Dark Night #3
“I’ve kept it in my desk,” Grandma Austin said.
“I didn’t want it to fade. Your grandfather, your mother, and Russell—they, and this ranch, were my whole world.
And then I pushed your mother away. I’ll regret that the rest of my life.
George was a good husband to her, and she was lucky to have him, even if it meant leaving the ranch. ”
With a sigh, she slid the picture back into her desk. “I think it’s time for a new picture,” she said. “My world’s expanded a little, lately.”
Maria smiled. “I’m glad.”
Grandma Austin turned to her. “Now, I’m still an old porcupine.” She wagged her finger. “Don’t let word get out that I’ve gone soft, or I’ll have all my relatives telling me what to do!”
Maria laughed. She bent and kissed her formidable grandmother on the cheek. Grandma Austin caught her hand, patting it.
“You’re a good girl,” she said. “I want you to know that.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Maria said.
“You’re leaving tomorrow?”
“My plane takes off at ten PM,” Maria said. “I don’t think—I mean, since we’re selling the ranch, there isn’t much reason for me to stick around now.”
Grandma Austin nodded. “We’re finishing the paperwork tomorrow,” she said. “I’ve got my lawyer coming to make sure everything is shipshape before we talk to Beck.”
That raised the question of Maria’s family’s finances. With Grandma Austin’s seeming change of heart, now would be the time to ask, if ever. “What will happen with the ranch proceeds?” Maria’s voice was quieter than she wanted.
“They’ll be divided among all the people who have shares in the ranch.” She looked keenly at Maria. “That includes you, even when you’re in Michigan. And I’ll deduct the money your father owes me from your share.”
Wow. All Maria’s financial problems were solved in one fell swoop. “Thank you, Grandma.” She fumbled for words. “I’m going to be sad about the ranch, though.”
Patricia swallowed. “You’re not the only one. Poor Tim, he’ll be devastated. But it’s for his own good as well as everybody else’s.”
Even though Tim had deceived her, Maria didn’t like to think about him feeling devastated. “How is Tim doing?” she asked.
“Mending,” Patricia said. “He’s coming back today, and I’ve told all the guys to let him rest.” Her gaze was keen. “He must be relieved you found out about the Montana Rider. It was driving him crazy pretending to be two people.”
So Grandma Austin knew about Tim! And she knew Maria had found out.
Maria crossed her arms. “Is there anything around this ranch you don’t know? How long have you known about Tim being the Rider?”
“From the beginning.” Of course she had. “He used to dress up as the Montana Rider to keep an eye on Savannah when she went around at night. I could have forbidden her to do it, but what’s the point of keeping a kid in a cage?”
Everyone knew Savannah snuck out at night, and nobody had ever told her. These Austins were more close-lipped than Maria would have believed.
“It stopped being a game,” Grandma Austin said, “after he had a run-in with some of those guys who were trying to sabotage the ranch. He couldn’t identify them—except for the one with the cow skull tattoo on his hand—but one of them said if they found him snooping around again at night it would be the worse for the Austins.
So Tim got the idea to snoop around in disguise.
He had the Montana Rider outfit all ready, and the boys didn’t know who it was. ”
“I see,” Maria said. “I just happened to come along at the same time and run into him.”
The corner of Grandma Austin’s mouth quirked. “I reckon he hated that,” she said, “running into you and not being able to say anything. He’s crazy about you, in case you didn’t notice.”
People who were crazy about you didn’t keep huge secrets like that. “Why couldn’t he say anything?” Maria asked. “Didn’t he trust me?”
“I think he was afraid,” Grandma Austin said. “Afraid his secret would slip out and we’d all be in danger. I know he knows more than he’s told me. He keeps things close to the vest and tries to fix problems himself.”
“Well, that’s stupid,” Maria said. “Doesn’t he know we could help him if we knew what was going on around here?”
“Well, he’s stubborn,” Grandma Austin said. “Like some other people around here. Maybe that’s why he gets along with me.” She put her reading glasses on and picked up a piece of paperwork. “By the way, have you left Jessie alone in the kitchen?”
“Oh, yes, I have,” Maria said, visions of dishes appearing before her eyes. “I should go down and help her. After all, tomorrow’s my last day. I don’t want her to be extra overworked multiple days in a row.”
Maria headed down on her ATV, gravel crunching under its wheels.
On the one hand, it was awful that Grandma Austin had to sell the ranch to protect her family. On the other hand, this whole business—bad as it was—had somehow, almost miraculously, brought Grandma Austin around. Instead of shattering the family, it seemed to be bringing people closer together.
In such a mood, maybe Grandma Austin would even agree to reconcile with Dad. It was a big hurdle, twenty-plus years of estrangement, but after today, almost anything seemed possible.