that was more than a hundred years old. It also provided the chance to " see" the ranch. With 469 square miles under fence, the Circle C encompassed areas no one went near for months, or years even.
Daddy sipped his drink before answering. Jude had discussed ranch chores with him often enough to know he was framing a rebuttal. She had tried a dozen approaches to making a case for being allowed to play a greater role in the ranch's operation . Thus far, she had made no inroads into Daddy's and Grandpa's thinking. But she refused to give up.
"Why spend all day on a horse out in the hot sun?" he said. "If you need something to do before school starts, darlin', go up to Santa Fe and go shopping. Take the plane and go over to Dallas for some R and R."
Sometimes, in conversations with her father, Jude felt as if her ankle was chained to a stump and she was standing barefoot in the middle of a fire ant bed. "I haven't done anything to exert myself since school was out," she said. "I don't think I need R and R. I wish you'd let me work the cows with you. I can be of some help."
Her father sighed and adjusted his silver wire-rimmed glasses. "Jude, I just don't understand why you want to do that. It's man's work. Most girls don't—"
She interrupted him by leaning forward and looking him in the eye. "Daddy, I'm not a girl. I'm twenty-nine years old. Why did you teach me to ride and rope if you never intended for me to do it?"
His eyes lowered to the contents of his glass, an indication his mind was closed to the idea. "Most young ladies, then. Most don't want to get on a horse and spend a day sweating in the sun with a bunch of cowhands." He swirled the ice cubes in his drink, looked up and gave her a smile. "They'd rather get prettied up and go out on dates."
She studied his profile as he tilted his head back and drained his glass. Had that been his perception of women his entire life?
… Get prettied up and go out on dates …That description apparently fit the two women he had married. His first wife, who was Jude's mother, Vanessa, had spent most of her time getting "prettied up," according to Jude's great-grandmother, Penelope Ann. Even Grandpa had said Vanessa had an obsessive preoccupation with her appearance.
The story Grammy Pen had told was that Daddy met Vanessa O'Reilly when she came from Connecticut to interview for a teaching job. The woman took one look at a young man who was the same age as she and his tie to the Strayhorn holdings and decided to stay. Grammy Pen also said Daddy was lucky the woman left. Jude's great-grandmother had never minced words.
If Daddy felt the same about his first wife as Grandpa and Grammy Pen did, he had never said so in Jude's presence. If he knew where she was or what had happened to her, he hadn't mentioned that, either. The rough life in West Texas was too much for her to bear, was the excuse he gave for her abandoning her husband and her child forever.
To Jude's knowledge, the bitch had never been in touch with Daddy again. Or with Jude herself. That was just fine . Jude had grown up perfectly well without her. Daddy and Grandpa and her other grandparents had provided all the parenting she needed. Long ago she had labeled her mother an irresponsible nitwit, a coward and a pantywaist, and a few more choice names unfit for use in public.
Then there was Daddy's second wife, Karen. She spent her time going out on dates all right . Dates with Daddy's younger brother, Ike, who was Jake's father. Ike and Karen Strayhorn had died together in a drunken, grinding car wreck on a desolate rural road. A generation later, the family was still recovering from the pain and scandal that had ensued.
Another mark chalked up to the Campbell Curse, Grammy Pen had declared. According to her, the incident had been caused by excessive undisciplined behavior by two people who kept no check on their appetites. Jude was grown before she figured out that Grammy Pen hadn't been talking about
Daddy sipped his drink before answering. Jude had discussed ranch chores with him often enough to know he was framing a rebuttal. She had tried a dozen approaches to making a case for being allowed to play a greater role in the ranch's operation . Thus far, she had made no inroads into Daddy's and Grandpa's thinking. But she refused to give up.
"Why spend all day on a horse out in the hot sun?" he said. "If you need something to do before school starts, darlin', go up to Santa Fe and go shopping. Take the plane and go over to Dallas for some R and R."
Sometimes, in conversations with her father, Jude felt as if her ankle was chained to a stump and she was standing barefoot in the middle of a fire ant bed. "I haven't done anything to exert myself since school was out," she said. "I don't think I need R and R. I wish you'd let me work the cows with you. I can be of some help."
Her father sighed and adjusted his silver wire-rimmed glasses. "Jude, I just don't understand why you want to do that. It's man's work. Most girls don't—"
She interrupted him by leaning forward and looking him in the eye. "Daddy, I'm not a girl. I'm twenty-nine years old. Why did you teach me to ride and rope if you never intended for me to do it?"
His eyes lowered to the contents of his glass, an indication his mind was closed to the idea. "Most young ladies, then. Most don't want to get on a horse and spend a day sweating in the sun with a bunch of cowhands." He swirled the ice cubes in his drink, looked up and gave her a smile. "They'd rather get prettied up and go out on dates."
She studied his profile as he tilted his head back and drained his glass. Had that been his perception of women his entire life?
… Get prettied up and go out on dates …That description apparently fit the two women he had married. His first wife, who was Jude's mother, Vanessa, had spent most of her time getting "prettied up," according to Jude's great-grandmother, Penelope Ann. Even Grandpa had said Vanessa had an obsessive preoccupation with her appearance.
The story Grammy Pen had told was that Daddy met Vanessa O'Reilly when she came from Connecticut to interview for a teaching job. The woman took one look at a young man who was the same age as she and his tie to the Strayhorn holdings and decided to stay. Grammy Pen also said Daddy was lucky the woman left. Jude's great-grandmother had never minced words.
If Daddy felt the same about his first wife as Grandpa and Grammy Pen did, he had never said so in Jude's presence. If he knew where she was or what had happened to her, he hadn't mentioned that, either. The rough life in West Texas was too much for her to bear, was the excuse he gave for her abandoning her husband and her child forever.
To Jude's knowledge, the bitch had never been in touch with Daddy again. Or with Jude herself. That was just fine . Jude had grown up perfectly well without her. Daddy and Grandpa and her other grandparents had provided all the parenting she needed. Long ago she had labeled her mother an irresponsible nitwit, a coward and a pantywaist, and a few more choice names unfit for use in public.
Then there was Daddy's second wife, Karen. She spent her time going out on dates all right . Dates with Daddy's younger brother, Ike, who was Jake's father. Ike and Karen Strayhorn had died together in a drunken, grinding car wreck on a desolate rural road. A generation later, the family was still recovering from the pain and scandal that had ensued.
Another mark chalked up to the Campbell Curse, Grammy Pen had declared. According to her, the incident had been caused by excessive undisciplined behavior by two people who kept no check on their appetites. Jude was grown before she figured out that Grammy Pen hadn't been talking about
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