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“I hate to even suggest this,” I finally said, once more avoiding thoughts of Mama’s battle. “Can you look for anywhere else they may have money? And send me that bank account number?”
“You can’t add funds. Dad will find out,” Drew protested, knowing me too well.
“What else am I supposed to do? I can’t let them go broke,” I argued.
“There aren’t enough transactions for him not to notice.”
“At this point, I don’t care. If Mama needs the money—”
“Just let me do some digging before you sound the alarm.”
“If you don’t send me that account number, I’ll get it another way.” I headed toward the house with determined steps.
“Fine. Looks like you’re listed on it anyway.”
I broke my stride. “How do you know that?”
“I gotta run. Look at those figures I sent, and don’t do anything foolish before we figure out what’s going on.”
The line went dead. My brother was way more optimistic than I was. Every answer led to another question, the biggest currently: how much trouble was my father in?
Chapter Thirteen
Mulaney
“Come on.Let’s get out of here.”
I grabbed Leona’s jacket off one of the hooks in the kitchen and handed it to her. She glanced back toward the living room where almost everyone else was gathered.
“They’ll never notice we’re gone,” I said with a smirk.
She pulled on her jacket and wrapped a scarf around her neck. I did the same, snagging Easton’s baseball cap before heading out the back door.
We moved across the grass, brittle from winter, until we were at the gate to Ragnor’s pasture. He grazed, barely looking at me in acknowledgment. The ranch seemed to be good for him. My wild man appeared more at peace, and I couldn’t ask for much more than that.
“You can talk about it or not. It’s up to you,” I said after a minute.
“You sound like Great-Grandmama.”
“That’s the highest compliment I’ve ever been paid,” I returned earnestly. If I was half the woman Ruby was, I’d be satisfied.
“She doesn’t force you to talk about stuff to the point it makes you want to,” Leona observed. That was Ruby to a tee.
“That’s how I end up telling her everything,” I muttered.Well, almost.
“She says I should call you more often.”
“She’s right. What else does she say?”
“That the reason you never have a boyfriend is because you have to be in control. Except the one that won’t let you be. She says you’re scared shitless of him.”
“Mmm. I knew my ears were burning. Y’all have got me figured out.”
“Aren’t you going to correct me for cursing?” Leona asked.
I shook my head. “I’m the last person to scold you for that. Besides, you were just quoting Ruby verbatim.”
Her gaze drifted to Ragnor as he leisurely moved to another spot of grass. “Why were you so mean to Easton last night? He seems really into you.”
