we’ve got too much going on to waste time on this.”
“This is what’s going on,” Della countered. “This is what made the Ladies Farm. We’ve got to maintain it; not just anyone can teach these things.”
Kat looked smug. “My point exactly. Say yes.”
“Yes.” Della didn’t know why she ever argued with Kat. It was a whole lot easier to concede immediately.
“We need to put together an offer for Hugh Junior and Melissa,” Kat said now.
They drifted a little, but there wasn’t much breeze or much current and Della, even in her sunglasses, squinted against the sun on the water. “What kind of offer?” She dipped a hand in the green water and dribbled it over her bare arm. When she looked back at Kat, Kat was staring at her.
“What do you mean, what kind of offer? Hugh Junior and Melissa now own half the Ladies Farm. They can sell this thing out from under us.”
“They wouldn’t do that. Besides, that’s still only fifty percent. You need more than half to sell.”
“You don’t need more than half to ask a court to force a sale.”
“Kat!” Della watched water dance off her fingers as she waved her hands in the air. “How did we go from mourning for Pauline into a court battle? These are Pauline’s kids, not total strangers. We’ll have the place appraised and buy out their interest.”
She paused a second, looking at Kat’s lacquered nails and crisp cotton shirt. “If they could sell to us, they could sell to Barbara.”Della shook her head to clear the confusion. “You don’t think she’d do that, do you? Bid on the Ladies Farm?” Only a few days ago, she had been planning to move away, but now, Della couldn’t imagine anything more painful than Barbara buying the Ladies Farm out from under her.
“I don’t know,” Kat replied. “I’m counting on the kids accepting our bid. Then we’ll own half.”
“And then we can buy out Barbara.”
Even in the rocking canoe, Kat’s gaze was level. “Exactly.”
Della felt a little tingle run through her, then wriggled a bit with conscience. “Of course,” she said, “Pauline wanted her to stay.”
“And look where that got her. Do you want her to stay?”
Della sighed and looked downriver. Cottonwoods overhung the bank as far as the little bend at Castleburg’s, and they could hear the burble of water rushing over Little Sydonia Falls beyond that. There were turtles—at least eight of them—on the thicket of tree roots just before the bend, and Flops, the retriever, was eyeing them from the bank.
“We must have the only retriever in Texas that won’t go in the water,” she complained.
“Della,” Kat issued a warning.
“I don’t know,” Della said. “Okay? I think she killed Pauline, and I really can’t stand her. But she did get those Houston ladies to agree to the program. And she did offer to teach a needlepoint class.”
“And for that, you’re asking me to share my business and my home with my lover’s widow?”
Oh, shit! Della started to laugh, then stopped herself. “I wish Pauline were here to talk to,” she said wistfully. She imagined herself telling Pauline about Kat and Richard and, without any trouble at all, imagined Pauline telling her she already knew. Pauline always knew, Della thought.
“How about talking to me?” Kat demanded, and beneath the anger Della heard a longing that matched her own.
“I can’t deal with this now,” Della said, and found herself crying by the end of the sentence. “It’s all too soon.”
She took a deep breath. “Look,” she said, “let’s talk to Hugh Junior and Melissa and tell them we want to meet with them before they do anything. The end of the week, say. They’ll probably be happy to sell out. The Ladies Farm isn’t exactly a cash cow.”
“This won’t be any easier at the end of the week,” Kat warned, but for once she didn’t sound resolute.
“I know,” Della said. “But I’ll be more rational. Maybe by then I can figure out
“This is what’s going on,” Della countered. “This is what made the Ladies Farm. We’ve got to maintain it; not just anyone can teach these things.”
Kat looked smug. “My point exactly. Say yes.”
“Yes.” Della didn’t know why she ever argued with Kat. It was a whole lot easier to concede immediately.
“We need to put together an offer for Hugh Junior and Melissa,” Kat said now.
They drifted a little, but there wasn’t much breeze or much current and Della, even in her sunglasses, squinted against the sun on the water. “What kind of offer?” She dipped a hand in the green water and dribbled it over her bare arm. When she looked back at Kat, Kat was staring at her.
“What do you mean, what kind of offer? Hugh Junior and Melissa now own half the Ladies Farm. They can sell this thing out from under us.”
“They wouldn’t do that. Besides, that’s still only fifty percent. You need more than half to sell.”
“You don’t need more than half to ask a court to force a sale.”
“Kat!” Della watched water dance off her fingers as she waved her hands in the air. “How did we go from mourning for Pauline into a court battle? These are Pauline’s kids, not total strangers. We’ll have the place appraised and buy out their interest.”
She paused a second, looking at Kat’s lacquered nails and crisp cotton shirt. “If they could sell to us, they could sell to Barbara.”Della shook her head to clear the confusion. “You don’t think she’d do that, do you? Bid on the Ladies Farm?” Only a few days ago, she had been planning to move away, but now, Della couldn’t imagine anything more painful than Barbara buying the Ladies Farm out from under her.
“I don’t know,” Kat replied. “I’m counting on the kids accepting our bid. Then we’ll own half.”
“And then we can buy out Barbara.”
Even in the rocking canoe, Kat’s gaze was level. “Exactly.”
Della felt a little tingle run through her, then wriggled a bit with conscience. “Of course,” she said, “Pauline wanted her to stay.”
“And look where that got her. Do you want her to stay?”
Della sighed and looked downriver. Cottonwoods overhung the bank as far as the little bend at Castleburg’s, and they could hear the burble of water rushing over Little Sydonia Falls beyond that. There were turtles—at least eight of them—on the thicket of tree roots just before the bend, and Flops, the retriever, was eyeing them from the bank.
“We must have the only retriever in Texas that won’t go in the water,” she complained.
“Della,” Kat issued a warning.
“I don’t know,” Della said. “Okay? I think she killed Pauline, and I really can’t stand her. But she did get those Houston ladies to agree to the program. And she did offer to teach a needlepoint class.”
“And for that, you’re asking me to share my business and my home with my lover’s widow?”
Oh, shit! Della started to laugh, then stopped herself. “I wish Pauline were here to talk to,” she said wistfully. She imagined herself telling Pauline about Kat and Richard and, without any trouble at all, imagined Pauline telling her she already knew. Pauline always knew, Della thought.
“How about talking to me?” Kat demanded, and beneath the anger Della heard a longing that matched her own.
“I can’t deal with this now,” Della said, and found herself crying by the end of the sentence. “It’s all too soon.”
She took a deep breath. “Look,” she said, “let’s talk to Hugh Junior and Melissa and tell them we want to meet with them before they do anything. The end of the week, say. They’ll probably be happy to sell out. The Ladies Farm isn’t exactly a cash cow.”
“This won’t be any easier at the end of the week,” Kat warned, but for once she didn’t sound resolute.
“I know,” Della said. “But I’ll be more rational. Maybe by then I can figure out
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