“Sure.” I load my plate with food, then sit at the table. “And changing topics. We’ve been invited to two dinners on Thanksgiving. Tandy and Matthew are having theirs early in the day. That’s easier because of his great-grandkids. Lots of his family will be there, and Tandy invited us to join them. And if you’re okay with it, I’d like to go because I think it would mean a lot to Aunt Tandy to have her family there too.”

Rose drops into her chair. “That sounds awesome. I’ll call Tandy and find out what she wants me to bring.”

“Great. Yeah. She’ll be thrilled to hear from you.” I take a bite of my taco.

“You said two places?”

Nodding, I finish chewing. “Stargazer Springs. Ava is having dinner later. Not just because of us, but there are some other ranch hands who will be doing two dinners. Ava tries to find a time where we can all be there.”

“Send me Ava’s number. I’ll contact her too.”

“Sure.”

We’re quiet as we eat our tacos, but after her second is gone, she pushes her plate to the middle of the table. “So when Mom called earlier, she started out by telling me that they’d decided to celebrate Thanksgiving as a family in Cancun. And because I’m wising up to her ways, my first question was about you.”

“Uh-oh.” I sip my drink.

“Yeah.” She rolls her eyes. “Mom snapped that you weren’t family. And I hung up.”

“I’m sorry, Rose. I’m sorry she gives you a hard time. I’m sorry she doesn’t respect your opinion. And I hate that she tries to railroad you. I don’t hate Richard, but the more she pushes him on you, the less I like him.”

“If you spend more time with him, I guarantee you’ll like him less.” She reaches down and pets Floofy. “When I asked you to pretend, I had no clue that it would change everything. I enjoy spending time with you, but more than that, I like who I am now. I have a spine.”

“And it looks good on you.” I try to ignore how weird it sounds to say that a spine looks good on her. But the meaning is clear, and I know she understands.

“I made brownies. Do you want yours now or after we get back from your place? And I have vanilla ice cream to put on top.”

“After we get back. That sounds like a great before-bed treat.” I’m not sure Mrs. Potts will make another appearance tonight, but if she does, I’ll be here.

As I’m backing out of the driveway, Rose looks down at her phone. “You said you needed to go by Stargazer Springs. If you want, we could swing by there on the way to your place. You know, if it’s not too late.”

It hasn’t been all that long since I talked to Anderson. Maybe they are still having the meet and greet. “Won’t hurt to swing by there.”

If nothing else, I know there will be leftover desserts.

As I drive, I think of all the things I’ll miss about working there. Ava always makes more than enough. Both she and Goldie make delicious food. But Ava is more than just a cook. She mothers us all in the ways that make us feel taken care of. I’ll miss that. Honestly, there isn’t a single person I won’t miss seeing every day. I’ll even miss the stupid bull that fetches.

I’m excited about the opportunity to run a ranch, but now that they’ve hired a new guy, leaving is hitting me.

Rose rests her hand on mine. “You got quiet.”

“Thinking about life changes. I’ve worked at the ranch a long time. I’ll miss spending my days there.”

“From what I’ve seen, they’ll be your friends for life.”

“For sure. Whether I like it or not.” I chuckle so that she knows I’m joking.

I park in front of the main house and lead Rose around to the mess hall. It’s her first time out here, and her head is on a swivel as she takes it all in.

“Beautiful.”

“I’ll bring you back out during the day sometime. It’s a pretty place.”

As I step through the door, everyone in the room shouts, “Dallas!”

I jump, and Rose giggles.

“I let them know we were on our way.” She grins.