Love Mercy

by Earlene Fowler

  “What?” Love said. That was news to her.

  “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Magnolia offered me a job, and I accepted. I was supposed to start tomorrow, but I’m guessing after last night she’ll cut me some slack and let me start the day after.”

  “I imagine so,” Love said, wondering what other surprises waited for her down the road.

  THIRTY-TWO

  Rett

  The next day, Rett’s mother called her nine more times. By the ninth call at four p.m., Rett was ready to throw her cell phone in the toilet.

  “Mom, I told you, for the kazillionth time, I don’t know exactly when I’ll be coming home. I told you about Great-grandpa August getting hurt. I want to make sure that everything’s okay. Besides, I have a job now.” Quit wasting my minutes, she wanted to add.

  “A job?” Karla whined. “What about us? We’re your real family. Love and them, they’re just your extended family. You’re barely related.”

  Rett chewed her bottom lip, glancing over at the kitchen where Love was talking on her landline. She was glad her grandma hadn’t heard Mom’s words. She wanted to do the right thing for everyone, but right now she felt like a rubber band being pulled ten different ways. Still, her mother’s attitude was annoying. “They’re my family just as much as you, Patsy and Faith,” she said, knowing her words would totally piss her mom off.

  “I can’t believe you said that!” Karla cried. “It’s a knife to my heart, Loretta Lynn Johnson. A big ole carving knife to my heart.”

  “Oh, get a life,” she muttered.

  “What did you say?”

  Rett felt like stomping her feet like a kid having a temper tantrum. “I said I have my own life. Look, let me get back to you.”

  “When?” her mother demanded. “We have to make plans.”

  “Soon. Today. I promise.” She crossed her fingers, though it was childish. She knew God totally didn’t recognize crossed fingers.

  She turned off her cell completely. She was not going to talk to her mom again until she’d decided what to do.

  They had spent most of the day at the hospital waiting with Polly while August had tests. Then, after August was checked out, they ate dinner at some steak place called McClintock’s in San Celina. Then they took August and Polly home. Jade, one of Magnolia’s daughters, was staying with them tonight with the excuse that her kids wanted to feed the chickens and pet the horses. Love and Magnolia were trying to figure out how to help August and Polly stay at the ranch and still be safe. That’s who Love was talking to on the phone: Magnolia.

  Ace came over and nosed her leg, a blue tennis ball in his mouth. “Okay,” she said, picking up the ball. “I can throw this while I think.”

  She knew that as she threw the ball across the backyard grass, her grandma was watching her from the kitchen window. Rett wanted to do the right thing, make everyone happy, but she also wanted to be happy. “I wish I was an orphan,” she muttered, knowing her statement wasn’t true even as she said it. She liked having family, and she had to admit that she missed Patsy and Faith. She even kinda missed her mom. She definitely missed the feel of her own bed and the smell of her stuff. A part of her felt sad about her first Christmas away from her family. She kept tossing the ball, and Ace kept bringing it back, though occasionally he’d pause, his huge batlike ears cocked and listening. Then he’d run to the side fence and bark at someone who dared to walk in front of his house. She felt so torn. She’d miss Ace too. And her grandma Love and August and Polly, the Buttercream, this town. Shoot, she’d kinda even miss Mel. They were sorta friends now, she thought. Or something, anyway.

  Eventually Love came out holding a cup of cocoa. That made Rett smile. She was already figuring her grandma out. She always brought you something to drink when she wanted to talk serious. It was kind of cool, learning things like that. Grandma Love with her short, reddish hair that always seemed to have a piece sticking up and her long-legged, full-of-purpose stride that made her look like she was hiking in the Alps, kind of like that lady in The Sound of Music. Love was already starting to feel familiar to Rett. She wished they could have known each other while Rett was growing up. How cool would that have been, spending her summers in California? Maybe she’d have learned how to ride a horse. Then again, maybe she still could.

  “Hey, thought you might be getting chilly out here,” Love said, walking over to her. “Made some hot cocoa.”

