Chapter Ten

Parker turned the knob and pushed the door open with a soft creak. The dim light from the TV illuminated her grandfather's room, casting shadows on the walls. She saw him lying on the bed, his eyes fixed on the screen. When he heard her enter, a big smile lit up his face.

She had to steady herself as she looked at him. He appeared so frail, not the strong and imposing figure she remembered from her childhood.

"Hi, Pops," she said softly as she approached his bedside and took a seat in the chair next to him.

"Hey, Cupcake. What brings you here?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"I came to see you. Why else?"

"You shouldn't have. I'm fine," he replied nonchalantly.

But Parker could see through his facade and felt tears begin to prick at her eyes. She reached out and gently touched his hand.

"No, you're not," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Okay, that's true, but you still didn't have to come all this way."

"I'm not arguing with you. Besides, didn't you tell me a long time ago that you never argue with a woman because you'll lose?" She managed a small smile as he chuckled.

"I did. So how long are you staying?"

"For a while." Her gaze flickered away from him for a moment.

"Honey, you don't need to be here to watch me die."

Parker swallowed back a lump in her throat. "Could we please change the subject?"

"Sure thing. Tell me about Clifton."

"I've told you before, it's a great town."

"Do you still enjoy your job?"

"I do. Shay is an amazing boss and I love working at the shop."

"Is there anyone special in your life? You deserve a good man, Cupcake."

Parker couldn't help but grin at her grandfather's concern. "I found one. His name is Maverick Whitacre and he's one of the foremen at a large cattle ranch."

"I can tell you're smitten with him. As long as he treats you right, I'm happy for you."

"He does, Pops. I... I love him. I never thought I could be this happy."

Her grandfather squeezed her hand. "I didn't think you were ever really happy with Brad. I know you loved Ronnie so much, and you'll always miss him, but something was missing between you and Brad that even having a child couldn't change."

"I wasn't truly happy in my marriage. I told Brad I wanted a divorce the night before the accident. I felt so guilty. The only good thing that came from it was Ronnie." Parker shook her head. "I don't like speaking ill of Brad, but you're right, something was missing. And I never realized it until I fell in love with Maverick."

"Does he feel the same way?"

"Yes," she said with a smile .

"So why are you here with me instead of him?"

"I want to be here with you."

"And he's okay with that?"

"Of course he is. He's the most understanding man I've ever met."

"How's the weather in Clifton?" her grandfather asked, his voice weak and raspy.

"It was snowing when I left," she said with a grin, her cheeks flushed from the cold.

"Snowing? It's October." Her grandfather's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Yes. It was so pretty. Snow starts early in parts of Montana. As early as September and as late as early May." Parker's eyes lit up as she spoke of the snow-covered landscape she had just left behind.

"Unreal." Her grandfather leaned his head back on the pillow, exhaustion evident on his face.

"Are you tired?" Parker asked, concern lacing her words.

"Yeah, I get tired pretty easily nowadays." He let out a heavy sigh.

"I'll let you rest. I need to unpack and get a hot bath. I'm tired too."

"Okay, honey. I'll see you tomorrow." Her grandfather's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Alright. I love you, Pops." Parker smiled sadly at him before leaving the room.

"I love you too, Cupcake." His words followed her out the door.

Parker stood outside the room for a moment, her emotions catching up with her. She covered her mouth with her hand and sobbed quietly, trying not to disturb her ailing grandfather. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her and she realized it was her mother who had come to comfort her.

Parker leaned into her mother's embrace and cried softly as they walked into the living room. Her father sat in a wingback chair, watching them both with sadness in his eyes.

"Let it out, honey," her mother said, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Parker let herself cry until she was sure her heart was breaking, then she sat back and shook her head. "I was shocked when I saw him. Mom, I don't know how you're doing this. He's your father."

"I know. It breaks my heart every time I see him, but I try to put on a good face. I know he wouldn't like it if he saw me cry. He's such a hardhead." Her mother let out a small laugh through her tears.

"Yes, he is. Dad? This can't be easy on you either. I know you're close to Pops." Parker turned to her father; concern etched on her face.

"I'll miss him," her father said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"You look tired, honey," her mother said, studying Parker's exhausted expression.

"I'm going to go up and take a hot bath, then head to bed. Ten hours is a long time to be in a car." Parker's shoulders slumped with weariness.

