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He shrugged. “It’s not too bad unless I exert myself. It’s complicated by my asthma and seasonal allergies right now, so that makes it worse.”
“That’s terrible,” Harry said. “And you’ve been keeping it to yourself?”
“Trying to. Didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. It is what it is.”
“For Pete’s sake, Dad.”
“All those years smoking,” he said. “But that’s neither here nor there. What are we going to do about all this with Harrison’s solar tile? Who do you think is behind this, Harrison?”
“It was Robert,” Lily said to Harry. “The guy who stole your car looked like him, you said.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Maria put in, with a look Harry’s way. The others looked at him, too.
Harry said, “Robert was found dead in Texas. He was shot in the head.” His father and sister gasped in unison.
Then Lily reached across the coffee table and grabbed Harry by his wrist. “Are Dad and I safe here? Even with dad’s… precautions?”
Harry met Maria’s eyes, and she knew he wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harry’s father only had one guest room, and Lily was already in it, but offered to share. Maria thought Harry tensed up a little, waiting for her answer. She hoped it was because he wanted to keep her close. “I’d never sleep if I put you out like that,” she said. “Your dad’s recliner looks perfect for me.”
“That works,” Harry said, almost too quickly. “I’ll take the couch.”
The look that flashed between Harry’s sister and his dad was lightning quick, but Maria noticed it all the same. So did Harry.
“I’m going to move the car around back,” he said. “No point advertising you have guests here.” He was out the door before his face finished turning red.
Hyram chuckled to himself as soon as the door closed behind Harry. Then, shaking his head, he said, “Since I baked, I’ll leave you younger folks to handle cleanup. It’s past my bedtime. G’night.”
When he was up the stairs, Lily and Maria went into the kitchen. There wasn’t much cleanup to do. Hyram apparently rinsed and loaded mixing bowls and utensils as he went along.Maria washed the dessert plates, coffee mugs, and the carafe. Lily dried and put them away then wiped down the counters.
Eventually, Lily said, “So are you and my brother, uh…?” She lifted her eyebrows.
“Sort of,” Maria said. “But I’ll never leave Texas, and he’ll never move there, so…” She gave a sad shrug.
“Because of your family, huh? He’s been texting about them. And you.”
Maria said, “They can be a lot,” wondering what Harry had told his sister about them.
“They sound amazing,” Lily said. “Kind, tough, loyal. Like a family straight out of an old western TV show.”
“They are pretty great,” Maria said. “But it’s not just the fam. I’m taking over my mom’s veterinary clinic. She’s fixin’ to ease into retirement while I ease into runnin’ the whole shebang.”
“But you could be a vet anywhere.”
“I could. It would disappoint my whole town, but I could. I just… I don’t want to.” Maria lowered her head and tried to find words to convey her feelings. “It’s the land, the place. Generations of Brands have lived and died there. The blood of my ancestors is in its soil. That place… it means somethin’ me. It’s the foundation of who I am. Takin’ me away from Quinn, Texas would be like uprootin’ a cactus and trying to plant it… well, here.”
A soft footstep alerted her. Harry had returned. He stood in the open back door with one foot in the kitchen, and she got the feeling he’d heard her whole speech.
“I'd love to see where you live,” Lily said.
“I’d love to show it to you.”
“It must be amazing to feel that connected to a place.”
“It is.” Then she added, with a look Harry’s way, “It’ll feel that way to my kids, too, and to their kids, if I have anything to sayabout it.” She pulled the plug to let the dishwater out, wiping the sink as it drained.
