Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Jess Bryant

sent
Riley to college over at…”
    “This is the table boys, not gossip hour at
the knitting club.” Lyle Carter cut them off with a scowl, “And I
don’t want to hear about any West’s while I’m trying to eat.”
    “Yes sir.” The men said in unison though they
gave Blue a knowing grin that she managed to half-heartedly
return.
    Maybe the family feud wasn’t as forgotten as
she’d liked to believe. Then again, her father being in a grumpy
mood wasn’t breaking news. Sometimes just the wind blowing could
make him scowl.
    “Good to see you Blue.”
    “Be seeing you around. Excuse us.”
    “Bye guys.” She waved as they excused
themselves, tossed the remains of their dinner aside and
disappeared out the back door. Several more of the hands did the
same.
    “What’re ya up to while you’re here?”
    “I have the rehearsal dinner in a little
while then Molly’s wedding is tomorrow.” She took one look at his
drawn face and tried to muster some excitement, “I’ll have free
time tomorrow morning. We should do something, maybe go shoot some
skeet.”
    Trying to think of the last time she’d done
something fun with her father she came up empty. Lyle Carter didn’t
know how to have fun. He knew how to work from the moment the sun
rose to the moment it set. That’s just the way he was. Still, she
had memories of him teaching her to shoot so she figured he must
have enjoyed it enough to show her.
    “Can’t. We got a stud coming in from Fort
Worth to breed with Lucy. It’ll be hard work so I got to be
there.”
    She didn’t even bother to get annoyed. It
wasn’t a surprise. The ranch always came first. It didn’t matter
that Bobby or any one of the other dozens of employees at
Montgomery Oaks could oversee the breeding. It didn’t matter that
his only daughter had driven in from Colorado for the first time in
years and wanted to spend time with him. Some things never changed
and she just had to suck it up and keep moving.
    “Would you want to go to the wedding with
me?”
    “I hate those damn things sweet girl.” He
shook his head, “I’d have to leave the ranch early to get cleaned
up and I don’t even have a good suit. You go and send Molly my best
wishes.”
    “Okay.” She sipped the glass of sweet tea in
front of her and tried not to pout.
    There was no point getting emotional. It
wouldn’t change anything. When she was younger she’d have screamed
and yelled and cried. She’d have told him that he wasn’t getting
any younger and maybe just maybe it might be worth it to miss this
one breeding to spend some time with his daughter. Now, she sipped
her ice tea and tried to think of something else, anything
else.
    “We’ll have breakfast together Sunday before
you head back. I’ll ask Arlene to make your favorite, scrambled
eggs and bacon.”
    Her favorite had always been French toast but
she bit her tongue and nodded. At least he’d offered to have a meal
with her. That was something.
    She felt like all her life she’d been
clinging to these crumbs as proof her father loved her. The little
things meant so much because he’d never bothered with the big ones.
She’d always taken what she could get no matter how small.
    “There are a few things I want to talk about
with you before you head out.”
    She was so focused on his offer of breakfast
she nearly missed what came next. She stopped and stared across the
table at her father. His dark eyes looked tired for possibly the
first time in her life.
    “Talk? About what?” She swallowed past the
knot in her throat.
    Her father didn’t talk to anyone least of all
to her. To say he was a man of few words would have been generous.
She could probably count on one hand the times he’d told her to sit
down because he needed to talk to her.
    She’d gotten the birds and the bee’s speech
from Arlene. Bobby had taught her how to drive a car. When she got
a speeding ticket or detention he’d always shaken his head, told
her she knew better