"Okay, honey. Go take a nice bath and head to bed. Your dad put your suitcase in your room." Her mother tilted her head in concern. "Maybe give that man of yours a call."

"I will. Goodnight, Mom. Dad. I love you." Parker hugged them both tightly before making her way up the stairs to her childhood bedroom.

As she entered the room, memories flooded back to her of simpler times spent in this room. She picked up her suitcase, set it on the bed and began unpacking, selecting a cozy T-shirt and lounge pants to change into after her bath.

Reaching for her phone in her pocket, she realized it was dead. In the midst of all the chaos and emotions surrounding her grandfather's illness, she had forgotten to charge it. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had charged it.

The night before she left for Oregon, she hastily packed a bag and called Shay to tell her she was leaving and ask her if she'd mind taking Pumpkin to the animal hospital to board her. Shay had assured her that she would take care of everything and told her to take as much time as she needed. After taking a bath and crawling into bed, Parker had tried to sleep but only managed to get three hours of rest. No wonder she was exhausted.

Feeling guilty for not being able to talk to Maverick, she promised herself she would call him tomorrow when her phone was charged. She plugged it into the charger and made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The following day, she entered the kitchen to make a cup of coffee and waited while it brewed. She stared out the window and smiled looking at the colorful leaves on the trees. It was definitely fall in Oregon.

She couldn't get over how much she'd rather see snow. She heard on the weather station that Montana was experiencing a snowstorm, and she was sorry to miss it.

"Good morning, honey," her father said when he entered the room.

"Good morning, Dad." She poured herself a cup of coffee and moved aside for him to get his.

"Did you get any sleep?"

"A little. How's Mom doing?"

Her father sighed as he made his coffee. Once it was done, he picked up the cup and sat at the table.

"She's trying to be brave, but she's a wreck. That woman is one of the strongest people I know, but this is killing her. You know how close she is to her father."

"I do," Parker said in a whisper.

"So, tell me about this man your mother mentioned."

"Maverick. I love him, Daddy."

"Yeah, that's what your mother said. Is he good to you?"

"Yes. He's wonderful," Parker said with a smile.

"I'm happy for you. You deserve a good man."

"He is."

"Good. I can't wait to meet him. Well, I need to head to the office to get some work done. If you need me, you know where to find me." He stood, kissed the top of her head, then made his way to his home office. He'd been a real estate broker for years and made good money at it. He had several agents working for him.

Parker sat at the kitchen table, her hands gripping her cup tightly as she struggled to hold back tears. She knew it wouldn't be long before her grandfather passed away and the thought tore her apart. With a deep breath, she pushed back her chair, making it screech across the tile floor, and then she stood and rinsed her cup in the sink before making her way down the hallway to her grandfather's room. As she approached, she saw her mother standing outside the door, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Parker walked over to her and wrapped her arms around her, just as her mother had always done for her.

"I was going to go in to see him, but I just can't bring myself to do it yet." Her mother's voice trembled.

"I know, Mom. I'm so sorry."

"I know you'll miss him too, honey."

"I will. Do you want me to go in with you?"

"For support, you mean?" Her mother offered a small smile.

"Absolutely."

With one last deep breath, her mother slowly opened the door, and they entered the room together. A small smile graced both their faces as they saw him smiling up at them.

"My two favorite girls," he said affectionately.

Parker made her way around the bed and settled into the chair beside him, while her mother took the one on the opposite side. Parker reached for his hand and held it gently.

"How are you feeling today, Dad?" her mother asked softly.

"I feel good today, honey."

Parker watched as tears welled up in her mother's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Instead, she smiled bravely at her father.

"That's wonderful to hear. Are you watching a movie?"

"I can't seem to find anything worth watching these days. So many channels but nothing good on," he grumbled playfully.

Parker couldn't help but laugh. "I agree with you there, Pops."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, until her mother excused herself from the room. Parker knew it was hard for her to watch her father slowly slip away. She reached out and squeezed his hand.

"Is there anything you need, Pops?"

"Well, a good movie would be nice," he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Parker chuckled. "How about one of your war movies you like so well?"

"I've always been a fan of war movies. That's fine if you can find one."

"Okay, let me see what I can find for you."

She took the remote from him and began scrolling through channels until she found a movie that caught her attention.

"How about this one? We Were Soldiers , with Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott, and Madeleine Stowe."

