Montana Skies

Chapter 19. Dish It

            "I don't have anything picked out dear, but surely I can help you," Bonnie said. She started to get off of her rocking chair.

I grabbed her arm to stop her and smiled warmly at her. "It's okay. I don't mind doing it. I'll just run to the store and buy some stuff. You stay here and rest. I'll leave Lyle here if you don't mind? River is still outside working."

"Oh, okay. I don't mind. Thanks, honey," Bonnie said and smiled. Bonnie laid back in her chair. Her eyes fell back to the soap opera on TV.

I went upstairs to Lyle's bedroom.

Lyle stared blankly out the window.

"Hi, baby," I said.

Lyle sighed and turned to look at me. "Mommy, I don't understand. It's not fair. I love Grandma."

My chin quivered, and my heart cracked. I stepped further into the room. "God, baby, I know you do. I love her too. Your grandma Bonnie was always so good to me. I've known her all of my life. I used to come over, and she would show me how to cook and paint. Bonnie taught me a lot about horses too. Anything that I didn't learn from Helen, I learned from Bonnie. They're both wonderful and strong women. Life is not always fair. No matter how hard we pray. We can't always fix certain things," I explained.

"We can't fix Grandma?" Lyle asked sadly. "But you're a doctor, Mommy. You make me feel better all the time."

"I'm not a doctor. I'm just a nurse, and even doctors can't always make an illness better. You still have time with your grandma. So, I strongly suggest you make the best of the time that she has left. She's downstairs watching TV, just go down and talk to her. Don't sit in here and let it make you sad. Try not to think about it. Go be with her and spend as much time with her as you can. Learn from her and about her," I said.

Lyle became thoughtful for a moment. "Okay," he agreed.

"I'm going to run to the store for some groceries to make dinner, okay?" I arched a brow.

"Okay," Lyle said and smiled. Lyle closed the distance between us.

I squatted down, and he threw his little arms around me. I held him close, squeezed him tightly, and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Lyle," I murmured.

"Love you, Mommy." Lyle pulled away from me and left the bedroom.

I rose to my feet and turned around.

River stood in the doorway. His lips mashed in a straight line. His eyebrows knitted down, and tears stained his cheeks.

Before I could take another step forward, River closed the distance between us. He grabbed my face in his hands and pressed his lips fervently to mine. My arms wound around his neck, and I leaned further into him. My heart thumped unsteadily.

River wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. There was so much more power in the kiss than ever before because of the emotional ride we had been on. When we broke apart, we were both breathless.

River's forehead rested against mine. "I think I needed to hear all of that as bad as he did," River whispered.

My lips parted slightly in surprise at what he said. "You heard all of that?" I asked.

"Every day I spend with you, I regret a little more of our past. There is so much I could have done differently, and you might have never left. I lost so much time with Lyle and you." River shook his head. He gritted his teeth. "You were never the type to take things for granted as I did. If I make it through all of this, you and Lyle will be the reason." River dropped his arms from my waist and stepped back.