Page 24 of More Than Anything

“You can’t contest the sale.”

“We can if we can prove Grandpa was suffering from dementia when he sold it to you,” she said.

Fury passed over Avery like water over the sand at high tide. “Your grandpa was not suffering from dementia. He knew quite well what he was doing when he sold me this farm. Hell, he even left me the cattle.” He stopped and thought for a second. “You know, I don’t know why I’m even talking to you about this. There’s no point. You just can’t admit that it’s over. And I’ve had a very, very good day and you’ve managed to ruin it. No, I take that back—I won’tletyou ruin it.”

“I’m glad you had a good day,” Lydia said, and he couldn’t tell if she was being sincere or mocking him.

“I did. I now have almost seventy head of cattle out here and?—”

“Seventy head of cattle?” she shrieked.

“Yes. Seventy head of Angus beef cattle. All heifers except for a bull.”

“That’s horribly irresponsible of you!” she screamed into the phone.

“Why?”

“Because what am I going to do with all those cattle when I take the farm back? I’ll have to find homes for all of them! Are you insane?”

“YOU’RE the one who’s insane! You’re not taking this farm back! It’s mine and I intend to keep it. Oh, and by the way, I have a dog too. A real dog. A herding dog. His name is Skipper and he’s black and white and?—”

“Did MarjorieFowlkes sell you those cattle?” she asked, her voice pointed and shrill.

“None of your damn business! They’remycattle onmyfarm herded bymydog! Get that through your head!” he bellowed into the phone.

“You just wait until I see Marjorie. I’m going to give her a piece?—”

“You leave her alone! She and her sister are nice ladies! It’s none of your business, Lydia. None of your business, you hear me?”

“It IS my business! It’s my farm!”

Avery had taken all he could take. “You listen here, LydiaKinsey. You are the craziest, most annoying, stubbornest, damn orneriest woman I’ve ever met in my life. So help me God, if you bother Ms.Marjorie or Ms.Bess or give me any more trouble, I swear I’ll?—”

“You’ll what? Threatening me now?” she yelled into the phone.

“It’s not a threat! It’s a damn promise! I’m going to call the sheriff and put out harassment charges against you, goddamn it! By the way,” he asked, his voice shaking with rage, “who gave you my number?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said, her voice snarky. “But I’ll never tell!”

“Fine! That’s fucking fine. You know what? I don’t care anymore. I’m calling my attorney tomorrow and getting an injunction to keep you from throwing all these insane legal proceedings at me. It’s ridiculous. I’m hanging up now. Go away.”

“Oh, running like a little kid, huh? What’s the matter, afraid of me?” she chided.

“Fuck you.” Avery hit END and threw the phone onto the bed. What the hell was wrong with that woman? Not only did she drive him nuts, but she pushed every one of his buttons so hard that he wanted to explode.

So furious that he couldn’t sleep, Avery turned on the TV, but in ten minutes, he was sound asleep. The dream he had was more than entertaining as Shannon, Danette, and Lydia fought over him. Unfortunately, Lydia won, and what sleep he got wasn’t restful.

The sun dawned bright and hot, and Avery decided he wanted something more than a pastry popped into the toaster. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and slipped on some clothes, then drove to the diner and ordered himself a farmhouse breakfast with all the trimmings. His food had just come when a voice broke in and ruined his whole morning: “Hanging up on me. Very mature.”

Avery closed his eyes and threw his head back, this time banging it on the top of the booth’s back. “Please, God, make this a bad dream and tell me she’s not really here,” he mumbled out loud.

“Oh, I’m really here. And you can’t get rid of me that…” As she railed, Avery’s phone rang.

“You’ll have to excuse me. Someone wants to talk to me instead of yelling at me,” he snapped. “Hello?” he barked into the phone.

A familiar woman’s voice came through the phone. “Avery?”

“Yes?”

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