When they were done, Wolfe headed home, and Millie went to bed, leaving only Blade and Dakota. They sat outside on the porch under the night sky. The sun had set, and Blade had lit a lantern and placed it on the small wooden table that stood on the porch.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Dakota asked.
Blade tilted his head to the side. “You mean with Millie now that Margaret’s gone?”
“Yeah,” Dakota confirmed with a nod.
“I don’t know. I mean, she’s eighteen, and I know she is capable of taking care of herself and the house, but I can’t help but worry.”
“Do you get to keep the house?”
Blade hadn’t even thought about that. The house belonged to Margaret. He knew she had a will drawn up years ago when she first found out about her heart, but he had no idea what it said.
“I don’t know,” he said again. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
“You can always move back to the ranch. I mean, you’re both old enough to live on your own now.”
At the mention of the ranch, Blade looked in that direction. It belonged to him, but since he was so young when his parents died, there were a lot of technicalities. For one, he and Millie were too young to live on their own; that was why Margaret had taken them in. The next problem was that the place had been ransacked, and all their money and valuables had been stolen. The money that his father had in the bank was still there. In his father’s will, it stated that when he died, the money should be split between his wife, if she was still alive, and his three children.
Blade’s stomach twisted at the thought of Annie. It’s not like he actively tried to forget about her, but remembering her hurt too much. Both Blade and Millie had physical and emotional scars that they carried with them, but they were alive. Annie, their younger sister, had not survived.
“They won’t put the property in my name until I’m twenty-one,” Blade reminded her.
Dakota shook her head. “That’s what they said when you were ten. I’m sure Wolfe can help get it sorted so that you and Millie can at least live there.”
“Maybe,” Blade agreed. “I’m not sure if Millie would be all right living there, though.”
“She still hasn’t gone back inside, has she?”
“No.” Blade shook his head. “And I don’t want her to do anything she’s not comfortable with.”
“I wish things were simpler, but whatever happens, I’m here for both of you.”
Blade smiled at Dakota. “You always have been.” It was true. Out of all the people in the world, Blade knew that he could always count on Dakota to have his back.
“So,” he said, changing the subject, “on a completely different note, I have something interesting to tell you.”
Dakota’s face lit up. “What is it?”
Blade took the badge out of his jeans pocket and handed it to her. “Wolfe made me deputy.”
“Are you serious?” she asked, looking between Blade and the badge in her hand.
“Sure am. I couldn’t believe it, but Wolfe is convinced that it is a good idea, and I have no reason to decline.”
Dakota leaned closer and pinned the badge to Blade’s shirt. “It suits you.”
***
“Where have you been?” Dakota’s aunt asked as she stepped into the house. “You missed dinner again.”
“Sorry,” Dakota said, even though she wasn’t sorry at all. “Margaret Garrison passed away this afternoon, so I was helping Blade and Millie.”
Her aunt hesitated for a second. “Still, you could have at least told me. I was worried.”
Dakota didn’t believe her aunt’s words. The woman didn’t care about her, never had. She simply enjoyed finding reasons to fight with Dakota.
“Sorry,” Dakota said again. “It slipped my mind, but I’ll be sure to tell you next time.” Being friendly with her aunt wasn’t easy, and apologizing when she didn’t mean it went against everything Dakota believed in, but she was tired and really not in the mood for a fight.
