Page 25 of Our Sweet Destiny
“Pop, you sounded pretty stressed on the phone. You wanna share the news, whatever it is, so we can deal with it and enjoy our time together?”
Steve got his directness from his father and, Jade suspected, his ability to handle the ups and downs of life without being thrown into heart-stopping furies, while she and her mother tended to deal with matters of the heart by borrowing trouble and worrying themselves silly before they even knew what they were dealing with.
Her father sat up straight in his chair. “Yes, Steven, I think that’s a good idea.”
Jade tried not to turn her attention to her mother’s fidgeting beside her. When Earl Johnson spoke as the patriarch of the family, it was best to give him her full attention, or deal with him quizzing her on exactly what he’d said later.
“Your mother and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about the ranch and about us, where we’re headed, that sort of thing,” he began.
“Heading?” Steve looked at his mother, then his father again. “Are you going somewhere?”
“That’s what we’re deciding. You have your own place and your own life, as you should, and Jade here, well, she’s about to embark on the next chapter of her life. When she does, it’ll be just your mother and me here again.” He looked at her mother, and Jade could feel a thick wave of support stretching between them. “Running a ranch is a lot of work, and we’re thinking about downsizing.”
After being taken into her mother’s confidence, Jade put two and two together and realized that her father was just cushioning the fall. Of course he wouldn’t admit to his children that the ranch was going to be taken away because of a financial hardship. Downsizing was a far more acceptable way for a prideful man to leave the home he’d lived in for more than three quarters of his life.
“Downsizing? Pop, are you moving out of Weston, or downsizing and remaining in town? You’re not exactly retirement home age, so I’m not sure how this makes any sense.”
“Neither your mother nor I will ever go in a retirement home. We’d sooner live in your cabin. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” Steve said with a smile.
“We’re thinking about subdividing the property. We have far too much for me to really take care of anymore, even with the staff we carry. I think it’s about time we slowed down, spent a little more time together.”
Her mother blushed.
“I think it would be good for you and Mom to have some time together when you’re not also taking care of the ranch. It really does eat up your time, Dad, but is there anything else feeding into this decision?” Jade hoped he’d tell them the truth so they could talk about the subdividing of the other property, but she’d already decided that even if he didn’t come clean, this was the perfect time to bring it up.
“No, darlin’, there isn’t. I’m getting older, and I worry about your mother being alone, taking care of all this land if something were to happen to me.”
Something in his voice rang true to Jade, and instead of questioning her father’s explanation, she began to question what her mother had told her. Perhaps her mother had it wrong. The honesty in his voice told her that her father was downsizing to protect her mother later in life, just as he’d said.
She stuffed a piece of cornbread in her mouth to try to stop herself from asking about the other property, but she couldn’t deny that she had her father’s directness in her blood. “What about the other property?” she asked.
He drew his brows together and set his eyes on Jade. “Theotherproperty?”
She focused on a slice of peach on her plate, poking it with her fork. “Yeah, that property between us and the Braden ranch?”
His eyes bore a lightning-hot streak to her heart. His breathing picked up its pace, and she heard every anxious exhalation.
“What about that property, Jade?” he asked with a stone-cold tone.
How about you sell it and keep the ranch, if this is really a financial decision?“Well, I don’t know, but it would seem like if you were going to subdivide property, that might be a good piece to hack off and sell, since no one is using it.”
His stare didn’t falter. Jade continued in a shakier voice. “I just thought…why let it sit unused? I mean, it’s been forty years, right?” She smiled, hoping to soften his resolve. “That’s gotta be worth a pretty penny, so…”
Jade understood his unwavering brooding. He was a prideful man who wasn’t used to being questioned by his children. She lowered her eyes, wishing she had the guts to say what she really wanted to say.If you sell that property, maybe Rex and I could date like normal people and figure out if this relationship is worth fighting for.
“As I was saying,” her father began again.
“Wait, Dad. Jade’s got a point.” Steve’s eyes lit up. “You’re sitting on a valuable piece of property over there. It could set up you and Mom for retirement. Maybe it’s time to reopen that stream of communication.” If Steve felt any hesitation about the topic, he didn’t give an ounce of indication.
Then again, he wasn’t falling for a Braden.
“That might be so, Steven, but we’re not touching that property. We’re talking to the bank about subdividing the lower two hundred acres, and once we have that done, we’ll see where we stand.” Her father picked up his fork as if he was done with the conversation.
“So what happens to that land after you and Mom die?” Steve asked.
“Steven!” Jade snapped. She couldn’t believe he brought up their parents dying—and in the same breath as the land.
His father didn’t even make an effort to mask his anger. “Steven Joseph Johnson, if you are just waiting for us to die so that you can have that property—”
“Chill, Pop. I don’t want that land. I was thinking more about conservation property. It’s a way to protect the natural habitat for animals, and it’s a tax write-off. If you and Mr. Braden don’t want to argue about it or do anything with it, it’s the perfect solution to let bygones be bygones.”
Yes! Please! Please jump at this!
“No matter what happens with that property, bygones will never be bygones,” he said with a final chomp on a piece of meat. “Jane, this is the best roast beef I’ve had in ages. Thank you for making such a nice lunch.”
There was her answer—clear as day—black and white. Along with the realization came another splinter to her already broken heart.
