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And with that, she hung up. I frowned at the phone. Sadie Johnson had lost her ever-loving mind. I headed out of my bedroom and down the familiar long corridor that led to the kitchen. I could smell bread baking in the oven and my stomach growled.
“What you making, Mama?” I asked as I entered the kitchen and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, Eloise.”
A little girl was standing next to my mom with flour on her hands and in her light blonde hair. Eloise and her Aunt Arya were staying with us. She was a cute kid, and I could tell that my mom loved her, but that just made me worried for the day Eloise and Arya would leave. Mom already moaned about needing grandkids on a daily basis.
“Pot roast in the oven, along with some sourdough bread.” She beamed at me. “Eloise wanted to try her hand at making some shortbread cookies.”
“Yummy.” I grinned. “Save some for me.”
“I will.” Eloise beamed at me. “Is Auntie Sadie coming over for dinner?”
“No,” I shook my head. “She’s still in Idaho.”
“I miss her.” Eloise’s cute little face scrunched up. “I hope she comes home soon.”
“Yeah, well.” I shrugged, feeling Mom’s gaze on me. “Don’t suppose you’ll make me a sandwich, Mom?”
“You have two good hands, Wyatt Hamilton.” She hit me lightly with a dishtowel. “You can make your own sandwich.”
“Yes, Mama.” I laughed and headed to the fridge. “Oh, by the way, I won’t be home for dinner tomorrow night. I’m picking Sadie up from the airport, and then we’re going to go out for barbecue.”
“We can have a barbecue here.” My mom sounded excited. “A welcome home party for Sadie.”
“Mom, she was only gone for three weeks. And if anyone should have a party it should be her parents.”
“Well, you know the Johnsons aren’t into parties,” Mom replied. “Sadie would love it.”
“Maybe we can do something this weekend.” I grabbed some sliced turkey breast from the fridge and some string cheese. “That way everyone can hang out.”
“That’s a good idea.” Mom nodded. “Sadie can invite some of her other friends as well.”
“She doesn’t need anyone other than me.” I grabbed a plate and a napkin and made my way to the kitchen table to take a seat.
“Oh, Wyatt.” Mom looked at me with an almost pitying expression. “You better wise up soon.”
“Huh?” I said with my mouth full.
“Sadie is a woman now. A beautiful woman. Believe me when I say there are many men in town that would like to get to know Sadie Johnson. And when she gets married, I’m afraid she’s not going to need you the same way anymore.”
“What are you talking about? Are you trying to get her married off as well?” I grabbed a can of soda. “Don’t you have enough sons to worry about, without trying to hook Sadie up, too? Shouldn’t Chet be next? He’s your next single son.”
“I’m not trying to hook Sadie up, and I certainly wouldn’t think about trying to hook Chet up. I’m not a busybody.”
“Sure, Mom.” I glanced down at Eloise who was staring at us both, a curious expression on her young face. “You save me some cookies, you hear?”
“Yes, Uncle Wyatt.” She giggled, and I rubbed the top of her head.
“Okay, I need to go. Beau wants me to check on some of the wheat crops. Looks like we might have a locust or grasshopper problem.” I frowned thinking about the damage the insects could cause our cereal crops. With everything else that going on, we couldn’t afford to lose much of our wheat production.
“Good luck, son.” Mom gave me a quick hug. “I know you’ll take care of it.” She smiled warmly at me and then looked into my eyes. “Oh, when you see Sadie tomorrow, please let her know that Shane wants her to call him. I saw his mama in town yesterday, and he’s back home.”
“Shane?”
“Shane Wakefield. Your friend from high school.”
“He was no friend of mine.”
Shane had been one of Sadie’s many crushes, but he was a total douchebag. I certainly wasn’t going to be passing on that message, but I didn’t tell Mama that.
