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After a little relaxation by the fire, Hunt made good on his promise to show me the ranch. We bundled up and jumped on an ATV for a tour of the property.
“We have about 300,000 acres, but most of it is pastureland. Hold on!” he shouted over the revving of the motor and zoomed off the paved drive and onto a dirt road. He slowed when he came to a gate and trailed the vehicle along the fence line. There were cattle as far as I could see across the pasture. “We run about 11,000 head of beef cattle right now, give or take a few.” He grinned when he noticed the look of sheer amazement on my face.
“Oh my gosh! This is staggering.” I watched him as he stood up from the ATV seat and looked out across the herd. One look at his face and it was obvious how much he missed this part of his life. He looked so at home in his Stetson and boots and jeans. It made me realize just how bad it must have gotten with his job here, to make him leave a place he obviously loved so much. It also made we wonder if he could ever truly be happy in Alabama...with me.
He sat back down and with barely a warning, we were off again. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on for dear life as we rode further down the dirt road where he pointed out stables where workers were brushing down and feeding several beautiful horses. Cattle dogs gathered for their supper at an attached kennel building. We passed the bunkhouses where the herdsmen and ranch workers lived, followed by hay barns, sorting pens and equipment barns. We completed the circle, eventually making our way back up to the main house.
Hunt parked the ATV and helped me off and back onto solid ground. He pulled me into his arms for a long kiss then grabbed my hand and we hurried into the warm house.
Even though I could swear I saw a few snow flurries, Beryl grilled ribeye steaks to perfection which we enjoyed with all the fixin’s, and then cherry pie for dessert. After a quick kitchen cleanup, Jenny put on a kettle of water for hot tea. She and I sat down at the island and jotted down a grocery list of everything we needed for the family Christmas celebration while the guys retired to the den for an episode of Gunsmoke.
“Hunt tells me that you moved to Alabama from here in the Dallas area, Glory. Have you enjoyed being back home?” Jenny poured us both a cup of steaming chamomile tea.
I blew across the top and carefully took a sip. “Yes, I have. I didn’t realize how much I had missed my family and small-town life. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
“You have a daughter? Is that right?” She smiled an easy smile, and it was obvious that she was genuinely interested in me. She wasn’t fake or pretentious. It made me feel a little guilty that we were keeping our investigation a secret from her.
“I do.” I beamed. “Her name is Macy. After graduating from culinary school, she just finished her master’s in Restaurant Management. With the money left to her by her late father, she bought and remodeled a beautiful old building, turning it into a stunning bakery and coffee shop. She’s really making a name for herself. In fact, a popular magazine, Deep South Eats featured her in their holiday issue that came out this week.”
“How exciting! I know you are so proud. Our children carry a huge part of our hearts, don’t they?”
“What a perfect way to put it. They really do.” I smiled thoughtfully. “She just recently became engaged to a wonderful guy and we couldn’t be happier. But I have to admit, it was a jarring reality for me to realize I was about to have to let her go and trust him to take care of her.”
“Oh, I agree. It’s so important that parents get to know and trust the person their child chooses to spend the rest of their life with.” She took a sip of her tea and locked her eyes on mine with a knowing smile.
Wait. Were we still talking about Macy? Was she talking about Hunt . . . and me? Panic rose in my throat as I tried to swallow a drink of my tea and almost choked. Had he said something to them about his intentions? Was he planning to propose?
Deciding it might be a good idea to change the subject before I broke out in a cold sweat, I asked, “What kind of dessert did you have in mind for tomorrow?” I wrapped my hands around the warm mug. “I have Macy’s recipe for French Silk pie that I know Hunt loves. She makes it for the bakery sometimes. I’ve never made it without her standing over me, but I could give it a shot.”
“That sounds delicious! Add the ingredients to the list we started, and I can get them tomorrow. Shall we join the guys?” We picked up our mugs and headed toward the den.
After one more episode of Gunsmoke, I was barely keeping my eyes open. Hunt must’ve noticed I was fading fast and agreed it was time to turn in. He took my hand and pulled me up off the sofa and I trailed after him up the stairs. Stopping at the door to my bedroom, he took me in his arms and kissed me.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” he asked, pulling away and looking into my eyes.
“You mean are we ready for tomorrow?” I smiled and he kissed my forehead. “I think I'm as ready as I’ll ever be. I just feel like I’ll never be able to completely close this chapter of my life and move forward until we know the answers.”
“Just remember that we’ll take this slowly. I’m going to follow your lead about how much to share. I promise that we won’t mention the envelopes until you feel comfortable. Okay?”
I nodded. When I was packing up my husband’s office to move to Alabama, I discovered several manila envelopes containing what I believed to be incriminating evidence on several unsavory businessmen. I had also made the shocking discovery that the man I’d been married to for thirty years was living a double life as a secret agent for the FBI. Afraid I might meet the same fate as Dave, I’d never told a soul about any of it, not even Macy, until I told Hunt.
He touched his fingers to my chin and tilted my face up till our eyes met.
“I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.” He kissed me once more before I went into my room. Closing the door behind me, I stood with my forehead pressed against the door until I heard his bedroom door click shut. I smiled and got ready for bed.
Finishing my day with a little reading, one verse stood out and eased my mind.
“You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God, our Savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth.” Psalm 65:5
****
I WOKE TO THE SMELL of bacon and eggs wafting up the stairs, beckoning me down to my favorite meal of the day. With our schedules, Macy and I were rarely able to cook breakfast unless it was for supper. I pulled on a pair of jeans, a navy turtleneck, and a plaid, flannel shirt. I brushed my teeth and my hair and padded down the stairs in my sock feet. I’d left my brown boots by the front door yesterday when I came in sopping wet. Frank and Jesse met me at the foot of the stairs, nuzzling up to me, much calmer than our first meeting. I gave them both a good scratch on the head and walked into the kitchen.
By the time we finished breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen, it was a little after 9:30. I began to regret having stuffed myself as my stomach began to churn in anticipation of our meeting. Jenny grabbed the grocery list off the kitchen island and tucked it into her purse. She gave Beryl a quick peck on the cheek and headed out the door. As soon as her car was down the drive, we jumped into the truck and drove to the coffee shop.
I grabbed a table in the corner for privacy while the guys placed our orders. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, saying a quick prayer that this would be a positive step toward resolving Dave’s case and for wisdom as we began “poking the bear” again. I heard footsteps behind me. I turned expecting my iced coffee. “Thanks, bab—.” Instead, I saw a face etched in my memory.