They clinked glasses and downed the whiskey.
A sweet, slow burn warmed Dalton from the inside out.
“That is the best stuff I’ve ever tasted,” Brandt said. “Damn. Who knew I had expensive taste?” He nudged his glass over. “Hit me again, barkeep, but this one’s a sipper.”
“Ditto.”
Once their glasses were half-full, Dalton told them about his experience at an Irish bar in London.
After he finished, Tell asked, “Do you plan on traveling anymore?”
“Don’t know.”
Brandt rested his elbows on the table and looked at Dalton. “Me’n Tell got something to say about that.”
“Really? You have to do this now? When we’ve been havin’ such a good time?”
“That’s exactly why we need to do it now,” Tell said.
Rather than waiting, Brandt launched right into it. “We know why you left and why you stayed away. I’m just sorry we didn’t know the why of it when it happened. But that’s neither here nor there. Dad was an obstacle to you coming back here and to you sticking around.”
Tell sipped his drink, then said, “No need to sugarcoat this. He’s gone; obstacle gone.”
“But,” Brandt inserted, “we know Dad wasn’t the only reason you left. We’ve accepted our role in it, and I speak for both of us when I say we’re sorry.”
“Really f*ckin’ sorry,” Tell added.
“There ain’t nothin’ we can do to undo what’s been done to you. But we can do a couple of things to change how we handle stuff from here on out.”
“Like what?”
“Like making sure Dad doesn’t have a voice even though he’s dead. He wrecked a lot of things in our lives. You leavin’ meant he took that time you were gone away from us too. So he finally accomplished what he’d been tryin’ to do for years; he drove a wedge between us. And I say f*ck that shit. No more. He don’t have that power.”
“Amen, brother.”
Dalton didn’t get where this was headed.
“Bottom line is we want you here, man. With you back it’s like it’s supposed to be. So we’ve come up with a plan. ’Course it’s a contingency plan, but hear us out.”
Brandt said, “With all the crap that’s gone down in the last month, we’ve realized we don’t give a shit if you’re raising elk or wildebeests or owls as long as you’re doin’ it here close to us. And if by some miracle your elk integration plan isn’t accepted by the state, we’ll help you turn that chunk of dirt into another enterprise. Raising buffalo or turtles or unicorns. Whatever you want.”
“If that don’t work for you, we’ll put in that feedlot like we talked about,” Tell said. “I’ve got the updated regs and what we don’t understand I thought Rory could help us figure out, since she’s fluent in the government’s language. But the truth is we’ll support you in whatever you decide. We want you to be part of lives, Dalton. A permanent part. That’s why we wanted to talk about it now. While—”
“We’re a little drunk?” Dalton supplied.
Brandt shook his head. “While we’re reminded that we got a responsibility to each other. All three of us. No one gets left behind in this family. No one gets forgotten in this family. Not ever again.”
Tell leaned closer. “We just thought you oughta know.”
“Thanks, guys. It means a lot.” He wouldn’t get choked up. Would not.
So it was a belated wake of sorts, for Casper McKay. But they didn’t toast him. They didn’t curse him. They didn’t talk about him much at all.
They let him go.
Rory was updating her latest files in the guest bedroom when her mom knocked once and poked her head in.
“Am I interrupting?”
“No. It’s a good time to take a break.” She patted the bed and Jingle jumped off. “Come on in.”
Her mom waggled two bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. “I brought refreshments.”
“You’re such a bad influence on me, Mom.”
“Right. I was a teetotaler until you started bartending. Now look at me. I’m a cocktail connoisseur.”
“Sorry, that stuff is low end. Surprised you can drink it after Gavin’s spoiled you with expensive hooch.” Rory gave her a one-armed hug. “You look great, as always. A little too High Pro glowy—if you get my drift.”
Her mother rolled her eyes. “No comment.”
“So Gavin rocked your world before he kicked you out of bed and turned on ESPN?”
“I didn’t come down here because my husband ditched me. It’s late and I came to check on you to see if you fell asleep doing your homework like you used to.”
“Ha. Ha. I’ve got a few hours left. I have to get it all done and turned in by next Friday. I’ll lose the rest of this week and the weekend to travel—provided I can actually leave tomorrow.”