  “Awesome,” Rett said, taking the mug and sitting down on one of the blue high-backed wooden lawn chairs They looked like the kind she’d seen in a catalog once that advertised stuff for cabins. Adirondack, her grandma had called them.

  Love sat down in the chair next to her and tossed a sausage dog treat to Ace. “Well, your friend, Zane, is really doing us a favor. He’s agreed to live at the ranch in the attic bedroom for the time being. It works out good for him, because he can live there rent-free, and Polly will adore cooking for him. He wants to work on his songwriting and still work part-time at his mama and great-aunt’s vet clinic. I think I’ll see if he wants to earn a little extra money by helping August out with ranch chores.”

  Rett nodded. “He’s a nice guy.”

  Love smiled, raised one eyebrow. “Kind of cute too.”

  “Chill, Grandma. I’m on the rebound, okay?”

  “I’m just saying,” Love said, holding up one hand.

  “You totally ripped that saying off some lame sitcom, didn’t you?” Rett said, laughing.

  “Hey, I read,” Love said. “We’ll all be taking turns going out there every day. Polly called this morning and said that the doctor called in some new kind of medicine for dementia. Starts with an N—can’t remember it exactly. Says it doesn’t cure it, but will possibly keep him stable for a while. It’s not for sure, but it’s something to try.”

  “Wow, that’s so cool, you know. How everyone pulls together.”

  “That’s what family and friends do,” Love said. “So, when do you start at the Buttercream?”

  “Tomorrow. I’m kinda nervous. All I’ve ever done for money is sing.”

  Love sat down in the chair next to Rett. Ace picked up the ball and dropped it at her feet. “You’ll catch on quick. And people will be nice. This is a pretty small town, and you come from one of the old-time families. Don’t forget, you’re Tommy Johnson’s daughter and Cyrus Johnson’s granddaughter. Not to mention your great-grandpa August, your great-grandma Polly and your great-great-grandpa and grandma Joseph and Mattie. They were the original owners of the Johnson ranch. You’ve deep, long roots here, Sweet Pea.” She threw the ball, sending Ace bounding.

  Rett shook her head. “Wow. That is, like, so . . . wow.”

  Love smiled and looked out at the ocean, the same ocean Rett’s ancestors had watched for the last hundred years. Rett followed her gaze. The water was a deep, dark blue, the color of her favorite pair of blue jeans that she’d forgotten to bring with her.

  “I sure wish you’d met your grandpa,” her grandma said, her face sad. “I mean, you did meet him, but you were only four. You probably don’t remember.”

  Rett didn’t answer, not wanting to tell her grandma that what she remembered about her dad and her grandpa was sort of mingled, almost like they were one person. She was afraid that would make her sad. But they’d disappeared from Rett’s life at around the same time. It had always bothered her when she thought about it too much, the fact that she couldn’t separate the memories of her dad and her grandpa.

  Then, like one of her songs, something came to her. “Juicy Fruit,” she said, turning to look at her grandma.

  Her grandma’s lips turned up in a smile. “That was Cy’s favorite gum!”

  “He snuck me a piece. Mom caught him. She yelled at him.”

  “She told him you always swallowed it so she wouldn’t let you chew it. She was afraid you’d choke,” Love said, nodding, sitting forward in the lawn chair. A slight breeze picked up a piece of her hair, causing a cowlick. “I agreed with her. Cy s
hould have known better.”

  “He laughed,” Rett said excitedly. “I remember bells. And him and I were running.”

  Love laughed out loud. “We were saved a family argument by the ice cream truck. Cy just wanted to make you happy.”

  Rett sat back in her chair. “That was awesome, remembering something like that. Do you think I might remember more? Maybe stuff about my dad?”

  Love ran her hand through her hair. The cowlick bobbed back up. “Memory’s an odd thing. You might. Especially since you’re here where he grew up.”

  Rett almost told Love about the scent, the one she’d been searching for all her life. But, for some reason, she held back. That was still something that was hers, something private she sort of shared with the father she barely remembered. She didn’t want to tell anyone about it until she actually found it. That desire was part of why she wanted to stay here for a while. There was so much to discover, a whole part of her life that had always been missing.

