“Thanks, Coach.”
We ride along my favorite trail through the forest. Wes, like most of us around here, grew up in a saddle, and he matches me as I urge Blazer into a gallop. The Montana sky is bright blue above us, and the light breeze brings with it the familiar smell of pine trees and cow manure. And then we run into another familiar scene—a few loose cows.
“You up for helping me get them back?” I call out.
He gives me the thumbs-up.
Over the next half hour, the two of us herd the three loose cows back into the adjacent field where they belong.
“I need to fix that damn fence,” I say as we see the broken wire.
We hop off the horses and do a half-ass job of putting the fence back into position. I’ll have to come back tomorrow and finish the job.
We ride King and Blazer into the meadow where I pull up to a walk and Wes follows suit. We tie up the horses to a nearby tree, and I gesture around me to the open expanse with the mountains in the background.
“We live in a slice of paradise, Wes,” I say.
He tugs at the brim of the cowboy hat. “That we do.”
“I made a choice that nothing was more important to me than having a home here in Montana,” I continue as we stroll along the fence line. “But we’re all built differently, and we all need different things.”
“Like your cousins,” he guesses.
“Like them,” I agree. “Dylan wouldn’t have been happy staying here forever. Neither would Colton.” I stop walking and turn to face him. “And neither would you.”
He swallows hard. “But my dad…”
“Needs help. We all know that. I’m working on how I can get more involved.”
“Coach, it’s not your responsibil…”
“And it’s also not yours,” I say firmly. “You can’t help him if he’s drowning you, Wes. All you can do is stay down there with him.”
His face contorts in pain. “I know, but I can’t leave him here alone on Friday. He’s not always this bad, but today’s the anniversary of my mom’s death.”
I put my hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”
He shrugs. “I don’t know what to do. This is a huge game for us, and I don’t want to let down the team.”
“A college scout will be at the game for sure.”
Wes grimaces. “I didn’t know that. I don’t want to miss my shot.”
“Let me see what I can do. Just promise me you’ll focus on the game coming up, and I’ll figure out somebody to watch your dad while we’re gone.”
As we’re talking, I glance to my left. We’re within sight of the neighbor’s land, and I’m reminded of that truck peeling out of here the other day.
I turn toward the Easton’s property, and Wes follows me. As we reach the fence dividing the two ranches, I glance around the area. This part of the neighboring property is around the corner from the main house, and not a soul is in sight.
But as I look at the back corner of the Easton’s field, I notice a mound of dirt that looks freshly made. And in that mound, something shines in the sun. I look more closely. It looks like metal that’s exposed from where the dirt didn’t fully cover it.
I’m immediately suspicious.
“Stay here,” I tell Wes in a low voice. “I want to check on whatever’s underneath that dirt pile.”
“Holy shit.” He stares at me. “You mean like a…”
“Not a body.” I slap his back. “You’ve watched too many thrillers, dude.”