"That's a good one. Leave it there, please."

Parker handed back the remote and stood up. "I'll be right back, Pops. I'm going to call Maverick."

Her grandfather nodded, already settling in to watch the movie. Parker left the room and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, picked up her phone from the nightstand, and dialed Maverick's number.

"Hey," he answered the phone.

"Hi. Are you busy? "

"I'm always busy. How are things with you?"

Parker noticed a change in his tone; he seemed distant.

"Pops is still the same for now," she said with a small frown. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

"Yeah, just swamped with work."

"What's the weather like there?"

"It's snowing."

Parker felt like she was pulling teeth to get a conversation out of him. Something was going on and she couldn't figure it out.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked again.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't—"

"Sorry, I have to go. Grady needs me." He hung up abruptly.

Parker looked at her phone in confusion. No goodbye or I love you. Just a sudden end to the call. She knew something was wrong but didn't want to bother him if he was truly busy. She'd try calling him again later that night.

In the evening, Parker sat in her grandfather's room. He seemed quieter than usual, struggling to breathe. He looked at her and spoke softly.

"You know, I wish I had met your new man."

Tears welled up in Parker's eyes.

"I wish you could have too. You would have liked him, and he would have liked you."

"You always light up when you talk about him," her grandfather said with a smile. "I know I would have liked him."

Parker nodded, remembering how she had told Maverick it might not be a good idea for him to come along on this trip. But now, she regretted not bringing him here to meet her grandfather. A man she idolized. She knew they would have gotten along well.

"You would have," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Cupcake, I'll be okay. I'll be reunited with your grandmother soon and I want that. I miss her every day. I want you to know that I love you, but it's my time to go."

Parker reached out and held his hand, unable to find the words to say goodbye. She stayed by his side as he watched another war movie, until he fell asleep. Then she turned off the TV and quietly left the room, heading upstairs to her own room.

Sitting on her bed, she cried for her grandfather and for keeping Maverick from meeting such a wonderful man.

The door opened and her mother peeked in.

"Are you alright?"

"No. I did a terrible thing."

Her mother came into the room and sat beside her.

"What happened?"

"The night before I left to come home, Maverick came over and asked if he could come along. I said I didn't think it was a good idea." She looked at her mother with regret. "And now, I wish I had let him come. Pops would have loved him."

"Why did you think it wasn't a good idea?"

"Because even though I wanted Maverick to meet everyone, I didn't feel like the timing was right. But Pops told me he wished he could have met him. So now I feel guilty for keeping them from meeting each other. They both mean so much to me, and I regret not having them meet."

"Parker, you can't blame yourself for that."

"Why not, Mom? Maverick was willing to leave his job and come here just to be with me during this difficult time. But I pushed him away and told him it wasn't a good idea. Now all I can think about is how much I wish he was here with me."

"I'm sorry, honey. You were upset and not thinking clearly at the time."

"I know, but now Maverick is probably upset with me for not letting him come. He barely spoke to me earlier and he must have been hurt when I turned down his offer. He probably thinks I didn't want him around when all he wanted to do was support me." She sobbed.

"Don't worry, Parker. When you get back home, talk to him and explain everything that was going on with you. If he's as great a guy as you say, he'll understand."

"I hope you're right." She sighed. "I'm going to take a bath then get to bed."

"Alright, honey. We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you. Tell Dad for me please."

Her mother nodded, then walked out the door, closing it behind her and leaving Parker to her thoughts of hurting Maverick.

****

Maverick was sitting in the office of the barn, going over the list of tasks for tomorrow. The ranch had fallen behind on its work due to bad weather, so they needed to catch up as soon as possible. Grady walked in, his coat and hat covered in snow. He headed straight to the stove and removed his gloves, warming his hands by the fire.

"Fuck, it's freezing outside," he exclaimed.

"Is it snowing again?" Maverick asked.

"Yeah, and it's getting worse."

"Damn. We'll never get caught up at this rate."

"I know." Grady took a seat across from the desk. "I was hoping we could paint the inside of the third barn today, but it's just too cold."

"Yeah, it sure is."

"What's been bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

Maverick snapped his head up, staring fiercely at his friend.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because ever since Parker left for Oregon, you've been like a bear with a sore tooth."

Maverick leaned back in his chair and tossed his pen down on the desk.

"She didn't want me to go with her."

"To Oregon?"

