Chapter One

Sunday, October 13 th .

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

Travis went into his room the day Olivia Best died and he came out on the following Sunday dressed in his only suit ready to go to her funeral.

At breakfast, he didn't say a word. Drank coffee and didn't eat.

Me and Virge didn't know what the hell to say to him. We never saw nobody with a heart broken so fuckin bad before.

Billy held up a hand cautioning us not to say anything to Travis and we didn't.

I cleared the plates from the table and loaded the dishwasher while Virge sat and stared at his hands.

"Get ready to go to town, boys," said Billy. "We don't want to be late."

Coyote Creek Funeral Home.

A huge crowd turned out for Olivia's service. She had run the Inn for years with her mother and then alone after her mother died. Everyone in Coyote Creek knew the Best family and respected them.

Travis parked his truck, and I parked the Jeep in the spot next to him. Billy rode with Travis to town, but Dad wanted his truck in case he had to leave suddenly, and he probably would. It was best for me and Virge to drive separately so we wouldn't end up stranded when Dad went off the rails and split.

Billy got out of the passenger seat of the truck, and me and Virge caught up to him and Travis and nobody said a word.

Me and Virge never had suits before, but we were wearing them for the funeral. Travis gave the word and Billy drove us to the men's store in Shelby and bought us suits and dress shirts and ties.

Mine was dark blue and Virge picked black. He might have been trying for the mafia boss look, but I wasn't sure. No way I could razz him about it in front of Travis. Our ranch house was in silent mode.

Dad was losing it more every day and there was nothing we could do but watch it happen. He stopped going to work and Billy took over. Billy was calling all the shots at the station.

Molly was worried and so were we.

No word from the bounty hunter mucking around in the swamp in Louisiana looking for Tammy—not yet. That situation was preying on Dad too. Overload coming down on him. No way to stop it.

Inside the funeral chapel, we sat near the back. That was the only spot where there were four seats together.

People from town went up to the front of the chapel and talked about Olivia, telling stories about her and her family and what a fantastic person she was.

All true and that made it all the worse for Travis.

Dad sat beside me with his head down and didn't look up the whole time we were in the chapel.

Olivia was being cremated and her ashes were to be scattered in the Rocky Mountains. She had discussed this with Dad a long time ago when he first moved to Montana and buried his Uncle Carson, and he intended to keep his promise.

The service ended with a prayer and the reception was next. Billy didn't think Travis could manage the reception and neither did me and Virge.

The reception was at the Inn and the assistant manager was taking care of it for Travis. Susan Westfall had taken over managing the Inn the day of Olivia's accident, and Travis was pleased with how well she'd done.

Olivia and Travis were business partners and when Olivia died, her share of the Inn went to Dad, and now we owned the Inn—all of it. Travis wanted everything to stay the same way Olivia ran it, so the staff stayed on, and Susan kept the standards high like Olivia had always done.

We followed the crowd out to the parking lot behind the funeral home and lost track of Travis. "He's probably gone to the truck for a smoke," said Billy. "He'll meet us at the Inn."

I hoped Billy was right.

Coyote Creek Inn.

The tables in the dining room were pushed back against the walls, leaving a large space in the center for people to stand around and talk. At the side of the room closest to the kitchen the buffet table was set up, loaded with sandwiches, desserts and coffee.

"That looks beautiful," said Virge. "Look at all that food. I love those lemon things Olivia used to give us when we ate here."

"Dad can't eat here anymore," I said. "Maybe after a year or so, he'll be able to do it."

Virge made a face. "A whole year before we get roast beef and gravy again?"

"Maybe sooner. See how he handles it."

"Ain't going good so far. Bet he doesn't even show up for the reception."

Billy was in the doorway talking to Ted about something serious but there wasn't any sign of Travis.

"He left the funeral home before us, so he should've been here by now," I said to Virge.

Virgie shrugged. "He went home. Bet you a buck."

"Damn it. He needs to be here."

"Don't look behind you, but that fucker Miller Ravary is here. I wonder if Dad saw him at the funeral home."

"Hope not," I said. "If he sees Ravary at Olivia's funeral or her reception, he's as good as dead."

I didn't know many people who lived in Coyote Creek, so I was happy to see Savanna and Jack come in together. They used to be a couple but now they were only friends.

"Where's Travis?" asked Savanna.

"He hasn't made it yet," said Virge.

"Might not be able to come," I said. "You know how he gets."

Savanna nodded, but Jack drew a blank look.

"I feel so bad for him," said Savanna. "She was turning into the station, so she was obviously coming to see him. So sad."

Something in Savanna's voice ticked me off a tiny bit. Me and Virge both liked her a lot when she lived with us for a while, but this was different. If Virge noticed it, he'd be sure to tell me later. My brother didn't miss much.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

Travis parked behind the house and went in the back way thinking he couldn't leave until the following day when he got the ashes from the crematorium.

He took his suit off and hung it in the closet, then stood and stared at the rest of his clothes wondering what he should take to the mountains.

Might already be too much snow at Uncle Carson's cabin to drive all the way up there. Probably was, but he'd have to wait and see. No barn up the mountain for Outlaw, so he couldn't go. Max and Sarge would be okay to come with him as long as they didn't tangle with any bears.

Bears, cougars and wolves were a danger to the dogs farther up in the mountains. He'd have to take their leashes, along with their food, beds and biscuits.

"I'll need my rifle, and at least one handgun."

I need to make a list.

Picking the biggest duffel he had, Travis tossed it on the bed, then went to the barn to sit with his horse for a while. He had to explain to Outlaw why he couldn't take him to the mountains.

Dry Run Roadhouse.

Dad never showed up at Olivia's reception—the one he organized and paid for, and it was pretty depressing for Billy and me and Virge. Everybody was asking where he was, and we made up shit like he wasn't feeling good and lies like that.

We never told anybody how bad Travis really was. No point doing that. They'd just ask us more questions that we didn't have answers to.

The truth of it was, he'd never been worse, according to Billy who'd lived with our dad longer than us and had seen some really bad shit Dad had done. We were all worried about him.

Billy was like our second dad, so as we were heading north towards the ranch, he told me to wheel into the roadhouse and we'd drink a pitcher before going home.

Jack Johnson, Billy's cousin who owned the roadhouse, was already back from the reception, and he gave us a nod when we walked in and sent a pitcher over to our booth.

Billy gave Jack a wave to thank him and then filled our glasses for us. We were underage drinkers, but Jack overlooked it as long as he didn't get any complaints from other customers.

We hung around a little longer and drank one more pitcher after that, then Billy said it was time to drag our asses home and see if we could sort Travis out.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

Travis wasn't in the house, and neither were the dogs when we got there. Dad's truck was here, so he had to be in the barn. We changed our clothes while Billy turned on the stove and started making us something for dinner.

None of us were too hungry after all the food we ate at the reception. Susan, the manager, packed up a container of leftover sandwiches and dessert squares and sent it home with us.

The first big snowfall was pretty much gone, and the weather hadn't been too cold for the middle of October. We'd had the horses out in the corral a few times and they loved getting out of the barn.

I opened the barn door and Virge went in first. He gave a shout out to Travis, "Hey, Dad, you in here?"

"Yep."

He was sitting on a straw bale in Outlaw's stall. Just sitting there staring at his horse.

"I can't take Outlaw to the mountains."

"We'll take care of him while you're gone, Dad."

He walked out of the stall and headed for the door. "I don't deserve good boys like y'all."