“Three times?” she whispered more out of shock than outofawe.
“He’s dead. Now we can put this awful case behind us and move on,” hermomsaid.
“Us?”
“Your father and I are as much a part of it as you are,” hermomsaid.
“You and Daddy didn’t get fired from the D.A.’s office,” Abby snapped. “You weren’t in the courtroom staring down a murderer for a month. How can you say you’re as much a part of this asIam?”
“Stop being so dramatic,” her mom saiddismissively.
“I’m not. You know what, never mind.” Abby huffed. She wasn’t going to keep trying to explain things to her mom. What good would it do if the woman wouldn’t ever listen to what she wassaying?
“When are you coming back?” her momdemanded.
“I don’t know,”Abbysaid.
“How can younotknow?”
“I met someone,” sheblurted.
“What?Who?”
“A cowboy in Montana,”Abbysaid.
“That’s ridiculous. You need to get in your car and come home. You don’t need to get hooked up with someone who works in the fields all day,” hermomsaid.
“Works in the fields all day? Are you kidding me? His family owns a ranch. He’s not some destitute blue-collar laborer,” Abby said. “And even if he was, it wouldn’t matter. There’s more to life than justmoney.”
“You only say that because you’ve never known what it was like to be poor.” Her mom’s voice broke. “You don’t know what it was like for me growing up, huddled under a blanket with my brothers and sisters just trying to keep warm in the winter, wondering where your next meal is going tocomefrom.”
“I know what you went through, but that doesn’t mean you should be so fixated on money,”Abbysaid.
“Don’t use that tone of voice with me. Your father and I didn’t teach you totalkback.”
“I have to go, Mom,” Abby said withasigh.
“I expect to see you home thisweekend.”
“We’llsee.”
After hanging up the phone, Abby walked to the window. She looked out toward the barn. Cody was probably in there right now working. There was absolutely nothing wrong with getting knee deep in horse poop. He made a good, honest living. Something she wished shecoulddo.
Wellwhynot?
She quickly dressed in her warmest clothes and went downstairs. She stuffed her feet into her boots and laced them uptightly.
Madison poked her head out of the kitchen. “Headingout?”
“I’m going tothebarn.”
“ToseeCody?”
“Yep.”
“Tell him I expect to see you both for lunch,” Madison said with asmile.
“Iwill.”
