looked out the window. “Not that it’s a big surprise they hate us. We don’t even like each other.”
“We like you.” Isaac smiled at his brother. Tomas nodded, but his heartbreakingly sad expression tore at her heart.
Ethan glared at the younger boys. “You don’t even know me.”
“You’re our brother.” They both looked confused. To them it was simple. They were family.
“You’re too young to understand anything. This is so lame.” The teenager threw himself against the cushioned back of the booth and crossed his arms.
Max pinched the bridge of his nose.
Jackie wanted to reach out and hug all the boys close to her. To tell them that God loved them and that was all that mattered, but she didn’t even know where they were in their faith. Maybe she could help by refocusing them. “You’re right, Ethan. It’s not fair. This is one of the reasons I came out to the ranch. I have a plan that might help restore goodwill for the Delgados here in town.”
Ethan and Max made an identical grunting noise at the exact same time.
Biting her tongue to stop the laugh, she had to smile at their matching sullen expressions. She leaned closer to Max. “The original town church and school are on your property. I would love to move them into town and restore the buildings. The city has land set aside. I don’t need anything from you other than permission. It’s what our mothers were working on when—”
“Sorry.” Max cut her off. “My uncle asked me to get the ranch ready for sale, and I have orders to clear out the pastures and tear down any old buildings. He wants the old wood sent to him.”
Adrenaline rushed through her heart. Her brain rebelled at the horror of tearing down the buildings. But before she could protest, Dub Childress walked over to their table.
His glare fixed on Max. “You’re the oldest Delgado grandson. Maximiliano, right?” He pronounced it with the Spanish accent.
Max stood and held out his hand. “Yes, sir. These are my brothers. Ethan, Isaac and Tomas.”
He nodded, shaking Max’s hand. “Are your father or uncle coming into town?”
“No, sir. My uncle has obligations that keep him in Dallas. My father passed away last month. Boating accident.”
Dub’s face tightened. “Sorry to hear that. Are you making plans to clear out the thistles?”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Sally came to the table with a tray full of hot drinks. Dub nodded and moved back to his seat. “Now, what can I get y’all to eat?”
Max looked at his brothers. “Are burgers and fries good for everyone?”
They all nodded.
With the joy gone out of their faces, Isaac and Tomas took the mugs and just stared at the fluffy white topping. It wasn’t their fault. Jackie wanted to help them but wasn’t sure what to do.
She tucked her hands under her thighs. “I’m sorry.”
Max stared into his black coffee. “Not your problem. It goes with the territory of being a Delgado.”
Silence fell over the table after Sally left with their orders. Ethan had gone back to staring at his newly charged phone. Max laid his arm on the back of the bench as he sipped his coffee.
She had to try again. “Surely your uncle doesn’t actually want to destroy the buildings.”
“No. He’s opening a new store north of Dallas in Flower Mound. It’s not just the ‘biggest’—” he made air quotes “—Western store in the country. The newest Delgado Cowboy Central will be an experience. He wants to re-create an authentic Western town inside the store. I wouldn’t even call it a store. It’s more like a football stadium, a destination.”
“But those buildings belong here in Clear Water.”
Tomas and Isaac started jostling each other. If they’d driven in from Dallas today, they must have been sitting a long time. Her nieces would have been going crazy by now.
“Do you guys like old-fashioned arcade games?”
The corner of Max’s mouth lifted. “I’ve been known to do a pretty mean pinball. Hey, guys. You want to go old-school and play in the arcade?” He reached for his wallet and took out some cash.
“Like stuff from the ’80s?” Ethan looked up.
“Probably.” Max and Jackie answered at the same time.
With a lopsided grin, Max nodded to Ethan. “Will you take your brothers while we wait for the food?”
Before Max could move out of the booth, the boys crawled under the table and ran to the back room. Ethan followed with much less energy.
“Walk,” Max yelled after them, but they didn’t seem to hear. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I thought it was time we got to know each other, spend some time together. I’m starting to think this was a very bad idea. I get so angry at my father. He created this mess, and now I can’t even yell at him. I don’t know anything about kids, especially grieving ones.”
“No, your brothers need you. They’re young. They don’t understand what’s going on. Ethan, well, he’s a teenager. They’re not good at expressing what they need because they’re confused in general. You’re doing the right thing.” Without thinking about it, she reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “You’ve all had a loss, and they need family right now. So do you.”
He snorted. “My father didn’t build a loving community with his kids. It was more or less every man for himself. People are easily discarded in the Delgado clan.”
“You can make your own choices.” She remembered the sensitive boy she had fallen in love with. “I know you’re not your father, Max. Do you still write?”
“No. You don’t know me anymore. We were kids back then. We didn’t know anything, let alone who we were.”
She pulled back. “If you don’t like the way your father was, then change. God created you in His image. You don’t have to carry on your father’s legacy. With God, you can start new, you and your brothers.” She looked down. He didn’t want to be preached at. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” His gaze stayed focused on the slow-moving town outside the window. “Pastor Wayne said pretty much the same thing.” A cold wall fell between them that had nothing to do with the weather outside.
The hard jaw flexed as his attention touched her briefly before moving away again. “Listen, I know what you want, and I can’t deliver. My uncle is in charge now, and he wants the wood salvaged and sent to Flower Mound. More people will see them there if that makes you happy.” He shrugged. “That’s where they’re going, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She pulled back. What had she been thinking? Maybe everything her father said about the Delgado family was true and Max wasn’t the sweet boy of her memories. It was all
