wondered what you were up to.... You were giving Rachel and me time alone.”
“So? I’m a thoughtful sister.” She reached for the knob again.
“Then you won’t mind leaving the damn radio off.”
Sighing, she slumped back. “You’re the only person I know who doesn’t keep CDs in their car.”
He ignored her and flicked on the brights. The moon hid behind an overcast sky and it was pitch-black all around them. “Rachel and I were friends. We used to go swimming at a creek up the hill behind the Lone Wolf.”
“Doesn’t mean she didn’t have the hots for you.”
Matt smiled. “Yeah, we had a mutual appreciation for each other. But mostly, we were friends.”
Nikki groaned. “Did you ever kiss?”
He was finally starting to settle down. “Now how in the hell is that your business?”
“It’s not,” she said, flipping her hair back. “So...did you?”
“Yeah, we kissed. Happy?”
“Tongue?”
“Goddammit, Nikki.”
“Okay,” she said, laughing. “Okay.”
“You guys are gonna get along great. You’re just like her, stubborn as a mule. For weeks Rachel badgered me into going with her to Mill Creek until I finally gave in. It was a damn miracle Wallace never caught me sneaking off.”
“What do you mean? Why would you have to sneak to go anywhere?”
Matt regretted his choice of words. Yeah, she already knew Wallace was the worst kind of father. On the other hand, it might help for her to see she hadn’t missed out on anything. “He was strict. No after-school sports or any activities. I had to come right home and do chores around the ranch. No exceptions.”
“That wasn’t strict—it was mean.” She leaned forward and squinted through the windshield at the upcoming signpost to Blackfoot Falls. He wondered if she realized they were about to turn off onto Lone Wolf land. “Could you have friends over?”
He grunted. “That would’ve been miserable and humiliating.”
“Yeah, good point. What about Cole and Trace and the other brother? You guys were friends. Didn’t you hang out?”
When he made the turn there was no mistaking they were close to the ranch. The air in the cab seemed to change. He could feel Nikki’s tension swelling. Might’ve been his own.
It took him a minute to recall their conversation. “Nah, they were into sports and other things, which was just as well. Wallace doesn’t like many people, but he outright hates the McAllisters.”
“Why? They’re so nice.”
“Who knows? Jealousy, maybe. Until our generation came along the tension went back way before I was born.” He’d unconsciously let up on the accelerator but it hadn’t taken long to see lights. “You know where we are, right?”
“I know,” she said softly. “I just don’t know if I really want to meet him.”
Since he couldn’t fault her for that, he kept his mouth shut and drove. Low voltage security lighting seeped out from the stables and both barns. A few floodlights shined toward the corral and calving shed and several outbuildings scattered way in the back. The bunkhouse was ablaze with light. By now the hands were sucking down booze, playing cards and swapping stories they’d already told a dozen times.
And the old-timers were probably trying their damndest to figure out why the hell Matt Gunderson had come back.
The house itself was fairly dark. There was some light inside, a couple of lamps maybe, the timed night-lights that followed the stairs. But the porch, it was black.
And Wallace’s SUV was nowhere to be seen.
The yellow-bellied prick had left.
* * *
“W HAT ’ S THAT ?” T RACE HAD entered the kitchen through the mudroom, sniffing the air and glancing around in search of the casserole Rachel had pulled out of the oven twenty minutes ago. “Smells like that cheesy chicken lasagna thing.”
Right, except he wasn’t getting his paws on it. “Why are you here and not helping corral the horses? It isn’t even noon.”
He frowned at the cooktop
“So? I’m a thoughtful sister.” She reached for the knob again.
“Then you won’t mind leaving the damn radio off.”
Sighing, she slumped back. “You’re the only person I know who doesn’t keep CDs in their car.”
He ignored her and flicked on the brights. The moon hid behind an overcast sky and it was pitch-black all around them. “Rachel and I were friends. We used to go swimming at a creek up the hill behind the Lone Wolf.”
“Doesn’t mean she didn’t have the hots for you.”
Matt smiled. “Yeah, we had a mutual appreciation for each other. But mostly, we were friends.”
Nikki groaned. “Did you ever kiss?”
He was finally starting to settle down. “Now how in the hell is that your business?”
“It’s not,” she said, flipping her hair back. “So...did you?”
“Yeah, we kissed. Happy?”
“Tongue?”
“Goddammit, Nikki.”
“Okay,” she said, laughing. “Okay.”
“You guys are gonna get along great. You’re just like her, stubborn as a mule. For weeks Rachel badgered me into going with her to Mill Creek until I finally gave in. It was a damn miracle Wallace never caught me sneaking off.”
“What do you mean? Why would you have to sneak to go anywhere?”
Matt regretted his choice of words. Yeah, she already knew Wallace was the worst kind of father. On the other hand, it might help for her to see she hadn’t missed out on anything. “He was strict. No after-school sports or any activities. I had to come right home and do chores around the ranch. No exceptions.”
“That wasn’t strict—it was mean.” She leaned forward and squinted through the windshield at the upcoming signpost to Blackfoot Falls. He wondered if she realized they were about to turn off onto Lone Wolf land. “Could you have friends over?”
He grunted. “That would’ve been miserable and humiliating.”
“Yeah, good point. What about Cole and Trace and the other brother? You guys were friends. Didn’t you hang out?”
When he made the turn there was no mistaking they were close to the ranch. The air in the cab seemed to change. He could feel Nikki’s tension swelling. Might’ve been his own.
It took him a minute to recall their conversation. “Nah, they were into sports and other things, which was just as well. Wallace doesn’t like many people, but he outright hates the McAllisters.”
“Why? They’re so nice.”
“Who knows? Jealousy, maybe. Until our generation came along the tension went back way before I was born.” He’d unconsciously let up on the accelerator but it hadn’t taken long to see lights. “You know where we are, right?”
“I know,” she said softly. “I just don’t know if I really want to meet him.”
Since he couldn’t fault her for that, he kept his mouth shut and drove. Low voltage security lighting seeped out from the stables and both barns. A few floodlights shined toward the corral and calving shed and several outbuildings scattered way in the back. The bunkhouse was ablaze with light. By now the hands were sucking down booze, playing cards and swapping stories they’d already told a dozen times.
And the old-timers were probably trying their damndest to figure out why the hell Matt Gunderson had come back.
The house itself was fairly dark. There was some light inside, a couple of lamps maybe, the timed night-lights that followed the stairs. But the porch, it was black.
And Wallace’s SUV was nowhere to be seen.
The yellow-bellied prick had left.
* * *
“W HAT ’ S THAT ?” T RACE HAD entered the kitchen through the mudroom, sniffing the air and glancing around in search of the casserole Rachel had pulled out of the oven twenty minutes ago. “Smells like that cheesy chicken lasagna thing.”
Right, except he wasn’t getting his paws on it. “Why are you here and not helping corral the horses? It isn’t even noon.”
He frowned at the cooktop
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