Page 3 of Stone Cold Savage

“Maybe you’re right. I just always see her as the little girl we all doted on, especially after Pop died because she was so young and didn’t know him like we did. Cut grew up damn fast after Pop passed and took on the ranch. Dillon and I… well, you know what we did and what we’ve seen.”

“That I do.” She nodded heavily in agreement. “Our worlds weren’t so different for a lot of years.”

“Nash… somehow he’s managed to come by trouble naturally, and though his choices can be frustrating, it’s been good for him. He likes to learn and navigate life the hard way through tough lessons.”

“He’s definitely the free spirit of the bunch. The rest of you were ambitious and driven despite the differing courses you followed. But Nash… he just does life… differently. He lives by his own rules and doesn’t seem to need more than what he has. He’s satisfied with where he’s at and being a rancher.”

“He always lands on his feet. I used to think he was lazy and missing something, but maybe you’re right. He’s just content and doesn’t need all the other stuff, like we all did. I suppose he had to grow up a little fast, too. When I left to serve, Dillon left shortly after. That left a pretty big and sudden hole, but Nash filled it, and he isn’t much older than Dev, even though we treat him like he is. Maybe we made that decision for him, kind of like how we did for Devyn, the more I think about it. But Dev…”

“Is the best part of all of you. She’ll always be the baby of the family, but she’s a woman now who has the best role models and examples to follow. You know, she came to me when I was home on leave, my first-year in. She asked me what it was like.”

“What do you mean? The military?”

“Yep. She said she couldn’t go to you or Dillon. You’d just tell her no and discourage her. She wanted to follow in your footsteps. So that apple didn’t fall far from the proverbial tree… or, in this case, the branches? Is that how that saying would go? You know, since you’re all siblings?”

“I don’t think that’s the saying at all.” He laughed. “Now it’s your turn to quit drinking. I had no idea she considered enlisting.”

“She said she wanted to do something meaningful that would change the world. So, I think it’s fair to say she thinks that’s what you and Dill do.”

“And now she wants to stay on here at the ranch, finish school, and be more involved here, and help run it.”

“She’ll do a hell of a job, I can tell you that. She’s just trying to find her place. I’d imagine that isn’t always easy for the youngest.”

“I imagine not. You know, Dillon and I enlisted because there wasn’t a lot of money back then for school. Our choice was to ranch or try to earn a new skill through the military that would ultimately land us back here at some point. It was a way to help support the family while Cut took the reins and worked to make this place what it is now.”

“I think that’s a common story around these parts.”

“Same goes for Nash. Though college was an option by the time he was of age, that kid was far too deep here and far too loyal to leave Cut. I think we all decided Devyn was the one. She was the one going to college and becoming something more than a soldier or a rancher.”

“Hmm.”

“What does that mean?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking.” Kenzie shrugged.

“About?”

“That it sounds like maybe you guys wanted this school and career path for Devyn more than she did?”

“But she’s so smart? Always has been. Of course, we wanted her to use that and do something better with her life than any of us did.”

“But what’s better to you might not be better to her. Maybe Devyn was content being just like all of you.”

“What, you think she went on to school –– law school –– just to please all of us?” he asked.

“That’s a question for Devyn, but it’s interesting that you came to that conclusion without me pointing it out.” Kenzie winked. “I think you see the girl you want to see and not the girl standing right in front of you.”

Coy stared off into the night sky and pondered Kenzie’s words. “You might be on to something there. Why wouldn’t she just tell us what she wanted?”

Kenzie shrugged, “To please you all? Like you said, she’s smart. She saw all of you working hard so she could have whatever future she wanted, and she didn’t want to let you down. But if you were listening, I think she’s telling you now.”

“Hence, finishing school and studying for the bar remotely here on the ranch.” Coy pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “How’d I miss that? I read people and situations for a living and missed what was right in front of me.”

“Think about it. You left and didn’t really come back much. Maybe you just see them all exactly as you left them. You weren’t here to see them all grow up, with the exception of Dillon.”

“And that was only in the last handful of years. Man, you’re right. I feel like I wasted so much time staying away like I was protecting them from something.”

“You were protecting yourself, Coy,” Kenzie said. “Speaking from experience. “Our capacity to handle bullshit, chaos, and crisis is limited. It’s easier to deal with it in the field with strangers than with our own family. We leave whatever happens in the field right where we find it. Family… well, it’s forever.”

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