One Stubborn Texan

Epilogue

They waited until April for the wedding. It took that long to handle all the paperwork associated with Russ’s inheritance, to set up the trusts and for Sydney to pay off all her father’s debts.

Lowell appeared to be doing a lot better. He’d joined a grief-management group and had started working again. Sydney had patiently showed him how to keep the books-something he’d never bothered with when Shirley was around to handle it.

“I’ll get the hang of it,” he’d said as he struggled with learning the accounting computer program. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, Sydney, but you have your own life to lead.”

“I’ll always be just a phone call away,” she said, and she’d said it again and again as she’d made all the arrangements to move her things down to Texas.

But finally it was all done. Sydney had taken out a Yellow Pages ad, and Russ had helped her set up a spare bedroom in his house as her home office.

By April 1st, she was officially a Texan and about to officially become a married woman. She’d never had a single qualm about marrying Russ. The fact he was stubborn about some things-like his absolute refusal to be interviewed by any reporter-only made him more appealing.

They’d intentionally kept the wedding low-key. Although the press had lost interest in Russ soon after reporting that he was giving his money away, Sydney didn’t want to take any chances. So they had the wedding at Russ’s home and invited only family and a few close friends. Sydney had worn her mother’s 1970s wedding dress, which was simple and classic and had made Lowell cry, but in a good way. The ceremony was short and sweet, and afterward, in true Texas style, they had a barbecue.

Sydney, literally wearing a trash bag over her dress, sat at a picnic table making a dent in a plate of ribs. Russ was in the backyard playing with a couple of kids-Bert’s great-grandkids-and Blossom. He’d already changed out of his dress clothes, which didn’t surprise her. He might look great in a well-tailored suit, but he was far more comfortable in his jeans.

“He’s gonna be great when y’all have kids of your own,” Lowell said. He was sitting beside Sydney at the picnic table, chowing down on a chicken leg. “And this’ll be a great place to raise ’em. Man, it’s beautiful here. I haven’t been back in so long, I’d forgotten how beautiful spring in Texas could be.”

Sometimes Sydney forgot her dad had been raised here. “Who would have ever guessed that I’d be moving to a small town in Texas?”

“Well, it’s in your blood, I guess. You have a lot of your mother in you, but you have a lot of me, too.”

Sydney considered that a high compliment. “Thanks, Dad.”

“What would you think about having me as a neighbor?”

“What?” Had she heard right?

“There’s a nice little lake house just down the road that’s for sale. It needs work, but that’s okay.”

“What about Baines & Baines?”

He sighed. “Fact is, the work’s no fun without your mother. Thanks to you, I’m fixed to retire early and I’m thinking that’s what I’d like to do. Get away from those cold New York winters. Do some fishing-I used to win prizes in bass tournaments. I bet you didn’t know that.”

No, she didn’t. “Oh, Dad, I’d love to have you down here. Aunt Carol would love it, too. And if you get bored you could do some work for me.”

“I’ll do it, then.”

Russ joined them at the picnic table. He had a grass stain on his shoulder and a piece of grass in his hair, which Sydney lovingly removed. Her handsome husband. She had to pinch herself hourly, because she was so happy it almost had to be a dream. And now her father would be close by.

Her whole family. Russ didn’t yet know, but there would be another family member come next November. She smiled a secret smile, anticipating the look on his face when she told him. They’d been reasonably careful about birth control…though there was that one time. That was all it took, apparently. Her future son or daughter was just as stubborn and determined as his or her father.

And that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.