“Where all are you going?”
“Cody first.”
“Is Dalton going with you since he doesn’t have a job?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to toss out Dalton didn’t have to work—ever—but she refrained. “He has a job. Finishing the house remodel, remember? And he’s awaiting my decision on the elk farm.”
Her mother swigged from the bottle. “Does he have a better shot than most at you choosing his land?”
“No. I can be completely unbiased when it comes to doing my job.” Her personal life when it came to Dalton? Whole different manner.
“Of course you can. That wasn’t an accusation.”
“Sorry. I’m a little sensitive about that. Part of me fears if I do choose Dalton, people will accuse me of nepotism. And if I don’t choose him, he’ll think my decision was based on avoiding charges of nepotism.”
“As long as you don’t regret your decision, it was the right decision at the time.” Her mom crossed her legs. “Things going all right between you and Dalton?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Just curious. The last time I saw him was after…”
“He’s in a better place. In fact, he’s snowed in with his brothers right now. Sounds like they’re having a good time.”
“Which is great to hear. But I still get the feeling something isn’t right.”
The boozy lemonade hit her stomach like battery acid and she set the bottle aside. “Everything is right between me and Dalton for a change. He’s a better version of the guy I used to be so crazy about. This time it’s not bullshit. He doesn’t want anything from me…but me. I know he’s in love with me, which is why it’s so hard for me to keep my distance until I get a few things sorted out.”
“What kind of things?”
“Career decisions.”
Her mom frowned. “Is that why you’re going to Cody? I didn’t think that area was part of your district.”
“It’s not.” Rory snatched the bottle and swallowed a mouthful of booze to bolster her courage. “This isn’t a WNRC business trip. The office believes I’m taking personal time. Which I am, but not for a vacation. I’ll be there for a job interview. Three job interviews in fact. One is in Cody, one is in Sheridan and one is in Missoula.”
That startled her mother. “Montana? I didn’t know you were looking for work elsewhere.”
“Really? Since you’ve kept mentioning I’ve been in a funk since I moved back here.”
“You were in a funk. And I didn’t know it was your job making you so unhappy,” she said a little snippily. “It’s not like you talk to me about this stuff anymore. There were plenty of other things that happened to you around that time to put you off your game.”
She winced. “I’m sorry. Breaking off my engagement with Dillon didn’t cause this funk. I’ve been unhappy with this job from day one. I settle. That’s my pattern. I settled for the first guy I met in a new town and I was so eager to end that relationship, I settled for the first job that came along. Dalton coming into my life shook it all up—but for once I didn’t make decisions based on anything besides what I wanted. So I’ve applied for jobs with other organizations. This is my second interview with CESU in Missoula. I’m really excited about that one. I’d get to utilize my degrees and it could chart the course of my career.”
“And? Or should I say…but?”
“I haven’t told Dalton about any of the job applications. I’ll admit I had an ulterior motive at first for keeping it to myself. But after handling this special project, I’ve regained some of the confidence I lost after feeling unemployable for months.” She laughed. “When it rains, it pours, huh? I have three interviews in three days and in the past nine months I couldn’t even get one place I applied to call me back.”
“I have faith in you in finding the right career path—even if that path leads you away from here.” Her mom touched her knee. “I never expected you’d settle in Sundance permanently.”
“But?” Rory prompted.
“But what will you do if you don’t get any of those positions? They’d be a fool not to hire you. Granted, as your mother I’m a little biased.”
Rory shoved aside the papers. “It’s hard not to get my hopes up. So the answer is…I don’t know.” And she couldn’t share the other problem dogging her; if she picked Dalton for the permit, he’d be stuck in Sundance another two years.
Problem was, she loved Dalton—not that she’d told him. After everything that’d gone on with his family, Rory didn’t see Dalton leaving here. He’d been killing time in Montana, waiting for the right time to return home to Wyoming.
So even if she didn’t choose his land for the elk program, he’d find another use for it because he had his brothers’ full support. And it would be the ultimate test on whether he’d choose her. Whether he really had changed and meant everything he’d said about them belonging together.