Page 11 of Make Her Mine
Mom shook her head taking her seat next to Dad’s. “No. Don’t do that. Keep the ranch and create something good. Too much bad has already occurred. Change things. Your father and I never wanted anything from our parents. And we don’t need anything from you, either. Well, that’s not true. We need your love. We need you, our children. But we don’t want anything other than that.”
I wanted to know more. “Mom, what happened? You don’t talk to your family, either. Now this grandfather of ours, well, we’ve heard enough to understand why you guys didn’t want to deal with him. Your family, though? We don’t know about them, either.”
Mom looked at my father, and then ran her hand along his shoulder to rest it there. “My family told me to know my place in this world and accept it. I worked as a maid at the ranch for a month before your father and I discovered a mutual attraction that both our families thought taboo.”
“That’s stupid.” It was so archaic.
Dad nodded. “Yeah, it was. I loved your mother the first moment I saw her. I didn’t care where she lived or who her family was. I had to have her and make her my wife. My father wasn’t about to allow that to happen. He used everything in his arsenal to stop our nuptials. He even bribed the town’s justice of the peace, getting him to refuse to marry us.”
Clayton nodded as if he comprehended. “So, you cut out Mom’s family, too, because they tried to hold her back?”
Mom’s hand ran down Dad’s arm, and they clasped hands. “They took money from Collin Gentry to get me out of Texas. One night, I was woken up, and my own father had me tied up and gagged. He and my two brothers carried me out of our home and threw me into the trunk of the car. They drove for hours. Finally, we stopped, and they let me out, took off the ropes, and told me I’d be living with my Aunt Hilda in Shreveport, Louisiana. I was not to come back to Texas.”
“But you must’ve come back,” I alleged.
“Nope, I went to find her.” Dad’s thumb ran over the back of Mom’s hand. “I paid her youngest brother to tell me where she was. She was a wreck. Her aunt kept her locked up so she wouldn’t run away. I paid her aunt to let me see her with my promise that I wouldn’t take her away with me. But I did, and we returned to Carthage where I told my father he couldn’t impede our marriage.”
Mom smiled as she looked adoringly at my father. “We stopped in Dallas to get married before going back home.”
“When I showed my father our marriage license, he told me I no longer had a home. Everything he’d given to me, he wanted it all back. Your mom and I were on our own.” Dad looked at Mom with starry eyes. “I wrote out a statement saying I didn’t want a thing from him—and never would.”
Clayton nodded. “Yeah, we saw that. But this doesn’t feel right without you guys getting something, too.”
Dad nodded. “We got you! And neither of us needs anything other than the love we share. To be honest, I’ve lived the life of a rich man. This one is better. Take what you’ve been given. Why should the state get what’s rightfully yours? Plus, some people count on that ranch for their homes and livelihoods.”
“There are quite a few.” I looked at Mom and saw the love in her eyes when she looked at her husband. I wanted to find a love like that. “I presume weshouldkeep the ranch and do our best by it and those who depend on it.”
My brothers nodded and, just like that, our judgment had been made.
Chapter Six
Ella
Everyone seemed to be on edge with the exit of the Gentry brothers. I had no idea why. So, what if they left? “Momma, why’s everyone on pins and needles today?” I ran the dust cloth over the banister to shine it up.
She’d been on her way upstairs but stopped when I asked. Turning to me with concern in her eyes.
“Honey, don’t you understand? If these men don’t take on the ranch, then it’ll go to the state. The state won’t keep it the way it is. We’ll all lose our jobs. And in our case, our home. The only home we’ve had since before you kids were born.”
“Why is that?” The state wouldn’t shut the ranch down.
“How many state-run ranches have you heard of, Ella?” She rolled her eyes at me. “If the state keeps it as a working ranch, they’ll probably fill the place with prisoners who’ll do the work, and the state will reap the benefits.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t thought of that. “So, we need the guys to stay then, right?”
“Yes.” She nodded, then put her hand on my shoulder. “And you need to be a lot nicer. The way you talk to Brandon… Mind your mouth, young lady.”
“I doubt Brandon would give up this ranch on account of my mouth.” The idea was nuts.
Mom stared at me blankly. “Ella, you could get fired, and he could tell us he no longer wants you on his property.”
“Why would he do that?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“Maybe because you’d be getting on his nerves.” With a huff, Mom ascended the stairs. “Please, Ella, just keep your mouth shut whenever they are around.”
“Yeah, whatever.” I doubted that Brandon gave a damn about anything I said, no matter what Momma thought.
After shining up the banister, I took a break, sitting on the front terrace, loving how the snow looked as it covered the ground. The sound of a truck coming up the long drive had me standing up to see who it might be. I didn’t expect it to be the brothers yet. They’d only been gone for a few hours.
