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Lexi guessed from the way Jackson’s jaw clenched, and the muscle throbbing in his jaw that he wasn’t a huge fan of his sister’s assessment. But it only made her more curious about this family. And the nurse inside couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Reilly’s health issue involved.
They passed a series of new-looking white fences that seemed to carry on for miles. “That’s a big property,” she said, gesturing to the side. “Is it yours?”
“It’s the Darcy’s,” Jackson said.
“They’re the really rich people around here. Out here, at least,” Ellie said. “There’s a bunch of people in town who think they’re pretty special, but we don’t pay as much attention to them. Liam is nice, but he’s not here often. He’s always travelling for work. Or in Seattle, seeing his girlfriend.”
“They’re in Africa now,” Jackson said, almost absently.
“Africa?”
“Something about water wells in poor countries.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. He’s nice,” Ellie said. “I don’t know him too well, and his sister Georgia tends to keep to herself. But Jackson and Liam get on well.”
So Jackson was friends with the richest man in these parts. That had to have its challenges.
He slowed the vehicle as they approached an entry that looked surprisingly grand. She’d guessed from the rust and dings in the panels that Jackson’s truck wasn’t new, and stories involving hardship didn’t exactly lend themselves to expensive-looking stone-walled gates, nor fancy signs spelling out Reilly Ranch in scripted letters. “What a nice entrance.”
“Yeah, that’s Dermott’s work. My oldest brother built it for Mom as a surprise for Mother’s Day years ago.” Another glance passed between the siblings. “Let’s just say the gift was not received as well as Dermott had hoped.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. He does gardening and landscaping work in the east, on the Independence Islands near South Carolina. We don’t see him much. This past Christmas was the first time he’d been back in nearly twenty years.”
“Families aren’t always easy.”
“That’s for sure.”
“You … you mentioned some other brothers as well.” Lexi turned to look at Ellie. “Do they live here too?”
“Nope. Mitchell plays hockey in Minnesota, and Cooper is in Silicon Valley. They don’t tend to come back here unless they have to.”
Interesting. The more the siblings shared, the more curious she was about what she would find.
The driveway continued for half a mile until they came to a stand of pines. Beyond that lay a white homey-looking two-story house, with a red roof and door. Both looked like they needed repainting. An attempt to prettify the garden saw roses planted in orderly lines, blooming in pinks and reds and yellows. But the garden beds needed weeding, and the whole place had a slightly depressed air.
“Thanks again for inviting me,” she said, forcing cheer to her voice.
“Thanks for coming,” Ellie said as Jackson pulled to a stop and quit the engine.
She got out, narrowly missing a pile of horse manure. That sure would’ve been a great first impression for Mrs. Reilly.
She followed Ellie up the front steps, through the glass-paned front door into a dim timber-lined hall. Talk about ranch-like. Any second now and she’d see a hat-stand filled with Stetsons, maybe a cowhide on the floor, and—
A glance at the living room had her swallowing a chuckle. A brown-and-white cowhide did indeed lie on the tiled floor between dark leather sofas. Her gaze drifted up the walls. One wall held a large photograph of the hills, which she guessed might’ve been taken nearby. “Is this from around here?”
“It’s the ranch—well, most of it. Liam’s sister, Georgia, took the picture.”
“She’s pretty talented.”
“Yeah.” Again there was that tone of resignation in Jackson’s voice, almost like he wasn’t the world’s hugest fan of the Darcy family, even though Ellie had said he and Liam were friends.
“Something smells good,” Lexi said, sniffing the air.
“Jackson has a special sauce. It’s a secret. He won’t even tell me.” Ellie rolled her eyes.
