Page 64 of Cherry Tree Ranch

Chapter Twenty-Six

“I know you and Emery were up all night,” Mom says. “The two of you slept out in the yard in your sleeping bags. Emery tried to cover for you before she left, but neither of you have ever been any good at lying.”

I look at Mom blankly, my lungs tightening in my chest. Mom told me to rest, to not fret over not winning or obsess over Cash, but she knows me too well. There’s no fooling her. Of course I was up all night with Emery revisiting everything that happened.

“I saw Emery’s truck go down the road an hour ago.” She smiles sympathetically, knowing the truck is still a sore spot. “Honestly, I don’t care. I’m thrilled the two of you are getting along and spending time together.”

I push the cherry pie towards her.

“We made it this morning.”

“Together?”

“Together.”

She gives me a long look, the kind where she wants to say more, but can’t decide if she will.

“Mom, stop staring at me like that.”

“OK, sorry. I’m just so happy.”

“I’m happy too. After talking with Emery, I realized I’m doing really well without a guy in my life. So, I’m making a Plan B for the cherries. I’m going to put my nose to the grindstone and try again.”

“Wonderful. And to what do I owe this beautiful pie?” she asks.

“A lady at the market told me I had to make a pie with my cherries. She bought some last week and said they made the best pie she’s ever had – that’s all.”

“That’s quite a compliment,” Mom says. “How about we have a piece for breakfast?”

“Á la mode?” I say, quirking a brow.

“Of course.” She scoops coffee grounds into the coffee maker. “How else would we eat pie?”

As the coffee percolates, I cut large slices of pie, placing them on Grandma’s antique glass plates. Mom piles generous scoops of vanilla ice cream on top and I drizzle a little honey on mine. She shakes her head at me.

“Hey, go big or go home,” I say.

We make our way out to the porch, a tradition I’ve come to love and hope we never have to stop. Saving this place from debt means more to me every day.

“I haven’t heard you talk about the desk lately.”

“I’ve had a few things going, you know…” She laughs. “But, Mom, hold on to your hat.” I tell her about everything new I found, like the pearl necklaces. “I’m starting to puzzle some things together. There are some really sad and scary things I’ve discovered too.”

“I had a feeling there would be.” She looks out from the porch for a moment. “Did Grandpa ever tell you about the crimson cliffs?” she asks.

“No, but Cash did. His family knew about them.”

“Really? Huh. They can be seen from across the valley, so you can imagine the stories that came about after that happened. The legend goes those cliffs right there used to be the colour of sand. After Daisy and her horse fell, they turned red overnight.”

“Do you believe it?” I ask.

She tips her head back, contemplating. “I’d like to believe it. I believe there’s a lot of unknowns in this world. I’m not going to go around questioning the universe.”

“Mom?”

“Yes, love?”

“Why didn’t anyone ever tell me or Emery about all of this?”