Page 74 of Lavender Lake
“Declan’s best friend,” Hadley said. “Remember, Dad?”
Dad gently shook his head.
“He came to town early as a surprise,” Declan said. “I don’t know if we told you.”
“Oh,Bowman.” His brow smoothed out.
“Yeah. And he’s been helping out around the ranch,” Declan went on. “It’s been nice having him here.”
The door to Dad’s hospital room opened and Muddy and Jane entered. Jane only had eyes for my father and immediately went to his side and placed a kiss on his lips.
“We’re going to leave you in good hands,” Muddy said. “I need to take care of some things, but I’ll be back later.”
“I’ll see to him,” Jane said, smiling at my father who smiled back.
My internal hackles raised. I thought I was doing a good job of keeping my thoughts to myself until Hadley elbowed me in the ribs.
“Resting Salem face,” she whispered.
We said goodbye to Dad and left him with Jane. It was midmorning, and it had already been a full day. Feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs, mucking out stalls with Hadley, and relocating the skunk family from underneath our porch.
Declan had driven all of us, so we piled into his oversized SUV. I wondered how many car seats they’d end up having. Knowing Hadley, she’d want a handful of kids. And Declan, whose sole mission was to make her happy, would oblige.
The ride back to the ranch was quiet and when we were about ten minutes out, Muddy said to Declan, “Text Bowman to meet us at the house, would you?”
Hadley sat next to me in the back seat. Declan handed his phone to her and said, “Do it for me, yeah?”
“Why do you need Bowman to meet us at the house?” I asked.
“Because what I want to talk about involves him.”
Hadley and I exchanged a confused look, but she unlocked Declan’s phone and shot off a text to Bowman. He was waiting for us on the porch when we drove up a few minutes later.
“I’ve been summoned,” Bowman said, clapping his hand to Declan’s. “How’s Connor?”
“Better.” Declan looked at Muddy who nodded in agreement.
“He was more lucid,” she said. “Still tires easily and didn’t speak a ton,buthe wasn’t grasping for words.”
“I noticed that too,” I said.
“He’ll be back threatening you with a shotgun before you know it,” Hadley teased Declan.
Bowman looked at me in confusion and I shrugged.
“Let’s all go to the den, yeah?” Muddy said, walking inside, not even bothering to see if we were going to follow.
But of course, we followed. She called the shots in our family.
“Everyone, take a seat,” she commanded.
Declan sat at one end of the couch and Hadley cuddled up next to him, leaving another spot on the couch which I took. Bowman sat on the ledge in front of the unlit fireplace and Muddy took her chair.
“So, I’m just going to get right to it,” she said. “Connor’s recovery is going to take some time, which means we need someone to fill his position to oversee the running of the ranch. The most obvious person would be Declan.”
Declan frowned. “Me? Not Josiah or Henry? Or one of the others who’s been here a long time.”
“They’re good men,” Muddy said. “But they’re not family. You are. Besides, you’ve been acting foreman for a while now. So, it makes the most sense for you to step up.”
