Page 55 of The Hardest Part

It never occurred to him that Lucy and Fallon wouldn’t want to be separated. Perhaps it should have. But was their father prepared to say his farewells to them both? Because it was likely that once they left this place, they’d never set eyes on each other again, and the mountain man would be all alone.

“But what about you, Josiah?”

“Never mind me.” His golden eyes glowing in the firelight, he sat back on an elbow and held the bottle poised at his lips. “I’m an old man, Levi. Raised ‘em as best I could. I’ll be able to rest easy knowin’ my girls will be cared for, settled, and loved. This ain’t no kinda life for ‘em.”

That he understood. It’s what Levi wanted for his sisters, wasn’t it? He only hoped that when the time came to let them go, he’d prove to be as selfless.

“Of course.” He patted Josiah’s shoulder, offering some comfort. “Fallon is welcome to come with us, if that’s what she wishes.”

“She does.” And he drank. “My daughters will favor you with many sons.”

Daughters?

“Sir?”

“You heard me right. Did you mistake my meaning?” Laughter bellowing from his throat, Walker put the bottle in his hand. “Judgin’ by that look on your face, I reckon you did. See, if you want my Lucy as your wife, then you’ll be weddin’ my Fallon, too.”

Every person who’s ever been, whether living or dead, is connected to everyone else. The ripple effect of their existence, their contribution on this earth, great or small, indelibly marks it. Jennifer Brogan Brooks might not have been among them for very long, but her absence was keenly felt. Forever woven into the rich tapestry of their story. Life in Brookside would never bequite the same, but it would go on, all of them fortunate to have known her.

The circumstances of her tragic demise remained a mystery. She was only thirty-six, yet the coroner ruled that since there were no indications of foul play, her death was because of an unknown natural cause. In the two months since Jennifer’s passing, folks hadn’t stopped talking about Matthew’s curse and the similarities in the deaths of his three wives. And who could blame them?

Because Jake wondered, too. He had his theories, but kept them to himself. What good would it do to voice them? The only thing that mattered now was being there for Arien, Matthew, and his sons, helping them out at the ranch, and giving them whatever they needed to heal.

In summers past, on any other pleasant Sunday morning, Jake, his brother, Tanner, and Kellan would saddle up the horses and ride out to the lake to go fishing. Bring home the trout they caught for supper. He missed those days. They didn’t have a care in the world back then.

“Billy, wake up.” So what if it was six a.m.? He crossed his brother’s room and plopped down on his bed.

He rolled over. “Fuck off, Jake. I’m sleepin’.”

“C’mon, bro.” He pulled on Billy’s shoulder. “I got an idea.”

“Chrissakes, what is it?” And he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“I was just thinkin’ about when we used to take off for the day and go fishin’.”

Billy’s eyebrows squished together, and rubbing his temple, he tilted his head to the side.

What? Did ya think I woke you up to reminisce?

Hardly.

“Let’s go get Emily. Take her to the lake.” His brow raised, Jake nodded, tugging on the ends of Billy’s hair. “What do ya say?”

“Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Smitty’s meetin’ us over at the house today, remember?” Billy leaned back against the headboard, tucking a pillow behind his head. “He’s helpin’ out with the electrical.”

Shit.

“I forgot, dammit.” And he’d been the one who scheduled it, too.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Tyler Smith gave up cowboying for his trade. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, once they could harness the energy of the mountain’s running stream, it was his family who gained the skills that powered Brookside’s homes. Hell, master electricians, the Smiths probably wired half of the houses from Jackson to Dubois. Ranching was in Tyler’s blood, though. Same as his. Every year, they jumped back in the saddle to round up the cattle for market in the fall.

“We both don’t need to be there.” Stretching his arms out over his head, Billy closed his eyes and smiled. “Take Em to the lake. She’d love that.”

“She would.”

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