I made a noncommittal noise as I glanced in the rearview mirror at the horse and rider. Joe was bent over, the flap of his hat blowing somehow backward with the horse’s forward progression. How their movements were separate from the current-day movement of air around them baffled me. They didn’t stir up present-day dust, and the present-day dust and wind around them had no effect on their state of being. Two separate worlds, but taking up the same space.
As I looked back toward the driveway in front of us, something caused me to do a double take in the mirror. What had I seen on Joe’s face? For a fast and brief instant, it was as if something happened, transformed slightly, maybe, but my mind hadn’t picked up on it quickly enough to understand exactly what I’d seen. Had his face become less grimy for just a split second? Possibly. But why would it do that?
“What?” Gram asked as she twisted and looked out the back windshield.
“I’m not sure. I think I saw . . . I’m not sure what I saw.”
“I don’t see anything unusual. Well, unexpected,” she said before she turned around again.
I shook it off and turned my attention fully toward the front of Opie’s family’s mansion. The white, stately manor was wide and intimidating. Four thick columns punctuated the front, and the windows were perfectly placed and reminded me of a friendly jack-o’-lantern. The wide double front doors, each with a large brass knocker, gave the whole place more of an Oz castle aura than a country home feel.
Opie had never moved out of her parents’ house. She hadn’t ever behaved as if she’d even considered the idea. Her parents traveled frequently, so she often had the whole place to herself. And it was a big place; ten thousand square feet of living space with a huge pool and some horse acreage extending from the back.
During the moments I wasn’t irritated by her, I had to give her at least a little credit. She was as unfriendly as she could be to me, but she’d never flaunted her family’s fortune. Well, at least not in a snobbish way. I’d seen her pull out her checkbook and throw lots of money at Broken Rope issues with no request for anonymity, but she’d never done it to prove herself better than anyone; she’d just known what needed to be done, and she knew she had the funds to take care of the problem. She’d never asked for any sort of thank-you in return.
I also had to give Teddy a little credit. He hadn’t fallen for Opie’s money—I knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t lying to me when he said he couldn’t have cared if she was poor. Teddy wasn’t all that into money himself. He lived simply, making more than enough money to pay his bills and still have the type of fun he liked to have.
I hadn’t brought it up with him, but I suspected that his less-than-über-ambitious nature might have been at least part of the reason Opie had thought to end the relationship. Despite her humble behavior when it came to income, I couldn’t see her living in his cabin, and he’d never consider living in her family’s house.
“I’ll be nice. Or as nice as she allows me to be,” I said after I parked in the driveway and we got out of the car.
“No, you have to be nicer than that. Just ignore her if she tries to get you riled, Betts. We just need to deliver this letter.”
“I wish we’d let Jake do this one, too.”
“No, I want to do this one. We’re getting close to the end with Joe—whatever that might be. I feel I owe it to him. I wished I’d been the one to talk to Jim. Afterward, it bothered me, and I’m not going to make that mistake again.”
I was surprised to hear that she was regretful, but I said, “I understand.”
“Ready?” Gram said as she looked at me.
“Yes.”