  Still, she knew her mom was hurting. And that Patsy was probably scared. And Faith. Rett was usually the only one who Faith had to hang with, what with Patsy always at her girlfriends’ or obviously sneaking around seeing Dale and their mom with Roy or her friends or trying to score gigs for the Son Sisters. Now that Patsy was pregnant, for sure the Son Sisters were history. Rett knew neither Patsy nor Faith cared much. They’d never really wanted a career in music. Things were changing. But Rett knew she had unfinished business in Knoxville. She had to help her family get it together before she could really start a new life here in California. She turned to her grandma.

  “I have to go home,” she said. “For a little while. They need me.”

  Love didn’t look at her, but continued to stare at the ocean. “I know you do. I told you I’d pay for your flight.”

  “I swear I’ll pay you back.” She stood up, tilting her head back to drink the last of her cocoa. “I’ll go call Mom now. Like I said, I won’t go until after Christmas. I want to help cook dinner for August and Polly.”

  When Rett reached the back gate, before she could open it, Love called to her. She turned around to face her grandma, who was standing with her back to that blue, blue ocean.

  “I’ll go with you, if you like,” Love said, using her hand to shade her eyes. “Maybe I can help Karla sort things out. We could drive. With the two of us driving, we could make good time. And we could bring back some of your things. I mean, if you want to come back.”

  Rett stared at her grandma wondering how she knew that Rett was hoping she’d offer. “You’d do that for my mom? After the way she’s treated you?”

  A sharp breeze blew Love’s hair into a headful of cowlicks. She didn’t even try to smooth them down. “Oh, Rett, I’m not that good a Christian. Not yet, anyway. I’d do it for you.”

  Rett felt tears come to her eyes, and she didn’t even try to hide them.

  “We can leave the day after Christmas,” Love said. “We’ll stay as long as it takes to help your mom and Patsy figure out what to do.”

  “What about August and Polly?” Rett asked. “What about my new job?”

  “People will cover for us until we get back,” Love assured her. “We’ve got lots of friends here in Morro Bay.” She smiled. “And I have some pull with your boss. We have friends who’ll fill in for you. Things’ll work out.”

  Rett nodded, feeling happier and less scared than she had in a long time. “I’ll go call Mom.”

  Before she picked up the phone in the kitchen, she paused for a moment and looked out the kitchen window at her grandma, who’d sat back down on the blue lawn chair. Rett could see her from the side because the chair was set at an angle. Even from this distance, Rett could see a cowlick that Love had missed when she’d finally patted down her unruly hair. Whenever Rett saw a crazy cowlick now, she’d always think of her grandma Love.

  “Well, Mister God,” Rett said. “You really did work things out like Rocky said you always did. I sure appreciate it not taking so long. Thanks.”

  As she watched her grandma stroke the top of Ace’s head, a peace settled around Rett, and for the first time in a long time, she felt like she was traveling in the right direction. She had no idea what lay ahead. Her insides seemed to quiver with excitement. Her life was just beginning, and she couldn’t wait.

  THIRTY-THREE

  Mel

  It was noon on Christmas Eve and Mel stood in front of a rack of jewel-colored western shirts at the San Celina Farm Supply. She stared haplessly at the hand-printed sign: Round up a Little Western Fashion for the Holidays! She had only one gift left to buy, something for Rett. She turned away from the rack of shirts. They were too full of rhinestones and fringe. Rett was definitely not a rhinestone kind of girl. What kind of gift did you buy for someone you barely knew?

  They were all going to the Johnsons’ ranch for Christmas Eve dinner, so Clint, Rocky and Magnolia could join them and not miss Christmas with their own families. No one actually said out loud this might be August and Polly’s last Christmas living at the ranch, but the thought hung over everyone like a swollen rain cloud.

  August was back home now with absolutely no memory of what happened at Big Barn. Love said he was on some kind of new drug for people in early dementia. The doctor said it could possibly help keep him steady, though he had no idea for how long. That night he was in the hospital, Mel, Magnolia, Rocky and Zane searched every corner of the ranch house. Besides the .22 rifle he’d had at the barn, they’d found two shotguns, a .22 hand pistol and an old beat-up .45 revolver. All the guns were in a closet at Mel’s house. So far, August hadn’t even noticed they were gone.

