Page 30 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

Speaking of brothers, Beau came riding up on his new mare. He dismounted and tied the reigns to a nearby post before walking up to Conrad.

“You made it out,” Beau said.

Conrad was still trying to get a good read on his half-brother. He’d at least been willing to give the man a chance after Beau had been summoned to the ranch for the will reading. The other siblings didn’t trust Beau as far as they could throw him. Other than being cantankerous from the get-go, Beau hadn’t shown any signs of wanting anything more than he’d said—to be part of the Sturgess family.

“I did,” Conrad said, lifting his pants leg so Beau could see the new hardware. “And I get to keep this on so my movement can be tracked.”

“I wish I’d been the one to pick you up,” Beau said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Kade wanted to be the one.”

“He’s used to being the older brother,” Conrad said. “Hell, he was more of a father to us than Beaumont ever was.”

“Some habits die hard, I guess.” Beau shrugged. “But I’ll never be able to prove myself if I’m not part of the family, you know?”

“You’re doing everything you can,” Conrad reassured. “Be patient.”

“Kade is hard-headed,” Beau continued.

Conrad didn’t want to talk about his older brother’s shortcomings, especially since the man had just bailed him out of jail while Beau had been doing—what?—out joyriding on his new mare?

“Give him time,” was all Conrad said.

Beau issued a sharp sigh. “I guess. My tombstone will never read,Here lies a patient man.”

“I should probably go inside,” Conrad said, motioning toward his ankle. “I’m not real sure how much leeway I have with this thing.”

“It’s not easy, but you can slip out of those,” Beau said before seeming to catch himself. “I saw a YouTube video on it once.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Conrad said. “In the meantime, I might need your help with an errand or two.”

“I’m here for you, man. Whatever you need. All you have to do is ask,” Beau said. He’d made attempts to get to know Conrad. Beau could be rough around the edges and clashed with Kade to an unholy degree, but Conrad hadn’t seen signs of his half-brother taking after Beaumont. Not in the couple of months he’d lived at the ranch.

Conrad nodded before heading inside the house. On the ride back to the ranch, Kade had filled Conrad in on the mystery woman that was Beau’s mother. Apparently, Travis had dug into her background. He’d believed Beau and his mother could have been behind the recent attempts on Chloe’s life, so he’d investigated the woman. She’d apparently used multiple names over the years, and the landlord of her last known address had no idea where she’d disappeared to this time. Beau had been tightlipped about his mother.

Inside, Conrad pulled out enough fixings to make a decent sandwich. He poured a cup of coffee next and sat down at the big granite island. As much as he wanted to think about anything besides Nikki, his thoughts kept circling back to her. She’d lost her father and was most likely still trying to process the news. It had taken days for him to come to terms with losing Beaumont. Conversations he should have had with Beaumont but hadn’t ran in a constant loop through his thoughts.

It would have been nice to sit down with his father and have a real conversation over a beer at some point. The chance was gone now.

Kade walked through the backdoor. He’d immediately split off to check on Bree and his daughter after arriving at the ranch.

“You want something to eat?” Conrad asked, pushing the plate away. Eating had sounded like a good idea but he’d lost his appetite thinking about the lost opportunity to have a heart-to-heart with Beaumont.

“No, thanks,” Kade said, taking a seat next to Conrad.

“Have you read the letter from Beaumont?”

Kade’s eyes widened, taken back from the question. “No.”

“Did you burn yours?” It wouldn’t surprise Conrad if Kade had set his on fire.

“Thought about it,” Kade admitted. “But no.”

“Do you mind if I ask what you plan to do with it?” Conrad continued.

“I haven’t decided,” Kade said. Beaumont had written each of his children a letter. Beau hadn’t talked about what was in his letter and dodged the subject when Conrad had brought it up. Conrad had yet to ask anyone else. He’d tossed his in the top drawer of his dresser. “What about you?”

“Nope, haven’t opened mine.” He took a sip of coffee.

“I keep wondering what the point is,” Kade said after a thoughtful pause. “Is it just so Beaumont can have the last word?” He issued a sharp sigh. “Because I’m not interested in hearing what he has to say if there’s no way for me to reply.”

---