“When’d you change the passcode?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my brow.
“Yesterday.”
“Thanks for the heads up.”
A grunt.
“Figured you chose something more creative than our football numbers.”
Ryder pulled the bridle and changed course, his focus singularly on his herd. I did the same and took a second to look my younger brother over.
Dark circles faded a pair of aqua-blue eyes that once sparkled with energy. His face, neck and arms were a deep bronze from spending all his time outdoors. His brown hairwas unkempt and shaggy, curling just below his ears. He’d trimmed his beard since I’d seen him last, but if I had to guess, it wasn’t in an attempt to improve his appearance. It was to let his face breathe during this insane heatwave blasting through the mountains. New scrapes and cuts streaked his arms, probably from mending fences all day.
Ryder was a full-time rancher, hermit, and avoider of any human contact. Ten years in federal prison tended to have that effect on people. I’d done my best when he’d gotten out. Visited every day, tried to drag him to the bar, suggested a vacation, all I could think to do. No dice. Ryder was nothing like the brother I once knew. Not that I would know, really, because he never spoke about his time behind bars or about what had put him there in the first place.
Never spoke about much anymore.
I pulled the bound stack of mail from the waistband of my pants.
“Mail.”
He caught it midair and shoved it into his saddlebag without a glance. Can’t blame him—every envelope was a solicitation. Two days after Ryder got out, he’d bought a sprawling ranch on the edge of town, confirming what I’d already suspected: he’d built a decent nest egg before his world went sideways.
Every Friday morning, I made the twenty-mile drive down those dusty country roads to bring his mail. We both knew it wasn’t about the envelopes—it was about checking in. Making sure he was still standing.
But tonight, I had another reason to be here.
“Missed you at Lieutenant Seagrave’s funeral,” I said.
“I was busy.”
I glanced around the fields. “I can see that.”
A second slid past.
“I need a favor.”
“You? Or the woman you’ve got sitting in your Jeep?”
My brow cocked. Never underestimate the eye of my brother.
“Do you still own that cabin on the lake?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“I need it.”
“You got it.”
Relief washed over me. Ryder had changed so much in the last year, I wasn’t sure if the best friend I used to have would be willing to help me out. Good to know loyalty never dies.
“Is this on the books, or off?” He asked.
“Off. Don’t tell anyone we’re there.”
A quick nod. “Keys are in the house, blue keychain. There’s no running water or electricity on right now. I can call tomorrow?—”
“No. I don’t want anyone knowing we’re there. There’s something else, though. I need to leave her dogs with you for a while if that’s alright? You still have the kennels?”
