Come Home To Me (Wild Creek Ranch Book 1)

Chapter Seventeen - Andrew's Torture

"I'm responsible for mom's condition, granny. She worried about me so much that she suffered a heart attack. Andrew feels if I obeyed her, she wouldn't have been in the hospital. I've been a terrible daughter, granny," sobbed Adelaide. Andrew's words had affected her deeply and she just couldn't get over what he had said to her.

"Not at all, dear. You have done nothing wrong for Andrew to hold you responsible for your mom's illness. You're an adult and you can live wherever you wish to. There was nothing to be stressed about when you were just living with your granny. I'll talk to Andrew. He can't accuse anyone else because that's wrong. How would he like it if I held him responsible since he hadn't been able to take care of his own mom being a doctor himself?" Adelaide looked at her granny with a puzzled expression.

"I've been a worthless daughter."

"How? What have you done? Karen wasn't completely fair to her expectations of you. If anyone's responsible for her state, she herself is," said her granny. Sandy came inside the room and overheard everything with a grim face, much to Adelaide's discomfort.

"Don't worry Adelaide. I'll talk to him," she said with a sigh, but Granny shook her head.

"No, dear, don't tell him anything. It'll jeopardize your relationship with him. I'll talk to him. As it is, he dislikes me, so what more can happen? He'd kick me out of here and I'll return to Montana, where I belong. Being a country woman, city life isn't for me, dear. I feel claustrophobic in an apartment. Once Karen's stable, I'll return."

"I don't think Andrew will want you to return. He would want you both to take care of Mom while we're at work," said Sandy.

"If she's critical, appoint a nurse for her at home," said Adelaide, panicking at the thought of forever being bound to New York with Andrew and his insults.

"I told him that, but he didn't listen. He told me he didn't have money to waste on a nurse when you're one, Adelaide."

Granny scoffed at her answer while Adelaide gaped at her. She hadn't expected her brother to stoop so low. "He's such an established doctor, and so was Henry, my son. I can't believe that he doesn't have money when he has access to Henry and Karen's bank accounts. Now who's being the wicked son?" Sandy grimaced as she didn't interfere in Andrew's affairs much. She went away when the children needed her attention. Granny understood Andrew wanted to appropriate all the money that his dad might have left behind. His death was so sudden that maybe he had made no will and Andrew was taking advantage of Adelaide's innocence.

Granny made some dinner with Adelaide's help since Sandy had an emergency at the hospital and had to leave. Ideally, she left the children with a nanny, but Andrew got rid of the last one after she had stolen from the house in their absence. Granny and Adelaide offered to look after the children while she was away. The children were very sweet and afterward Adelaide fed them dinner and put them to bed. Sandy came home with a sulking Andrew and Adelaide served them dinner. He was tired and Granny decided to talk to him later.

After a silent dinner, Sandy thanked them and cleaned up while Adelaide helped her. Adelaide noted the stress lines on her face and realized that she didn't look like a happily married woman. Sandy told her how expensive it was to get a nanny in New York. She had kept the last one out of her own pay, as Andrew was against it right from the start.

"They're too young to stay in daycare the whole day," said Sandy with a sigh. It was clear from her conversation that now that she and Granny were here, they expected them to look after everything now. Adelaide didn't like the constant reminder about the expenses when they both were established doctors, and Andrew had access to her parents' bank accounts as well. She was the one who was actually penniless, having only her salary in her bank account.