Page 9 of Stone Cold Sinner

“You seem especially patriotic for the one they call Sawyer.” Nash waggled his brow, teasing his sister.

Devyn glared. “The one they call Sawyer, as opposed to calling him…”

“Taken,” Ransom interrupted.

Devyn dropped her fork on her plate. “Are you serious? I should’ve figured as much. He didn’t seem nearly as interested in me as I was in him. I knew something was up.”

“Yeah, newlywed, if I recall?” Ransom went on. “His husband’s a nice guy.”

The table roared with laughter when Devyn choked on Ransom’s words.

“Husband? Now, that makes even more sense. Man, can I pick them or what?” Devyn said in frustration, twirling her fork in her food. “It sure is going to get lonely here.”

“You’re only here a short time,” Coy said. “Plenty of young eligible men back in the city on campus.”

“About that…” Devyn’s stare roamed as she tried to read the room. “I’m not going back.”

The sound of forks clattering as they dropped on the breakfast plates, and all eyes were on Devyn.

“Oh, you’re going back,” Cut said, pushing his chair out behind him and clearing his plate from the table. “Ma and Pop sacrificed a lot for you to go to law school, and we’ve been working ourselves to early graves to pay for it.”

“And I hate that you are working so hard for me.”

“You’re so close to being done,” Coy said. “You can’t quit now. Besides, I can help with tuition.”

“Us too,” Dillon said, Ransom nodding alongside her.

“I don’t want you all to have to sacrifice so much for me.” Devyn started. “Look, I want to finish, but I’ve talked to my professors about finishing remotely and on a modified schedule –– I’m considering attempting the bar early. One of my professors has already signed off on it. I thought maybe I could get a job somewhere around here, pay my own way.”

“Not happenin’, sis.” Nash wadded up his napkin, tossed it on his plate, and leaned back in his chair. “You’re the smart one. Always have been. Smarter than all of us combined. You’re going to be a first-generation college grad. You’re finishing what you started.”

“And I still can, just… a different way,” Devyn said.

“Why?” Dillon asked. “Why now?”

“I-I don’t know. I suppose because life is just flying by, and I’m missing so much of it. The babies aren’t babies anymore…”

“Don’t worry, there’s another one coming. Your brother saw to that,” Nora joked.

“I know, but I guess… It’s more than that. Being home the past few days with everyone for the first time since I was a little girl just… really tore me up. I miss this. Us. This place.”

“Mama.” Nash understood what the real reason was.

“And Mama. I missed so many years, her last years, away at school. By the time we found out she was sick, it was almost too late to spend time with her, and it wasn’t all quality time.”

“Amen to that.” Nash’s eyes welled with emotion.

“My childhood was so different from y’all. You all grew up together, and by the time I was old enough to really be part of the pack, you were moving on to new seasons of life. Losing Mama really put it all into perspective for me,” Devyn admitted as a lone tear ran down her cheek. “My memories of Pop are limited. The cancer will always taint memories of Mama, and I don’t want to limit the memories I have here with all of you, too.”

“You want to work the farm?” Coy asked.

“Hell no.” Devyn quickly corrected herself when the children giggled at her swearing. “Heck. I mean, heck no. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take a more active role. I nearly have my law degree. That can help around here. I have a nose for business, too.”

“You want to contribute,” Coy filled in the blanks.

“I do. I’m realizing just how easy I’ve had it compared to all of you, and I want to do my part. I want to be part of the pack.”

The older siblings looked around the table at each other and recognized just what their baby sister was talking about. Their relationships and experiences were far different from hers. When they all went off to the military or to run the ranch, she did scholarly things and earned scholarships. She was the brains of the bunch –– book smart, where they were each what you’d call street smart.

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