Chapter 19 HOME
"Wow, he hugged her. Maybe they're closer than I thought," Troy said as we watched the scene unfold in front of us. I didn't mean to snoop, but I wanted to talk to her. Yet, seeing Mr. Randy with her made me hesitate. Mayor Ridge did mention she'd been out of town for a while-looks like she just got back.
"I wonder what their relationship is," I muttered under my breath, just as a small voice cut through the air.
"Mom!" A little girl, probably four or five, came running out. Miss Carter immediately scooped her up with a warmth that caught me off guard.
Mom? She's a mother?
"Wow, she has a daughter. I did not see that coming," Troy blurted, his surprise matching my own.
"Let's just go," I said, tearing my eyes away as another woman-who looked a lot like Miss Carter-stepped outside to join them. It felt like a family reunion, and we were intruding on something sacred.
"Already? I thought we were going to meet his parents," Troy began, frowning.
"And you don't think this is an odd hour to walk in on someone's family time?" I asked, letting the sarcasm bleed through my voice.
"That's very considerate of you, Mr. Lennox. But let me ask-you didn't want Mr. Randy to see you, or are you just trying to avoid interrupting the reunion? Or wait," Troy added, eyeing me with a smirk, "are you suddenly afraid to approach Miss Carter?"
I didn't have the patience for his drama today.
"Troy, just drive us to Brentmere, would you?" I said, sighing in frustration.
"Fine. We're meeting the Shadows anyway. You know what the boss said-he wants the deal sealed. The sooner we handle it, the sooner we can push them out of Brentmere," Troy replied as we hit the road toward the airport.
But the Shadows were the least of my concerns.
My mind was still back there, with her. I couldn't stop wondering what kind of relationship Miss Carter shared with Mr. Randy. Were they close? Would she be willing to sell me information about him in exchange for saving the ranch? Or was I reading too much into it?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't push the thoughts away.
Nancy's POV
"Hey sweetie, can you go with Uncle Kelvin while I talk to your aunty?" I said gently to Renna, who had refused to leave my side since I got back.
"Okay," she murmured, her face scrunching up in a pout as Kelvin took her hand and led her away.
"From the look on your face, I take it you visited the Mayor, didn't you?" Arabella asked. But I was too furious to respond right away.
"How could he do this to us?" I finally burst out, my voice tight with emotion. "I mean, how was he able to convince Mum and Dad to agree to this?"
"He probably used the fact that the ranch and farm are slowly running out of business against them," Arabella said with a heavy sigh. "And the fact that Mum and Dad are getting older... Knowing neither of us followed the path they wanted, he must think it's time for them to retire."
"Well, we've been hiring people to help out for years while they still get paid. Just because we didn't dedicate our entire lives to the farm doesn't mean we want it to fall apart," I snapped, frustration and guilt rising like bile in my throat. "This isn't just some ranch for profit-it's our home. You know how much Mum loves this place. How much she's sacrificed."
I raked my hands through my hair, the cold night breeze brushing against my skin, but it did nothing to calm the storm churning inside me.
"I know," Arabella said quietly, her voice tinged with helplessness. "But surprisingly, Mum's not panicking at all. In fact... she was the one who told the Mayor they'd consider his offer."
"What?" I asked, stunned.
"She's been so quiet lately. Even Dad can't figure out what's going on in her head. If she's not feeding the chickens, she's at the stables with the horses-feeding them, brushing them, just... watching. Like she's trying to memorize every detail, like she's preparing herself in case the ranch is sold."
Her words hit me harder than I expected. My chest tightened painfully, and suddenly it felt hard to breathe.
"What about now? Where is she?" I asked, unsure of what to say or do. I had come home four years ago after convincing myself it was time to face the life I had left behind. While Dad and Arabella were happy to see me, Mum had only stared at me with a blank expression.
When I introduced Renna to the family, she didn't hesitate to pick her up with open arms, and that alone brought me a sense of relief-even though she never spoke a word to me. I rented an apartment a few months later to ease the tension at home, but during the times I was busy with work, she would always show up to pick Renna up-her silent support warming my heart. It told me that she had accepted Renna and loved her deeply. But the way she continued to say little to nothing to me... it tore me apart on the inside.
"She's in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Are you trying to figure out how to approach her?" Arabella asked, reading my expression. I nodded silently.
"Do you want me to come with you?" she offered, her tone gentle.
"No. I have to do this alone," I said firmly, even though my chest felt tight. "Can you help me take my luggage back to my room? I might spend the night here."
Arabella nodded, and I turned to go in search of Mum.
As I stepped into the kitchen, I found it empty-even though the dining table was already set. The warmth of the space felt too calm, too quiet. I made my way down the hall, heading to my parents' room, hoping I'd find her there. But just as I raised my hand to knock, voices floated through the door-soft, trembling.
"Do you think I failed? Do you think I'm a bad mother? Do you think selling off the ranch will finally ease the guilt I've carried for so many years?"
Mum's voice-it was so fragile, so broken. What guilt was she talking about?
"No, you're not a bad mother," Dad replied, his tone steady and soothing. "But locking yourself away and pushing everyone out isn't going to help you heal. I know you're trying, Honey, but you need your family to help you get through this. You have to stop blaming yourself for the past. Ellis wouldn't want that-for you to punish yourself."
Ellis? Who was Ellis? What was Mum blaming herself for?
"Do you think Nancy will ever forgive me?" Mum's voice came again, but this time, it cracked-shaky, uncertain, like she'd been crying.
"She's your daughter. And you know how kind-hearted she is," Dad said gently. "Why don't you talk to her? She's been aching to hear her mother's voice."
"I can't," Mum whispered, and a deep sigh escaped from my chest without me realizing.
"Why?" Dad asked, but I was already turning to leave-to give them their privacy-until Mum's next words stopped me cold.
"Because I'm scared," she said, her voice so raw, so small, it nearly broke me.
Scared? I had never heard my mother admit she was scared. Not ever.
"I'm scared I'll say the wrong thing again, like last time... when I blamed her for everything and drove her away. I'm scared that if I try to talk to her, I'll ruin it all over again."
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision. Her words echoed in my heart, every sentence driving a stake through the pain I had buried for years.
All this time, I thought she was angry at me. I thought she would never forgive me for being a disappointment-even though all I ever wanted was to make her proud, to see her smile because of me.
"I just want my girls to be happy. And if selling the ranch means finding that happiness, then I'm willing to let it all go. We can move to a different country... or a quiet little town, and start over," her voice came again, soft and resolute.
A small smile tugged at my lips, bittersweet but sincere, as I slowly walked away-back to my room.
I'm going to find a way to save the ranch, one way or another.
I won't let my parents lose their home.
My home.
Our home.