Chapter 15
For a week, Swift did everything possible not to be at home when Starlah was.
If she was there, he'd go out back and help Peyton with the horses or even run around with Chevy and Papa as they practiced guarding the livestock.
Never in his life had a woman hurt his feelings, let alone walk out on him after the time he'd spent with her.
After he showered, he decided to take a ride to his grandmother's house.
Logan was there less, and his mother had finally flown back to Cedar Spike.
"Finally, you remember you have a grandmother, huh?" his granny sassed, hands on her hips.
Swift pecked her forehead and grinned.
"My handsome grandbaby. Come on out back. I have peas to pick," Granny instructed when she heard a lot of barking outside.
"That's Papa."
"I see."
Granny opened the screened door, and there he sat, wagging his tail.
Papa had learned to sit and not move after a slow nod from Swift.
He'd been researching on YouTube and Google, and with repetition, Papa and Chevy had caught on quickly.
Swift almost felt guilty, leaving Chevy at the farm, but he needed to be away from anything or anyone that reminded him of Starlah.
"You couldn't get you a prissy little something, huh? I thought you were a ladies' man."
She waved Papa inside, but he looked at Swift, who waved his hand once. He took off until Swift called his name.
"Chill, Papa, before you break something."
Papa began walking around, sniffing the furniture, Granny's huge bible on the living room table, and her ceramic pieces, familiarizing himself with their home.
It was a two-story, four-bedroom home built by Swift's great-grandfather and passed down to his grandfather.
On any given holiday, there'd be easily twenty people piled up there, eating and having fun.
"Hungry?" Granny asked.
Swift wasn't. He hadn't had an appetite, but he'd never share that information with her. Besides, she'd make him eat anyway.
"What you got?"
"Chili. Something fast and leftover from last night. Tonight is smoked turkey wings, pole beans, yellow rice, and sweet rolls."
"On a Thursday?" He laughed, following her into the kitchen.
The furniture was dated but clean and in great condition. In fact, everything they sat on was made by Swift's grandfather, who was a carpenter by trade. He came from hard-working people, something he took great pride in.
Swift also felt bad that he hadn't gone to the mechanic's shop. He didn't want to see Colt and smash his face, so he had Cassie running the office and checking in customers.
"Let me warm it up on the stove. You know I don't believe in them damn microwaves.
" Granny whispered, looking around. "I think they cause cancer and all kinds of stuff.
Mhmm, I told my children that. Your granddaddy thinks differently, but it doesn't matter.
This right here is my domain. While this warms up, let's go outside. "
As soon as they went to the backyard, Papa had jetted out the door. Their land wasn't as big as the Steels' farm, but there was plenty of yard where she grew her own vegetables. At seventy, Granny moved around like a younger woman and never caught a cold.
"Here." She handed him a bag. "You remember how to pick beans, don't you?"
"Yes, ma'am." Swift nodded his head and grinned. If he had wanted to work, he would have gone to work.
"Then make yourself useful and tell Granny who the hell got my baby so upset.
Your face is all bent up since you've been here.
" When he opened his mouth, she saw the lie coming before he spoke.
"I know you like I know all my grandchildren, Cairo.
That Ezekiel ain't no better," she added, referring to his cousin.
"He lies for his daddy and his mama. Now, his younger sister and brother like money just like him.
All I need to do is offer some, and they sing like canaries. "
"Pfft. Money, too. How do you think he earned his nickname?"
Swift bent down, lowering to his knees as he took his time picking pole beans.
He couldn't roughly pull them from the stem without risking breaking the stalk.
He used to hate yardwork, especially tending the garden, but he had a newfound respect for it after working with Wrangler and the other staff at the Steel farm.
"That's all a front. Ezekiel likes independence and not having to rely on his parents. As soon as he could live on his own, off he went and has been gone ever since. I did hear he's coming to town, though."
Swift stopped, staring at his grandmother. He'd been so caught up with the Steel's affairs that he hadn't had time to catch up with his cousin.
