Chapter Ten
Friday Afternoon
The rain started at noon, a light drizzle, but when Ellen looked north she saw darker clouds.
Avery had better not be late. This was going to only get worse.
She walked back from getting the mail at the end of the driveway, lucky that the postal truck had been able to get through this morning.
Mostly, she had wanted to get out of the too-warm house, clear her mind about the Coulters selling a prime strip of their land to the utilities, knowing full well Verdacorp would be mining the land.
There had to be a catch. She’d glanced through the contracts and there was a restrictive clause, but that didn’t make sense with what she knew about other sales in the area.
She needed to call her lawyer. Maybe he could make sense of what was going on with Verdacorp and the recent land sales.
She flipped through the mail. Bills. A card from her father—he always remembered her birthday by calling her, but sent the card late.
There’d be a hundred-dollar bill inside, his standard present for every birthday and Christmas.
He worked hard, even at sixty-five. Drank just as hard.
He was a sad man, had never remarried, and when she left for college he just worked and drank.
It saddened her, but he rejected every offer she’d made to move to the ranch. There was an apartment above the old stables they could have fixed up for him, but he always said no.
A fancy invitation from Congresswoman Jeanne Culver, for a BBQ at her family ranch outside Gainesville for Memorial Day.
At $250 a person. Ellen regretted voting for her five years ago, she certainly wasn’t going to give her a dime of her money.
She ran as a friend of farmers, but voted with agribusinesses like Verdacorp.
She hadn’t done anything overtly awful, but Ellen didn’t trust anyone whose largest donor was the corporation trying to buy out every farm in the valley.
And a letter from the University of Texas. Addressed to Jacob Milton McKenna. He’d already been accepted; he’d already turned it down. She was still angry about it, so what was this? Acknowledgment that he’d turned down a scholarship?
Tears burned as the steady drizzle fell. Her son had already sacrificed the fun of his senior year to work the farm, now he was sacrificing his dreams. It hurt, dammit. Her son should never have been in this position.
She’d just returned to the house when she heard a vehicle and turned toward the driveway to see Jake riding the ATV he’d borrowed from Baldwin.
She watched as he parked it in their equipment shed, then he walked over to her. “How’s Timber?” she asked.
“Uncle Travis got the buckshot out of his leg and cleaned him up. He’ll keep watch over him. Have you heard back from the sheriff? Is Baldwin going to be okay?”
“I haven’t heard, but Rick will call when he knows something.”
She handed him the letter from UT. She hadn’t opened it. He didn’t, either, instead stuffing it in his back pocket.
“You talked to Uncle Travis about this,” he said, patting the letter.
“I was frustrated. I shouldn’t have.”
“I made my decision.”
“It’s the wrong decision.”
He shook his head. “I’m doing what Dad would have done.”
“You’re doing what your dad did. He left college for this place. That’s not the same thing.”
“You can’t run the ranch on your own.”
“I’ll find a way. You are my son. I don’t want you giving up your life for a struggling farm.”
“Is that really what you think I’m doing? Is that what you think Dad did? Did you think less of him because he dropped out of college to help the family?”
“Of course not. Why would you even say that?”
“Because I have weighed my choices. I know I can leave and you would support my decision. I need you to support the decision I freely made to stay.”
“And if I lose the farm, you will have nothing. No land, no degree, no future.” Her voice broke. She didn’t want to get angry or upset with her son, but she was both.
“You won’t lose it, especially with me here. Mom, I’m not changing my mind, and I don’t want to argue about it every day.”
She hated that they were in this position. If John hadn’t fallen from the roof and died, Jake would be planning for college instead of the harvest. He would be planning for a career. A future. Meet a girl. Get married. Have kids. She saw his life as it could be and wanted it for him.
“I’m good with my decision, Mom. If you can’t be, then I don’t know what to say.”
She had so much to say, but didn’t know how to say it. Then Lyla came out of the barn and called, “Jake! There’s a leak and I can’t figure out where it’s coming from.”
He raised his hand in acknowledgment, then said to Ellen, “Is Mateo back yet?”
