True Love
(Book 2) – Chapter 53

-How do you do, Miss Blake? Welcome to my house, you can stay as long as you like.

-Thank you very much Jack. But please call me Megan. This is my friend Melisa.

-Nice to meet you, Melisa. -Megan.

-Thank you, Mr Jack.

-Then why don’t we go inside and cool off with a cold lemonade. -You’re thirsty. Come on Rodrigo, you must be thirsty. Grisell invited them.

The women continued inside the house while Rodrigo and Jack unloaded the suitcases.

-Just these two? He asked astonished, he was expecting an arsenal of suitcases.

-Surprised, isn’t he, that a spoiled city girl? Laughing out loud.

-You’re an idiot! How the hell was I supposed to know she’d be a grown woman, Grisell always talked about her like she was a child.

-It’s because she’s his grandmother! What did you think?

I thought everything except that she was very beautiful, that she was just a young city girl and not that girl with the most beautiful brown eyes and such a sweet and innocent look. He was beginning to feel worried about the idea of her staying too long at the ranch, it could distract the employees from their work, he even thought it could distract him, and that didn’t seem good to him.

-It’s better that we go in at once. He said to Rodrigo.

-Sure, I’m interested in knowing more about Miss Me….

-Wait a minute! I don’t want you hanging around like a crow, are we?

-If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous. He stopped halfway across the road with his arms crossed.

-Jealous? The sun is scorching your brain. I don’t want any trouble with Grisell, besides she’ll be leaving soon so don’t get your hopes up or get distracted.

This last one should have applied to himself…

-Very well, but I doubt that I have problems with Grisell because I was referring to Melisa, not Megan. He said, narrowing his eyes.

-The warning is for both women. Hell, he had reacted like an idiot thinking that his foreman might like Megan, although any man could like that porcelain-skinned woman. – You better spread the word, I don’t want men parading around my house.

-Understood, boss.

Once inside, the women were sitting in the kitchen drinking lemonade with chocolate chip biscuits that Grisell had prepared that morning, while they laughed and chatted animatedly.

-I’ll take your bags upstairs. Grisell, I don’t know which room you have prepared for them.

-Oh yes, the one at the back is Megan’s upstairs, and as I didn’t know that Melissa would be accompanying my granddaughter later, I’ll prepare a room for her. Put them in Megan’s room for now.

The room at the back? But that was next to her own room. He swallowed hard, he would have this woman just a few feet away from him, and he couldn’t do anything about it, if he made any comment the guests might feel offended or uncomfortable. While Rodrigo had installed himself next to Melisa, ignoring her warnings, he poured himself a lemonade and made conversation with the women.

-So grandma, tell me what you’re doing here in South Texas. I’ve been looking for you for months in Atlanta but I haven’t had any luck and I can see why!

-When I left home I worked in many restaurants in the city, but I knew I could run into your grandfather at any time, so I decided to come all the way down here. In San Antonio I worked in a café and I met Jack’s father and he liked the way I made breakfast so he gave me a job in his house and I stayed.

-What a life, Grandma. -Have you had a hard time?

-No, my child, not at all. My life has been very good. I missed your father and you especially, but I couldn’t stand your grandfather and that life he said was the best.

-I understand you grandmother, it took me so long to find you, I had asked my father to look for you but he refused. When he died I decided to do it and here we are.

-I’m so glad you did it, my child. Forgive me for never contacting you, but if I did I was afraid that your grandfather would find me.

-Don’t worry, grandma, we’re together now and no one will separate us.

It was clear that he was planning to take Grisell to Atlanta, and since she was an older woman, she would surely agree to go with her only relative, Jack thought at the foot of the stairs. He cleared his throat and entered the kitchen.

-Oh Jack! Come and sit with us so you can learn more about my granddaughter.

-I don’t want to seem rude ladies, but Rodrigo and I have work to do in the field. Besides you guys might want to catch up, we’re just in the way here.

-No problem Jack. Megan said with a half smile.

-Well, thanks for the Grisell biscuits. See you later ladies, Melissa. She touched the brim of her hat and they left.

They left together for the stables, he hadn’t lied about the job they had to brand some cows and check on the cow that had been hurt a few days ago. It wasn’t because he was intimidated by Megan, of course not.

-Stop flirting with that girl Rodrigo. Warns his boss.

-So what’s going on? It’s my business, boss. Maybe we like each other a lot.

-She’s a city woman, she has no place here and you know it, she wouldn’t fit in.

-That’s what you say, but I think they’re simple women who can adapt.

-Adapt? You think that’s going to happen. What they’ll do is convince Grisell to go back home to the city.

-I doubt it! -I doubt it! Grisell loves it here, he won’t leave, besides those city girls seem to be fascinated by this countryside, they even asked me to teach them how to ride.

-You what? He stopped in his tracks with a frown on his face.

-Well, I offered to help them, there’s nothing wrong with that. He shrugged and kept walking.

He couldn’t believe that woman wanted to ride a horse, let alone liked the countryside. No matter how simple she dressed and appeared to be, he was sure she wouldn’t last a week at the ranch, when the heat, the dust, the insects and the smell of cattle and horses overwhelmed her, she would run away to her mansion surrounded by her dozen servants.

She had to forget the matter of the visit and devote herself to the important matter of her ranch. He had promised his father that he would take care of him, for on that ranch, his mother and father had spent their best years of marriage, and he himself had grown up on that ranch. At some point he would have to settle down and follow Grisell’s advice, the ranch could not be left without an heir and he could not be alone for the rest of his life, he would have to marry and raise a family as his parents had done. But at the moment that idea didn’t seem very good to him.

-Grandmother, this house is beautiful! I didn’t expect anything like this.

-Yes, it is, but when I came here the lady was gone. Jack told me that his mother had remodeled it to her liking, he said that in spite of living far away from everyone, it wasn’t a reason not to have a luxurious house.

-I see, it’s very beautiful, and it’s cool in here. Outside the heat is unbearable.

-You soon get used to the heat, my child.

-And the master?

-Jack’s father died three years ago, he was a very good man. That’s why I told you Jack was the master of everything, he’s an only child.

-Oh too bad for him! My investigator didn’t mention he had a son. Are you sure we didn’t make Jack uncomfortable?

-Not at all, Jack is a very nice boy, he has no problem, I told you that when he welcomed you.

-But isn’t he married? Or maybe a girlfriend who doesn’t like two more women staying in his house.

-Married? Grisell laughed out loud. -That boy doesn’t want to be tied down, but I’m going to give him a little push to change his mind.

-Grandmother, you shouldn’t interfere in that, he’ll decide who he’ll marry or not!

Her granddaughter reprimanded her… it was like a family thing to meddle in other people’s love affairs.