"Oh, maybe that was a surprise." She laughed, then stood up as Papa barked feverishly at someone standing near their back gate. "Hmph. I wonder who that is?"
Swift stood, then lifted his hand, shielding his eyes from the sun. He couldn't make out their faces, but there were two of them. Whatever they said to Papa infuriated him, and he jumped, trying to leap over the gate.
"What the hell?"
Swift lowered his bag, practically running to where Papa was when they hopped into their truck and drove off. By the time he made it, he had run as far as he could, trying to read the license plate, but dust from the tires clouded the air.
"Papa, you're okay?" Swift rubbed his head, his chest heaving as he fought to catch his breath. "Alright, boy. Good job, but let's head on back inside."
By the time they returned to his grandmother, she stood there with her brows dipped.
"Baby, who was that?"
"I don't know, but do people usually get out and stand around your land?"
"Maybe, but this is the country. Folks ride up and down the road all the time. They probably saw Papa and decided to speak. Rest assured, your granny ain't never scared."
Granny went to a bench filled with her gardening tools, opened it, and pulled out her shotgun.
"What do you chirren tell folks about messing around and finding out or something like that?"
She racked her shotgun and winked her eye, causing Swift to belt out a huge laugh. He couldn't believe she hadn't blinked once when she attempted to repeat the infamous saying of "fuck around and find out".
"Granny, no more reality television for you." Swift kissed her forehead, then looked inside the gardening toolbox. She had another shotgun and two nine-millimeters. "Un-huh, let 'em come back."
"Naw, let's not. Let me call up Money. We need to install some outdoor cameras, and then I'll tell him I'm not his woman. He doesn't need to slip into town and surprise me."
"I think he's worried. That's all."
"About?"
"Cairo, you remind me of your mama when your daddy was chasing her. She did everything possible to give him a reason not to pursue her. She even had your uncles parading outside on the porch with shotguns like he was here to steal. You know what your daddy did?"
Swift knew. He'd heard the stories more times than he could count, but he loved hearing how his father staked his claim.
"One day, London called herself going out with some guy she felt was safe.
Cain caught them out and about. Your mama was making the man spend up all his money on nothing she ain't already have.
He figured it would work in his favor when he bought a cooler full of beer, four, maybe five slabs of ribs with Wonder bread, and the best weed from over there in Lancaster. "
Granny giggled and slapped her leg.
"Your mama came back, and there Cain was on the porch, fingers all wet from barbecue sauce, three beers by his feet, and high as hell. All four of 'em."
"Granny, how did you know that was the best weed in Lancaster?" he asked, flashing his dimpled smile.
"That's Granny's medication for her knees. Now, go mind your damn business and get your girl back. You know that damn mama of yours can't hold water. Ezekiel said he's coming out here because he's worried. I'll pack your bowl, and if you want, you can leave Papa here."
Papa sat, wagging his tail.
"He needs his food, Granny. His stomach can't take table food."
Swift realized then how much he loved Papa. He walked into his life by barking at him, getting his attention. He didn't even recognize he was lost when it came to forming new bonds outside his family until Papa showed up.
"How 'bout you CartDash it, and I'll be here to get it.
Now go before your granddaddy gets here.
He'll keep you up all night, playing that damn banjo and drinking hooch.
" She leaned forward and whispered, "Do the Steels got any left around there?
That Lucky sho' nuff made the best hooch.
I'm gonna miss him. It's a damn shame what happened. "
That was the first Swift had heard about hooch, or that Lucky had made any. He scratched his head, wondering what else he didn't know about the Steels.
"I don't know, but I'll find out. Until then, I'll CartDash Papa some dog food." He chuckled, loving how she combined Instacart and DoorDash.
"Papa, you cool with staying?" Papa barked once, then ran and sat next to Granny, his head on her foot. Swift knew then that Papa had the power to pull people in, the same way he'd done with him the first time he saw him.