Once the door closed behind Wanda, Ricky gestured at one of the comfortable-looking chairs that she’d admired but hadn’t dared sit in.
“Now that we know you’re my granddaughter,” Ricky said, “we have a lot to talk about.”
“I’m not after your money,” Rachel said. “I have a good job, and even though my medical expenses are high, I can pay for them. But like I said earlier, if you do find the grandchild you were looking for, I would appreciate being put in touch.”
She could feel herself shaking as she spoke, which was ridiculous, considering she had nothing to fear. She’d told Ricky the truth, it had been confirmed and she was continuing to prove her integrity in the situation.
Ricky nodded. “I understand that. It’s good to know that you’re not a gold digger. But I was hoping, praying, actually, that you might give an old man the chance to be a grandfather. I made a lot of mistakes with Cinco, and it pains me to know I didn’t get to see you or his other child grow up. I’d like to be part of your life. Part of Katie’s life. While I can’t change what happened with your mother, I’d sure like the chance to make it up right now.”
Hadn’t she wished for this very thing? A relationship with her grandfather? Family? It was like everything she’d ever wanted in life was dangled in front of her, except for the one thing she needed most.
“What’s the catch?” she asked. All of this was too good to be true. No, he hadn’t offered her anything or made her any promises, but even the fact that she’d found him and he wanted her was too much to think that this was all there was to it.
Ridiculous, considering she’d hoped he’d lead her to someone who could give her a kidney. How wild to think that she’d be okay with getting a kidney from a stranger, but not a stranger wanting to know her.
But that was the messed-up way her life worked.
And why, even though she’d like to think there was a God out there who loved her the way she and Katie had sung about the whole way here, she wasn’t quite sure she could handle someone loving her like that without strings being attached.
“No catch,” Ricky said. “I know you have your life to live. But I’d like you to spend some time here at the ranch, getting to know me, letting me get to know you and Katie. I’ve also been doing some research about kidney transplants, and while I can’t guarantee that we’ll find Cinco’s other child, or that the child would be a match, I’d like to talk to the people in my community and see if any of them would be willing to get tested.”
He’d researched kidney transplants? On one hand, it was sweet, but on the other hand, it felt a lot like the kind of control Chris had tried to exert over her. Researching things on her behalf and making decisions without consulting her.
“I saw a program on the news,” Ricky continued. “This man put a sign on his truck saying he needed a kidney, and calls from all over the country came in from people willing to donate. We could do something like that for you.”
She’d seen the same news program, and had briefly considered it. But things like that didn’t happen for Rachel. Strangers didn’t just appear out of nowhere, offering to give her a kidney.
“There’s no guarantee it would work,” Rachel said. “But it’s nice of you to think so.”
Ricky shook his head. “That is not the attitude that’s going to get you a kidney. We have to think positive. No one ever got anything good out of life by thinking negative. If my kidneys weren’t so old, I would give you one myself.”
He turned and looked over at Ty. “You’d get tested for her, wouldn’t you?”
The uncomfortable expression on Ty’s face told her he would do nothing of the sort. He looked like he’d rather be drawn and quartered. Which was how a lot of people reacted. So many people didn’t understand how kidney transplants worked. It was widely believed you had to die to be able to give away a kidney, but a perfectly healthy person could donate one and still lead a normal life with only one kidney.
“I’m not sure I’d want to get all cut up and go through major surgery like that,” Ty said. “No offense, but what if I end up needing that extra kidney?”
That was exactly why most people weren’t willing to donate a kidney.
“You’ve got two of them,” Ricky said. “My granddaughter will die without a new kidney, so the least you could do is give her one if she needs it.”
Ty looked like he was going to be sick. Although Rachel knew that any donor would go through a psychological evaluation to make sure he or she wasn’t being pressured into a donation, she also didn’t want someone like Ty to feel like they had to be tested.
“It’s okay,” Rachel said. “I’ll figure something out. You don’t need to make poor Ty do anything he doesn’t want to do. Besides, he may not be a match.”
Ricky snorted. “There is nothing poor about him. And if he wants to weasel out of it, that’s fine. I already talked to the woman at the hospital in charge of transplants. She wouldn’t tell me anything about what was wrong with you, because of privacy concerns, but I did convince her to come out to the ranch for a barbecue so she can talk to all the good people of this town and my guests about the benefits of kidney donation.”
He did what?
Rachel stared at him. He might be her grandfather, but he’d just barely found out, and here he was
