Rugged Hearts by Amanda McIntyre Page A

he’d share the credit with his mother, who’d taught him on Christmas what believing in love would get you.
    The phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
    “Hey, Wyatt. Glad you’re up. How much snow you’d get up there?”
    “Two, maybe three inches. Not as bad as it could have been.” It was Rein again.
    “Sounds like it will be soon enough,” his brother stated. “I’ve got good news and bad. What do you want first?”
    He took another sip of his coffee and made himself comfortable against the kitchen counter. “The bad.” Wyatt preferred to face life’s difficulties head-on, as long as they weren’t packaged in the female form.
    “Hmm, kinda figured as much.” He chuckled. “So the good news is we’ve just about closed the deal on the sale.”
    Wyatt’s lip curled in a half smile. “Okay, so now the bad.”
    “Apparently the storm that dumped ‘not too bad’ on you picked up in intensity as it came down through the Midwest.”
    Wyatt straightened and his instinctive protectiveness for his brothers kicked in. “You guys are all right?”
    “Oh yeah, we’re fine. But the airport here has grounded all small planes until the storm passes. We’ve heard rumors of a possible second wave hitting. Bottom line, we’re not sure when we can get out to fly home.”
    “It’s a few days to Christmas. I wouldn’t worry about it. Your safety is what comes first. I can handle things around here and if I need help, I’ll call in a favor or two. Sadie and I will be fine.”
    “Yeah, I wonder if you’d do me a favor. Check on the cabins for me, make sure nothing is leaking and no critters have gotten in.”
    “Sure, I can do that,” Wyatt promised. Since his return, Rein alone had embraced his uncle’s dream of building small cabins to rent out to those who needed a place to rebuild their lives. He believed, as Jed had, that the hard work and satisfaction of getting your hands dirty could be a catalyst in turning what seemed a hopeless life, into something productive. Perspective, Jed used to say, can make all the difference in a person’s life. Though Wyatt was still skeptical of the premise, he envied Rein’s determination and skill in completing one cabin at a time, preparing them for the day when he’d have Wyatt’s blessing to move on with Jed’s dream. It was a topic filed under tolerant at best, much the same as Rein’s insistence Wyatt get out more and socialize. Dalton was Mr. Social enough for the both of them.
    “I heard from Tyler they haven’t got a tree yet for the town lighting.” Rein let the news slip.
    “Then let Tyler take care of it,” Wyatt remarked.
    “I was thinking maybe….”
    “I know what you were thinking. I’ve got enough to do with taking care of the ranch while you two gallivant around the country.” He gulped down the remainder of his now-cold coffee and smiled. The argument between them was friendly, most times, and he considered Rein a brother as much as Dalton, but there were times when he pushed a little too hard. Deep down, Wyatt knew he meant well, but Rein needed to let him work out his own issues. “Bottom line,” he used Rein’s business jargon, “don’t worry about me. We’ve been over this and I’m not Jed. Can we just leave it at that?” Wyatt turned and rinsed out his cup.
    There was a silence on the phone.
    “Look, Rein, I appreciate you seem to have found a way to accept your past and move on in your way.”
    “How long are you going to use the past as your crutch, Wyatt?”
    Wyatt’s jaw twitched under the strain of his clenched teeth. “At least you knew your father and didn’t have a mother that planned to leave you.” Shit . He could’ve attributed his snarled response to a lack of sleep, but as usual, Rein had skirted too close to the truth. “Listen, I understand and I’m working on it, okay? But give it a rest, especially about the tree. I have a lot of work today and a class starting tonight.”
    “Hey, that’s great.