  Mel, Love and Rett set up a schedule of going out to the ranch every day to help Polly and check on things. Since Love and Rett would be leaving for Knoxville the day after Christmas, Magnolia and Rocky’s daughters, Jade and Cheyenne, would fill in until they returned. With Zane living there, and Magnolia and Rocky checking in regularly, August and Polly would be able to stay at the ranch a while longer.

  “We have no idea how long this can work,” Love had said to Mel Friday night at the Happy Shrimp. Rett skipped this week because she said she was still working on a Christmas present for Love. “But, if there needs to be changes, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Christine Nybak at the Alzheimer’s Association has been a huge help. There are some options; we just have to figure out what’s best for August and Polly. Rett and I will get back as soon as we can, but we have no idea how long we might be. Hopefully, not more than a few weeks.”

  “How are things back there?” Mel asked.

  “Complicated,” Love said. “But that’s how family is.” She smiled at Mel. “I’m thankful we have family here to hold down the fort while we’re gone.” She reached over and patted Mel’s hand.

  Mel felt her chest warm with emotion. Never, in a million years, could she express to Love how much she appreciated being included as family.

  So, in a way, buying something for Rett was kind of like buying for the little sister she’d never had. Except Mel was a dismal failure at shopping, for herself or anyone else. She never really paid that much attention to what other people wanted or liked. She’d definitely have to work on that. But, in the meantime, there remained the problem of a Christmas gift for Rett. She left the clothing section and went over to peruse the silver Western-style jewelry. Horseshoe earrings? Did Rett have pierced ears? Mel couldn’t remember, so she nixed that idea. All she really knew about Rett was she played banjo and liked the Nashville Sounds baseball team. Wasn’t there a new music store downtown? What did you get someone who played the banjo?

  She turned to walk toward the exit when she saw Hud come from the back of the building. He carried a jacket-sized box wrapped with red paper decorated with black and green horseshoes.

  “Hey, Mel!” he called, seeing her seconds after she spotted him. There was no way she could pretend she hadn’t seen him.

  She stopped, held up a hand and politely waited f
or him to walk to her. Why couldn’t she have left just one minute earlier? Though she was grateful for his help in resolving things with Patrick and for his call later that night to make sure she was okay, they hadn’t talked since. She’d taken to heart his last comment to her on the phone.

  “I’m not going to bug you, Melina Jane,” he’d said. “I’d like to see you again, but I also know that this is a tough time for you. So I’m lobbing the ball into your court and will just wait to see if it comes flying back.”

  “Thank you,” she’d replied and never called him back. She wasn’t ready to deal with even the most basic relationship with a man. Right now, with all that was happening with August, Polly and Love . . . well, her time was pretty much spoken for.

  Now here he was walking toward her looking pretty darn attractive in his crisp blue dress shirt, tweed Western-cut jacket, perfectly pressed Wranglers and shiny black boots. He was obviously dressed for some Christmas Eve shindig.

  “Hi,” she said, when he reached her.“How are you?”Wow, she thought, that’s original. Then she chided herself. What did she care about what he thought about her? He’d already seen her at pretty much her worst.

  “I’m doing good,” he said, touching the rim of his pearl gray Stetson. “Picking up a jacket I ordered for Maisie for Christmas. You doin’ some last-minute shopping?”

  She nodded, hitching her leather purse over her shoulder. “I’m trying to buy a present for Rett. But, to be honest, I’m at a loss. We’re having dinner and exchanging presents at August and Polly’s tonight.”

  Hud cocked his head. “How’s he doing?”

  “How’d you know about August?”

  “Benni told me.”

  “He’s doing okay. Doesn’t even remember . . .” She paused, not certain how much Benni had told him.

  Hud’s dark brown eyes studied her face. “How’s Love’s shoulder?”

  “Fine,” she said. Benni obviously told him everything. “I have all August’s guns at my place.”