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Rose didn’t dare move. She couldn’t utter a word for fear he would stop his story.
“My grandfather would often sit at the table after my grandmother set out the dishes, then he’d push back his chair after only two bites and say he wasn’t hungry. Sometimes he’d put the food on my plate. Other times he’d give it to my grandmother.”
A gasp broke from Rose’s parted lips.
“Yeah. I know. He was so convincing that it wasn’t until years later that I realized he was deliberately going without food so we could have a little more.”
The air in the room felt colder somehow. A chill swept down Rose’s spine. Mike’s mother had passed before he’d hit his teenage years. The family had managed to get back on their feet, but only just by the time Mike started high school. This story only solidified the kind of man Otis had been.
As if Mike could read her thoughts, he nodded. “He was one of the best men there was. He was loyal and hardworking. He would have never…” His voice trailed off and he looked away before offering Rose a painful smile. “He was a real gentleman and someone I wish I could have been.”
She scooted to the edge of her chair to reach for him, then thought better of it and placed her hand in her lap. “It’s not too late. Sure, you made some bad choices in the past, but that’s not who you are now.”
He stared at her hard then looked away. “You don’t get it. My grandfather never did a bad thing in his life.”
“You don’t know that.”
Mike gave her a sharp look. “Oh, I know it. Otis Anderson was the most trustworthy person in this town, and I’d bet my life on it. It didn’t matter how hard his life got, he never stooped to do anything dishonorable. Not once.”
Rose shrank back a little. Mike was probably right. He knew his grandfather better than anyone around here might. And for all of her attempts to make Mike feel better about his situation, putting down his grandfather was not the way to do it. She nodded and reached for her pizza instead.
The one surprising bit that she’d learned during this conversation was just how much Mike admired the man. He’d shut everyone out of his life when they were younger. Having him open up to her this way was unexpected. While part of her wondered if she could believe him due to the fact he might be saying whatever he could to manipulate her, there was a small voice that insisted the opposite.
Once upon a time, Mike had been a good friend. He’d helped her climb into the treehouse when she wasn’t strong enough. He’d let Ethan convince him that Rose was just as much fun to spend time with as Ethan was.
And she couldn’t forget that a long time ago, she’d had a crush on him.
Too much time had passed, of course. He’d changed. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t change back. He just needed to find his way again.
Her eyes met his, the silence dragging on far too long. They had work to do, and from the looks of it, Mike had nothing more he wished to say about his grandfather or anything else.
Heck, in thirty minutes he’d probably act like this conversation had never happened.
CHAPTER EIGHT
There was nothing quite like the rollercoaster that had become Mike’s life. All the work he’d put in to get the job at Sagebrush Ranch felt like it was for nothing after the request he put in to take a leave of absence.
Thankfully, Ethan assured him he wouldn’t just go hire someone else while Mike was gone, and he’d check in with Mike first. Still, Mike got a sense that Ethan wasn’t all that thrilled about giving him that answer when he’d been asked.
No comment about Rose working with him, though. He wasn’t even sure if Ethan was aware of the situation.
The two of them had been working together for going on three days. Conversation was stilted at best, and while Mike wished he had the personality to just chit-chat, he couldn’t come up with anything interesting to say to her that wasn’t soul-crushingly depressing.
While he wasn’t working at Sagebrush, he’d opted to stay at his grandfather’s place. There still wasn’t enough space for him to sleep on any of the furniture, and he wasn’t so sure he wanted to. With the condition of the house being what it was, he wouldn’t be surprised to find out that a family of rodents currently resided here.
Mike sat up as the light spilled in from the kitchen window. Rose had made so much more headway here an than he had in any other room, and while the kitchen floor was cold and hard, it was the cleanest place there was. He’d just made sure to pick up the evidence of his sleeping arrangements before she got here every morning.
His back ached and there was a crick in his neck. The sleeping bag kept him warm enough, but he needed to invest in a pillow if he was going to stay in good enough shape to get this place in the best condition possible.
A groan escaped his lips as he twisted his torso around each way to stretch his sore muscles. He tossed his sleeping bag aside and shuffled to his feet. Then he froze at the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Rose couldn’t possibly be here yet. It was too early. She was planning on coming closer to lunch, wasn’t she?
He couldn’t recall and the persistent knock made it clear whoever it was wouldn’t wait long without getting upset. Mike scooped up his sleeping bag and pillow just as the door opened.
“Mike? I hope it’s okay I let myself in. I saw your truck out front…” Rose’s voice grew louder along with her footsteps.
Frantically looking in every direction, Mike sought out any escape he could find short of darting outside. Doing that would draw more attention to the fact that he was in her space bright and early rather than cleaning what he was supposed to be focused on.
