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I wrung my hands nervously.
“Beth, I need to know… How sick was Grandpa?”
She put the knife down and wiped her hands on her apron. She spoke slowly as if choosing her words carefully.
“He was sicker than you can imagine.”
“How ill did he get? How fast did the illness progress?”
“Before your last summer here as a teenager, he already had dementia and warned me not to tell anybody. After you left for the city, his health started to decline.”
My heart raced.
“So, why wasn’t I told? I’m notanybody.”
Beth sighed, her hands trembling slightly.
“He didn’t want to burden you. He always said, ‘My Anna’s got her own path now. No need to drag her into this.’ The illness…”
She swallowed hard, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“There were days when he didn’t remember anything. But he’d still ask about you, talk about you. Holding onto memories of you seemed to give him strength.”
A lump formed in my throat, each of Beth’s words like a dagger to my heart. I blinked the moisture in my eyes away and tried to hold myself together.
“He…he hid it all from me.”
Beth reached out, her hand warm against mine.
“He loved you, Anna. He didn’t want you to see him weak or remember him like that. He wanted you to remember the strong, sturdy man who raised you.”
Tears fell on my cheeks, and I wiped them away furiously.
The image of Grandpa appeared in my mind. He’d always had a twinkle in his eyes and a hearty laugh. I knew now that he hadn’t been like that long before he passed on.
I gripped the edge of the counter, my palms sweaty against the cool granite. My knuckles turned white.
The revelation that Grandpa had hidden the extent of his illness from me shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. He’d protected me even in his final moments. He’d shielded me from the harsh reality of his pain.
Choking back a sob, I whispered, “I wish I’d known, Beth. I wish I had been there.”
Her eyes softened. She pulled me into an embrace.
“He knew you loved him, Anna.”
I placed my head on her shoulder, sobbing until I’d shed all the tears I could.
There was only one thing left that connected me to Grandpa. Harrington Ranch. I decided there and then to carry on his legacy by fighting for the ranch he held so dear.
Pulling away, I wiped my tears.
“Grandpa held onto memories of me. Now, I’ll hold onto memories of him. I’ll do whatever it takes to make this ranch thrive. For him.”
She nodded with a proud smile.
“He always believed in you, Anna.”
Afterward, days passed, and things moved smoothly, albeit slowly, on the ranch. The fervor to keep Grandpa’s dream alive propelled me to action.
