Page 110 of The Wildest Ride

Even a few of the greenies chuckled.

Gran simply stared, face absolutely straight, waiting for her answer.

AJ didn’t bat an eye. “Why yes, it is, ma’am.”

Gran cracked a smile, the mischievous, naughty, up-to-something expression Lil knew so well it hurt. Lil let out the breath she’d been holding and did the proper thing.

“Gran, AJ Garza. AJ, Seneca Grace Island, known to most as Gran.” Lil couldn’t keep the pride out of her voice, introducing the woman who raised her, nor would she ever want to. If Granddad had been her guiding star, Gran was her lodestone and her heart, strong and ageless outside, pure putty within.

AJ took off his hat, inclining his head in a respectful nod.

Gran gave him another once-over, this time even more thorough, and when she was through, Lil saw a spark approval in Gran’s eyes—as if he was just what she’d ordered.

Seeing it, a shiver shimmered down Lil’s arms, lifting the tiny hairs to stand.

Gran turned to Lil, abruptly changing the subject. “I talked to the producers and I’ll tell you, I’m not happy. They said you couldn’t sleep at home since you were contracted to be on film—and I sure as hell won’t let men with cameras in rooms where my granddaughter sleeps, that’s just not right—so you have to stay here even though the ranch is just twenty minutes away...” She looked in the direction Lil knew their home lay, before waving the thought away to continue with, “You’re all having dinner at the ranch tonight.”

Lil’s mouth dropped open, her gaze shooting to AJ. He hadn’t signed up for meeting the family. But AJ just looked as smug as a cat in the cream, pleased as punch to tag along on this ride.

Sierra and Hank joined them, and Gran turned to them. “Well, Lil. Are you going to introduce the rest of your friends?” Again, the word struck.

Piper and Tommy were her friends. The circuit members were not. But she showed her manners.

“Sierra Quintanilla, multicrown rodeo queen and the Closed Circuit hostess.” Lil pointed her palm toward Sierra who gave a darling curtsy, before she gestured to Hank, voice losing some of its warmth. “And this is Hank DeRoy, the cowboy rounding out the top three.”

Gran snorted. “I know all of that. I have been watching, you know.”

Lil’s cheeks heated, but she didn’t say anything. Gran was feeling fiery and Lil knew better than to try and test her. Gran would win every time.

Gran smiled and said, “As my granddaughter was saying, I am Seneca Grace Island. You may all call me Gran.”

Charmed, and probably intimidated, the group paid their respects before greenies called them over to be debriefed.

“I’ll see you for dinner, Gran,” Lil called, heading to join the rest of the group.

Unexpected as it was, and uncertain she wanted her home on display, Lil realized she was nonetheless truly happy to see Gran. And maybe even more so to eat her home cooking.

30

Lil’s palms were sweating when the van turned into the long dirt driveway.

The farmhouse, two stories painted yellow with white trim, as sweet as a freshly frosted cake, looked pretty and well kept, but she fretted over its vulnerability in front of the camera. It was her home and it hadn’t signed up for the scrutiny of the wide world. Especially a world that knew its story, and her family’s story.

That she was riding to preserve it only increased the pressure. Now it would have to prove its worth.

Would the hundreds of thousands who tuned in to each episode and extra see the value in her gran’s impeccable housekeeping and that one-of-a-kind tile floor? Would her fans continue to root for her after seeing this compared to the charm of Hank’s yearlings and the heartstring pull of AJ’s CityBoyz?

Regardless, it was too late to do anything about it now. They would either see it, see how one family holding on to their legacy when the whole world seemed determined to stamp it out might be important on a grander scale, or they wouldn’t.

Either way, she was glad she’d carved out the time to repaint when the weather had turned nice enough the past spring. It was amazing what a fresh coat of paint could do to a house.

The whole crew accompanied her, literally: AJ and Hank, Sierra, the greenies, and the film crew. All in all there would be fifteen at Gran’s table tonight, counting Piper and Tommy. Lil hoped she’d enlisted the two of them to bring in the rectangular holiday table. It was the only one that was large enough for a group of that size.

Arriving with the largest party she could ever remember gathering in her house, she felt like she was bringing a boy home for the first time.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, however, her time to fret came to an abrupt end. Unlike her companions, she wasn’t a guest in town for a night. This was her home, absent though she’d been, which meant she had work to do.

Gran set her first to the task of washing the cooking dishes—Gran believed the more dishes done before dinner, the better.

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