She shook her head. “I’m trying to help you out. They’ll come home tomorrow and probably not see you again for months. You might remember to call on weekends or you might not. They never know what to expect, and when they do spend time with you, it’s like you’re a tour guide, not a father. Get to know your kids, and make them want to see you or talk to you.”

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at her. “You mean they don’t want to see me now?”

That was typical Wyatt, always and forever twisting her words.

“When I caught Holly smoking weed and found out that Braden was sneaking out of the house to smoke cigarettes and drink, I took a step back for a couple of days and figured some things out. You weren’t around. I seldom got out of the house, except for church on Sundays, and buried myself in my work. I told myself that by helping others I was doing a good thing, but I didn’t spend nearly enough time with the kids. It wasn’t a healthy environment for either of them. So I changed that, and they’re so much better now. If you’ll adjust what you do with them when you have them, it’ll help you and them,” she tried to explain.

“I tell you what, Lily.” Wyatt’s tone was downright chilly. “You do things your way and have goats and live in a miserable old house like this in the country. I’ll do the cultural scene with them when I have time for them. And, darlin’, I will never not answer a text or a call from my wife.”

“You lost the right to call me darlin’ a long time ago,” Lily said as she left him sitting in the foyer and went to the kitchen. “I tried, Mama. I really did, but he only hears what he wants to hear,” she muttered under her breath.

The kids arrived not long after she’d poured herself a glass of tea. They didn’t burst inside arguing like always. Braden gave her a hug and said, “Can we call from the hotel when we get there?”

“Sure, you can. You can call however often you want. Just use the room phone,” she said.

“I hate hotels,” Holly declared. “I’m going to call and check on Star before I go to bed and before we check out in the morning. God, I hate that we have to go to the Alamo. I don’t even like going to the mall with Daddy. A ten-year-old wouldn’t be caught dead in what he wants to buy me.”

“It’s only twenty-four hours,” Lily said. “Maybe things will be different this time.”

“Yeah, right.” Braden’s shoulders were slumped as he left the room.