Page 10 of One Summer Day (Prosperity Ranch 1)

Determined to be strong, Macie stood and noticed the glass mirror slightly ajar. Through the crack, she glimpsed a row of prescription bottles. She moved to close the mirror, then hesitated. Slowly, she opened it wider. All of the bottles were labeled with Heidi Prosper’s name. All of them with newer dates, filled over the last few months. The names on the bottles were long and technical, and might not make much sense to most people. But Macie knew instantly what these prescriptions were, and what they were intended to do.

Macie felt numb as she read the labels. Anti-nausea, hormone replacements, white blood cell stimulators . . . they all added up to one conclusion: Heidi Prosper had cancer.

There was no doubt. Macie had spent the last half of her senior year in high school caring for her mother as she went through treatment for aggressive breast cancer. One year later, the cancer returned, and her mother didn’t survive. Macie closed the mirrored door just as Heidi called out, “Don’t use the bathroom with a blue rug.”

The bathroom was pristine, but it was known that sharing a bathroom with a chemo patient could introduce new germs to the patient.

After Macie found the second bathroom and composed herself, she returned to the kitchen to see Heidi stirring up a new batch of lemonade. “Thought I’d take some out to the men and little Ruby.”

“I’ll take it out,” Macie said in a falsely bright tone, even though her throat and chest ached. “You’ve done all the work making it. Plus, I should check that Ruby isn’t giving them a hard time.”

“All right,” Heidi said. “I’ll start the chicken for dinner while you’re gone.”

Macie hesitated. “Save some work for me,” she said at last. “I didn’t come here for a vacation. Plus, I’d love to learn some new recipes.”

After Heidi had poured two tall glasses of lemonade, plus a smaller plastic cup for Ruby, Macie headed outside with the tray. The heat was still palpable, and even if the men were in the shade of the barn, she was sure they were plenty warm.

She crossed the wide, green lawn, headed past a corral that was currently empty, then stepped into a barn that was larger than the entire ranch house. Light spilled down from the roof panels, and at the end of a long row of horse stalls, she saw Rex Prosper with her daughter. Rex was a tall man, like his sons, and his once-brown hair was mostly gray now. He was more built like Holt, whereas Knox was leaner like his mother. Rex’s eyes were the same green as Knox’s, but there was none of the hardness in them. Macie had only seen kindness.

Ruby stood on a wood crate, holding out a carrot for a black pony.

She giggled when the pony leaned forward and nuzzled the carrot. Ruby lowered the carrot, out of the pony’s reach.

“He won’t bite you, sweet pea,” Rex said. “Hold it a little closer. That’s the way.”

Macie watched the scene as Ruby inched the carrot closer to the pony’s snuffling mouth. When he took a bite, Ruby squealed in delight and yanked the carrot away.

Rex chuckled. “He’s a big boy, and you’re gonna have to give him more than that.”

Macie set off down the row toward Rex and Ruby. She glanced at the other horses on her way. Some of them simply gazed at her, others had a wary look in their eyes. She was the newcomer, the interloper, and although she knew next to nothing about horses, she could respect their stately grace.

“Mommy!” Ruby said as soon as she saw her. “I’m feeding Sammy. Then I’m going to ride him.”

“Wonderful.” Macie smiled at Ruby. It was a bit harder to smile at Rex now that Macie knew what he must be dealing with: a wife with cancer. Macie wondered if Rex also thought that the divorce was a big mistake, and that Macie should give Knox a second chance.

“Grandma sent out some lemonade for everyone.”

“I want some,” Ruby said, jumping on the crate.

Macie handed Rex a glass.

“Thank you,” he said.

The argument between Rex and Knox was what had stopped Knox from keeping in contact with his family, and Macie hoped to one day get Rex’s side of the story. As Knox’s wife, she’d supported him and tried to be on his side. But as her marriage continued, Macie came to believe that Rex wasn’t to blame for the fallout, not even close. How did Rex feel about his son now, after all these years?

“Stop jumping so you don’t spill,” she told Ruby before handing over the plastic cup to her daughter.

“Yummy.” Ruby grabbed it eagerly and downed half the cup.

“Easy there,” Rex said with a chuckle. “I’ve forgotten how much energy little kids have.”

“I’m a big girl,” Ruby immediately retorted. “Not a little kid.”

“So you are, sweet pea,” Rex amended. “You’re a very big girl who gets to ride Sammy as soon as he’s fed.”

Ruby gulped down the rest of her lemonade, then picked up the carrot. “Here, Sammy. Eat!”

Macie hoped that Ruby wouldn’t wear out her poor grandparents too fast. “Where’s Holt? I have a lemonade for him, too.”

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