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Chapter 4
Merry
The sightthat greeted me took my breath away. It may have been the middle of the afternoon, and only the first week of December, but the ranch was decked out for Christmas. Every single outbuilding was lined with twinkling lights, and the old evergreen near the front porch was lit up, as well. A large nativity stood tall on the wrap around porch, and Santa and his reindeer graced the roof.
"She wouldn't let me come until it was finished, you know," Slade said, rolling the truck into park. "She remembered how much you loved it, how enchanted you were with the decorations when you first came."
I held my breath so I wouldn't cry, as I took it all in. The ranch looked exactly the same, giving the illusion, for a second, that time had stood still. And then, I saw movement as the old antique rocking chair creaked to life, stealing my attention. Nan.
I could see from here that time had, in fact, not stood still, as I watched the woman reach for a cane and lean on it as she pulled herself to stand. The uneven pink fuzzy shawl that graced her shoulders brought a tear to my eye. My one and only attempt at knitting, it had been truly hideous. And there it was, wrapped around her shoulders. Even the bright pink monstrosity couldn't hide the fact that Nan was a shell of the woman she once had been. The robust woman who had tamed dozens of teens and wild horses, alike, had shrunken in size, her frame now thin and frail. I stared in shock, unable to move, and then she held out her arms, and I saw that some things would never change. Her kind eyes beckoned forgiveness and redemption. Her wide smile was the warmest and most welcoming I would ever encounter, and I knew that the minute I stepped into those arms, I would be wrapped in a love that rivaled no other.
Beside me, Slade cleared his throat. "You ready? We don't get out now, she's gonna throw down that cane and near break a hip trying to get to you."
"I'm ready," I said with a nod, steeling myself as Slade jumped out of the truck and made his way to my side, throwing the door open.
It was time to go home and face the music.
* * *
Slade
Call me a softy, but when I watched Merry jump down from the truck and fly into Nan's waiting arms, I swear, my heart smiled.
I ambled behind, lugging Merry's two oversized suitcases, watching the scene unfold while trying to give the two women space.
I couldn't stop myself from hearing Nan's happy sighs or Merry's squeals of delight as the two embraced. "Merry, Merry." I heard Nan's happy whisper float across the yard, as Merry pulled away, turning to face me with a happy smile as she stood by Nan's side.
The two of them made quite a picture. Nan took that godawful pink wrap and wrapped it around Merry's shoulders, as well, so that it covered them both, and they just stood there grinning across the yard at me. I stopped and stared at them; I couldn't help it.
With Merry here, the ranch truly felt like home, more so than it had in a long time. It had taken years, tears, and prayers to get her back here and, I resolved, here is where she would stay.
Her love for Nan had gotten her here, but it would be our love for her that made her stay. We couldn't mess it up this time. We had a plan, and it was time to put it into motion.
"Okay, ladies, it's cold out here. Time to move this party inside," I ordered, reaching the front porch and walking past them to pull the door open, holding it as Merry helped Nan inside.
"Oh, Merry," Nan cried happily as she limped past me. "It's so good to have you home at the ranch where you belong. Come into the kitchen; I have cookies and cocoa waiting for you. Not homemade, though. Blake said I wasn't to be fussing in the kitchen, so I sent him out to the bakery to get some good ones. No store bought imposters for my girl. No sirreee."
Merry rolled her eyes over Nan's head and we both scoffed at Nan's stubbornness and the picture of Blake dashing around town running all Nan's errands, looking for just the right cookies. And, if I knew Nan at all, just the right flowers, too.
But then, who was I to talk, because I ditched the suitcases near the door and beat feet to the kitchen to plate cookies and boil water for cocoa? We had the pre-packaged stuff in the little pouches, but I knew Nan wasn't going to settle for that, either.
Nan met me at the door to the kitchen, and I leveled her with a pointed glare, motioning towards the breakfast nook. "Sit. Visit. I will handle this part."
Nan grumbled good naturedly under her breath, threats she couldn't possibly make good on, in this day and age, but we let her keep up her illusion that she was the one in control here.
I chuckled behind her back as she made her way to the padded bench and slid into it, making room for Merry to sit beside her.
"The way these boys fuss over me, you'd think I was an invalid," she complained with twinkling eyes. "The day I can't plate some cookies and boil water for cocoa with my girl is the day you can put me in the ground."
I bit back a laugh, at the line she used daily, and slid a plate of cookies onto the table in front of her. I came back a second later with a bowl of marshmallows and two steaming mugs of fresh made cocoa.
"Nobody is saying you can't do these things, Nan," I corrected, reaching around Merry to squeeze her hand. "We're just saying, you don't need to. Blake and I love taking care of you."
A blush crept up her weathered cheeks, and she batted my hand away. "Oh, you boys. Where is Blake, anyway?"
I noticed the change in Merry's demeanor as she waited for my answer. Her back tensed, and her face went blank as she tried not to look up, attempting to give off the illusion that she wasn't listening.
"Well, now, Nan. I don't rightly know where Blake is. I just got here, remember? Your guess is as good as mine," I lied.
