"Why would he?"
Brandon comes from the kitchen and sets down two plates. I offer a small smile and a thank you, which probably isn't good enough because I used to work here and genuinely liked Brandon, but I can't give any more than that right now.
"Jo, I think you need to look a little closer. The story that Wyatt's sleeping with his best friend's wife? That's all it might be. A story."
"What makes you so certain?"
"Wyatt may be a bit… unconventional, but he has a set of steel values, and they don't include what this town has convinced themselves he's capable of."
"Then why won't he defend himself? And Sara? She's taking the brunt of the gossip, too."
Dakota shrugs. "I don't have all the answers. Just the evidence."
Colt stirs, and Dakota gazes down at him, making kissing sounds. His eyes remain locked on her face, his expression unchanged. Dakota makes a big, dramatic face, and I startle. Colt's eyes grow big and his lips turn up into a smile.
And then Dakota starts to cry. Her reaction is so opposing that it takes me a moment to understand she's not happy.
"What's wrong," I ask, rubbing her shoulder. I don't think I've ever seen Dakota cry.
She swipes a finger under each eye and wipes them on her jeans. "I'm worried about Colt."
I'm not an expert by any means, but a cursory glance tells me he isn't displaying any obvious signs of a problem. "What are you worried about?"
She tips her head, her sigh soft and full of sadness. "He doesn't turn toward my voice. He should be doing that by now. He doesn't respond unless my expression changes in a big way."
Oh.That's what she was doing when she turned her kissing sounds into something overly expressive.
"Can you imagine what Wes will say if Colt has a hearing impairment? What if he's completely deaf? Wes's heart is set on passing the HCC down to his son."
For generations, the HCC has gone to the firstborn Hayden son.
"Dakota, I don't think you need to worry about Wes's feelings toward Colt. Wes loves that kid as ferociously as anyone would guess Wes Hayden would love his son. Look at his example. Beau has three sons who are different people, and he loves them the same."
Dakota stops crying and looks at me. "You think Beau loves his boys the same?"
"It seems that way from the outside."
She looks down and strokes Colt's cheek. "Beau loves his sons, nobody can dispute that, but I would never say he loves them the same."
"What do you mean?" I'm not sure if I want to know, but my curiosity doesn't stop me. I've been coexisting with the Hayden family for a long time, and they were always a bit like royalty. Shiny and pretty, something spectacular to look at. Hearing of their dysfunction takes a bit of shine off, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
"You call Wyatt a scoundrel, but he didn't get to be the man he is all on his own. Just like you didn't get to be so independent and stubborn without some help along the way."
I give her comment a few seconds to sink in, then ignore it. "As far as Colt's hearing is concerned, impairment or not, he can be a cowboy. He can inherit the HCC."
Dakota's gaze drifts down to Colt. "I know. I shouldn't get so worked up, anyway. This is what I get for going on the internet instead of going to the doctor."
"Are you going to make him an appointment?"
She nods, her lips pursed.
"Dakota, I've known the Hayden family for fifteen years. I may not know their insides as well as you do, but I've been seeing their outsides for a long time, and if there's one thing I know, it's that they take care of their own. If Colt needs help, nothing will stop Wes or Beau, or even Warner and Wyatt, from making certain he gets the best of the best."
Dakota nods. "The Hayden men move mountains for those they love."
"Yes, they do."
We finish lunch, and when I drive home, Dakota's words echo through my mind. Is moving mountains the same as coming to Wildflower, working to physical exhaustion, and then doing it again the next day?
