LLucy’s Revenge(Divine Creek Ranch 15)(125)

“I love my husband very much, Lucy. He’s a wonderful man and a strong leader in this community but he… He’s very set in his ways. Rigid, Patrick would say. Anyone who goes against him feels his wrath…including family.”

“So I’ve gathered,” Lucy said softly. She didn’t want to make this obviously kind woman feel worse.

“I love all my children. I’ve never played favorites. Each of them has a quality that makes them my favorite. But I want you to know that when Patrick refused to toe the line with his father in his firm, and set out to make his own way and be his own boss, I was so very proud of him.” Mrs. Owen’s cheeks pinkened as her words grew stronger.

“Growing up, he cared so much what his father thought of him. Tried endlessly to please him, but I could see, and eventually he must have, too, that he was never going to live up to his father’s expectations. Then Elizabeth made a fool of herself…and him…and his family. I don’t think my husband ever forgave him for that.”

“Forgave him?” Lucy asked incredulously.

Mrs. Owen nodded, as though in solidarity with Lucy. “Yes. Asinine, isn’t it? I never could stand Elizabeth. The day all that bad business happened at Stigall’s, George—Patrick’s father—told him that if he’d been in control of his family, it would never have happened.” She looked up at Lucy with sad blue eyes. “I was there. I saw how much it hurt Patrick to be told that. That…That was the moment that I should’ve stood up to my husband, but I didn’t. I was weak, and dealing with a serious illness at the time. I prayed for someone to come into Patrick’s life who could heal him.”

Lucy wasn’t sure what to say to that. Mrs. Owen seemed to need to talk, so Lucy sat in the other chair and waited. She reached out and took Mrs. Owen’s hands.

“I’ve heard wonderful things about you and I’ve heard terrible things about you, Lucy. George has railed against this relationship Patrick has with you and Beck until I don’t know what to think. I raised my son to be a kind, compassionate man, to the best of my ability and in spite of his father. Lucy, I promise, he is not a horrible man or abusive, he’s just so…so…damned stubborn and pigheaded.”

A smile crossed Mrs. Owen’s face and she glanced at Lucy. She had the feeling Mrs. Owen didn’t cuss very often. “George’s father was the same way and it pained me that he followed in his footsteps. I believe that cycle has been broken with Patrick. I’m hoping that you can confirm that.”

Lucy tilted her head. “Why is it that PJ doesn’t see you more often?”

“Before all the trouble, I saw him weekly. Elizabeth would leave him with me for an entire day if I asked her to. We would have a grand time,” she said with a smile, memories shining in her eyes. “Lord, but that boy was a handful even before he could crawl. I became ill right about the time all that trouble happened, with a female complaint, and was hospitalized numerous times. There was little I could do or say about the matter.”

“Are you all right now?”

Mrs. Owen looked up at her and smiled, then looked down at Lucy’s hands holding her own. Her smile grew. “It took a while. I had complications from surgery. George was extremely aggravated over the whole embarrassing situation and basically cut ties with Patrick for a time. I needed more surgery and before we knew it months had gone by. Patrick seemed to be doing fine, so I left well enough alone and contented myself with phone calls and cards.”

“That must’ve been very hard for you.” Lucy wanted to say more but Mrs. Owen continued on, seeming to need to get it all out. Her hands felt fragile in Lucy’s.

“I was happy to hear that Patrick had a friend in Beck, and then I heard rumors that he might be dating a local woman. I thought perhaps he’d remarry. An old woman hopes, you know. I thought that eventually I’d have my family back the way it used to be…if I was just patient. Then that woman called the house.”

“Who?” Lucy had one guess.

“The secretary of our church. We joined there only in the last year or so. The pastor is a delight, but the secretary…not so much. Anyway, she felt it was her duty to inform George about the terrible mistake Patrick was making. The picture she painted was shocking.”

“May I interrupt?”

“Certainly.”

“The stories she’s spreading all over town are all lies.”

“So, you’ve never been to jail for lewd conduct?”

“What? No!” Lucy tried to keep her voice down.