Texas Dad (Fatherhood) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Neiman.”
    “Didn’t you love J.J.’s earrings, Brandy? She probably shops in fancy stores in New York.”
    “She’s an old friend of your dad’s, Zoey. You should ask her to take you shopping before she leaves.”
    “I don’t know if they’re friends.” Zoey worried her lip. “My dad didn’t sound friendly when he saw her sitting with us.”
    “He acted weird. She kinda did, too. Like my mom and dad after they argue, before they make up.” Brandy nudged Zoey.
    “I guess I didn’t notice ’cause he was mad at me, too. My dad finished college before I was born. That’s a long time to stay angry at somebody, Brandy.”
    “Do you think the magazine sent someone who used to know your dad on purpose? You did ask them to send a possible mom.”
    “Yeah...the reader who delivers his check and goes on a date with him, not the person who writes the article for the magazine.”
    “I’m just saying, J.J. had cool jewelry, but no wedding ring,” Brandy pointed out.
    Zoey’s mouth turned down. “Except J.J.’s only gonna be here a day or so.”
    “But if Erma’s hip is broken, maybe J.J. would stay longer. J.J. said she likes Erma. Plus, she didn’t give us away to your dad.”
    “Lucky for me.”
    “Zoey!” Brandy shook her head. “Think, okay? Hang around her until she leaves, and ask her advice about taking pictures. Maybe she’ll take you to get your ears pierced. She wouldn’t have to stay long to do that.”
    Zoey’s frown turned into a smile. “What would be perfect is if I could convince her to stay long enough for my dad to start liking her.”
    “You mean, like...fall in love with her?”
    Zoey nodded. “But how?”
    “Well...I’ll do a Google search on love and see if any ideas come up.”
    “Would you? My dad has our internet blocked. I can’t exactly tell him why I want to look up love. ” She wrinkled her nose.
    “I’ll call and tell you what I find out, okay?”
    The girls high-fived and bumped elbows in their special signing-off code. Giggling, they changed the subject, talking instead about the party Brandy hoped her parents would let her have for her upcoming thirteenth birthday.
    * * *
    A S M ACK STOOD by the window, he saw the girls chattering a mile a minute, and he was glad the Everses were such nice people. He counted himself lucky that Brandy and Zoey had gotten along like sisters from the day they met in third grade. Dan Evers sold tractors in town. His wife, Amanda, loved gardening. They’d moved to La Mesa and bought the old Thompson ranch so she could set up greenhouses. Several days a week she sold flowers and seasonal vegetables to local residents. Although Erma used to tend a large garden at Turkey Creek Ranch when Mack was a kid, she bought fresh produce from Amanda now. He knew she was slowing down.
    He heard louder voices and turned in time to see a technician pushing Erma, in a wheelchair, into the waiting room. Mack tossed his empty coffee cup in a nearby wastebasket and rushed up to her. “How do you feel? What’s the verdict?”
    A harried-looking doctor showed up before Erma could answer. He handed her a prescription. “The pills are for pain,” he said. Turning to Mack, he added, “She needs the pills for when the shot I administered wears off. I explained to Erma that her hip is badly swollen and bruised. I don’t see a fracture, but I’m sending the films to a radiologist in Lubbock. I should have an answer in two or three days. This is no simple injury, and there could be a chipped bone. Of necessity, due mostly to Erma’s age, I don’t want her bearing weight on that leg for four to six weeks. This is a loaner wheelchair. You’ll need to rent or purchase one and bring ours back as soon as possible.”
    “Mackenzie, I am so sorry,” Erma said even as she adjusted a blue ice pack she held to her right hip and thigh. “I told Benny last week about that loose step. In my rush to gather eggs this morning, I plumb forgot about it and caught