Page 131 of The Promise Of Rain

Jenny laughed, the sound ringing like bells through the hallway.

I turned to Ansel.

He cleared his throat.“Let’s go for a little walk ourselves.”

I rolled him out, heading in the opposite direction as Jenny and Grandma.

He indicated a window along the wall, just out of range of the family lounge.

I took a seat on the wide window ledge and gave him time to pull his thoughts together.

I didn’t have to wait long.

He nodded toward the window.“Rain.We love it and hate it but there’s no doubt we need it.”

“Living on the farm, it seems my whole life revolved around rain,” I agreed.

He nodded.“On the farm, there’s either too much or too little, but every autumn you reap its promise.”He met my eyes.“Jenny has had more than her share of rain,” he paused “And so very little of its promise.”

I waited patiently.There was a time to talk and a time to listen.And this was his time to talk.

“After the storms she’s endured, she has a right to be afraid,” he stated, his voice raspy.“The Father is calling me home, Son.”He raised his chin and pinned me in place.“I can’t leave until I know she’s going to be okay.”

My stomach dropped, fear of what losing Ansel would do to Jenny burning the lining.“Ansel—"

His eyes sharpened.“I have a question for you, and I don’t want you handing me some bullshit line meant to pacify an old man.I want the truth.”

“And I’ll give it to you, Sir,” I replied.

“That girl’s like a daughter to me.”His cloudy eyes lit up, and he corrected, “She is my daughter.I claimed her when she was eighteen years old.Best decision I ever made.”

I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my cell phone.Opening my photo app, I found the pictures I sought.

“She’s mine, Ansel,” I asserted.“And more importantly for your concerns, I’m hers.I’ll protect her, look after her, and love her.”

My voice broke.

I looked down at the floor and swallowed hard.“She told me about the baby.”

He sucked in a sharp breath then answered softly.“It was a bad time.For everybody.”

Meeting his eyes, I expected to see censure.Instead, his sorrow reflected back to me.

“In retrospect, I should have found a way to get a message to you.”He tilted his head and considered me.“I did try.”

I snapped to attention.“What?”

“Now, seeing you together, I’m sorry I didn’t try harder.”He nodded slowly.“I’ve wrestled over whether or not to tell you, it was all so long ago.But I don’t want to leave this world without knowing I’ve done everything in my power to support you both.”

“I appreciate that, Sir.”

He stared off into space then shook his head.

“Time passed, you’d enlisted and seemingly gone on with your life.Jenny was finally back on her feet.”He met my eyes.“I was afraid it would backfire and send her back into the dark if I dredged everything up.”He laughed drily.“In all honesty, I figured you didn’t deserve her.”

“I don’t,” I readily admitted.

“That proves you’re a wise man.”His eyes twinkled.“When I found out Darlene was your grandmother, I might have put a little bug in her ear.”