Second Chance at Sunflower Ranch (The Ryan Family #1)(19)

“Thanks for…” she huffed, “saving me from a fall.”

“Anytime. I’m a knight in shining cowboy boots, just looking for fair damsels to rescue. I thought Grady was coming to Sunday dinner.” Jesse sat down on a ladder-back chair in the foyer and pulled off his boots. “Been a while since I wore these except when me and the guys went out. I’ll have to get used to them again.”

Addy sat in the chair beside him. “Grady can’t come after all, and Mia is off with who I assume is now her boyfriend.” She kicked off her shoes and wiggled her toes. “Give me cowboy boots over these things any day of the week. I’m not so sure I like this boyfriend of hers. He’s one of those wild, bad-boy types who would cause any mother to worry.”

“She seems to have her head on straight, except when it comes to me. She does a pretty fine job out there of running a hay crew, so I reckon she can take care of herself,” Jesse said.

“Grady says that she’s jealous of you. Maybe we should have stayed here at Thanksgiving when you guys came home instead of going out to Granny’s place, so she could have gotten to know you back when she was just a kid,” she said.

“Don’t know why she’d be jealous of an ugly old cowboy like me. She’s the princess around here,” Jesse laughed. “Why did you leave when we came home, Addy?”

“Seemed like the thing to do at the time. Y’all could help with the ranch work, and spend some time with Sonny and Pearl without us interfering. You were a medic and Cody is a doctor, so I wasn’t needed. We had always gone to Granny’s for Thanksgiving ever since I was a little girl, so she expected us to be there.” She shrugged.

But the real reason was that I didn’t want to… She couldn’t even complete the thought.

“I figured that was it,” he said.

Pearl came in the front door with Sonny right behind her. “Y’all going to chew the fat all afternoon or wash up for dinner?”

“I’ll do that soon as I get out of these Sunday clothes and into my overalls.” Sonny headed down the hallway.

“I’d rather chew on some of those chicken and dumplings,” Jesse said. “Do I have time to run out to the bunkhouse and get into some more comfortable clothes?”

“Of course.” Pearl stopped long enough to kiss him on the cheek. “Just don’t take too long. Where’s Mia?”

“Off having dinner with her boyfriend.” Addy stood and started down the hall toward her room.

Jesse was halfway to the kitchen when Sonny stopped for a moment and set his jaw. “I don’t like that Ricky kid. He’s been trouble since the day he was born. Why’d she have to go and take up with the likes of him anyway? If he hurts her, I’ll—”

Pearl locked her arm through his and said, “Mia is smart and independent. We might have to haul him to the hospital if he does anything she doesn’t like, but we don’t have to worry about our girl. Now, go on and get changed while I finish getting the food ready, sweetheart.”

“Yes, darlin’.” Sonny leaned over just enough to give her a kiss. “Have I told you how much I love you today?”

“Three times, but I never get tired of hearing it,” Pearl answered.

Addy was stripping out of her off-white sundress when she remembered what Mia had said about her finding a guy to make her happy. “I have to get beyond this”—she frowned—“blast from the past before I can give anyone my heart. That saying really dates me.”

She pulled on a pair of faded jeans, a T-shirt with a horseshoe on the front, and her comfortable boots. She gave the high heels that had caused her to fall a dirty look as she left the room. Mia was going to be so mad when she found out Pearl had made chicken and dumplings. That was her daughter’s favorite Sunday dinner.

“Serves you right for being so bitchy the past couple of days,” Addy said as she entered the kitchen.

“Who was bitchy?” Pearl looked up from the stove, where she was dropping bits of dough into a pot of boiling broth.

“My daughter,” Addy answered. “She’s been horrible. Didn’t you see it?”

“Of course we did,” Sonny chuckled. “But, honey, she doesn’t do well with change. She’ll be fine in a few days. I just wish she wasn’t going out with that O’Malley boy.”

“Hopefully, she’ll get tired of him and show him the road real soon,” Pearl said.

“Get rid of who and what road?” Jesse asked as he hung his hat on a nail in the utility room and came on into the kitchen.

“We were talking about Mia’s boyfriend,” Pearl answered.

Jesse leaned over and sniffed the steam coming off the pot of broth. “That smells so good. I bet if she brought him home to Sunday dinner, that would tame him right down.”

“Well, now!” Sonny thumped the table with his fist. “That’s a great idea. Next Sunday I’m going to invite him myself, and then after we eat, me and him are going out on the porch for a come-to-Jesus talk.”

Addy had no doubt that one of those talks wouldn’t do a bit of good. It might even push Mia farther away from the family and right into Ricky’s arms. After seeing her sitting so close to him in church, and the way they were holding hands as they crossed the parking lot to his truck, Addy had no doubt that they were more than friends.