Hurt edged her tone. He wished he could take it away, but there wasn’t anything he could say that wouldn’t make him feel more awkward. He grabbed her hand and said grace.

He had always loved Mom’s chili and took a bite before diving into a conversation he’d wished to avoid. “I appreciate the offer, Mom. But it’s not necessary. You and Ron have your routine, and I don’t want to be a nuisance.”

“You’re never a nuisance. You’re family.”

He avoided her gaze and bit back the words he wanted to say—that Ron might have different thoughts about him staying. “At some point I might take you up on the offer, but right now . . .”

“I know, I know. You need your space.”

From Ron. “I think this is your best chili yet.” He grinned and kept eating.

“Aw, you’re so sweet. You might think something different if you knew this isn’t my chili.”

“Not yours?” A neighbor’s? A friend’s? By the amusement in Mom’s eyes, he realized he’d walked into a trap of sorts.

“It’s Ron’s.” She snickered.

Alex almost choked. He chugged a few swallows of tea, then stared at his empty bowl. At least he was done.

“Would you like another bowl?” Mom asked.

“I’m good, thanks.”

“You know, you never really gave him a chance.”

“That’s fair. It was just a rough time in my life, without losing my father on top of it.”

“And you and your father were so close.” She pressed her hand over his on the table. “I know that. And I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t think you and Ron could get along anyway. At least back then. But you’re older now, as we all are. All that to say, I hope you’ll try a little harder.”

Alex nibbled on crackers, fully aware she had pursed her lips and was staring at him, waiting, hoping for a response. He didn’t live in Montana and saw no real point in trying harder to get along with Ron, except he hated to be the one to put that hurt in Mom’s eyes. “I’ll try, Mom. I’m cordial, and I laugh at his jokes. In fact, I’ll take you both out for dinner while I’m in town.”

“Oh? We’d love that. When?”

“Give me a few days to arrange it. I’m in the middle of helping a friend through something.”

“What kind of friend?”

“I’ll tell you more another time. Let’s talk about you. What have you been up to?”

Fortunately, she was more than happy to share her plans for the backyard garden and a greenhouse she’d ordered. Then she moved on to talk about her job at the clinic and the fact that Ron would retire from the fire department in two years.