Page 6 of The Rogue

“Do you ever feel weird about that?” Denver asked. “Like everybody getting married and moving on. Even Penny.”

They both shook their heads.EvenPenny—who their family had taken in back when she was a little sprite—was off and married.

Landry was, Daughtry was getting hitched soon.

Honestly, he felt much the same about them that he did about Rue. It was good for them. It was good if you could run from the shit in your past and get better.

“Yeah, I guess it’s a little bit strange. But... I don’t want to change anything. I’m happy.”

“Are you?” Denver asked.

“Yeah. I mean, I got laid last night.”

“Thank you for sharing, Justice,” Denver said dryly. “I really value knowing about your sex life.”

“I like to keep an open line of communication, bro. It’s good for the soul.”

“You’rebragging.”

Justice shrugged. “You could get laid if you felt like it.”

“Some of us work. I mean, we really work, we don’t stroll into the barn at our leisure and stand around propping up various ranching implements.”

“Your thoughts on my life aside,” Justice said, “I’ve done what I set out to do. I never wanted to fuck anybody up the way that Dad did us. The way that he did Mom. And here I am. I’m a decent brother, I like to think. I do help you on the ranch, whatever you say, and I have a lifelong friend. And I have managed to maintain that friendship since I was eight years old. Given our upbringing, I feel like that is winning. Great for other people if they want something that looks a little bit more traditional. I don’t.”

“Can’t say that I do either,” said Denver.

“Yeah. I mean, that’s kind of a big hell no.”

“And that’s fine,” said Denver.

He couldn’t remember the last time he ever thought his big brother questioned much of anything, but he could see that he was.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” Justice asked.

“We’re the last two,” Denver said.

“The last to what?”

“Everyone else on this whole fucking ranch is gone and gotten themselves married. The Garretts, the McClouds and the Sullivans.All married.”

“Honestly, you say that and all I hear is that everybody went and stepped in a bear trap. Then I hear you musing about whether or notweshould want to step in the same bear trap.”

Denver laughed. “I dunno. I guess my concern more is that there is something wrong with us.”

“Who cares if there is? We haven’t dragged anybody into our shit. That, as far as I can see, is the best and only part of virtue when you’re fucked up.”

“Good point.”

“Go out and get laid, Denver,” Justice said. “That will deal with all of your emotional turmoil. You’ll remember that there are ways to connect with people that don’t require you upending your entire life.”

“Yeah. I know.”

In all seriousness, his brother was a good dude. But he was hard. And harder to know. They were all like that, he supposed. They had a bit of a reputation around town for being... unsociable. Daughtry had made it his mission to improve the King family name in town, after their dad had done a good job of running it through the mud. The rest of them... Their younger sister, Arizona, had always been known to be prickly and mean. Landry was legendary if only for the explosion that had occurred between him and Fia Sullivan when they were in high school. Denver was well-known for being a hard-ass of epic proportions.

And Justice? Well. He was known for having fun.He was a good time, not a long time, and everyone knew it.

He couldn’t say that it had earned him any respect around town, but it had certainly allowed the townspeople to see that the Kings could be harmless. Or if not harmless, something a little closer to fun than deathly serious assholes. Or scumbags.

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