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CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Rosalie couldn’t wait to get out of her heels. She’d been on her feet all day at a warehouse about an hour from Sweet Water Falls. Her newest game was set to hit shelves at the end of July, and she’d wanted to be present to go over the final details. She simply hadn’t been able to tell the cardboard quality, nor the true colors, via email or video.
She’d stopped at the small, organic grocer on the outskirts of Sweet Water Falls on her way home, because they had aluminum foil trays of ready-made meals that only needed heating. She normally didn’t mind her time in the kitchen, as she used it as a form of detoxing from the day. There was just something about following a recipe and putting together a bunch of isolated ingredients to make something delicious and satisfying.
She supposed it gave her hope that she wouldn’t have to be isolated for her whole life either. That she could mix and blend with another human being and make the relationship stick this time in a delicious and satisfying way.
Of course she thought of Lee as she perused the fresh lasagnas, chicken burritos, and mini meatloaves. She’d called him yesterday to see if he could possibly get off the farm a little early and take her to dinner, but he’d clearly been upset and beyond busy. He’d been barky and short with her, and Rosalie had stared at her dark phone screen for a solid twenty seconds after he’d hung up.
She hadn’t attempted to call him back, and she’d put together a chicken pot pie last night that any chef would’ve been envious of. She’d eaten it with Charity and Autumn, wondering if she should ask the twenty-something for more dating advice.
In the end, she hadn’t, and Rosalie fully expected to hear from Lee tonight.Or maybe he’ll go silent again, she thought as she finally selected a tray of Southwest stuffed peppers. She’d always loved food like this, and Autumn didn’t balk at anything either. She wouldn’t have to make a vegetable, and Rosalie pushed her cart toward the dairy section to get another gallon of milk.
As she went, she asked herself what she would do if Lee decided not to call her back. Would she call him? Drive out there? Let him retreat while he dealt with whatever had made him upset?
She honestly didn’t know, because her head and her heart seemed to be in a constant battle with each other. She didn’t want to be too needy. She didn’t want to be too casual. Nothing about her month-long relationship with the handsome cowboy was casual for her. He didn’t kiss her like he thought of her casually either, and Rosalie clung to that as she got her milk, butter, and cheese and turned toward the checkstands.
She hadn’t even taken a step before she saw Ford Cooper standing in front of her. A smile sprang onto her face. “Ford,” she said pleasantly, wondering if Lee was in this grocer right now. She knew Cooper & Co produced a high standard of organic milk, so he could definitely shop here.
Something nagged at her mind, but she couldn’t quite place it yet. “Are you here alone?” she asked, moving her scanning eyes back to him.
“With my mom,” he said, indicating a dark-haired woman leaning over a refrigerated case to get something out of it. Rosalie stared at her, trying to drink in all the details of the woman in only a couple of breaths.
The woman straightened and turned to find Ford, seeing him standing with Rosalie. “Ford,” she said, gesturing him over to her. “Let’s go, baby. We got the ground beef.” Her eyes traveled up to Rosalie’s, and she stuck the professional game designer smile to her face.
She stepped past her cart and put her hand on Ford’s back. “Will you introduce me, Ford?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in his dutiful voice. They walked the few steps over to Martha, and Ford waved at Rosalie. “Mama, this is Daddy’s girlfriend. Rosalie.”
Martha’s mouth opened slightly. Shock traveled across her face. She looked from Rosalie to Ford and back. She snapped her mouth shut and steered her son back to her side in a somewhat possessive move. “Hello,” she said.
“So nice to meet you,” Rosalie said, laying on the gush a little thick. “I see where Ford gets his dark lashes.”
“Lee’s lashes are plenty dark,” Martha said. She wasn’t exactly cold, but she certainly wasn’t warm. Rosalie wasn’t sure why. Lee had said Martha had been dating for years and years. In fact, she had a fairly serious boyfriend according to her ex-husband. “How long have you and Lee been seeing each other?”
She wanted to stretch the time all of a sudden. “Oh, a little over—about a month,” Rosalie said, unable to tell a lie. He still hadn’t met Autumn, but Rosalie was getting closer and closer to that.
Martha kept her mouth shut and nodded. She kept her arm around her son’s shoulders, though Ford didn’t stand that much shorter than her. “It was nice to meet you,” she said, starting to turn.
“Are you here gettin’ my dad dinner?” Ford asked.
“Ford,” Martha said sharply.
“What?” the boy asked. “You said Daddy wouldn’t eat at the hospital. Maybe Rosalie is gettin’ him and the uncles something to eat.”
Confusion ran through Rosalie. “The hospital?” she asked, hating being on the outside of this information. Both Martha and Ford clearly knew already.
Martha could’ve shot fire from her eyes, first at her son and then Rosalie. She was a Texas mama bear through and through. Rosalie had some experience with women like her, and she backed up a step. “Good to see you, Ford,” she said. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” She nodded at Lee’s ex-wife and turned back to her cart.
She could call Lee and get the information from him. Back behind her cart, she realized Martha hadn’t moved. She now wore a look of compassion on her face that didn’t fit the earlier interaction.
“Lee hasn’t told you, has he?” she asked as Rosalie approached.
“No,” Rosalie said. “I suppose he hasn’t.”
“His mama is in the hospital,” Martha said. “He told me this afternoon when he called to say he couldn’t come get Ford tonight for the weekend.”
“He doesn’t eat in the hospital,” Ford said.
