“Yes, ma’am, I will see to it that she is,” Blake said.
When they were in the foyer, Blake hugged her close to his side. “It has to be the scariest thing in the world for her. She’s probably afraid to shut her eyes when her world is right because she’s afraid she’ll lose what control she has while she’s asleep,” he said. “Poor old darlin’ is such a sweetheart when she’s lucid. I would have loved to have known her before this disease started eating away at her mind.”
Allie leaned into his shoulder and it felt so right. “We never know what will set her off. She doesn’t like Mitch or Grady, so that might have made her regress to her childhood so she didn’t have to think about them. The doctor says one day she simply won’t remember any of us, so we take the good when we can get it.”
“Well, look who made it home.” Grady’s shifty eyes darted from Blake to Allie and back again. “I told Lizzy I heard you out here.”
Allie put a finger over her lips. “Shhh. She’s settled down for a nap. If she hears voices it will upset her.”
Grady’s nose curled in disgust. “She needs to be put away in a place where they take care of people like her. It has to be draining on the whole family to put up with those tantrums when she goes back to being a child, if she does.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Allie asked coldly.
“She doesn’t like me or Mitch. She’s told him that she hopes he dies before the wedding, so I figure that she’s playing the whole bunch of you. I’d be willing to bet that she wasn’t a little kid at all this morning.” Grady tilted his chin up like the know-it-all he thought he was.
“You really think so?” Blake asked.
“I don’t think so. I know it but right now I will speak for the family and say thank you for playing along with her and bringing Allie home early. I hear that you bought the Lucky Penny? How long do you think you’ll last before you give up and go back to wherever you came from?” Grady asked coldly.
“I don’t give up easy. When I want something I work my ass off for it and treat it right,” Blake answered.
“And,” Allie said, “you don’t need to speak for the family since you are definitely not a part of it.”
Grady laid a hand on Allie’s shoulder. “Now don’t get all huffy, darlin’. It’s not becoming for a lady.”
She shrugged it off and sucked in enough air to give him an earful of what she thought of him, when Katy pushed past Grady and hugged Allie. “You are home. I heard y’all talking and wanted to thank you, Blake, personally for what you did today for my mother and daughter. We’ve been told to play along with whatever time frame she’s in and I’m very glad that you helped us out today.”
“You are very welcome,” Blake said. “I suppose I really should be going before the snow gets worse.”
Snow!
God Bless Blake Dawson’s soul!
It could be her salvation from that slimy Grady.
She hugged her mother and ignored Grady. “Granny switched gears about the time we finished eating and she wanted a nap. She’s resting so it might be best if y’all took your conversation back to the kitchen. I’m going to follow Blake over to the Lucky Penny to unload all the supplies I bought yesterday. They’re under a good strong tarp but if they get wet, it could be disastrous.”
Blake nodded toward Grady and smiled at Katy. “It’s been real nice meeting all y’all. I guess we’d best get going if we’re to get things unloaded before the snow gets any deeper.” He ushered her out of the house with his hand on the small of her back.
Allie could feel Grady’s eyes boring holes into her but she didn’t give a damn. If it wouldn’t have wakened Granny, she would have liked to put a well-placed knee in his crotch when he made that remark about her grandmother. Watching him roll around on the floor holding on to his balls would have brought her so much satisfaction.
“Thank you. If I had to stay in that house I might really do what Granny asked me to,” she said.
“Which is?”
“Kill Mitch. Only if I’m going to jail for a murder, I might as well make it two. When Grady looks at me, my skin crawls like it did…” she stopped.
“Go on,” Blake said.
“Not today. I’m sorry we’ve ruined your whole Sunday and now you’ll have to help me unload wallboard and lumber,” she said.
“Do I make your skin crawl?” he asked.
“Hell, no!” she said quickly.
He chuckled. “Then I don’t need to know any more. I’ll follow your van and trailer to my ranch. That way if anything flies off, I can stop and get it. Don’t look like this is going to slow down any.”
“My van is parked around back. I’ll…well, shit…I’m still wearing my Sunday clothes.”