Her Dragon To Slay(54)

She remembered being so scared that first day at a new school but there was no way she was going to let the other kids see her fear. Granny told her to hold her head up, put her shoulders back, and look those new kids right in the eye. Of course they all knew Granny and most thought she was a little batty.

Truth be told she was different but she took Kyndel in, raised her and loved her the best way she knew how. She knew that now. Granny wasn’t as affectionate as her parents had been but Kyndel knew with all certainty that she had loved her granddaughter the best way she could. Granny taught her about plants and herbs and how to help people when they were sick or hurt. Most of the people that lived as far out in the country as Granny did would not go to a city doctor so Granny fixed them up and gave them herbs, teas and ointments to make sure they completely healed. The entire community respected Granny Masterson, as they all called her, for that.

Granny had been front and center when she graduated with honors from high school and then again college. She even wore a dress and did not have that old straw hat on her head. Granny told her how proud of her she was and to never forget where she came from. She could hear it like Granny was right there, “Kyndel girl, I always knew you were destined for big things. Our little country town couldn’t hold you. Spread your wings. I’m proud of you. Love you, girl.”

Granny had told her pretty much the same thing the last time she had talked to her on the phone and even when she saw her not long after. Kyndel went every four months for a long weekend. Granny would not admit it but she was getting old and needed more help than she had before. The silly old woman was still keeping a half acre vegetable garden to help feed the less fortunate and another half acre of flowers and herbs for medicinal purposes and all at ninety-two years old. She would tell the neighbor boys that came to help that they needed to be doing their schoolwork instead of helping her. So Kyndel always made time to go home for a visit and help.

When she got there for what would be her last visit, Granny’s color was off and she seemed to take just a little bit longer to answer. Her elder had even let her cook dinner the second night she was there which never happened. They sat and talked about Kyndel when she was little and even a little about her parents. Granny told her again how proud she was of her and how much she loved her.

The next morning Kyndel got up, surprised to not smell coffee brewing. She figured Granny had gotten distracted or that someone had come for help. She started the pot and went to see where she could be. As Kyndel walked past her room, she saw Granny was still in bed, something completely unheard of if the rooster had already crowed. She went in to wake her and the instant Kyndel saw her, she knew she was gone. Granny had died as she had lived, on her own terms.

She made sure Granny was buried in the family plot at the same little country church with all of the Mastersons. Kyndel had packed up all of Granny’s things she had wanted to keep for herself. Then let the ladies of the community come get whatever they could use for people that needed it. Granny had always said that was how she wanted it handled so that was the way it had been handled. Her granny ran things, even from heaven. Kyndel made sure she had all of Granny’s recipes and formulas packed away in the things being shipped to her home. If she had been told once, she had been told a hundred times, “Kyndel, girl, when I leave this earth you don’t let anyone get their hands on my recipes and formulas. They belong to the Mastersons and that is where they will stay. I will come back and swat your behind if you let them busy bodies get them, girlie.”

Kyndel left that memory and continued to float, thinking about everything and nothing at all. She passed across more memories of good days and bad days. How she had met Grace and how they were still friends all these years later even though Grace could not follow through on anything, ever. First dates, bad dates, parties, awards, she went from one memory to another.

But nothing compared to what she felt when she thought of Rayne. There he was, right in front of her. Piercing violet eyes that saw everything, even things she would rather hide. He had a straight aristocratic nose that crinkled when he was grinning or trying to keep from laughing at her. His soft perfectly shaped lips that could bark orders or give the most amazing pleasure imaginable. He had a square jaw that was always covered with just a hint of stubble that tickled and raised goose bumps when it rubbed her body. He was every woman’s dream lover, every woman’s fantasy and he wanted her. Hell, he believed the Universe had made her for him. He had no problems with her extra pounds and more than ample curves. As a matter of fact, he had threatened her health or at least her ability to sit down comfortably, if she lost any weight.