughts on the way home. She parked and shut the truck off. Before I hopped out, she said, “Mercy, wait.”
“Look, Hope, before you say anything, I know you had your heart and mind set on living in the Newsome house. And I do understand that you want a home of your own for your family.” My grip tightened on the door handle. “I promise we’ll find you something. Even if we have to take out a loan and build you a new house, okay?”
“Okay. Jake don’t say much, but I know he’s not comfortable living in the house where his grandmother works as a housekeeper.”
“I know.”
“Are you mad?”
“No. But the deal is, no matter where you end up, Shoonga stays with me.”
She smiled crookedly. “You and that dog. You spoil him as much as Levi did.”
Levi. Just saying his name brought sadness that filled the air between us.
Hope whispered, “I miss him.”
“I know.” I swallowed hard. “I do, too.”
“Joy is… well, the joy of my life. But she’s not a replacement for my son. I think that’s why I don’t go out much. People in the community think I should be happy that I have another child. But having Joy hasn’t erased the pain of losing Levi. He’s still in my heart, and I wish to God he was still…” She sniffled. “Maybe that sounds stupid, but do you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I think I do.”
Hope wiped her tears. “Sorry. Anyway, I keep forgetting to thank you for the frog. Joy loves it.”
I squirmed. I wasn’t a good gift giver. Whenever I bought something new for my niece, I’d sneak into Hope’s bedroom and place the stuffed animals in Joy’s crib, or I’d set the clothes on Hope’s dresser. “Um. You’re welcome.”
“She needs you, too, you know. Beyond the cute outfits and toys you buy her. As she’s growing up she’ll need a strong woman to look up to.”
I was beginning to think my little sister was much stronger than I’d given her credit for. I reached for Hope’s hand and squeezed, then bailed out of the truck before either of us said something that would ruin the moment.
THIRTEEN
In my sleep-deprived state the next morning, I listened to proposed county budget cuts.
The proposed reallocation of state funds for the county school district.
The proposed budgetary restrictions on fire and ambulance services.
The proposed increases in county vehicle maintenance costs.
My head pounded. I knew nothing about any of this.
“Neither did he, Mercy. You’ll figure it out.”
I looked up at Kiki, startled I’d mumbled the words aloud.
“Didn’t you have to fill out requisition forms and stuff like that in the army?”
“No. The CO did it all, or I blackmailed someone into doing my portion.” I sorted through the sheaf of papers. “I can’t imagine my dad reading all this.”
“He did. Oh, he grumbled, but it was just for show. Wyatt loved scrutinizing yearly budgets and questioning the county commissioners on where they’d allocated the taxpayer’s money.” Kiki put her hand on my forearm. “We only gave you this so you’d have an overview before you debate Dawson. He’s been studying this budget for over a month, so you need to get up to speed.”