Page 45 of The Cowboy's Country Charm

“Over thirty years. Hard to believe.”

“You look the same, Sylvia. As pretty and bright as a shiny new penny.”

Sylvia laughed. “Thank you, but I think Rusty needs to make you an appointment with the eye doctor. The years have been kind to you as well, Jewel. Seems like ranch life agrees with you.”

“It does. Rusty may have told you that we sold it recently. But kept it in the family, at least. Wyoming winters are just too harsh for Ian’s arthritis. He’s sorry he can’t be here. He promised our son-in-law that he’d go with him to the meat brokers over the border in South Dakota. They’ve got some negotiating to do.”

“I’m sorry to miss him, but I am so happy to see you again.”

The coffeemaker beeped. “Let me get the coffee and pie,” his mom said.

“I’ll get it, Mom. You sit and talk with Sylvia.” Rusty rose. Mom had everything set out and the pie cut, so all he had to do was pour, shovel, and place as he listened to their conversation.

“I always felt bad about how I left,” his mother said. “You know, in the middle of the year. I hope you forgave me.”

“Nothing to forgive. Life happens. You followed your heart, and happiness was your reward, by the look of things.”

“Very happy. It’s been a wonderful life. A wonderful place to raise our family. And Ian is the best husband I could have ever asked for. That’s why I couldn’t let him get away. I knew if he kept on that circuit, some other pretty young gal would snare him for her own. I had to strike while the iron was hot.”

Rusty slid back into his seat, coffee and a slice of pie in front of each place. Nice to hear that his mother had no regrets. He’d often wondered, especially since she’d always emphasized education for her children. “Hear tell it, Dad had to chase you.”

Jewel chuckled. “Well, I didn’t want to seem too easy to get. Let’s just say, we both jumped at the chance to be together. And since your grandparents were more than ready for help with the ranch, it worked out for everyone involved.”

“So Ian gave up rodeo for you?” Sylvia took a bite of pie and made a humming noise.

“I think he was ready to ranch. He still rodeoed on a weekend here and there, but he was a bareback rider, and it takes its toll on your joints and your spine. He’s still paying for it, not that he would have traded the experience for all the world. That’s how we met, after all. And how’s everything with you, Sylvia? I had heard you married a lawyer, but I didn’t keep up with news from our school, so I didn’t know he’d become a state senator, much less that he was Kristy’s father.”

“Well, that’s the best of my life so far, my daughter.” Sylvia pointed to the half-eaten piece of pie. “This is just yummy, Jewel. Thank you.” Sylvia took a sip of coffee before continuing. “My marriage didn’t work out quite so well as yours. I’m divorced from Kristy’s father. But the silver lining is that it forced me to put to use some of my education. I opened my own interior design business, have had it for a number of years now, and it’s doing pretty well. I’m proud of it, just as I’m proud of my daughter.”

“Must be great to build up an enterprise like that, but I imagine doing that and raising a child was not easy. You only have the one?”

“Kristy is my one and only and the joy of my life.” Sylvia shifted her gaze to Rusty, as if to emphasize the point. If her message was that he needed to treat Kristy well, message was received and consistent with his intentions.

“Seems she’s following in your entrepreneurial footsteps, and her ideas for the big charity event she’s planning are just super.”

“How weird is it that Kristy and Rusty are now dating?” Sylvia looked from Rusty to Jewel.

“It’s unbelievable.”

As they finished the pie, Sylvia took the lead. “I’m sure you have things to do, Rusty. Why don’t you leave Jewel and me to talk about old times?”

Rusty felt like a spider had just run up his back. But he rose, taking the not-so-subtle hint. “Kristy and I are just starting to get to know each other, so no talking about us.”

His mother chuckled. “Like that’snotgoing to happen.”

Chapter 13

Kristy curled up on one end of the couch, wineglass in hand, while her mother sat on the other end. Her aunt Betty and Ariel had gone out to for the apartment after Sylvia and Ariel had discussed decorating ideas, so it was just Kristy and her mom. All the better, because Kristy was dying to discuss her mother’s tête-à-tête with Jewel.

Kristy had thrown on a pair of gray sweats, her go-to at-home-and-doing-nothing choice of apparel. And surprisingly, her mother had followed suit, donning a black pair. Kristy didn’t know her mother even owned a pair of sweatpants. Of course, her mother’s had some bling added to it at the hem.

“Sooo, what did you guys talk about? Inquiring minds want to know.” Kristy took a sip of wine.

Her mother’s perfectly shaped right eyebrow arched. “Our mutual sorority friends for one. We only overlapped a semester before she left to get married but she’d been there two years already, so we knew some of the same gals and I’ve kept in touch with a few.”

“What was she like in college?” If Kristy was dating Jewel’s son, it would be good to better understand the mother.

“Bright. She tutored me in statistics, I remember. I got a B, I think, but without her help, I would have gotten a D for sure. Thank goodness I get my clients from word of mouth and don’t have to do market research. But that’s why everyone was so surprised, shocked really, when she didn’t return. We all thought she had gotten pregnant, but seeing Rusty is her oldest, that evidently wasn’t the case. As I recall from a picture she once showed me, Ian was a handsome guy. Like his son.” She nodded in Kristy’s direction. “But to just chuck it all for love, well, there’s a lesson there.”

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