She startled but then relaxed into a smile. “I’ll be better with a cookie.”
Right. Got it. She wanted to be alone. He’d give her that. He figured he’d feel the same way if he got to see articles about his parents for the first time.
“It shouldn’t feel this weird, right? It’s just a newspaper.” She picked up a Calamity Gazette. “It’s not like Kurt’s going to pop out and go, Gotcha! It’s just…living in his house, talking to his friends, and now reading these articles…he’s coming to life for me.” The stark sadness in her eyes shredded him. “Right when he’s gone for good.”
“But it’s good to learn the truth about him, though, right? You’ve spent most of your life wondering why he bailed on you, and now maybe you can get some answers.”
Sadness dampened her spirit, and she nodded, pretending that everything was all right. “I hope so.” She blinked again, furiously this time, still with that brave smile. “I really, really hope so.”
A breeze came through the screen, fluttering the edges of the newspapers.
More than anything, Phinny wanted Declan to sit with her, but she wasn’t about to become someone he needed to babysit. Smoothing the stack of aged papers, she noticed each one had been folded to a specific page. She skimmed through them for mention of Kurt.
* * *
Kurt Grevers is the single largest landowner in Wyoming.
* * *
Kurt views himself as a steward of the land.
* * *
Innovative tools and breakthroughs…rotational grazing, land that’s equipped to sequester carbon, so it’s not emitted into the air…no feedlots or chemical fertilizers.
* * *
He seeks current technologies to minimize dependence on fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers and pesticides…the higher upfront costs of utilizing green technologies and modern horticulture and animal science are more than offset by ongoing operating costs.
* * *
Kurt Grevers defines green.
* * *
Engrossed in reading, she barely heard the two return. Declan handed her a plate with two cookies so warm the chips were little pools of glossy chocolate. “Oh, yum. Thank you.”
The way he held her gaze…she’d never met anyone who could so clearly communicate with just a look. And right now, he was asking if she was okay. She forced herself to nod, but she couldn’t pull off a smile. “These look delicious.” It was hard to fake an interest in cookies when all she really wanted was to sit on his lap and bury her face in his neck.
Leddy tipped her chin to the newspapers. “As you can see, Kurt was quite the trailblazer on this sustainability stuff. Don’t know if you’re aware but people came from all over to talk to him about what he was doing.” She drew in a sharp breath, her hand going to her heart. “Ach. He’s going be dearly missed.”
“Were you close?”
Leddy looked contemplative. “Oh, I don’t know about close. He kept to himself, and he didn’t go out much.” She broke into a warm smile. “But when you were with him, he gave you his full attention. He cared very deeply.”
“Did he ever remarry?”
The question seemed to take her by surprise, but Leddy was kind enough not to ask why his own daughter wouldn’t know something like that. “No, dear. He was a bachelor.”
“He must’ve had a girlfriend?”
“Well, other than Glori Van Patten, I can’t say I recall seeing him with anyone else.” Her lips pressed together. “I think he was the kind of man who’d rather be alone than spend time with people he didn’t feel a connection with.”
Declan got out of the wicker rocking chair and sat next to her. He reached for a cookie, but since she knew he didn’t eat sweets, she suspected he’d come to give her support.
And she needed it. Because she’d just gotten the answer she’d been looking for. Her father hadn’t felt a connection to her. That’s why he’d stopped fighting for his custodial rights. She set the plate down, too sick to eat. She wanted to smile, be pleasant, but she felt like she was stuck in sludge, and her gears were jammed. Nothing worked.
She understood she’d been too young for Kurt to really know her. It wasn’t personal, she got that. But he really, truly didn’t care. The shock to her system sent her reeling.
Boots stomped on the porch steps, so heavy Phinny felt it through the soles of her new shoes. A large, grizzled old man in overalls and a flannel shirt burst into the room.
Bristling with anger, he took in the trio of them…and then his gaze landed on the plate in the middle of the table, and he broke out into a huge grin. “Cookies.”
As he reached for them, Phinny could see bits of dirt on his knees and elbows. He smelled like sunshine-warmed cotton and fresh-mown grass. The old man’s paw made a grab, and Leddy yanked it out of his reach. “One, Carl. You may have one.” She gave Phinny a long-suffering sigh. “The minute I turn my back, there won’t be a crumb left.”
“True.” Carl grinned. “But hey, I’ve been toiling in the fields all morning.”
Leddy rolled her eyes. “He’s a beekeeper. He’s been checking the hives for all of twenty minutes.”
Okay, this is working. Listening to their banter tugged her out of the sludge. “You make your own honey?” But really, this visit was good. She needed the truth. It was the only way to move on…to let go of this constant anxiety over unanswered questions.
“Well, the bees do.” As her husband reached out a second time, Leddy shifted the plate. He scowled. “I just collect it.”
“His booth at the festival always sells out.” Leddy sounded proud.
“Well, sure.” The moment his wife let down her guard, his arm whipped out, and he scored a cookie. He gave her a mischievous smile, and Leddy practically melted with affection. “People come from all over to buy it.”
They’re so cute. “How exciting. Have you always done this?”
“Years ago, someone pointed out that our land is a dense nectar source.” Leddy put the plate on the side table. “I had no idea what that meant, but it struck Carl’s fancy, and he’s been reading up on it and creating all kinds of products with it.”
“You mean other than honey?” Phinny asked.
Carl used his boot to pull out a chair and eased himself into it. “First of all, it’s a lot more interesting than she makes it out to be. Our property’s full of wildflowers in the spring.”
“That’s my favorite of his honeys.” Leddy gave him a loving smile.
“Second, if I wanted to, I could make a load of money off my bees. Did you know you can raise queens and sell them to other farmers? I can sell honeycomb and pollen. It’s an industry.” Carl arched a brow at his wife.
Phinny laughed. “I’m getting the impression you don’t support his hobby.”
“Oh, sure I do.” She patted his knee. “I’m just waiting to see all this industry.”