your mama and I don’t agree on every little thing. We work things out.”
“I’ll remind you of that the next time you’re trying to bully her into letting you have your way.” She squeezed his hand again. “Now get some sleep. I’ll be back to see you later.”
“After you’ve seen Hank, right?”
Lizzy rolled her eyes and left the room without answering. She found her mother lurking in the hallway.
“How much did you hear?” Lizzy asked.
“Enough to know that he’s trying to marry you off before you go back to school,” her mother said with a rueful smile. “Thank you for not arguing with him too ferociously.”
“What would be the point? He knows I want to see Hank. He’s just trying to make sure I do it on his timetable. There’s nothing new about that.”
“No, that’s your father, all right. When he gets an idea into his head, he can’t wait to set it into motion.”
“That’s how he got you to marry him, isn’t it?” Lizzy reminded her. “He wheedled and cajoled and finally wore you down.”
Janet Runningbear Adams chuckled. “It wasn’t a case of wearing me down,” she insisted. “I fell in love with him too quick for that to be necessary. I just held out to keep him on his toes.”
“That’s not the way Jenny tells it,” Lizzy said. “She says the two of them had to conspire to get you to walk down the aisle.”
Janet winked. “And I’ve always let them think that It gives me a good bit of leverage around here. Now come on into the living room and tell me all about school and Miami. Did you know I went there a couple of times when I was married the first time and living in New York? Jenny’s father liked to go there on vacation, but from all I’ve read, it’s changed a lot over the years. In those days, there were still old people rocking on the porches of those hotels in South Beach. Now, if the pictures I see are to be believed, the place has been overrun with sexy models in bathing suits and in-line skates.”
Lizzy grinned. “That’s not so far off, but can we talk about it at supper? I’d like to go for a ride. It’s been way too long since I’ve been on a horse.”
“Of course it can wait. Are you going to see Hank?”
“You, too?”
“Sorry.” Her mother studied her intently. “Well, are you?”
Lizzy shrugged. “I’m not sure. I suppose I’ll make up my mind while I’m riding.”
“Well, in case you decide that the answer’s yes, Cody tells me Hank is working in his south pasture today. You know, the one that conveniently butts up against ours. I believe he’s replacing a fence that Cody swears was just fine the last time he checked it.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Be back by suppertime,” her mother reminded her. “The whole family’s coming for dinner to welcome you home.”
“I’ll be back,” Lizzy promised.
“Bring Hank, if you like.”
“If I see him.”
“Oh, something tells me you’ll see him,” her mother said. “Can I just add one piece of advice to whatever your daddy’s been telling you?”
Lizzy paused in the doorway. “What?”
“This isn’t a game, Mary Elizabeth. While you’ve been gone, the rest of us have been left to watch Hank. The man’s been miserable without you, but he’s gotten by. Unless you’re really sure about what you want, don’t start something up with him.”
Lizzy looked her mother squarely in the eye. “I was never the one who was unsure, Mom. Hank didn’t just let me go. He practically pushed me out the door. You all seem so all-fired sure that he wants me, but he’s never once given me any evidence of that. How come nobody seems worried that I’m the one who’s going to wind up hurt?”
“Because you’ve always been able to pick yourself up and dust yourself off, just the way the song says. And maybe because you’re the one who’s going to walk away in a couple of weeks.” She gave Lizzy a penetrating look. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Lizzy said quietly. No matter how things turned out when she saw Hank Robbins again, she was going to be on that flight back to Miami. She sighed heavily. “Maybe I won’t go for that ride this afternoon, after all. I think I’ll go on up to my room and unpack. I’ve got some thinking to do.”
“The answers aren’t in your room,” her mother argued. “Something tells me they’re out in Hank’s south pasture.”
Lizzy grinned at her beautiful mother. Janet Runningbear Adams’s Native American ancestry had grown more pronounced as the years lined her face. Her straight black hair was streaked with gray now, but her eyes sparkled with intelligence and wisdom.
“Now who’s trying to manipulate me?” Lizzy teased. “You’ve been with Daddy way too long.” Her expression sobered. “He really is going to be all right, isn’t he?”
Her mother met her gaze evenly. “If he takes it easy and stops sneaking into the kitchen for ice cream when I’m not looking. I’m thinking of having the refrigerator padlocked.”
“It won’t do a bit of good. He’ll just find somebody in the family who’ll sneak things in for him.”
“You’re probably right. I caught Harlan Patrick taking cigars up to him the other day. He swore he’d just forgotten to take them out of his pocket, but Cody’s boy never could lie worth a darn. You should have heard your daddy when he found out I’d confiscated the things.”
“When did Daddy start smoking cigars?”
“When he found out he shouldn’t. He puffs on one every now and again just because he knows it makes me furious.”
Lizzy chuckled. “He does know how to rile you, doesn’t he?”
“Oh my, yes.”
“Mom, I’m sorry I wasn’t here when he got sick and that I couldn’t get back right away.”
“Oh, sweetie, don’t feel bad about that. You have a right to live your life. And neither of us wanted you to take time off from your studies when we knew everything was going to turn out fine. Of course, your father and I both wish you were closer to home and that we could see you more often, but we’re proud of you. Taking on medical school is a big deal. We know you’re going to be a fine doctor.”
Lizzy thought of the grades she’d gotten on her last exams. “I wish I had your confidence.”
Her mother regarded her with concern. “Troubles with your classes?”
“Nothing to worry about,” Lizzy reassured her. “I’ll get a grip on things once I get back.”
“I’m sure you will. Now, go. If you’re not going