“I told him to make sure that Greg’s horses were fed and watered and secure in their stalls. We won’t be able to get over there again today, and until the girls can make arrangements for the livestock, we need to take care of them.”
“Okay.”
“Then he’s going to check on his place, make sure there’s nothing that needs attending, and he’ll come back here. I told him if Miriam wants to stay here tonight, they can stay on the pullout in the family room.” Since Penny moved in, they had lost their guest room. “But I doubt she will.”
Mateo and his wife lived in a two-bedroom house on the farthest parcel of McKenna property.
It had been used as a bunkhouse for dozens of years but had fallen into disrepair.
Mateo had fixed it up and lived there for free with his wife, Miriam, who was a substitute teacher.
They had a twenty-three-year-old son who was in the military.
Jake said, “I’ll take a look at the leak. I may have to put in a temporary fix if I can figure out where it’s coming from, because we don’t have time for a major repair. Where’s Avery? I could use her help.”
“She and Bobby went to check on the Mendozas. Carl has been having a tough time lately.” She lowered her voice, not wanting Penny to overhear.
Not because she was keeping secrets from her grandmother, but because she didn’t want to have another conversation about Verdacorp right now.
“I saw the Coulters this morning. They sold right-of-way for utilities, but there’s a consent clause where they have to give explicit permission to exploit mineral rights.
So, there may not be a problem, and after I talk to the bank next week, I’m going to make them an offer on their property.
I think they’ll take it. But I need to study the maps first. If the utilities cut through the parcel we need, it’s not worth it. ”
“Baldwin didn’t have a clause like that.”
“I don’t know, maybe he did. He told me they weren’t going to bury a pipeline or drill, but I haven’t seen the contract yet. I warned him about the hidden clauses in other contracts I’ve seen.”
“He should never have sold to them in the first place,” Jake said. “And he sold the farm, not just right-of-way. You and I both know if Dad were still alive, he would have sold to us.”
Ellen put her hand on Jake’s arm. “I know you’re angry. I am, too. But we’ve been friends for years, and if there is any restrictive covenant in the contract, then that’s good for us.”
“He promised to sell us the land,” Jake said, his jaw tight.
She understood how Jake felt. But Greg had been so kind and helpful to her and her family after John died. She couldn’t hold a grudge, even though she was angry about what had transpired over the last two weeks.
Penny stepped out onto the porch and rang a cowbell. It was too far a distance for her to shout, but the bell was plenty loud enough.
“I’ll see what she needs,” Ellen said. “You go help Lyla, and use Mateo when he returns.”
She watched as Jake headed toward the barn, wishing they weren’t arguing about college. She wanted what was best for him, and how could giving up his dream of being a vet be best?
John gave up his dream.
Her husband had never regretted it, he’d told her. Then again, John had always embraced life as it was handed to him. She admired him for his ability to see the good and potential in every problem. To face every obstacle and find a solution.
But their son … She wanted more for their son.
Ellen shook away her melancholy and ran into the house, stepping into the kitchen dripping wet.
Penny was stirring the stew she had started earlier.
“You’ll all need a hot meal tonight,” she said, frowning at the puddle of water Ellen had left in the entry.
“I’m warming up that shepherd’s pie Millie gave you.
” Penny shook her head. “That woman makes barely edible food, I swear I don’t know who taught her, ’cause her mama was a great cook. ”
Penny did not praise lightly.
“You rang the bell?” Ellen said as she wiped the water off the laundry room floor and tossed the rag into the laundry bin.
“Yes. Margery Sutton called. I said you’d call her right back.”
Ellen adored Margery, but every twinge was cause for panic. She still had nearly eight weeks before her due date. But stress wasn’t good for her or the baby.
She dialed the number from a list they kept by the phone.
After one ring, a voice said urgently, “Hello?”
“Susie?” Ellen said, recognizing Margery’s younger sister.
“Ellen, thank God.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Margery is spotting. I want to take her to the hospital, right now, but she said to call you first.”
It was more than thirty minutes in good weather to get from her house up off Rock Creek Road to Gainesville, where the hospital was, but right now it could take nearly twice that.
