Page 2 of The Last Promise You Made

Mama finally caught on to what had happened as her eyes landed on my shotgun just as Mila let out another devastating sob. “He killed a bird, Nana! A beautiful black bird!”

I moved toward them, and Mila shied away from me, causing my heart to twist a bit more.

“I thought we were just scaring the crows off?” Mama asked.

“Scaring them was the plan. I can’t help that one of them flew right into the shot.”

“You’re awful, Uncle Ryder! You killed a poor, hopeless little birdie!”

“I think you mean helpless,” Mama responded, her lips twitching as she realized what had happened.

I squatted down, eyes meeting Mila’s tear-filled ones. “I wasn’t trying to hurt him, kiddo. The sound gun that’s been scaring them off is broken, and I was just trying to make a loud noise. What happened was an accident.”

“It was?”

I dragged a hand over the scruff that was turning into a beard I kept meaning to shave off and said, “Sure was.”

“His family is going to miss him. You need to apologize to them.”

“Well, the crows weren’t supposed to be eating Nana’s crabapples to begin with. This is like…your dad arresting someone for breaking the law.”

“Daddy doesn’t kill people!”

I met my mama’s gaze, and neither of us mentioned the man who’d taken Mila and who’d been shot in the ravine before dying at the hospital.

“What do you think Uncle Ryder should do to make amends?” Mama asked.

I groaned internally. Knowing Mila, she was going to come up with a harebrained scheme involving rainbows and unicorns. Maybe even pixie dust. Something nearly impossible.

My niece stepped toward me, her gaze still sad but determined as she patted my arm. “You need to have a funeral for him so his family can say goodbye.”

I looked up at Mama to see her eyes twinkling with humor just as my brother walked into the room, demanding to know what was going on. As Mama explained what had happened, his blue eyes crinkled, and he chuckled, making me want to punch him in the nose and add another crook to the one I’d given him when we were younger.

“Let me go dig a hole.” I sighed. “Maybe you and Nana can come up with some words to say.” Maddox let out a half-laugh, half-cough, and I gave him a one-fingered wave over the top of the women’s heads. “Just for that, you can help dig the hole.”

Maddox pointed to the bronze star glowing on his chest. “I’m on duty. Was just dropping Mila off for the day.”

“You’re the sheriff. No one is going to give you a lecture if you’re a few minutes late.”

“Gotta set a good example for my team.”

I wanted to grab him, put him in a headlock, rub his dark-blond hair noogie-style, and mess up his perfectly ironed, khaki-colored shirt and green pants.

He picked up his Winter County Sheriff's hat from the coat rack. “I’ll see you tonight, Bug-a-boo. Don’t give Nana too hard of a time, but make sure Uncle Ryder follows your instructions about the funeral to a T.”

I grunted in protest, following him out the door.

Once outside, I slammed my fist into his shoulder. “Damn you.”

“Don’t blame me. You’re the crap shot who took out a bird.”

“The bird flew into the shot!”

He chuckled, heading for his truck. He glanced at my step-side pickup glistening like root beer on ice sitting next to it. “I hate to admit it, because it’s a Chevy, but Willy did a great job fixing the C10 up. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to with all the bullet holes riddling it.”

The truck had been shot up after a woman tailing a U.S. Secret Service agent and his rockstar protectee had caught up to them while they’d been staying at the ranch. The agent had handed me the registration as a way of apologizing for destroying a whole section of the fence he’d run through in his attempt to get away. We’d seen a bit too much action at the ranch in the last couple of years. We were due some peace and quiet.

“Where’s McK today?” I asked.

---