Page 23 of Cowboy Falling Hard
“Or less. Since that’s illegal. But I certainly wouldn’t be flattered if he did something illegal for me.”
“Right. I mean, could there be a bigger signal he could send?”
“So you think I should...what?”
“I don’t know. Just appreciate the fact that this was pretty big. If you don’t like him and aren’t interested, that’s fine, but you gotta give him credit.”
“You’re right. I just don’t know what that means. I don’t want to think about it.” She tried not to smile as she looked over. “He’s really great with Powell. She seems to like him too.”
“Good. I hate that I’m not there. I hate that her life isn’t stable right now.”
“I’m trying to make it as fun as possible, and she hasn’t seemed worried or upset.”
“I knew I could count on you.”
“Have you heard anything about your mom?” She hated asking the question. Because if it was bad news, she was just bringing the focus back on something that Daphne probably didn’t want to focus on.
“They’re giving her antibiotics through her IV. They’re hoping that will knock the infection out, and then they’re going to put a new replacement in. We’re still looking at a long time.”
“Well, don’t worry about Powell. She’ll be fine with me tonight at the auction. You know my sisters and Coleman, and Dwight now too, will all look after her. The whole town will make sure she’s fine.”
“I know.”
Orchid could almost picture her friend with her eyes closed, relief easing the lines from her face. Her neighbors would pick up the slack for her daughter if they needed to. She could depend on them.
“Mom wants me to go home, but it’s a long drive, and as much as I want to be home with Powell, I want to be here to hear what the doctors are saying, because she needs me. Plus, she has a tendency to downplay things.”
“You stay. I know the drive is long. I’ll keep Powell, we’ll go to church together, and I’ll make sure she gets on the bus Monday morning.”
“You can hang out at the farm if you want to. You know you’re always welcome. There are four-wheelers in the barn, and Powell loves to ride.”
“It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow too. Maybe after church, we’ll take a picnic and a drive.”
“She’d love that. Thanks for making this special for her instead of hard.”
“My pleasure.” Orchid meant that. She wanted children of her own, after she was married, of course. “This is practice for when I have children someday.”
“I hope that’s soon. Truly. You’ll be the best mom.”
“Because I have you as my example.” Daphne had always made a point not to complain, and she did not make Powell the center of the universe, but she did make sure she knew she was loved, not just by her mother but by her Creator. That was probably the key to having a child who was well-adjusted and confident. Knowing that the Creator of the universe thought they were special and unique and had a powerful love just for them.
Orchid only hoped she could teach her children that as well as Daphne had taught Powell.
Probably Powell still wondered about her father, but Orchid had never heard her ask or lament that she didn’t have one.
Still, in a small town like Sweet Water, where most of the other children came from two-parent families, there probably was some doubt.
“I’ll call you with any news or updates, but the doctor said they wanted to keep her for at least three days, will that be too much?”
“Not at all. I can get her off the bus and put her on, make sure she gets her schoolwork done for as long as you need me to.”
“Thank you so much. Oh, the doctor just walked in. I need to go.”
“Take care. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“I will.”
Orchid swiped off on her phone, saying a little prayer for her friend and for Renée. Renée had been so patient and such a trooper. It had already been a long road with her knee, and it looked like it was going to continue to be a struggle.