Chapter 8
Cal hated visiting his grandfather in this awful place. When he opened the door, the smell of urine and dying bodies smacked him in the face. He didn’t come very often because he didn’t like the nursing home or seeing his grandfather slowly deteriorating.
The man had taken him in when no one else would and raised him. He’d given him a good life. After the horse accident, Cal had tried to bring in nurses to take care of him, but it just didn’t work, and finally his grandfather had told him it was time to put him in a home.
For weeks, he’d searched for the best care facility he could find that was close enough so he could come check on him. Make certain they were treating him right, but eventually he’d had to settle for the Blessing House of Peace. A nursing home that gave around-the-clock care.
When he walked in, a woman shuffled toward him. “Have you seen my boy? He snuck off and I can’t find him.”
The woman had dementia and was living in a different time and place.
One of the caregivers came to her. “Come on, Raye, it’s time for singing in the cafeteria. I know how much you like to sing.”
The woman took her arm and together they shuffled down the hall. Dear God, he hoped he never lost his mind like that.
“Your grandfather is in his room resting,” a nurse told him.
At least they had been able to get him a private room. The place was outrageously expensive, but he was receiving the care he needed.
He walked down the hall where a man was screaming and a shiver trickled down his spine. How his grandfather could live here, he didn’t know.
When he walked into the room, the old man was sitting in a wheelchair.
“Cal,” he said grinning. “So great to see you. Sit down and tell me what’s going on at the ranch.”
Where did he begin? He’d just met a woman he would marry and accept if she would have him, but she had only come to Blessing for a wedding and to try to get the ranch back.
For the first five minutes, he updated him on the cattle and the cost of beef on the hoof and then he told him about how he’d plowed one field to raise hay for the horses and maybe even sell some.
All the while, his grandfather nodded.
“You know, you might try to get one of the mares put with one of the Nash’s family stallions. Their horses come from good stock.”
Grinning, he nodded. “We decided instead of cash money, we’d impregnate two mares. One they would receive and one I would keep. If this works out, I could have a new herd of horses in two years.”
“Sounds like you’re doing well, son,” he said with a sigh. “I really miss the ranch, but know that this is the best place for me.”
“You know, anytime you want to come home, you’re welcome to,” he said, remembering Nathan was living there full-time. But they would make accommodations for his grandfather.
“Thanks, but hiring private nurses was a ridiculous expense, and while I can roll this chair around the place, I can’t bathe or dress myself. That I need help with.”
Cal nodded. “I have a question I need to ask you. You’ve never said much about how you got the Sweet B. Can you tell me now?”
His grandfather frowned, his wrinkled brow coming together between his eyes. “Why?”
“I’d just like to know more about how you got started,” he lied.
With a sigh, his grandfather looked down and then glanced up at him with the oddest look on his face. “Just like everyone else. I bought the land from a man who didn’t appreciate what he owned. He let the ranch get in bad financial shape and I stepped in and offered to buy it from him.”
But that was not what the deed showed. It showed no money changed hands. Was he telling him the truth? What if Lillian was right?
“Did you know the previous owner?”
He gave a snort. “Oh yes. His family had the land for generations, and he’d been stupid. He needed cash and I helped him out and took over the property. I’d always wanted it, but didn’t think he would ever sell.”
“How much time passed before you learned about my situation,” Cal said. He never liked saying the words foster care. It felt shameful, and yet he knew that was not true. The only reason he was still alive was because that teacher contacted CPS and had him pulled from his parents. Eventually, his father would have killed him or worse.
“Two years,” he said. “Your grandmother never lived in the house because she died before I bought the ranch.”
Did he really buy it?
“Grandpa, you need to know that a young woman is sniffing around town about the ranch. She’s a lawyer. She looked at the bill of sale, and no money had changed hands. It looks strange to her, and she’s doing research on the chances that if she finds out anything illegal happened, she’s going to get the ranch back.”
His eyes narrowed. “She can sniff until the cows come home, but I got the ranch because Paul Bradley, the previous owner was an idiot. And no, I’m not going to tell you what happened. We agreed to never speak of it again and I’m holding up my part of the bargain.”
That was odd.
“It’s been almost twenty years. Why won’t you tell me so I can get Nathan to protect the property from her? I’m fighting to save the land we both love. But I can also tell you she’s determined to learn the truth.”
“Well, she won’t hear it from me. She can find Paul and ask him why I got the land from him without paying a dime. And good luck finding him. The son of a bitch is a lying, snake, so be careful.”
He glanced out the big window of his grandfather’s room. As much as he didn’t want to believe Lillian, he feared she was right.
“What happens if I lose the ranch?”
“Stop saying that. You’re not going to lose the ranch. I got it fair and square and without paying a dime,” he said.
Just then, the nurse walked in the door. “Mr. Thomas, your supper will be here in ten minutes.”
She handed him a paper cup filled with pills. “Please take your medication. Is your grandson going to stay for supper?”
“No,” Cal said, knowing he didn’t want to eat the food in the nursing home. His grandfather said it was all right, but he wasn’t going to try it out. “I need to get back and see if Nathan learned anything so we can prepare in case she decides to take us to court.”
“Paul had an adorable little granddaughter. Is this who is causing all the problems?”
“Yes,” Cal said. “Her name is Lillian Bradley. She’s now an attorney, and she wants the Sweet B back.”
All he could do was see her sweet curves, her long legs, the way she moaned when she came. But he wouldn’t tell his grandfather about that.
The old man laughed. “Good luck with that. She’s not getting the ranch back, and you’re not going to give it to her. Do you understand me?”
“Why would I give her the ranch I love?” he said, confused.
“Because women have a way of convincing a man to do something they don’t want to,” his grandfather replied. “Believe me, I know.”
“Who convinced you to do something you didn’t want to do?”
Did this have anything to do with the ranch?
“Some things a man doesn’t discuss with his grandson,” he told him.
They brought his grandfather’s dinner in, and he glanced at his watch. He didn’t think he would say anything more about how he’d obtained the Sweet B. It was going to be up to Lillian, Nathan, and himself to hunt for the truth.
And then he would come back and confront him.
“I’ve got to go, Grandfather,” he said. “Is there anything you need me to bring you the next time I come to visit?”
His grandfather’s brows rose. “Yes. Find Paul Bradley and bring him to me. I want to remind him of the agreement we made almost twenty years ago. I want to tell him that he better call his off granddaughter or I’ll spill my guts.”
What did he have on the man?
“What would you tell?”
“That I’m not going to say. I promised to keep it quiet, but if his granddaughter is going to try to get the ranch back, then I’ll tell everything I know.”
That was ominous.
“All right, Grandfather. I’ll see if I can find the man and bring him to you. But I want to know the truth.”
“You can’t handle the truth,” he said, taking a bite of his salad. “Now get out of here. It’s time for me to watch my shows.”
With a sigh, Cal bent over and hugged him. “I’ll do what you asked. But I’m not doing anything illegal.”
“No one said you have to,” he told him. “See you soon.”
Cal walked out of the room, feeling like he was more confused now than when he’d arrived earlier today.