“Ricky gets what he wants,” Ty said, but there was laughter in his voice, and once again Rachel could tell the genuine affection that Ty had for the older man.
She also noticed that Ty’s answer was about Ricky, not him. “And what do you want?” she asked.
There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Ty said, “I’d like you to come. We didn’t get much of a chance to talk when you were here.”
She wasn’t sure she liked that answer or not. But she also didn’t fully know what it meant.
“We do need to talk about a lot of things,” she said. “But most important, before I agree to come, we need to set some boundaries. I know you have Ricky’s best interest at heart, and you mean well, but you can’t do things like contact my boss or arrange for a community meeting about kidney donation without discussing it with me first. I don’t like that you went behind my back, and if my being part of Ricky’s life is going to work, then you need to stop that right now. From here on out, if it’s about me or Katie, or affects either one of us, you talk to me first. Got it?”
“We were just trying to help,” Ty said. “You’ve got to understand—”
“You have to understand that you can’t go behind my back. If Ricky wants me to stay in his life, then there will be no more of this. If you can’t agree to that, I’m sorry, but it’s all over.”
Ty sighed. “Why aren’t you having this conversation with Ricky?”
She would, but she also knew who was likely the driving force behind it all. “You’re the one doing his bidding. More important, he listens to you. I’m going to tell him exactly what I told you, but I want you both on the same page so that if you do it again you can’t point fingers at each other. Am I clear?”
“Crystal,” he said. “But surely you can understand someone wanting to help.”
That seemed to be the message she’d been given all day. “I do understand, but in the future, if you’re trying to help, clue me in first.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, then he replied, “Okay. I see where you’re coming from. This is new for all of us, and there’s bound to be some bumps along the way. I’m sorry I overstepped. But don’t be too hard on Ricky. He’s spent the better part of thirty years feeling guilty for not being supportive of Cinco. He might be going about it the wrong way, but Ricky just wants to do better, and be supportive of you.”
His words made her feel slightly bad for being so upset. It hadn’t occurred to her that this was Ricky’s way of making up for lost time. But Ricky also had to realize that overstepping in this way would only serve to drive people away, not bring them closer. Maybe they all had a lot to learn about what healthy relationships looked like.
“I get it,” she said. “But now that we had this conversation, I hope you get it, too.”
“I do.”
She was surprised by the sincerity in his voice. Not that she’d thought he was feeding her a line before, but it was almost like, as he spoke the words, he was making a solemn oath. Something about it was surprisingly comforting, and whatever misgivings she’d had about him earlier, she felt a deeper trust for him now.
But that still left one more important issue. The one she’d been thinking about on her way to work.
“I also wanted to talk to you about what you said to Katie,” she said. “Yesterday, in church.”
The silence on the other end made her think he probably didn’t remember. Maybe it was insignificant to him, but it wasn’t to her. “About not having a dad?” she prompted.
“What about it?” he asked. “I know it’s natural for a child without a father to look to the men in their lives to be a father figure. But I think we’ll both agree that it’s a terrible idea for a couple to get together simply to give the child a father. I didn’t want to encourage her with any matchmaking ideas.”
That was what he thought she was upset about? Obviously, he hadn’t learned a whole lot from his friendship with Janie.
“I agree with that part,” she said. “But you had no right promising her to always be there for her. You don’t know that’s true. You can’t make that kind of promise to a child. Especially my child.”
“I stand by what I said,” he responded. “No matter what happens, I will always be there for Katie. Twenty years from now, if she calls me out of the blue, I will drop everything to help her.”
The passion in his voice surprised her. It was strange to think that he would have this level of commitment to a child who wasn’t even his.
“Why?”
Once again the air between them was filled with silence. She supposed it was a good sign that he thought through what he said, but it was also frustrating.
“I know how hard it is for Janie and Sam. Janie’s biggest worry is what will happen to Sam if something happens to her. Yes, she has her family, but she doesn’t want to be a burden on them. Katie doesn’t have the same support as Sam, so it only seems right that if I can be there for her, I will. We have a summer camp for foster children at the ranch once a year, and I’ve always promised myself that if any of them ever came to us needing something, I’d do what I could to help.”
The sincerity in his voice made her wonder if she’d underestimated him. “I didn’t know about the camp for foster kids.”
Growing up, she’d gone to several camps for foster children, and had enjoyed them. But she hadn’t thought
