Page 3 of Wrangling Nash

Once I was safely inside the church’s bathroom, I splashed cool water on my face and ran a piece of toilet paper under my lash line to wipe off the mascara that had smeared its way down my face. Reapplying a coat of red lipstick and two swipes of mascara, I forced a smile at my reflection. The last funeral I'd been to had been my father's and the emotions that were resurfacing from that day made the memories come back.

I wasn’t sure how my mom and Stevie had managed to sit through the entire reception without shedding a tear. Although I hadn't seen my grandpa in six years, the last time being at my graduate school college graduation, he and I had spoken on the phone just last week when I’d called to tell him about a recent project I was working on. My early childhood was filled with memories of visits to his ranch in the heart of Texas. There, I spent my days getting lost in exploration, my imagination running wild.

The last time I visited Ashwood Ranch was right before my grandma passed away. It had been too painful for my mom to return after that, to see the place where she'd grown up without her mom there. Still, I cherished those memories of days spent on the expansive property under the Texan sun.

I smoothed down my brown curls and adjusted my black dress, ensuring it fell neatly over my knees. After the quick fix, I headed back into the church to join the other well-wishers. As I crossed back through the now-empty sanctuary, two men entered from a side door and approached me.

“Jovie Vector?” the shorter man asked.

He was wearing dark-rimmed glasses pushed low on his nose and a brown suit with loafers. The man behind him was a taller and burly man with piercing green eyes and deep brown hair dressed in an all-black suit. I recognized him from earlier in my grandfather's service.

“Yes?”

“Hi, I’m O’Dell Martin. I was your grandfather, Clarence Ashwood’s lawyer and responsible for settling his will and estate.”

“Oh, hello.”

“I understand you’re amid saying goodbye to your grandfather. However, there are a few things we need to discuss regarding his last wishes.”

“We?” I asked.

“Oh, sorry, yes, this is Rig Cameron. He owns the neighboring ranch next to your grandfather’s in Lonestar Junction.”

Rig reached his hand out to shake mine as a big smile of recognition crossed his face. “Hi, Jovie. You might not remember me, but I remember when you were a little girl and used to visit your grandfather.”

I grasped his large hand firmly in mine and shook it.

“Isn't my mom handling grandpa’s will?” I asked Mr. Martin.

Mr. Martin pushed his glasses up further on his face. “She's covered most of the provisions, yes. However, this specific clause of his will pertains to you.”

Grandpa wrote something in his will for me.

“Okay...” I dragged out the word.

“Is there somewhere we can go to chat? It’s an urgent and time-sensitive matter.”

What could be this urgent?

“Um, sure, let me say goodbye to my mom and sister, and I can step out. Would it be alright if we met at a restaurant near my work to discuss? I need to stop by the office to finish a few things.”

Mr. Martin nodded his head in agreement, and I provided him with the address of a diner that Stevie and I often frequented for breakfast as he and Rig Cameron left along the side of the church. I turned to return to the space where refreshments were being served and found my mom and sister.

“I need to run to the office to take care of a few things. Are you alright if I head out now?” I asked.

My sister waved me off as she chatted away with one of the older women who’d shown up at the funeral, while my mom gave me a hug and a kiss.

“Your grandfather loved you very much. I wish we’d gone back to see him more recently,” she sighed.

“I know, I do too but we didn’t know he was sick. I just talked to him last week and he’d never mentioned it…” my voice trailed off as I thought about our last conversation.

Grandpa seemed so happy. We’d ended our call as we always did, ‘I love you more,’ and I’d told him I would make plans to come see him soon. Sadly, those plans never came to fruition.

I still wasn't sure why my grandpa hadn't told us about his diagnosis so that we could have said goodbye, but knowing him, he'd wanted to spare us the grief of watching him suffer and instead allow us to remember him the way we'd seen him last - vibrant, mischievous and full of love for his family.

I headed out the door to my car, eager to meet with his lawyer to uncover the secret of his last words to me…

Chapter 3: Jovie

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