weren’t you, Mr. Kaye?”
Gramps scowled. “I wasn’t teasing. We’ve got no way to keep anything cold, and peanut-butter sandwiches aren’t on my list—”
Kaye touched Gramps’s arm. “You should probably get another cup of coffee, Gramps. I’ll hash things out with Bryan.”
With his lips pursed in a straight line, Gramps eyed the insurance adjuster and walked away.
“Did your grandfather get those bruises when the lightning strike happened?”
“No.” She explained about the accident. “I’m sorry, Bryan, Gramps is a little off his stride.”
“I understand. If a tractor fell on me and all the appliances in my house got fried, I’d be a little out of sorts, too.” He walked to his car, opened his trunk and pulled two hundred dollars out of a cash box. “This is for immediate expenses. If you need anything else, call.”
After Bryan finished, Kaye walked around the house and made a list of what needed to be replaced. Joel called, telling Kaye fences were down and cattle scattered. They needed to round them up. Kaye took pity on him and told him they couldn’t get the insurance money until Friday, so they’d shop on Saturday after the meeting.
That night, Cheryl, Bryan’s wife, drove up to the house and delivered a pot of stew and biscuits.
Kaye hugged Cheryl, thanking her.
“That’s what neighbors are for. I’m glad to see you home.”
When they sat down for dinner, Kaye nailed Gramps with a look. “Did you thank Cheryl?”
Both Joel’s and Caleb’s eyes widened and they exchanged panicked looks.
Gramps put down his spoon. “I did. I thanked her and told her to thank her husband for the help. Sometimes I’m a cranky old man. Cheryl laughed and kissed my cheek.”
“Good for you, Gramps.”
* * *
After dinner, Joel, Caleb and Kaye worked on cleaning the porch. Gramps wanted to help, but Kaye convinced him if he sat in the kitchen chair on the porch and directed the work, it would be better.
Caleb could only marvel at Kaye’s ability to change Gramps’s mind.
“She’s good,” Caleb whispered as Joel handed Caleb a push broom.
“That’s why I wanted her to do the rodeo.” Joel looked over his shoulder as Kaye settled Gramps into the chair.
“Okay, can you see from there, Gramps?” Kaye asked.
“I can, but y’all need to get moving. Sun’s going down and we don’t have light.”
Caleb wanted to laugh. Kaye didn’t take offense. The three of them worked together. Joel got on a ladder and looked at the roof. He took a broom with him and from his perch pushed debris through the remains of the roof. Caleb picked up the large shingles and pieces of wood. Kaye swept the floor.
Caleb caught Kaye pausing, and he watched her struggle with her emotions. When she looked up, there weren’t tears in her eyes as he expected, but determination. She finished sweeping, and if he hadn’t seen her “moment” he never would’ve known how she felt. Joel and Gramps didn’t see it, but he did and somehow, some way, she touched his heart in a way he didn’t understand, leaving him confused and wary.
* * *
The whirlwind of more insurance adjusters, repairmen and visits to the local hardware store became a blessing for Kaye over the next two days because the instant she stopped, she’d see something her mother or grandmother loved and the memories assaulted her, bruising her heart. They were heartaches and feelings she wasn’t ready to deal with.
Kaye made trips to the store for ice, where she discovered their neighbor to the north, John Burkett, had also had a lightning strike. It had hit a tree, and the tree had taken out the corner of their house, but other than Burkett Ranch, every other rancher had escaped damage from the storm.
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