"Yes. The night before she left, I offered to go with her. You know, to support her during this tough time. But she said she didn't think it was a good idea."

"Damn. Did she say why?"

"No. Then she just said she had to pack and went off to her room without even looking at me." Maverick shook his head. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought she'd want me there with her. If the roles were reversed, I would have wanted her by my side. I won't lie, it hurt. "

"I'm sure it did. Look, Maverick, she was probably going through a lot of emotions and didn't realize what she was saying. When she comes back—"

" If. If she comes back."

Grady raised his eyebrows. "You don't think she will?"

"I honestly don't know. She called me, but I couldn't bring myself to talk to her. I just can't get over her saying it wasn't a good idea for me to go with her."

"You didn't talk to her at all?"

"A little, but all I could hear were those words. I used you as an excuse and said I had to hang up."

"Great, now I'm involved in this mess."

"Don't worry about it. I just needed an excuse, and your name was the first one that came to mind."

"I'm flattered. But seriously, Maverick, you two need to talk. She probably has no idea why you were distant with her."

"If she comes back, we'll have to talk." Maverick picked up his pen again. "I should get back to these chores."

"Alright, see ya later." Grady left the office.

After a few hours, Maverick finally arrived at his home and let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into the warm air. Just the short walk from his truck to the front door had left him shivering in the subzero temperatures, especially with the fierce wind howling around him.

After removing his hat and coat and hanging them up, he sat down on the bench to remove his boots and couldn't help but smile as Blue came running into the kitchen. Her whole body wiggled with excitement at seeing him. "Hey, girl. Have you been outside?" He laughed when she flopped onto the floor, resting her head on her paws and looking up at him with adoring eyes. "I'll take that as a no. But you have to go out eventually." The dog stood up and barked at him, as if in protest. "Go," Maverick said, pointing to the pet door.

Blue gave him one last look before reluctantly walking through the door. If he had any doubts about her gender before, they were certainly cleared up now by that sassy expression she just gave him. It seemed that females had a way of scolding a man with just one look and making him feel like he should just shut the fuck up.

After stripping off his cold, damp clothing, he made his way to the living room. He placed his phone on the recliner's arm and plugged in the charger before heading to the bathroom. The water would be scalding hot; that's how he liked it. He turned the shower on and stepped into the steamy stall, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin as the heat penetrated his chilled body.

He missed Parker terribly. He knew he should call her, but what could he say? He feared she wouldn't want to come back to him. Perhaps after being with her family, she would realize how much she missed them and her hometown of Oregon. Whenever he visited his family in Wyoming, he couldn't help but feel homesick for them and his childhood home. But he loved Clifton and his job at the Triple C too much to leave. That might not be how Parker felt, though, and it scared him .

After washing himself, he grabbed a towel and dried off before wrapping it around his waist and stepping in front of the mirror to shave off his scruff. Once done, he hung up the towel in the shower stall and walked into his bedroom where he changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants.

Even though he wasn't hungry, he knew he needed to eat something. But when he entered the kitchen, he saw Blue covered in snow and staring at him as if saying ‘you wanted me to go out.' Chuckling to himself, he grabbed an old towel from the laundry room and gave Blue a rub down before she took off running through the house.

As he stared at the frozen dinners in the freezer, he let out a sigh and closed the door before heading back to the living room to sit in his recliner. He noticed a missed call and text message from Parker on his phone.

With a heavy heart, he read her message: He's gone.

"Shit," he muttered as he immediately called her back.

"Maverick," Parker answered with a choked voice.

"I'm so sorry, Parker."

"I'm going to miss him so much."

"I know you will, baby. I wish I knew what I could say or do for you."

"It's fine. Finding the right words is always difficult."

"Yes." He didn't know what else to say. It pained him to know she was hurting like this.

"We're having a memorial service for him in two days in the basement of his church. It's going to be tough, but we want to celebrate his life. We decided to have a memorial even though he was cremated because so many people loved him."

"That gives everyone a chance to say goodbye."

"Yes. Oh, I'm sorry. My mom is calling me. I'll talk to you soon." She hung up.

"Damn it," Maverick muttered. He should have been there with her, but she didn't want him around.

He felt helpless and unsure of what to do. He wanted to comfort her, but he also knew she needed space, and he didn't want to intrude. But it broke his heart knowing she didn't want him there with her during this difficult time.