There were medical services in Whitesboro, but they wouldn’t be able to handle a premature baby and would automatically transport her to Gainesville.
Plus, the roads were so bad from the hailstorm over the weekend that getting a very pregnant woman out over the bumps and potholes until she reached the highway would be problematic. And getting back would be next to impossible, at least for the next day or two.
“Is she actively bleeding?” Ellen asked. Light spotting was normal during pregnancy.
“Just a second,” Susie said.
There were voices in the background, then Margery picked up the phone and said, “Ellen? I’m sorry to bother you.”
“No bother. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I didn’t even want to call…”
Ellen bit back a comment. Margery had called her nearly every day for the last two months.
But if five minutes of conversation could keep Margery calm, that was fine by Ellen.
Ellen had gone with her to her last OB/GYN appointment two weeks ago.
They had an ultrasound and all the blood work was good.
The only mild concern was a slightly elevated blood pressure, which is why Ellen really wanted to keep the soon-to-be mom calm.
“Just tell me how you’re feeling.”
“I took a nap this morning, I swear I’m so tired and the thunder last night kept me and the dogs up.”
“I understand that.” Whiskey didn’t like thunder, either. He always tried to get under her blankets during storms. Ever since John died, Ellen let him.
“So, about nine I went down for a short nap, not even an hour. And when I woke up, there was blood in my panties.”
“How much? The size of a quarter? More?”
“About a quarter. And I know it’s normal, I read everything you gave me, but I just feel … well, super tired and crampy.”
“You’re carrying around an extra thirty pounds. That would make anyone tired and crampy,” Ellen said, trying to make light of it, but mentally going through the checklist of potential problems.
Susie was talking in the background, but Ellen couldn’t hear most of what she said, except for, “Just ask her.”
“No,” Margery said to Susie, not Ellen.
Ellen knew what Susie wanted, but this was the worst day to leave the farm. It was too far to travel on an ATV, but her truck, even though it was a four-wheel drive, could easily get stuck up at Margery’s place, or anywhere along the route.
Still, they were in a flood watch, not a flood warning, and while the skies were dark, it was barely raining for now.
If she waited, it would only get worse. Flash flooding was the primary problem, but she’d keep the radio tuned to the emergency station.
“Margery, just to be safe, I’ll come up there and do an exam, check your blood pressure.”
“You do not have to do that. Don’t listen to my sister.”
“If there is something that needs to be taken care of, it’s better that we know now, right? There’s probably nothing wrong, your ultrasound showed a healthy baby, and your labs are normal. But I’ll just check a few things, okay?”
“I would appreciate it. I know the weather is awful and you have kids and a farm and—”
“My kids are fine, Jake’s eighteen now. We have everything under control here, I promise you.” More or less, Ellen thought. “I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Thank you, Ellen, I really appreciate it.”
“Let me talk to Susie for a sec.”
Susie got on the phone and Ellen said, “Make sure she’s hydrated. Dehydration is a serious problem, especially in the last trimester. And small healthy meals, as often as she wants, okay? Her stomach is shrinking as the baby grows, but she needs to eat.”
“I’m on it. I just— I’m worried. Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted Margery call, but—”
“It’s okay. I’ll see you soon.”
Ellen hung up and Penny said, “Do you actually think something’s wrong with her or the baby?”
Penny’s tone sounded like Margery was just complaining.
“No, but she’s nearly thirty-three weeks pregnant with her first baby, and her blood pressure was slightly elevated at her last appointment.
Avery and Bobby will be home at two. If they’re not in the door by two-oh-one, call over there.
You should be able to reach me on my cell phone, but if not, Margery’s number is on the board. ” She pointed to the list.
Penny sighed, but didn’t comment.
Ellen went upstairs and grabbed her medical bag, plus a comprehensive midwife reference book in case she needed to look something up.
By the time she went back outside, the rain was still coming down slow but steady. She put her things in the front of the truck and was about to leave when Jake waved at her from the barn. He looked concerned.
“Mom! You need to see something.”