Page 12 of Rancher's Return

“Just because you did doesn’t mean I will.”

“I know.”

She had tried to be the kind of mom her daughter could talk to, because she hadn’t known how to talk to her own mother. That wasn’t a failure for her or her mom. They’d both been grieving. Her own mom had lost her oldest child. And Marigold hadn’t wanted to talk. She had wanted to get into trouble. She hadn’t been levelheaded like Lily. She hadn’t planned for her future. She had thrown herself into trying to forget her pain. She hadn’t thought to plan even one step ahead, not like Lily.

The truth was, nothing scared her more than her teenage self. And when it felt like there was any chance that sort of behavior could pop up for Lily, it made Marigold feel unhinged.

She was her own bogeyman. Knowing exactly what she had gotten away with at sixteen years old, seventeen years old—that was sort of the ultimate consequence. A comeuppance she could never have imagined back then.

Maybe this was also a comeuppance of sorts.

“I just really like him,” Lily said. “He’s not like the boys around here. He’s...”

“More experienced,” Marigold said, knowing she sounded dry and suspicious.

“I guess. Maybe.”

“But also exciting, I guess, because he’s a stranger.”

“Again, I don’t know. I just know that I like him.”

Well, it was a little bit galling that her seventeen-year-old was having the kind of fantasy love affair Marigold had built up for herself in her mind over the years, that Greek island fling. Meeting a stranger who made you feel something.

Yeah. She was a little too familiar with why that was compelling.

“We’re going to take you to the carnival this weekend.”

“What?”

“Buck and I agreed that it might be a good way for you to have a chaperoned date.”

“Achaperoneddate? I am not a toddler.”

“No. But we need to set some rules and expectations. I don’t... I don’t want you getting too involved with one boy. I want you to date. Actually talk to him. Get to know him.”

“Mom.”

“Well. I want you to be safe and well protected.”

“I’m going to college soon. You can’t keep me from living.”

“I don’t want to keep you from living. I don’t want you to shut down and not tell me things. But I know you. I know you really well, and today was out of character.”

“Maybe he makes me feel out of character.”

This was really testing her ‘being an open-minded mother’ determination.

But... It felt so important that she get this right. She didn’t want to lose her connection to Lily, but she didn’t want Lily to lose a connection to her future. Lily was going off to school; she was going to build a future for herself. And that would allow Marigold to build her business, her future, in the way she wanted to. Greek vacations optional.

“You can see him again this weekend. And then we’ll talk more. I just want you to tell me things. I felt blindsided by the fact that you hadn’t even mentioned his name.”

“I’m sorry,” Lily said.

“It’s all right. We’ll figure it out.”

She would. She would figure all this out. Because the truth was, she had been through much harder things than this.

Marigold Rivers was nothing if not tough and determined. And this would be no exception.

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