Page 65 of Promise You Forever

We’re meeting with his doctor after we visit, so I expect I’ll get a more detailed and accurate answer from him. The thing about Gramps is that he could be drowning and wouldn’t call for help, so I don’t always trust his interpretation of things.

“I’m glad. We wanted to run a few things by you today.”

“About what?”

“The ranch,” Luke says as he tosses his arm over the back of the couch behind me.

“We want to change the focus from agriculture to tourism.”

Grandpa looks back and forth between us with a serious expression. “How so?”

I share a look with Luke and then continue. “We’re thinking about adding some more cabins like Luke’s for people to rent and then they can experience life on a ranch. We’d have activities like horseback riding, help organize tours with local companies, and maybe even an annual cattle drive to take the herd up to the high pasture. I’m also thinking about renovating one of the barns and using it as an event space for parties or weddings.”

Luke doesn’t add anything, just runs his fingers comfortingly up and down my arm hidden from Grandpa’s sight. Gramps doesn’t say anything for a long time, and with each passing silent moment, my anxiety increases tenfold. I hope we didn’t upset him. His attention turns to Luke.

“You’re okay with this?”

“Yes.” Luke nods. “It was partly my idea.”

“You want to be playin’ host to a bunch of tourists?” Grandpa sounds surprised.

“No one is more shocked by that than I am,” he answers with a smile. “But I really think it’s the best way forward to protect the ranch. I’m not sure the land could sustain a larger herd, and that’s the only other way to keep us afloat.”

Gramps leans back in his chair, eyes looking out into nothing like he’s slipping into a clouded memory. He blinks, and his eyes clear. “Whatever you want to do, aside from selling, you have my blessing. Not that you need it.”

I can practically feel the relief radiating from Luke. “We would never sell.”

“Good. Now when’s the wedding?” He looks at me.

I share a confused look with Luke. “What?” I ask.

“The wedding to that young man from Los Angeles.”

“Oh. Right.” I glance down at my bare finger. “We actually ended the engagement a while ago.”

“Good. He was a piece of shit.”

“Agreed,” Luke says with a nod.

We fill him in on everything at the ranch. How the animals are, reminding him of which ones are pregnant and how far along. Luke tells him about getting another livestock guardian to watch the goats and how it ended up turning into getting a pair of them instead. The two Great Pyrenees had been together for four years on another ranch. We couldn’t break them up.

By the time his doctor’s nurse comes to get us for our check in, I’m so sad to say goodbye. This is the man I grew up loving. There were only a few lapses in memory as we talk. My chest tightens as he hugs me just a little tighter, like he knows this could be the last hug where he remembers me. It’s a bleak thought, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s our reality.

Luke tells me he’ll catch up to me after I speak to the doctor. Apparently, he wants to spend a little more time with Grandpa. I can’t blame him; I do, too. But I follow the nurse out of the secured wing and down a long hallway of offices. She leads me to a small room with a middle aged man sitting behind a desk. His white coat is tossed over the back of his chair.

“Hello Miss Hart.” He stands and shakes my hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“You too, Dr. Wilson.” I take a seat across from him.

“I have kind of a mixed bag of updates for you. The best news is that, physically, your grandfather is incredibly healthy. I have no real concerns aside from one or two higher blood pressure readings, he’s in tip top shape. For a man of his age, it couldn’t be better.”

“That’s very good to hear.”

“Unfortunately, I believe the sudden loss of your grandmother has triggered his dementia into progressing faster than it normally would have. That coupled with the fact that up until a year ago he wasn’t getting specialized care has created a bit of a volatile situation at times. He hit you once, correct?”

“Yes. Just once, though, and it was late at night. I surprised him.”

“It’s okay.” He sets his hands on the desk and looks at me. “That’s not uncommon, and it isn’t a problem for us. I would like permission to use sedatives when necessary, though.” He slides a piece of paper in front of me. “We like to have the family sign off on our procedures, so all parties are aware of procedures.”

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