Page 105 of Roaring Fork Wrangler

“All right, girlfriend. You need to start talking.”

I shook my head. “It isn’t my story to tell.”

TJ put the baby, who was now sleeping, back in the stroller. “Tell it anyway. I have a sneaking suspicion Buck is going to need you to.”

32

CORD

“What happened that night?” Buck asked.

“You and Porter ran off to get help. A few minutes after you left, I heard a gunshot and tore into the house to see what had happened. When I got inside, I saw Roscoe on the floor. Mom had a gun in her hand.”

“So it was her who shot him.”

“Yeah. At least I think so. They weren’t alone in that room, Buck.”

His mouth gaped. “Who else was there other than you?”

“A man I didn’t recognize. I think he was trying to stop Roscoe’s bleeding. He told Mom to get me out of there.”

“Do you think he shot him?”

I shook my head. “Mom was holding the gun. Plus, once we were out of the room, she told me I couldn’t tell anyone what happened. She made me promise.”

“What else?”

“I remember telling her he’d hurt her again. She promised he wouldn’t and that everything would be taken care of. Something like that, anyway.”

Buck pulled off the main highway and took a gravel road that led to the river flowing between Gunnison and Crested Butte.

“Right after that, she told him she was sick,” he said after parking and cutting the engine. “I think she already knew the cancer was too far gone for her to beat it.”

“The last thing she said to me that night was she hoped that someday, when I learned about the decisions she’d made, I’d understand why and I forgive her.”

Buck stroked his beard. “Here’s what I don’t get. The ranch belonged to the Wheaton family. How did it end up in our mother’s trust?”

“My first question is, how did she end up with Roscoe to begin with?”

“You can call him Dad. It won’t bother me.”

I shook my head. “I started referring to him as Roscoe a while ago.”

My brother studied me. “Why?”

I shrugged. “I hatedwhat he did to us.”

Buck picked up a rock and threw it into the river. “Why do you think she never told me?”

“She knew she was dying and was afraid of what he’d do to you if you knew. As long as you didn’t, he had to keep up the pretense.”

He nodded. “Makes sense.”

“My guess is whoever is pulling all our strings now, pulled his while he was still alive.” I hung my head.

“You know, if Mom hadn’t left East Aurora, if her brother had succeeded in forcing her to have an abortion, none of us would be here.”

“You’re right.”

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