Rustic Hearts

Sophie

 

I walk into the kitchen to find everyone gathered around the table, eating breakfast. They’re all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Don’t they realize it’s too damn early for this level of awake?

I stumble over to the percolator and pour myself a huge cup of coffee.

“Any chance you have a carton of soy milk in here, Aunt Doe?” I ask as I shuffle to the refrigerator.

“Soy milk? What the hell is soy milk?” Daddy asks as he lowers his morning newspaper.

Who still gets a newspaper delivered?

“It’s a healthier milk option that is derived from the soybean plant,” I calmly point out.

He stares blankly at me as if I just said the stupidest thing he had ever heard. Surely, they’ve heard of soy milk before.

“Emmett, you ever tried to milk a soybean?” He raises an eyebrow as he asks the ridiculous question.

“Can’t say that I have. Never came across one with a teat before,” Emmett replies without looking up from his plate.

I hear a chuckle coming from the doorway and look over to see Braxton leaning against the frame.

“What are you laughing at?” My frustration is transferred from Daddy to him.

He shakes his head and walks fully into the kitchen where he begins to make a plate.

Daddy speaks back up, “You kids and all your food hang-ups. No carbs, all carbs, no fat, all fat, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan—it’s all a load of horseshit. If you eat what the good Lord provides, straight off the land, and then work hard, you don’t have to worry about all that nonsense,” he informs me as he shovels in a mouthful of bacon.

“That’s just not true. Diabetes, heart disease, and gluten-sensitivity are real things, and you have to be proactive in your dietary choices. Especially if you don’t want an ass as big as the broad side of a barn,” I huff.

That gets Braxton’s attention. His eyes shift down to the ridiculous Carhartt coveralls Dallas talked me into buying. Apparently, we are taking Beau four-wheeling at some point, and I need to be dressed for briars and gravel-slinging.

“Maybe if you had more real milk and bacon, you would fill out those new coveralls a little better,” he states with a gleam in his eye.

He is trying to bait me. Great. I thought we had reached a sort of truce last night, but I guess it was just my imagination.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” I snap in return.

“I’m just making an observation.”

“Thanks,” I bite out.

“Look, sweetheart,” Daddy interrupts our little spat, “Pop is seventy-eight years old, and he still works circles around the hired hands on this ranch. Most of who are a quarter of his age. He has been eating bacon from our pigs, eggs from our chickens, and drinking warm milk straight out of our cows’ udders his entire life. All those issues you are talking about are a result of all the soda and the prepackaged, processed, sugar- and salt-laden crap your generation calls food. Now, put a couple of teaspoons of that real milk in your coffee and sit down and eat.”

Without saying another word, I do as he said and sit at the table in a huff. It’s like talking to a brick wall anyway.

After finishing eating, I grab my cell and head outside. The crisp, cold bite of the morning air helps to focus me as I dial the office.

Charlotte picks up on the second ring. “Sophia Doreen Designs. How may I direct your call?”

“Good morning, Charlotte. It’s me.”

“Sophie. I was about to call you. I just got off the phone with Gail. She is working on the new order, and she wants to double what they ordered last month. I talked to Justin in production, and he says it’s absolutely doable. I need your okay, and we will move forward. Also, she’d like to get one more exclusive design. How do you feel about designing a watch?”

“A wristwatch? I’ve never thought about it.”

“Yeah, she said a female watch with a chain band. Something different, elegant. Whatever you can come up with. They’d just like one to offer with the line and the Sophia Doreen name on it before Christmas. Apparently, watches are a hot-ticket item for men to gift their significant others, and she wants one that they can only get at Maple and Park. They’d like to start marketing the hell out of it ASAP.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll start working on some sketches right away.”

“And what do you think about us offering the ink-quill bracelet in precious metals?”

“The copper one?”

“Yes. It’s selling like hotcakes in the online store, and we thought maybe we could offer it in fourteen-karat yellow, white, and rose gold and perhaps a sterling silver along with the copper option?”

“Yeah, I think that piece would look good in any material.”

“Perfect. I’ll e-mail you over the price points to approve once Justin gets me the projected cost figures for each option. He’s making samples as we speak.”

“Oh, he is, is he?”

“I had a hunch you would be okay with it, and I wanted to have them priced out with samples we could photograph and upload to the website as soon as possible. The holiday crunch is almost upon us.”

“I’m sorry I’m not there in the trenches with you.”

“We have it covered. As long as you’re still hammering out designs in between the family drama, we’re all good. Speaking of which, how did the service go yesterday?”

“It was good. Exactly what Gram would have wanted.”

“That’s nice. Now, how was it for you though? You okay?”

“I think so. Making progress at making peace. Baby steps.”

“Oh no, we’ve reverted to speaking in fragmented sentences. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just … Daddy and I are still in this weird place, and Braxton is a pain in the ass most of the time. The women are all great though.”

“Men, ick.”

“Right? And the attorney who is handling Gram’s estate is out of town, so it could be a couple more weeks before I can head home.”

“Don’t worry. We have the office covered. You take care of business there.”

“Mom is going to lose her mind when I tell her.”

“So, you plan to talk to her?”

Busted. I’ve been avoiding Mom’s calls all week and letting them go to voice mail. Each one has been polite, but I can tell she is growing more and more frantic with each passing day.

“Eventually. I just haven’t had it in me to deal with her this week. I’ll call her this afternoon and let her know what’s going on.”

“Good. As much as the woman can drive me insane, I’ve felt kind of sorry for her the past couple of days. She showed up Friday to take me to lunch. Just me. It was awkward as hell.”

“I’m so sorry, Charlotte. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for, you know that?”

“I do, and you can thank me with an extra Christmas present this year.”

“Done.”

“Listen, don’t let those men push you around, you hear me? Remember who you are. You are Sophia fucking Lancaster, and if you start to forget that, you pick up the phone and call me. I’ll remind you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I have to go. I told Justin I would meet him for lunch.”

“Oh, really?”

“Don’t start. Go do cowgirl stuff and make sure you check your e-mail this evening. Love you.”

“Love you more.”