Page 16 of Daybreak

“Holly, darling, I’m so glad you arrived safely. Sorry I didn’t wake up in time to help you. I’m not as perky as I used to be.”

“I’m just glad you’re here, Granny. Breakfast is ready. Have a seat.”

But when they were all seated, sitting down to a meal without Helen seemed like a betrayal of their grief. They had food on their plates but were either picking at it or staring off into space, until Trudy intervened.

“My dear loves. Listen to me. Food in mouth. Chew and swallow. Even if it tastes like sawdust and sits in your stomach like a rock, the day ahead of us is going to be long. The crew will tend to the chores. We have other stuff to decide between us.”

“I don’t think I can eat, Granny,” Travis said and laid down his fork. “I should call his parents, but I don’t know what to say when I can’t believe we’ve lost Mom, too.” Tears were streaming down his face, and he was swallowing sobs between words.

Garrett took his son’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Mom’s right, Trav. Eat something, even if it’s just toast. I don’t know the propriety of sending our condolences to the Peters family when we’re in our own state of shock and grief. This is a waking nightmare.”

“We’ll send flowers and let them respond or not,” Trudy said. “We’ll figure it out as we go.”

They all managed to get a decent meal down and then helped Holly clean up afterward. By then, the first delivery of flowers arrived, and Garrett and Travis’s phones began to ring.

“I’ll deal with deliveries,” Holly said. It was tradition for friends to bring food to a family in need, and she knew it would be coming.

“I’ll go make up the beds and start some laundry. I saw the hamper was full when I arrived last night,” Trudy said and left the room.

Garrett shoved a hand through his hair. “I need to talk to Sheriff Reddick. I need to know how long the autopsy is going to take. We are at a standstill as to making any arrangements until they release her body,” he said and walked out of the kitchen.

Travis was still standing at the sink, looking out at the corral and horse stables beyond.

Holly reached for his hand. “Talk to me,” she said.

“I need to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Peters, but I don’t know how to feel. On one hand, I am crushed that Lee is the one who hit Mom head on. But who’s to blame? The police said they were both in the middle of the road. So does that mean Mom killed Lee, or Lee killed Mom?”

Holly took a deep breath. “It was a terrible accident, but there’s no blame to claim. Understand?”

“What if the Peterses don’t feel that way?” Travis said.

Garrett walked up behind his children. “Lee’s parents were at the scene of the wreck just like I was. They heard the police just like I did. Neither driver swerved, nor hit the brakes. They hit head on, and unless the autopsy gives us specific answers, we’ll never know why. We hugged and cried together when they finally removed their bodies. They already understand and expect you to be as devastated as they are.”

Travis ducked his head, his voice barely above a whisper. “Lee and I were going be roommates at A&M. Mom and Mrs. Peters were already planning to help us fix up our room.”

“Plans are made. Plans change,” Holly said. “I am your big-sister backup. We’ll figure it out. You can call Mr. and Mrs. Peters, or you can go visit them. Your choice. Your decision. This sucks, but life has just handed you big shoes to stand in, whether you were ready or not.”

Travis picked up his phone and walked outside to the back porch.

Holly’s eyes welled. “What do you want me to do, Dad?”

“I’m leaving my phone with you because this is the number everyone will be calling. I have to go talk to the men. We’re separating cattle today, and I need to be on-site. The calls will likely be condolences, but if they have to speak to me, then take their names and numbers and I’ll call them back tonight. Is that okay?” Garrett asked.

“Absolutely,” Holly said, watching as her dad left the house. She knew he needed to stay busy, and this would help. If he got enough of it, he’d come back to the house.

Life as they’d known it was over, and her urge to go to ground like a wounded animal was real, but sticking together through this was how they were also going to survive it.

Holly checked her phone for messages, then laid it beside her dad’s phone and went back to the sink. As she looked out the kitchen window, she saw Travis out by the barn, leaning against the corral fence and talking on the phone. She looked away. The next time she glanced out, he was standing with his arms braced against the corral and his head down.

She pocketed both phones and walked out of the house. She could hear him crying as she neared the corral and slipped her arm around his waist as she walked up beside him.

He turned and wrapped his arms around her, sobbing. “Damn it, Sis, that phone call about did me in. What do I do next? Do I stay here with Dad and give up my scholarship, or go to A&M on my own and leave him here alone?”

Holly was shocked. “First, you do not give up that scholarship! Mom and Dad were so proud of you. The last thing you do now is throw it away. There are over twenty hired hands here every day, beside Dewey, the foreman. Dad is only in his fifties. He’s not old. Don’t insult him by even suggesting this, okay? Besides, I’m here, and I’m not running back to Dallas the first chance I get. I took a leave of absence with my boss’s approval. I’m here as long as I want to be.”

“Really?” Travis said and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.

“Yes, really. Our business now is getting Mom put to rest, crying when we need to, and reminding ourselves how blessed we were to have had her for a mother. Dad will figure out his own things, and they’re far different from ours. He’s just lost the love of his life. He needs to do what he does in his own time, okay?”