True Love
(Book 2) – Chapter 50

The day passed quickly, and Jack was in a very bad mood. He had lost a steer, a cow had been hurt by the wire fence and one of his best mares who was in heat didn’t like his midnight sorrel, he wanted to do that crossbreeding but the mare wouldn’t cooperate. He had not had time to go to the house for lunch, he was dirty and hungry. As he entered the large two-storey house, the smell of food brought his soul back to his body. Grisell always cooked beautifully, he couldn’t trade her for any other woman, even if she was hell-bent on matchmaking.

As if he wanted such a thing, he felt very well as he was, if he lacked the warmth of a woman in San Antonio there was only half an hour’s walk to spare and he could go out with a pretty girl without complicating his life. For the time being he would keep it that way, besides his last few dates had been the worst, they always ended earlier than expected, they never lasted more than three months because the women he used to date were either very serious or they wanted to move to the city, and he wasn’t interested in either of those two options.

-What smells so good?

-You’re home! Dinner is almost ready.

-I’ll take a bath and be right down.

His life was definitely fine like this, with no woman to drive him crazy when he got home, or to be all over him, because in the end the ranch wasn’t what he wanted for his life and then he would be forced to move to the city or even get divorced. Or worse, marry a woman who wanted to have a dozen children running around the house, the silence that his home gave him liked it and he wanted it to be that way, for a long time to come. When he came downstairs Grisell was already setting the table for him to dine as he did every night.

-Your dinner is already served, come and eat before it gets cold.

-Hmm… This looks good. Grisell had prepared a plate of steak, mashed potatoes, sautéed asparagus and toast for him, along with a large glass of iced tea.

-I know what you like for dinner, Jack.

-I do, that’s why I like you to cook. Come and sit with me and join me for dinner, you never do and I’ve asked you many times.

-Oh no, boy, I couldn’t!

-Nonsense Grisell, you’re like one of the family. Besides, this way you can take advantage and tell me all about your granddaughter’s letter.

-All right, I’ll tell you all about it.

While Jack was giving a good part of the dinner, Grisell sat down next to him and poured himself a glass of tea.

Well, you see, when I came here I was divorced from my ex-husband. From our marriage we only had one child and when he came of age my husband arranged for him to get married and have offspring very quickly, from that arrangement my granddaughter Megan was born. I separated from my husband and left home, leaving my granddaughter and my family, I had no choice, my husband was by then controlling my life, he didn’t let me do anything on my own, neither work, nor cook anything at all. And I was tired of that life of deprivation and for that reason I decided to divorce him and leave Atlanta.

-I understand Grisell, I’m not one to judge you.

-I know, my boy. My granddaughter told me that her grandfather died many years ago and my son and his wife died in a plane crash about three months ago.

He said this with a lot of regret, while they both kept silent for a few seconds.

-I’m so sorry Grisell, it must have been hard to know all that just from a letter. You never told us anything about your family!

-It’s okay, things happen and there’s nothing we can do about it. My ex didn’t want anything to do with me after I asked for a divorce, and my son resented me because he thought I was abandoning him. I told him my reasons, but his father had raised him according to his principles, and he was already married and had a family, he wasn’t a child!

-Of course I understand. Sometimes we children are very stubborn.

-Yes, they are! I certainly didn’t want to have more children with my husband and even less with a snob, I tried to raise my son in a more normal way so he would be a great kid who would socialize with everybody but his father wouldn’t let me, soon he was becoming a person I didn’t want him to be, his wife adapted to that life and well she fit in very well she was also another snob, so my son had no problems with her.

-That sounds horrible Grisell, what do you mean she adapted to that life? What life is that?

Well, my ex-husband was a wealthy person and when he died he left everything to my son, who in turn left everything to my granddaughter.

-So, are you rich, Grisell?

-Oh no, no. I’m not rich, my granddaughter is.

-So your granddaughter is also a frivolous person like her ancestors?

-I hope she is not. It would hurt me very much if she were. That’s why I want to ask you if I can invite her to spend a few days here at the ranch.

Jack was drinking tea at the time, and when he heard her, he choked up. If his grandfather and father were snobs, he didn’t want to imagine what this Megan was like. Surely she was a spoiled child who got everything she wanted just by asking for it. The ranch might not suit her at all, after all she was an uptight city girl. She doubted that the smell of cattle and horses would be to her liking. Well, her house wasn’t ugly at all, it was very elegant, her mother had remodeled it and made it beautiful, worthy of being her mother’s house.

-Well Grisell, don’t you think your granddaughter would be uncomfortable with the ranch? She’s a young woman from the city.

-I don’t think so, I doubt my granddaughter is a snob, I refuse to believe such a thing.

-You know what life is like here, it’s not the same as the city, the same luxuries she’s used to living in.

-You don’t worry, I’ll take care of that. I just wanted to ask for your consent for her to spend a few days here and get to know what I do.

-Grisell, haven’t you thought about the fact that she might want you to go to the city with her?

-Yes, I have thought about it. I’m sure she’ll want me back. But her letter said she wanted to be with me wherever I am so I’ll take that as a green light, maybe I’ll convince her and she’ll stay here in Texas.

-If you say so! No problem for me, she can stay as long as she wants.

And with that I had to say goodbye to peace in that house. Bringing in more women didn’t seem like the best idea.

-Thank you, my boy, then I’ll answer your letter and invite her tomorrow.

-Tomorrow? So fast!

-Of course, the sooner I get there the better, I want to see her and she must feel the same way. Otherwise she wouldn’t have come to me.

It seemed he was going to have her home as soon as possible, it was beginning to be a headache. What would she be like? A teenager, or a woman but with the personality of a teenager. Well, there was nothing more he could do about it, Grisell had the right to see her family.

-Well, I hope you get lucky and replace her, Grisell. The dinner was great as always. Whenever you want, prepare one of the unoccupied bedrooms for your granddaughter.

-Thank you Jack, I’ll take care of that. She told him with a bright smile.

He went to his office and locked himself in. Grisell organized the kitchen and went to his room to write the letter to his granddaughter. He only hoped that everything would go very well, so that everyone would win.

Two days later in the city of Atlanta, Melissa picked up the mail and went into the kitchen where Megan was having toast with jam and coffee for breakfast, she had taken that habit of having breakfast in the kitchen while she read the newspaper, her parents had never approved to have breakfast in the kitchen, they always did it in the big dining room.

-You’ve got mail Megan. Melisa said, shaking her fist of letters back and forth.

-Hmm… That’s normal in this house, isn’t it?

-Yes, but there’s one in particular. And it’s from San Antonio Texas.

Megan stopped eating immediately and grabbed the letter, opening it so fast she thought she’d tear it up.

-Oh my God! It’s my grandmother… She still lives on that ranch. She’s still living on that ranch.

-But what does it say?