“I guess I’m not as much like Dad as I thought. I don’t consider myself some all-powerful savior.”
“But you think you have to be.”
“No, I don’t. It’s just the odds I don’t like.”
“What if you can change the odds? What if Zinnia, who’s a strong person who doesn’t require a savior, could help you change those odds?”
“Maybe she could. I get your point about Tracy being a good influence on Adam. I have noticed he doesn’t eat like Dad and if Zinnia knew about the heart thing, she’d be on it.”
“Because she’s in love with you just like you’re in love with her.”
“I’m not sure about that.” But it created warmth in his chest to hear her say it, even if Zinnia never told him.
“Then I guess you haven’t been paying attention. Everyone else can see it.”
“You notice Adam and Tracy haven’t had kids yet.”
“I’ve noticed. They’re busy with the town council.”
“Or maybe Adam’s nervous about having kids. Maybe the heart thing still bothers him the way it bothers me.”
“I doubt it, but that might be an interesting conversation for you to have with him.”
“At least he’d start with a baby. I don’t know anything about raising a five-year-old. I’d screw that up, for sure.”
“So could Zinnia. Parents make mistakes all the time.”
“Yeah, but I’m this person coming in partway through the story, learning on the fly. I’m bound to let that kid down, and he?—”
“He’d be fine. Listen, Monty. Having a dad like yours can make it look like husbands and fathers are required to be superhuman. Some even get away with it. Joe couldn’t. Spence couldn’t.”
“I see what you’re saying.”
“Do you? Because I think you’re still caught up in the idea that you have to be a perfect father for Tex, just like you have to be a perfect vet, sacrificing sleep to stay overnight with a sick horse or a pregnant mare. And if you can’t, then you hook up those cameras of yours and monitor your phone constantly.”
“It’s called being good at my job.”
“I’ve heard Graham calls you Supervet.”
“It’s a joke, Grandma.”
She speared him with a blue-eyed gaze that saw way too much. “Is it?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Thank goodness Tex had babbled nonstop on the way home from the party. If he’d fallen asleep in his car seat as usual, Uncle Graham would have had questions Zinnia wouldn’t have wanted to answer.
She’d had quite a challenge getting Tex to calm down long enough to tuck him in bed. By the time he’d finally gone to sleep, her uncle had given up and hit the sack himself.
Much as she’d wanted to stay awake until Mari got home, she hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open. Some insomniac she was. Maybe the Monty effect was still in force because she’d slept soundly until the rising sun ushered in a bizarro day.
Mari kept trying to get info on the party and the only person who gave her an unfiltered response was Tex. He had a new audience and was thrilled to chatter away about his experiences.
Meanwhile Uncle Graham kept giving her looks as if he was dying to quiz her. She pretended not to notice. Then Mari started with the looks, but with Tex constantly around, she sure wasn’t going to get into it.
Finding a private moment with her sister when either Tex or her uncle weren’t in the room proved impossible. She’d hoped Tex would take a nap to make up for his late night, but no dice.
Then finally, soon after dinner, he ran out of juice. She had no trouble getting him to bed and he was asleep before she left his room.
