Page 89 of An Unfinished Memory

“Yeah.” She dropped her gaze to the straw-packed barn floor. “I’ll confess my feelings are hurt learning Eliot and Vienne knew. If I wasn’t dropping off toys, Tova and Cody would’ve beaten me too. You know how left out of family business I used to be.”

She still was, but she chose to do her own thing now. If I realized why not telling her would hurt her, I would’ve swung open the bedroom door that morning. “I didn’t think of that. I was too deep in my own abandonment issues.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Neither is my brother. If you and Wilder don’t work out and end up despising each other, you’re going to have to figure out a schedule for who gets to go to the family gatherings. I also would’ve never forgiven you if Austen found out before me.”

A smile played over my lips. I never should’ve doubted her. “Have I told you lately how awesome you are?”

“Hold that thought because I’m going to ask a hard question.” The way her stare bored into me made me squirm. “Are you happy with long distance?”

Her question sucked the air out of my lungs. I wouldbe honest with her when I hadn’t been with myself. “I’m…content. I wish he’d give everything up and be with me, but he’s not going to. And honestly, I’m not either.”

“Sutton.” The heartbreak in her voice was almost too much. I wanted to run.

“I know. He’s made his choice, and I made mine. But we’ve found a middle ground, and it’s good.” I lifted my gaze to hers. “It’s enough.”

“For how long?”

Wasn’t that the haunting question? I shrugged. “You should’ve seen him on that camping trip. He was a Wilder I hadn’t witnessed before. We went hiking. We got ice cream. He wasn’t being stopped in the grocery store to rescue someone’s cat or help look for a runaway dog. There was no getting called out. It was perfect. I mean, if I get that once in a while, that’s good.” I swallowed a mysterious lump in my throat.

“Oh, Sutton,” she said sadly. “I wish I could whack some sense into my brother.”

“No. He let me go because he knew I wanted to open my own clinic, and I couldn’t do it in Buffalo Gully. I let him go because being sheriff is his childhood dream. Getting that position will make up for your dad’s bad behavior and redeem him in his own eyes. We both have career goals that define us, and they can’t be accomplished in the same place.”

She flattened her hands on her knees. “Okay, then. We’re good, as long as you know that you can come to me with anything. Wilder is my brother, and that means I love you both, but if anyone knows what it’s like to be unable to kick feelings for a guy when she knows better, it’s me.”

I nodded and smiled and stopped the words on the tip of my tongue.Yeah, but it worked out for you.

Nineteen

Wilder

I got out of my SUV and went into the sheriff’s office. My stomach was rumbling like it knew it was Thanksgiving and it was missing out on a giant feast at my sister’s house. Austen was staying in Crocus Valley with Aggie. Eliot had gone down for the day. Sutton would be there too. They’d have turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, probably the most unhealthy sweet potatoes known to man, and pie. A lot of damn pie.

I was working. And I’d be working the whole weekend.

“Next weekend, Doc.” I juggled the phone as I navigated the hallways to the break room. The courthouse side of the building was dark and would stay that way until Monday.

Savory smells of turkey and stuffing filtered in. Brenda was the dispatcher on duty for the day, and she made sure we were taken care of. The church with thequilting club she belonged to had cooked for us yesterday, and Brenda had been reheating the food. The day was quiet, and the weather was mild. Unless the wind kicked up and blew around the fine snow we’d gotten over the last week, I shouldn’t have to field calls for accidents and stranded vehicles.

“I can’t wait.” She sighed. “It’s been forever.”

Between the ranch and regular work, I hadn’t been able to get to Crocus Valley all of October. I’d gone to all levels of Buffalo Gully football games, and several times, I’d wished I could be in Crocus Valley to see my nephew’s games instead. Then weather had hit like clockwork on my few days off. But since I was working the holiday weekend, I had big plans for Sutton next weekend when I was off.

I stopped before I got to the break room. I put my back to the wall. “Hey, I need to ask you something.”

“What’s that?” A baby cried in the background. Charlie had a set of lungs on her. She might become the family singer instead of a dancer. Or both.

“I’d like to take you out Saturday night.”

“Like, out to eat?”

I stuffed my free hand in my trouser pocket, a sudden case of nerves attacking my stomach. “Yeah. A date. You know, a first date.”

I didn’t want to spell out that I wanted to be her last first date. Our renewed long-distance dating seemed too new to declare that I’d be her last. Deep in my brain, logic tried to intrude.You really think long-term long distance can work? You really think this is what she wants? To grow old together in different zip codes? Different area codes? Different states?

Fuck those thoughts. I didn’t know the answer. Thatwas why we were trying. We each had hope, and that was as good a start as any.

“What are you thinking? For this date?” she asked.

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