Page 119 of Grit
“She’s surrounded by people who love her,” Greg said. “That’s the best you can ever hope to have for your children.” He nodded at Cary. “We can stay.”
“If it gets too late, the guesthouse is done,” Melissa said. “You and Bev are welcome to stay. It really turned out nice.”
“We’ll see,” Greg said. “The trailer has living quarters too.”
He walked over to the horse corral and stood next to Bev, the two of them watching Abby show Sunny around his new home. PJ was as excited as Abby. He was the most social of the Oxford horses and the only one Cary felt comfortable riding.
Melissa leaned against the fence. Cary put his arm around her.
“You changed the sheets in the bunkhouse, right?”
She smiled. “Yes. Definitely.”
“Good.”
Melissa leaned her chin on the fence post. “What did she write in that letter, Cary?”
“I can’t remember the exact words, but it was along the lines of what she just told you. She said she was angry at them for trying to hurt the ranch because it was her home. She was angry that they bought her a horse, but she couldn’t keep it even though she could take care of him.”
“She made a list for that one?”
“Five points with additional subpoints, including approximate yearly cost of feed and her projected income from goat-milk soap.”
“Yeah, that sounds like my daughter.”
“I can’t decide whether I should hire her or just hand her to the keys to my office now.”
Melissa smiled. “What else?”
“Just that.” He kissed the top of her head. “There was one bit that I remember exactly.”
“What was it?”
“She wrote, ‘If you take my home away, I will know you don’t love me. Your mouth can’t say one thing when your actions say something else.’”
Melissa let out an audible groan. “Oh, that’s harsh.”
“But true.” He watched Abby ride around the ring, strength, determination, and joy written across her face. “That’syourdaughter, Missy. Be so damn proud.”
“I am.” She looked up at him. “I know why Abby thinks we’ve been in love for so long.”
“Oh yeah? Why?”
“Because of that. Because of what she wrote. Our actions were talking even when our mouths were arguing.”
Cary wrapped both his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder, watching their golden girl gallop in the afternoon sun. “I love you, Miss Melissa Oxford. Thanks for always knowing where you are.”
Epilogue
Five months later…
“I hopeyou don’t mind the noise too much!” Melissa cringed at the sound of an electric saw as she helped a couple from Switzerland carry their bags from their rental car into the bunkhouse. “My fiancé and my brother are working on the deck, but I promise it’s only during the day and they don’t start too early. They both have day jobs.”
“I think we will be at the park most of the time they will be working?” the young man said. “So I think it will not be a problem.”
“Wow,” the young woman said. “Is this house very old?”
“It’s around one hundred years old,” Melissa said. “Fixed up recently, of course. It was here when my family first bought the ranch. When I was a kid, it was the bunkhouse for the cowboys. It’s been a guesthouse for a few months now.”
