“He wants his brothers and father to meet Ellie. He has never mentioned his mother,” Ava explained.
“Maybe she passed away. Ellie will be spoiled for sure,” her father replied.
“I told her Deacon was her daddy. I’m not sure if she fully understood, but she called him daddy, and it really touched him.”
“He’s missed out, honey, so I’m sure he was emotional.”
“I’ll do what I can, and if that means moving to Clifton, I guess I will. It’s just that I hate leaving you,” Ava said softly.
“Ava, I’m not going to be alone and we can always visit. I just wanted to make sure everything was alright before I headed out.”
“Where are you going?” Ava asked, her curiosity piqued.
“Oh, uh, just into town for a while. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“You know you’re going to have to tell me abouther one day,” Ava teased gently.
“Who?” her father feigned innocence.
Ava laughed. “Goodnight, Dad. Have a good time.” She hung up. She had no doubt he was seeing someone, and she was happy for him.
As Ellie peacefully slept, Ava diligently worked on sorting out the sales from the ranch. The frustration gnawed at her as she thought about the cattle that had been stolen. The uncertainty of their recovery lingered in her mind, yet she understood that every rancher faced the inherent risks of raising livestock. Fortunately, most ranchers were wise enough to have insurance to cover such unfortunate events.
Ava longed to ask Deacon about the progress on the missing cattle, but she knew he would keep his findings to himself until the case was resolved. She could only hope that resolution would come soon.
A smile spread across Ava’s face as she reminisced about her father’s return home last weekend. It had been late, the hour cloaked in darkness, but she happened to be awake. From her window, she watched as his truck rolled quietly up to the porch of his house. He stepped out; his silhouette momentarily outlined against the dim porch light before he disappeared inside. Despite his words to the contrary, Ava was convinced he was seeing someone, and her curiosity about the mystery woman was insatiable.
Thinking about her father going out, she picked up her phone, called her sister-in-law to see if she’d keep Ellie overnight next weekend. She desperately needed to get out for a while. Her father went out more than she did and with all this going on with Deacon, she needed to get out andhave some fun.
“Hey, Ava, what’s up?” Jeanie’s voice chimed brightly through the receiver.
“Hi, Jeanie. Do you and Tyler have any plans for next Saturday night?” Ava inquired, her voice hopeful.
“Not that I’m aware of. What do you need?” Jeanie replied, her tone accommodating.
“Could you keep Ellie overnight? I want to get out for a while,” Ava asked.
“Of course. We love having her here,” Jeanie assured warmly.
“Jeanie, you are the best sister-in-law,” Ava said, gratitude filling her voice.
Jeanie laughed. “What do I always say?”
Ava chuckled. “Yeah, I know. You’re my only sister-in-law. Doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re the best.”
Jeanie’s laughter came through the phone. “The kids adore playing with her. Bring her by early, then you can sneak off for a little ‘you’ time.” In the background, the patter of tiny feet and the jingle of toy blocks mixed with muffled giggles.
“Perfect,” Ava said. “I’ll drop her off around one-thirty Saturday afternoon. Does that work?”
“That’s just fine,” Jeanie answered, her voice warm. “See you then.”
Ava hung up, pressing her palm to her cheek, a grin tugging at her lips. She leaned back in her chair, exhaling.
She wasted no time dialing her best friend, Joella Barton. When Joella picked up, her friend’s voice was bright with curiosity. “What’s up?”
“Do you have any plans for next weekend? I want to go out and let loose,” Ava said, and sheheard Joella’s laughter come through the phone.
“I’d love to. It’s been so long since I’ve been out.”
