“Fine,” Reva announced. “Unless I hear an objection, we’ll table this matter. Is that agreeable with you, Nicola?”
When her detractor crossed her arms and remained silent, Reva pounded the gavel. “This meeting is adjourned.”
Nicola stood, huffed, and marched from the town hall. Her husband, Wooster, followed close behind, chuckling.
Charlie Grace made her way to her father’s side, her eyes brimming with tears. She leaned down, placing a gentle hand on Clancy’s shoulder. “I appreciate what you did, Dad,” she whispered.
Clancy just nodded. He grabbed his daughter’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
The townsfolk dispersed, some heading towards the refreshment table, others sharing chuckles over Nicola’s skinny-dipping revelation. Fleet Southcott waited for Wooster and Nicola to depart, and then he approached Clancy as Aunt Mo wheeled him toward the door. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Hey, Clancy. I’ve got a new dessert idea for the menu down at the Rustic Pine. How about ‘Nicola’s Skinny-Dip Sundae’?”
He noticed Pete Cumberland a few yards away. “Sorry, Pastor.”
The room filled with another round of laughter. Charlie Grace shook her head as she stood by her father’s wheelchair, trying to stifle her giggles as they headed for the door.
As the echoes of mirth faded into the cool night, she was reminded once again that Thunder Mountain was more than just a place on the map. It was a town where every corner felt like home and every face was family.
33
Jewel grabbed a freshly baked cinnamon roll from the plate on the kitchen table. “I love Saturdays, Mom!”
Charlie Grace grinned. “You do? Why?”
Her daughter nodded. “Because I get to stay home from school and play cards with Grandpa!”
Clancy appeared in the doorway. He wheeled himself to the table. “Did I hear my name?”
“Grandpa! I have the cards all shuffled and ready to go.” She turned to Charlie Grace. “Mom, Grandpa taught me to shuffle. Want me to show you?”
Charlie Grace grinned at her father. “Sure, baby. I’m watching.” With a stack of unopened mail in her hand, she headed for the table and took a seat across from her father. “Hungry, Dad?”
He reached for a cinnamon roll. “Yeah. These look good. I love Mo’s rolls.”
“I made them, Dad. Using her recipe, of course.” She waited for the barb that normally came.
“Well, good for you!”
Stunned, she smiled and started opening an envelope.
“Momma, watch!” Jewel took the cards and split them into two stacks. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she lifted the stacks carefully in her two small hands.
“Slow,” Clancy warned. “Don’t get in a hurry.”
Jewel nodded. She held the stacks and riffled them together, allowing the cards to interweave. “There! I did it!”
Charlie Grace beamed. “You sure did.”
Jewel leaped from her seat and threw her arms around her grandpa. “Thanks for teaching me.”
A smile nipped at the corners of Clancy’s lips. “Let’s see if you remember what I taught you about Rummy.”
“Oh, I remember,” Jewel said, taking her seat. She lifted the deck of cards and began dealing them. “And I’m going to kick your fanny.”
“Hey, language,” Charlie Grace warned.
Jewel shrugged with remorse. “Sorry, Mom.”
Charlie Grace focused her attention on the contents of the envelope. It was a bill for feed—a large one. She tucked it aside. While the guest ranch was in the black, there wasn’t a lot of room for error. The bill was more than she expected, and she’d have to do some juggling to pay it.
