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Robert Maxwell wasn’t one to listen to advice.
Not from the doctors, who’d ordered cardiac tests that he’d refused last Thanksgiving after his mild heart attack. And especially not from his daughters—even if one was a practicing physician.
“Overall, does he seem worse?”
“He goes from morning till night, and half the nights he’s up even when someone else is covering those hours. You know how it is during calving.” Thea sighed heavily. “I’m really sorry I missed you when you came out, by the way. Bobby said you were here.”
“I should have called you first.”
Thea gave a weary laugh. “Unless you’d called my cell phone, you wouldn’t have reached me. I’m either on horseback checking cows or in the barn. Rafe says he hasn’t seen me for more than five minutes in the past three weeks. Except for the time he spends helping out here—and then we’re off with different parts of the herd.”
“Is calving almost done?”
“The last seventy-two heifers are due in the next twenty days or so. I’m sorry about not coming in to see your clinic. Aftersending you that advertisement and encouraging you to move home, none of us have even gotten into town to welcome you.”
“I understand.”But no one bothered to tell me about Bobby’s court case, and that would have taken just a phone call.“About Dad...”
“He’s probably worn out from the schedule he keeps. But I think it’s more than that. He doesn’t eat right, yet I think he looks like he’s putting on some weight through the middle. And he isn’t wearing his favorite old boots anymore. A few days ago he borrowed a pair of Herman’s ropers, and Herman must wear size thirteens. Dadhatesropers.”
Some inappetence, maybe. Increasing lower-extremity edema.She hadn’t seen evidence of fluid retention when she’d seen him briefly at the ranch, but he’d been wearing a bulky coat, chaps, and boots that would have masked any problem. “Can you get him to come to the clinic?”
Thea snorted. “We only managed to get him to the hospital last Thanksgiving because he was unconscious.”
“I’ll come out to the ranch if you tell me when I can catch him at home. But it would be better to see him in the clinic.”
“You could make the thirty-mile drive for nothing. Until calving is over, it’s impossible to say when he’ll be here. I’ll...do what I can to get him to come into town.”
Jolie hesitated, knowing her sister was deeply worried. “It’s important, Thea. He needs to take his meds, follow his diet, and slow down. Excessive physical stress could weaken his heart even more.”
“I know.”
Jolie’s schedule in Los Angeles had been grueling, and she hadn’t been able to get home often, but she’d seen how gruff and dismissive Dad had been with the one child who’d given her heart and soul to Walking Stones Ranch. Thea deserved farbetter from him. She had to be angry and hurt over the way he favored his wild son above all of his girls.
But even so, Jolie was almost certain she heard a catch in Thea’s voice as she said goodbye.
ON SATURDAY EVENING, Jolie made good on her offer to have Matt and the kids over for supper.
After changing the menu three times, her clothes twice, and lighting a dozen candles through the great room and kitchen—just for the scent, certainly not for any sort of romantic mood setting—she was tired, a little anxious, and more than a little bemused at her reaction to having them as guests.
But it was all worthwhile, just seeing Charlie’s delighted reaction to her meal.
“This looks great!” His megawatt smile beamed at Jolie across the table with enough voltage to rival the sun setting over the mountains to the west. “Ilovefried chicken!”
“That’s lucky, because my repertoire in the kitchen doesn’t extend far beyond chicken and meatloaf,” Jolie said dryly. “More mashed potatoes?”
Charlie nodded vigorously, watching with obvious anticipation as Jolie passed the bowl of butter-drenched fluffy potatoes.
Annie gave her brother an exasperated look. “You aren’t in a feedlot,” she said under her breath, giving him a sharp nudge with her elbow as she handed him the bowl.
“Annie. Charlie.”Matt’s voice brooked no argument. He lifted his gaze to Jolie’s, his warm brown eyes twinkling with the reflection of the candles Jolie had arranged at the center of the table. “We haven’t had to use our company manners for some time.”
“Dad!”Embarrassment tinged Annie’s pale cheeks with pink. “It’s Charlie who—”
“Enough.” Matt broke in, his voice low and even. “Jolie was kind enough to invite us here, so let’s be polite, okay?”
Annie flopped back in her chair, obviously fuming.
“I grew up with two sisters and a brother, who came along much later. Our meals weren’t always such quiet affairs, believe me.” Jolie directed her smile at Annie. “You have such a sweet name.. Were you named after someone?”
