Lenore turned toward him, and she caught his eyes closing as he shook his head.
“Darn it, Conrad. I’m real sorry.” He started to sit up, as if he didn’t even realize she was still there.
She scrambled out of the way, and he got to his feet and headed for the front door, the phone still stuck to his ear. He said something else as he walked out, but Lenore couldn’t tell what, and the door slapped closed in her face, though she stood a dozen feet away.
He’d just walked right out of her life without a single explanation.
12
Brandon walked into church, already scanning for Conrad, Glory Rose, JJ, Clara Jean, or any other Walker. If it were him, and his mother or grandmother had passed away yesterday, he wouldn’t be sitting in church the next morning.
And the Walkers weren’t sitting in church. They were standing.
To Brandon, they had always been part of the fabric of Three Rivers. They’d bought the ranch where several of them lived and worked, and the seven Walker Brothers had slowly come to town after Brandon had been born—he’d only been three or four, his dad said— but Brandon wasn’t surprised at all to see his mother and father waiting to give their condolences to Rhett and then Jeremiah.
Brandon reached JJ first, and he pulled the younger man into a hug. “I’m real sorry, brother.”
JJ held him tightly, gave him one strong clap on the back before he stepped away. “She was really old and lived a really good life,” he said.
Ruby sniffled at his side, and Brandon pulled her into an embrace too. He expressed his condolences to Clara Jean and Tate, Micah Walker and his wife Simone, Wyatt and his wifeMarcy, and then the triplets—the three younger than Conrad and his family—before he made it to Conrad himself.
He stood with his daughter, Sarina, in his arms, and she cried. But Conrad didn’t. In fact, he wore a smile, though Brandon suspected it was a façade that hid something much sadder and much more depressing.
“Grams died,” Sari said.
Brandon took the little girl from her father. “Yeah, I heard, pumpkin. I’m so sorry.”
Tears ran down her face, and in the high-pitched voice of a little girl angel, she said, “It’s for the best. God needed her in heaven, and now she can be with Gramps.”
She hugged Brandon tight around the neck, which didn’t feel all that great, though the gauze protected his injury.
“Oh, baby doll, you’re not crying again, are you?” Glory Rose asked.
Brandon shifted the little girl to her, and she gave him a grateful smile and then turned with Sari to go sit down. Glory Rose had obviously been crying too, and Brandon decided that just because someone had lived a long, good life didn’t mean that they wouldn’t be missed on earth.
When he finally got a chance to hug Conrad, he said, “You let me know if you need anything. I’m there.”
“Thank you,” Conrad said. He smiled at Brandon as they separated. “I don’t see how that’s gonna happen, though. Aren’t you out at that homestead now?”
Brandon nodded and swallowed, thinking of Lenore and how he’d left things with her yesterday. When he’d realized he’d walked out without saying another word to her, he’d texted her about Penny Walker’s death.
It had taken her a while to respond, but he’d quickly packed a bag and left the homestead, staying in his cabin at Hidden Hills last night so he could be with family today and attend church.
He’d seen Lenore working in the greenhouse—the skid steer only a few feet from the entrance of it—when he’d driven by, and he figured she was just busy.
He’d asked for a rain check on dinner, and in that moment, standing there with Conrad and everyone else, waiting for the sermon to begin, he realized she’d never answered him.
“Yep, I’m out at the homestead now,” Brandon said. “It’s a lot of work, but I think we’re making good progress.”
“Did you get the electricity sorted out?” Conrad asked.
Brandon shook his head. “Called all around, but nothing. I’m gonna build that solar system.”
“I’ve always wanted to do that,” Conrad said. “Can I come help?”
“I’m not going to turn down help,” Brandon said with a grin. “But you really don’t need to.”
“The funeral is on Thursday,” Conrad said. “Then I’d love to have something to keep me busy.” He owned a ten-acre farm and at least thirty miniature donkeys, plus cared for his wife and daughter, so Brandon knew he had plenty to keep him busy.
