Page 63 of Dark Side of the River

She didn’t want to tell him how her mother really felt. “Basically that all McKennas will break your heart, ruin your life and steal your silverware and your ranch.”

“We do have a couple of your soupspoons,” he joked, but she could still hear the residual anger under it.

“I’m headed into town. I’ll call you when my mother isn’t there.”

“Great.”

“Coop? I’m not sure how much more Oakley can tell us. You really don’t think it was one of the men from the meth lab?”

“I do think Oakley could have stumbled onto the lab, but I don’t think they were the ones who shot her. I keep thinking about what she said to me. Buttercup. Are you sure that doesn’t mean anything to you?”

“No. Nothing.”

“Okay. Call when we can see her alone,” he said, and was gone.

As she disconnected, she realized how much she had wanted to believe that they’d found out who’d shot her sister. She wanted to believe it had been meth makers—not someone closer to home. A 270 rifle was so common, anyone could have shot Oakley.

It hadn’t slipped her mind either that it would have taken a local to know about the isolated old homestead—and that McKenna wasn’t running any cattle in that area because of the well that had gone dry. Or that the well had gone dry because Charlotte Stafford had allowed a methane well to be put in so close to the McKenna Ranch.

Her mind whirring, Tilly drove into town. She checked in at the hospital, only to find that her mother was with her sister. Leaving without seeing either of them, she headed for the sheriff’s department, hoping to catch Stuart and put an end to whatever was going on between him and Cooper.

“Tilly?” the sheriff said, getting to his feet. He was smiling, clearly glad to see her. It was the hope in his voice that hurt.

She closed the door and turned to look at him, reminding herself how long they’d been friends. “Maybe I wasn’t clear the other day—”

“No, you were perfectly clear. I know. You don’t want to go out with me again. You just left out the part about you and Cooper. But I got it. Is there anything else?” he asked impatiently.

“I’m sorry, Stuart.”

“Please, don’t say anything else.”

“I enjoyed the times that we went out, but I didn’t feel the way you apparently did...do. I didn’t know how you felt until—”

“Until Cooper came home?”

“I guess so. Did you even know how you felt about me before then? Because I don’t really think this is about us.” He didn’t answer. “I think it’s about you and Cooper.”

The sheriff chewed at his cheek for a moment, not denying it. “So you’re serious about him?”

She smiled. “There has always been some strong emotion between Cooper and me. He used to annoy the hell out of me.”

“I remember the two of you fighting like cats and dogs. I guess I should have known then there was no getting between the two of you.”

“I guess I should have known too. I don’t know where this is going, but I want to see. I never wanted to hurt you, though.”

“Don’t give it another thought. Please.”

“I’m sorry that you’re hurt.”

He sighed and looked to the ceiling for a moment. “I wanted more. Thought in time we might... I was wrong. I’m ready to settle down, and I guess maybe I thought you were too.”

“I hate that this has come between you and Coop and that you aren’t friends anymore.”

“Who says we’re not friends anymore? Friends fight, they argue, they disagree, but friendships survive it, the real friendships. I guess we’ll have to see if mine and Cooper’s is one of them.”

“I hope so. I don’t like losing friends.”

He smiled at that. “It’s one of the things that I like about you. You’re loyal to people you care about. Don’t worry. We’ll all survive this.”

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