Page 40 of Dark Horse

“The latter. Attorneys are already involved, and I’ve got Fallon in counseling. She says she’s fine, but you know teenagers.” She shrugs.

“She’s not coming to the wedding?” I look around for my niece.

“She’s upstairs already, getting ready to go out to the barn. She was gushing over Hazel. You know how those two get along talking about horses.” Aspen smiles up at the house.

“Well, at least she’ll have a little escape while she’s here. But what about you? Need me to snap some necks? Fix you a drink? Fix him one with a little extra ingredient? What’s the occasion calling for?” I joke with my sister, hoping my threats at least cheer her up.

Aspen gives me an admonishing look. “It’s not that kind of fuckup. It’s for the best really. We’ve been growing apart for a long time now. Time was waiting on the perfect storm of events to finally capsize us. I just feel bad for Fallon. I wish we could have made it a couple more years until she was off to college before we changed everything on her.”

“She’ll survive. She’s strong, and she’s got you. Ethan was never good for much, anyway, with him always being on the road all the time. You both might be better offwithout him.”

“It’s not his fault. Life of a coach, you know.”

“Not exactly, but I understand work being busy. That’s why I’ve stayed clear of it all.”

“You gonna ease into the retirement home alone? Get all the ladies there?” she teases me.

“You think I’ll make it that long? I’m starting to feel doubtful.” I smirk at her to let her know that I’m playing, but I sometimes wonder if I’ll make it long enough to see all the hair on my head go silver in the mirror.

“The family business is weighing heavy these days?” It’s her turn to frown at me. We’ve largely kept Aspen out of the family business. She was a lot like Ramsey, where she had other dreams and aspirations, ones that meant she had to leave Purgatory Falls.

I tilt my head to the side, squinting through the late-day sun. “Heavier than usual at the moment, but it comes with the territory.”

“Well, you know I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

“Same goes for you, not that you’ll ever take me up on it.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You gonna stay out on the East Coast with Fallon?”

“Yes. We’ll have to find a house. Ethan and I agreed we’d sell ours and split the money.”

“You could come home, you know. You could teach at one of the colleges here in the state. We’ve got dozens of them.”

“Yeah, but how many of them need a new archaeology professor?”

“What about the museums or one of the CRM firms?”

“You want me home that badly?” She smiles at me.

“I wouldn’t hate it. Ramsey’s back part-time, you know. Even while he finishes out that new contract of his. I’m sure he’d let you fix up one of the cabins on the property for thesummer. Or you could come stay at the resort. I’ve got rooms we could convert for you and Fallon.”

“Raising my daughter in a casino might cause the judge to question my custody agreement.” She raises a brow at me.

“You already have one of those?” This was part of why I wanted her back home. She shares so little of her day-to-day life, and I worry about her. It’s always just a quick text here or there giving me the highlights and focusing on Fallon’s achievements.

“They’re drawing one up. We’re trying to keep this divorce as low-key as possible. Neither of us needs the disruption in our careers right now. I’m working on a book, and his hard work is finally paying off.”

“You’re too nice for your own good, you know. I hope you don’t let the next one take advantage of that. You gotta find your inner asshole like the rest of us.” I smirk at her.

“Don’t worry. I have plans to find my inner bitch. But let’s forget any talk about the next one. There’s not gonna be a next one. If marriage has taught me anything, it’s that I’m not cut out for it. Once Fallon is off to college, I’ll have the house to myself, and I can figure out what I want to do with all my free time. I might try to publish another book. Some of the work I’ve been collaborating on has been fascinating. I’ll have so much more time to be out in the field too. I’m actually kind of excited about it. I just hate to tell any of my friends. They all expect me to be pissed off or depressed, and I just… don’t have it in me to feel anything right now, you know?”

“I get it. Trust me. I love my fuckin’ freedom. I tried to talk Ramsey down from being shackled down again with the same ball and chain. But—” I laugh as Aspen punches me in the arm.

“Leave our baby brother alone. You know he’s always had a bleeding heart for her. I love that they’re back together again. It looks good on him.” She juts her chin in his direction, where Ican see Ramsey and Hazel making their way over from the inn, carrying some food and drinks. “The last time I saw him this happy was before Mom and Dad.”

Fuck. I think that’s the last time any of us looked that happy. Their death had left a pall over the whole family for years. Made it hard to celebrate anything. Between finally getting some closure for them last year and being able to pull our family back together on this ranch, it felt like maybe a page that had been frozen in time was finally turning for all of us.

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