Page 55 of Here With You

He opened her door and helped her out just as the front door opened and a suited man exited.

“Thanks, May. I'll update your documents and put them into the permanent file.”

“Thank you, Travis. I appreciate you getting here so soon. As you know, I don't have a lot of time.”

Miles's heart felt like someone had stabbed him, reached into the hole, and pulled on his aorta. Looking at his mother, she seemed to have aged another ten years in the day since he saw her.

“Travis Jackson, is that you?”

The man nodded. “Hey, Miles. It's good to see you back.” He looked at Emmaline. “Hello, Em. It's been a while.”

Miles didn't want to read into anything, but they seemed to be familiar.

“Travis, why don't you come by the resort soon? There are some changes I need to make to my will.”

Miles breathed easier, knowing that the familiarity might be because they'd done business.

“I'll call you next week.” Travis walked down the steps, got in his sedan, and drove away.

“Should I be worried?”

She laughed. “Nope. He's a bad kisser.” She left him on the gravel and moved toward his mother. “May, you look exhausted. Let me take over while you and Miles visit.”

“Wait, you kissed him?” He walked inside the house, closed the door behind him, and followed Emmaline and his mother into the kitchen. It was a large ranch kitchen with a table that sat a good twenty people. Not small people but large ranch hands who used to show up for their three meals daily in this kitchen. May had set the table at one end with five places. Yep, Darryl and Cormac were coming.

“We aren’t talking about that, remember?”

He knew she was right. Talking about past relationships never went well for the present love, so he let it go.

Emmaline pulled out the chair at the end of the long table and helped his mother into her seat. It was odd to see her sitting there as he'd only seen his grandfather and father there. He imagined Darryl sat there when he was present. Wouldn't he be surprised to find Emmaline had demoted his position? Then again, his mother had done that when she fired him the other day.

“I'll check the food while you two spend a moment together.” Emmaline moved to the old six-burner stove where pots sat on top billowing steam, and the oven light gave them a peek at the old cast-iron skillet with its golden cornbread inside.

He lifted his nose into the air and breathed in his past. Memories of days gone filled his mind. He saw a table with hungry men who entertained him with stories of roping, branding, and cattle raids. He imagined half of the hands were wanted in some county for thieving, but they were hard-working, salt-of-the-earth types who had filled his world with dreams of a different future.

The front door opened, and Darryl walked inside. “What was Travis doing here?” He stared at his mother, who sat at the head of the table. Watching Darryl enter the kitchen was like watching a woman walk into the men's bathroom. They usually stared for a few minutes before they turned and hightailed it out of there. Darryl had that out-of-place look about him, but there was nowhere to turn and run.

“I had some final will business left to take care of.”

Darryl narrowed his eyes. “You put him back in it. After all I've done for the last thirty years?”

May pointed to the spaces on the sides of the table and told them to each take a seat. She turned to Emmaline. “Dinner's ready. Can you dish it up while I explain the what's what to my hard-headed sons?”

“Sure thing, May. What about Cormac?”

“Oh, he'll be here in a minute. He doesn't like what happens when he's late.”

Miles laughed because he knew what happened, and a minute later, the sound of Cormac's boots thunked down the stairs, and he ran through the hall to the kitchen with his hair still dripping wet.

“Did I miss anything?”

Miles glanced around the room at Emmaline plating their dinner and Darryl looking like he already wanted to throw up.

“No, I'd say you're right on time.” May pointed to the chair next to Darryl. “Have a seat.”

Emmaline placed a plate of steaming hot food in front of everyone and took the seat beside Miles

May lowered her head and said, “Bless this food and all that have none. Amen.”

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