I'm Done Being the Family Joke novel · Chapter 17 of 24

Chapter 17: Confused

Della's POV

Daisy's video of Cal at the register had two hundred thousand views by Tuesday.

The caption said: When your sister's boyfriend sells his truck to cover her mess. Pray for my family.

She had cut it so his apology sounded like a man begging.

The comments had split in half, and the half on our side had never been there before.

I had watched it twice on my phone in the truck on Monday night, parked at the ranch gate, and then I had walked up and found Cal at the paddock fence.

"I told you to wait," I said.

"I know."

"You sold your truck."

"I sold the black's rights, too."

"You sold your horse."

"I sold five years of him. Not him." He looked at his boots. "You can be angry. I'd rather you were angry with me than owing Russ."

I was angry for about a minute.

Then I put my forehead against his chest, and he held onto me, and we stood like that with the colt watching over the rail.

On Tuesday morning the old rancher's pickup came up the drive.

Peg sat in the passenger seat in her good wool coat with two suitcases and the cedar box in her lap.

I ran down to meet her.

"Gran, what happened?"

"Your father brought the doctor," she said. "Yesterday, after breakfast. He didn't ask me. He and your mother simply came into my kitchen with him."

The old rancher got out and carried her bags without a word.

Peg stood in the yard and looked at Cal's house.

"It's a fine house," she said. "I'll want the room with the window on the east."

"Peg," said Cal. "What did he do?"

She told it in the kitchen over coffee, with Mr. Ockenden at the end of the table listening with his whole face.

The family doctor, who had delivered Daisy, had asked her to draw a clock and count backward from a hundred by sevens.

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