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She gave them a moment to absorb. “If you want. We can rent a trailer up there. Stop and see Grandma and Grandpa…and Momma. Eat at Birdie’s.” She grinned at her father then. “Come on, you can’t say no to that.”
“I’ll have to talk to Matt,” Daddy said, but that meant yes. “See if I can get time off work.”
Gerty grinned and waited until she could keep the giggle out of her voice when she said, “All right, Daddy.”
“I just texted Gloria,” Mom said from the back seat. “She said we can go any time except for the last day of the summer season, because she needs us for the party.”
Gerty burst out laughing then, which covered up most of Daddy’s grumbling.
“Come on,” she said, giggling as she came to a stop in front of the farmhouse. “You want to go with me.” She put the truck in park and twisted to look at Mom. “Or I know! Girls trip. Just me and Mom will go.”
“No,” Daddy barked. “Your mom can’t drive all the way to Coral Canyon by herself.”
“I’m sure I can,” Mom said, grinning knowingly at Gerty. She didn’t go many places without Daddy, and Gerty understood why. She didn’t have the same past as her mother, and she understood why Mom stayed within her comfort zone. She didn’t blame her for that, and Gerty realized she’d been on the go, letting the wind and a whim push her north and south partly to show Mom that it was okay.
She wasn’t sure if she’d done that or not, but she had enjoyed her years away from Ivory Peaks. Now, though, as she looked at the old white house in front of her, she had the distinct feeling she needed to start putting down roots.
She’d been committed to moving onto this farm already, but this thought only solidified it. “This is right,” she whispered, and Daddy reached over and took her hand.
She looked at him. “I’ve been trying to listen to God more than myself lately,” she said. She nodded back to the house. “Moving in here is right.”
“Seems so.” He gave her a warm smile. “And Mike?”
“He’s right too,” Gerty said slowly. “For right now, for me. When I think aboutnotbeing with him….” She exhaled and shook her head. “I don’t know the future, Daddy, but right now and the foreseeable future, it feels right to be with him.”
“We sure do like him,” Mom said. “Don’t we, Boone?”
“Yes,” Daddy said, his voice a bit guarded. “We like him.”
Gerty threw herself into his arms. “So you’ll come with me to Montana?”
Her daddy held her tightly and said, “Just tell us when you want to go, baby.”
“Next weekend,” she said. “Can we go next weekend?”
Daddy chuckled and pulled back. “Tell me what time you want to leave.”
“I’ll let you know.” Gerty squealed and opened her door. “Now, come on. Come see the farm.” She slid from the truck and turned back. “And remember, it’s rough right now, but I’m gonna fix ‘er up.”
She didn’t wait to hear what her parents would say about her after she slammed the door. Surely they’d havesomethingto say to one another, and she didn’t want to hear it. If she gave them a minute, Mom would make sure Daddy didn’t say anything too negative, though Gerty would hear it all later anyway.
She and Daddy didn’t hold much back from one another, so when he joined her on the front porch and stomped his foot, she wasn’t surprised when he said, “This needs to be rebuilt, Gerty.”
“I know,” she said gleefully. “Aren’t you excited to do it?”
“Me?”
Gerty wrapped one arm around her father’s waist and leaned into him. “Yes, Daddy. You’re the best with horses, but you’re good with a hammer and wood too.”
“I think you have me confused with Mission,” Daddy grumbled, but he’d come rebuild the front porch, Gerty knew.
She took a deep breath and said, “Okay, let’s go inside.” She opened the door, and it felt like she was opening a gateway to the next stage of her life.
An exciting stage she couldn’t wait to embark on.
* * *
“Ready?”Mike asked a week later.
