Page 39 of Family Forever
“When I first came into the picture, Dylan was dating a woman by the name of Lora. It’s a long story, but I heard her breakup with him was on account of the boys, when really that night it was my fault their date was interrupted.”
“What happened?”
“I didn’t know Dylan was on a date with her and I called to see if he could help me with my dad.” Marissa sighed. “My dad is a heavy drinker and was out that night causing problems at the bar, so the bartender called me to get him out of there before he had to call the cops. Dylan came to help me, dragging his date along. After he took my dad home, we took Lora home, and it didn’t end pretty for poor Dylan.”
Mitzi wiped her hand on her apron and then reached toward her and squeezed her shoulder. “That wasn’t your fault. Dylan doesn’t have any room in his life for a woman who won’t accept his brothers as part of the package, or anyone else he cares about for that matter. And why are we fretting over this? I think we all know how this is going to turn out.”
“I hope you’re right, but how long will I have to wait?”
Mitzi winked at her. “Who knows, but I’m guessing not long. I see the way he looks at you, between that, and judging from his recent actions, I know how deeply he cares for you.”
Her heart slammed in her chest. “What do you mean? What did he do?”
“He bought your father’s farm before it could be foreclosed on.”
“What? You mean my dad has no place to live now?” Tears instantly seeped from her eyes. Though she hadn’t talked to her dad much in the past six months she still worried about him and certainly didn’t want him to be homeless.
Mitzi stepped closer to her. “No, no, just the opposite. Your dad is going to stay there. Dylan’s been renting and farming the land for years now, my brother did as well, so Dylan bought it and told your dad he could live there for as long as he wanted. It’s the land Dylan needed, not the house, and I suppose he did it for you as well so you didn’t have to worry about your father.”
More tears fell from her eyes, only now they were tears of joy, happiness and love.
“He does all that, but then won’t let me near him, or tell me about it.”
Mitzi hugged her. “He needs more time, dear. That’s all.”
With all the venison processing, nobody felt like cooking so Mitzi sent Bob to the Rusty Combine Saloon to pick up pizza for dinner. He returned shortly after Dylan and his brothers surfaced in the kitchen.
Marissa caught Dylan’s gaze the second he entered the room. Should she let him know she knew about her dad’s farm? Not now, not in front of everyone. She’d talk to him later.
“Anyone see any more deer?” she asked.
“I did. But it was gone by the time I woke up Cole,” Nate replied with a disgusted shake of his head.
“Hey, I thought we were keeping that between us?” Cole questioned.
“We’re supposed to be hunting, not sleeping. Tomorrow I’m going with Dylan,” Nate replied.
Everyone burst out laughing, even Cole.
Bob surfaced in the kitchen a moment later with four large pizza boxes in his hands and set them on the table. Everyone sat in the same spots they had the night before and the boys tore into those boxes like there was no tomorrow.
Marissa couldn’t take her eyes off Dylan, especially now, knowing what he had done for her and her father. Okay, part of his decision surely was done as a result of what was good for the farm business, but she was sure some of it hinged on what was good for her and her father as well.
* * * *
Dylan took another bite of pizza. Why was Marissa staring at him so strangely? What had his aunt told her today? He’d have to find out from his aunt later.
After dinner Dylan, his brothers, and uncle crashed in front of the TV set, as Marissa, his aunt and cousins finished with the venison processing in the kitchen. Though he felt guilty for not pitching in, his weary body thanked him for taking up residence on the couch. It always amazed him how tired he got just from sitting outside in his deer blind in the fresh, cool air.
Cole’s snore let him know he wasn’t the only one who was tired. How could he possibly sleep so much though? According to Nate, Cole had slept nearly the entire day in his deer blind.
Luke was sprawled out over him and Cole on the couch. The poor kid didn’t have anywhere to sleep until the living room emptied so they could pull out the sofa sleeper. Everyone else had their weary eyes glued to the TV set.
Dylan blew out a sigh, his aunt and her family would be leaving tomorrow, and he was sure to miss them for more than just the selfish reason that he loved having her around to help out. Without her, he would be cutting up venison and pressure cooking it until the cows came home. But what he really liked about having his aunt around was the fact she reminded him so much of his dad. It was both a blessing and heart-wrenching at the same time. Additionally, she and his uncle had a way of reassuring him he wasn’t turning out to be a big fat failure where his brothers were concerned.
His Aunt Mitzi stepped into the living room and swung her gaze around the room. “You all look half dead. Why don’t you go to bed and rest up for your morning hunt? The girls and I are just finishing up in the kitchen and they’re going to turn in as well.” She giggled. “All that shopping took a lot out of us today.”
Uncle Bob rose from his chair, and the boys followed suit, disappearing from the living room one by one.
