“If you say so,” Cal replied, a bit jovially.But he’d turned his attention to Nate, lounging in the chair in the living room.“You’re awfully quiet.Is it all feeling a bit impending doom for you?”
Nate lifted his gaze to Cal’s, in thatblank, military way he had.But there wasn’t that bleakness behind it there sometimes was.
Landon figured Nate had learned how to use his blank like a weapon.Particularly against Cal who didn’t know what to do if someone didn’t have a sore spot for him to exploit.
“You know, you could just be happy for him instead of trying to find someone to piss off,” Nate said equitably.
Ostensibly shutting Cal up.
Landon smiled in spite of himself.That wasn’t something he thought he’d be doing in either of his brother’s presences a year ago, let alonebothof them.
Sometimes it felt like a bit of a curse, but today it felt like a miracle.Maybe everything around marrying Aly felt like a miracle.Maybe that meant it was his turn to make some people uncomfortable.
He turned to face his brothers.“I’m glad you’re both here.”
Cal snorted.“Liar.”
Landon shook his head.“No.Not lying.I’m glad you’re here.It’s a symbol.It means something.That we’re here and he’s not.That we’re…” Landon wasn’t one for speeches, for sentiment, for any of this.
But it was his wedding day, and when he told Aly about this later, she’d be proud of him.It’d be something like another wedding gift.So he said the rest.
“Maybe I can’t ensure everything from here on out is good.We certainly can’t erase all the bad.But we can be together.We can be brothers.A family.It can be a foundation for a lot lessbadin all our futures.”
His brothers looked at him with a mixture of surprise and discomfort.
And Landon figured that was gift enough.
*
Sam couldn’t helpbut feel awkward and out of place.She wasn’t used to getting dressed up for starters or walking around the Bennet Ranch in heels.She wouldn’t be any help with getting Aly ready, so she’d offered to greet the minister and get the ranch hands situated and whatnot.Then when Jill had shown up with Glenda in tow, Sam had also agreed to keep an eye on Glenda.
It was getting close to time.The minister was situated, most of the ranch hands were milling around the chairs they’d help set up, talking to each other in their western best, some with significant others.The florist was still fiddling with the flowers festooned around a rustic archway Aly had thrifted, but she was clearly getting it figured out and almost done.
Once Aly was ready, the boys would come out, and then it would all start.Sam stood next to Glenda, lost in her own thoughts and not really paying attention to the older woman.
At first.
Eventually, she started to realize Glenda was studying her.Sam wasn’t someone to back down from a study.
Even if Glenda was an… uncomfortable presence sometimes, with her eerie light-green eyes and intense, sustained eye contact.The not speaking and the never being quite surewhatwas going on in that stubborn head of hers.Still, Sam wouldn’t be made to feel uncomfortable.
Not when it was clearly the point.A point she almost envied.
Sam didn’t know if Glenda had surmised what Jill had asked of Honor’s Edge.She didn’t know what Glenda thought about anything, but Sam knew one thing for certain.
If Glenda just came clean about all the stuff she was no doubt keeping under wraps, Jill and probably Cal and maybe a few other people could stop living like there was a guillotine waiting to come down on their neck.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”Sam said to Glenda, gesturing at the archway.
Glenda grunted.
“It’s amazing what beautiful things can happen when the truth is brought to light,” Sam offered pointedly.No use being subtle.
“Some secrets…” Glenda said in that scratchy voice that hadoccasionallyhaunted Sam’s nightmares since the trial, “are sacred.”
Sacred.That was a hell of a word to choose.It made Sam… uncomfortable.Because she always followed the truth, even the uncomfortable ones.It worked out.The truth set a person free.Lies and secrets never did anything but warp and hurt.
But what made a secretsacred?She looked at Glenda, who wasn’t meeting her gaze anymore, but looking ahead.Detached.Like she wasn’t really here at all.
