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“Young lady!” Katherine scolds me from the grocery section.
That woman’s hearing!
Blushing, I look at her apologetically. “Sorry! I just—are these the right prices?” I ask, holding up a hammer and flipping the price tag toward her, blinking in disbelief.
She nods. “Prices have gone up everywhere. Inflation is the devil’s work.”
“No, this is—this is extremely reasonable.” I set the hammer down and begin looking around at the other items, my eyes popping in shock.
Everything is priced significantly less than anything I’ve seen in Seattle. My heart quickens as I mentally calculate the price differences in my head.
“Katherine…” I breathe, rejoining her side. “What’s stopping you from fixing up the ranch again?”
She sets down a tomato and gawks at me. “Is that a joke, dear? I’m seventy-three years old and live alone. That’s what’s stopping me.”
“But if you had the help, could you do it?”
Her mouth tucks in at the corners. “It’s a lot of work, Rose. And a lot of money.”
I inhale. “Yes, but if you were to restore the ranch, make it into a guest ranch for visitors, tourists, the like, it will bring in income, and you could recoup the money lost. You could offer a whole experience, teaching horseback riding and camping. Maybe lassoing…”
I trail off, wondering if lassoing is actually a word—it sounds odd in my mind to use ‘lasso’ as a verb—and I catch her dubious expression. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. “Unless you can think of an easier way to bring in income,” I add quickly. “I don’t know much about ranching.”
“Dude ranches can provide a steady income,” my grandmother responds. “I know many ranchers who do that kind of thing.”
I chew on my lower lip. “I’m looking at the cost of materials. I think that a lot of the work could be done for much cheaper than I initially imagined when I first saw the ranch. Honestly, I thought the place was a lost cause, but now… I’m not entirely sure that’s true.”
“Materials are only the tip of the iceberg, Rose.” She isn’t convinced and isn’t afraid to speak her mind. “Labor is a much bigger problem. Finding laborers out here is no small feat, and paying them to travel from the bigger cities will cost more.”
“I will work on the ranch myself,” I blurt out without remorse. My blood pumps with the offer, a new ambition fueling me in the best way. “I have a degree in interior design, Katherine. I can do the basics. When it comes to bigger projects, we can find others to hire, but let’s just get it started. Once we get the ball rolling, we can get it done.”
She studies my face, her own softening as if my enthusiasm is infectious. “Why is this so important to you?”
I blink, confused by her query. “Because you’re my grandmother,” I answer, as if the response should have been obvious. “And you should have the only home you’ve ever known in the best condition—the way my grandfather wanted it.”
To my abject horror, Katherine begins to sob, right there in the middle of the grocery store. Shock and contrition rush through me as I put my arms around her shoulders, half a dozen accusing looks falling in my direction as I try to shake my head in denial.
“I’m sorry!” I whisper, patting her on the back. “I take it back. We don’t have to do it! I was just trying to be helpful. I don’t want to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.”
The woman sniffles so hard, she snorts. Wiping her eyes, she pauses and then laughs. “I’m not upset, you silly goose.” She throws her arms around me and holds me tightly.
Oxytocin rushes through me, and now my eyes tear up as the confused patrons gawp at us in the grocery store.
“We’re fine,” I grumble at them, trying to wave them away. “Nothing to see here.”
“I don’t know where you came from, darling.” Katherine finally pulls back, dabbing at her eyes. “But you really are a godsend. Do you know that? Oh, I’m so happy you’ve come and decided to stay.”
I blush and look away, embarrassed by her compliment. “You’re the one who’s letting me stay at your house. And it’s not like it’s my money that’s fixing up the property. It’s the least I can do for you. Come on, what’s on your shopping list? Let’s gather what you need, because everyone’s staring at us, and Connor will be back to get us soon.”
“You know what? Never mind the pork chops. I’m taking you out to dinner tonight,” she decides on a whim.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. Hush with your ‘you don’t have tos’. Let me make up for years of lost spoiling, will you? You’re lucky I’m not buying you dolls.”
I burst out laughing, and Katherine steers me toward the exit, waving at the customers. “Sorry for the show, folks. Change of plans now. You all have a good afternoon.”
“Bye, Katherine,” one of the cashiers yells out.
