Page 49 of Spencer and the Younger Girl
“Sure, whatever you need.”
He gave her a kind smile. “We’re taking the truck. I’m not quite sure why my son had you two ride Toby out to the fence yesterday when you’d never ridden a horse before.”
“You heard about that, huh?”
“Only a little from Gabe.” He stared over his shoulder to where Spencer still sat. “Spence doesn’t talk to us.” His shoulders dropped with sadness.
Hadley followed his line of sight, wanting to know why Spencer’s relationship with his family was so strained. “Maybe he thinks you don’t talk to him.”
Mr. Lee nodded. “Why are the young ones always the smartest? Come on, let’s head out.”
The grove consisted of about fifteen rows of bedraggled looking citrus trees.
Mr. Lee unloaded tools from the truck. “This winter was hard on them.” He lowered his voice as if not intending the second part to be heard. “It’s been hard on all of us.”
They got to work digging up part of an irrigation line to find where the problem was.
Hadley tried to keep her questions to herself, but there were too many of them to hold in. “What’s Spencer’s deal?” She cringed at the way that sounded.
Mr. Lee’s hands stilled but only for a moment before he went back to work. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“He doesn’t want to be here, does he?”
He was quiet for a moment before letting out a definitive, “No.”
Hadley thought that was all she’d get, but Mr. Lee sighed. “My son was always the best chance this ranch had for a future. There was a time he saw that too.”
“But not anymore?”
“Spencer doesn’t think he belongs here.” His words dropped off as he continued to work.
It took them all morning to fix the problem, and Hadley wondered if running a ranch meant just going from one problem to the next. Maybe that was why Spencer hated being here.
As they drove back to the barn, she caught sight of him in the exercise yard. He no longer sat in front of Harbinger. Instead, he’d perched on the fence, a smile spreading his lips as he watched his horse run laps.
No, he definitely did not hate being here. Hadley wondered what made Mr. Lee think otherwise.
She barely knew Spencer, but already, she could tell he was made for this ranch.
Mrs. Lee stood on the front porch, her glistening eyes on her son. When she caught sight of Hadley, she waved. “I’m sorry, dear. Just seeing those two together again…” She lifted her gaze to Spencer and Harbinger once more. “Anyway, come in. You must be famished.”
Hadley followed the Lees into their home like she had the day before. Gabe sat at the counter with a sloppy joe on his plate. He gave her a closed-mouth grin.
“Mrs. Lee, you don’t need to feed me every day. I’m here because I stole your goats.”
“Nonsense.” She waved a dish towel. “As long as you are on this ranch, you’re one of us. We don’t care how you got here.”
Hadley looked to the supposedly troubled Gabe, but he only shrugged and took another bite.
Mrs. Lee handed her a plate.
For Hadley’s entire life she’d lived with a mom who judged people by every metric she could find. What would she think of this small kitchen or the round-faced woman who seldomly left it?
While her mom was off in Paris, Mrs. Lee was taking care of her family, of strays like Gabe and even Hadley.
“How do you forgive people so easily?” Hadley stared down at her plate, her cheeks heating when she realized she’d voiced the question out loud.
“People make mistakes, dear.” She leaned in, dropping her voice. “Besides, if you think for one second I believe you were able to get those goats off this ranch on your own, you’re delusional, sweetie.” She straightened. “Now, I must see a man about some citrus. Those marmalades aren’t going to make themselves.”
