Page 112 of That Fake Feeling

Shetakes a slow sip of tea before speaking again. “Didhe fall for you too?”

Ilook down at the sun-bleached wood deck. “Maybe.Alittle.”

“Sitdown, and drink your tea.”Shereaches across the stump table, tucks her fingers underMaisie’sbutt, and gives her a nudge. “Offyou go.Roseneeds to take the weight off her poor misguided legs.”

Maisiejumps down and stares at me with a look of disgust.

AuntJensettles back, cupping her drink in her lap. “DidIever tell you aboutEugene?Thecowboy?”

ThankgoodnessIalready have one hand on the chair, orImight fall over in surprise. “Who?”

Shegazes out toward the trees, a wistful look in her eyes, as if she’s transporting herself back in time. “Ah, he was handsome too.Andwell-off.Notas well-off as your young man, obviously, but his ranch was profitable.”

Well, that certainly jolts me out of my pity party. “I’msorry, what?Youhad a rich cowboy boyfriend who owned a ranch?Whenthe hell did this happen?”

Thesecond my backside is in the chair,Maisieleaps on me and instantly forms a perfect circle in my lap.

“Iwas twenty-one.”

“Twenty-one?Jesus,AuntJen, how old was he?”

“Onlytwenty-six.Hisparents died tragically somehow.Idon’t remember now.”Shewafts her hand like it’s irrelevant and takes a sip of tea.

“Hewas an only child,” she continues, “so he inherited the ranch.Buthe was a young man, a real man’s man, who had no clue how to do anything but deal with the animals.Ifit didn’t involve a saddle or stirrups, he was lost.Andthen suddenly he had to run the business all by himself.”

Shedrums her fingers on the side of the mug. “I’dhad a fight with your grandparents, soItook a job as his live-in housekeeper and hightailed it toMontana.”

Shesays it like of course that’s what you do when you argue with your parents, particularly when you live across the other side of the country inUpstateNewYork. “Theranch was inMontana?”

“Isn’tthat where all the ranches are?”Sheshrugs. “Idon’t know any more about ranches now thanIdid the dayIshowed up there.”

Sheswats away a fly from in front of her face. “Anyway, we fell in love.Hardand fast.Wewere two lost souls who found each other.”

Irun my hand alongMaisie’swarm furry side. “Whydid you break up?”

“Becauseafter six months of me ignoring all my parents’ letters and phone calls, one day your granddad showed up on the doorstep.Hesaid he wasn’t leaving untilIgot in the car with him.Eugenewas way out on the property somewhere, soIhad to deal with him by myself.”

“WasGrandpafurious?”

“Yeah.ButIthink mainly he was disappointed.”Shereaches across and taps me on the arm. “Itell you,Rose.Ikicked up such a stink.”Andshe couldn’t look more delighted and proud of it.

“Oh,Idon’t doubt that.”

Shesighs. “Dadmade me feel so guilty, though.LikeIwas being disloyal and letting them down.”

Ismile to myself. “Thatsounds familiar.”

“Hesaid your mom missed me so much.Ialways helped her with her reading and writing, and he said she was struggling by herself.”

“Oh,Jesus,AuntJen.That’semotional blackmail.”Mycry of despair disturbsMaisie, who launches into a big stretch, her back legs flopping off my thigh.

IlovedGrandpa, butI’mnot sure that was very fair of him. “So, did you get in the car and go home with him?”

“Idid.IleftEugenea note.SaidI’dfix everything with my parents and be back as soon asIcould.ButIgot sucked back into life at home, like you do at that age, and that was that.”

That’sgoddamn tragic. “Didyou ever try to look him up?”

Maisie’spurrs vibrate against my legs asItickle her belly.