He turned and approached the table. “My brother will never be referred to as garbage. I only wonder why you let him call you 'mom'.
“Because I’ve raised him along with my son. He didn’t understand why he didn’t have a mother. Conner’s a sweet kid with a gentle heart. I refused to break his heart by telling him his mother didn’t want him. I love him as much as my own,” she confessed. “I won’t let you take him without a fight.”
“He’s a Wolfe. According to Dad’s letter, he hoped one of us might take him. Only then did he list you as an option,” he said firmly, not liking her tone.
“Jeremiah assumed you’d never return to this mountain. He built you up in Connor’s mind, making you all sound like heroes to a little boy. I’ll admit I’msurprised to see you, but can you tell me honestly you want the responsibility of a child? You can’t walk away whenever it suits you and change your number,” she spat.
Owen closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.
“Listen, I know I’ve made mistakes, including leaving you without a single word. I owe you an apology, and I know it comes ten years too late. Conner’s a Wolfe, and I won’t let this family be torn apart again by Dad’s actions.”
She swiped angrily at the tears forming. They made plans for a future, and she grew up on this mountain alongside him and his brothers. Yet, he didn’t care how it tore her apart.
“What do you want to know?” she choked out. “It’s best if we keep this conversation for another day. After all, you’re limited on time since you must make the funeral arrangements. I laid out his blue suit and the tie Conner gave him. There’s a picture on the fireplace mantel. It’s a picture of all of you, and Conner added his and Tucker’s heads to the photo for Father’s Day. Your dad loved it. I suggest you add it to the casket. The boys loved your dad, and he spent a lot of time with them.”
Nodding, Owen said, “I appreciate your help.” When the coffee finished brewing, he set it in front of her and added two sugars and a dab of cream. “Maybe we can call a truce for now? I want you to tell me how you found my father and what happened. Healways stayed fit despite his drinking. He walked the mountain every day. Did he stop? It’s hard to believe he suffered a heart attack.”
“I don’t believe he did,” she said quietly. “It seems too coincidental. Jeremiah brought Conner to the house, asked me to watch him for a couple of days, and told me not to bring him home until he called me.”
“He didn’t say why?” Owen asked, sipping his coffee.
“McGowen Hotels and Resorts approached him about six months ago and made an offer on Wolfe Mountain. At first, Jeremiah refused, adamant he wanted to leave it to his sons. Two months later, he told me he hired a local surveyor, Drake Fowler, to estimate how much the land might be worth. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to ensure our future.”
“Your future?” he asked, confused.
“He wanted me to adopt Conner. Jeremiah petitioned the court to terminate Conner’s mother’s rights. Since his mother never came forward, they rendered her rights terminated, leaving the path open for me to adopt him. Jeremiah was constantly asking me to move to the mountain, then all of a sudden, he changed his mind.”
“Did you fight?”
“No. Jeremiah worried because of his age, he didn’t want Conner left alone. Since none of youstayed in contact, I became the best choice. I don’t know what caused him to change his mind. When he dropped Conner off at my house, he left for Gunny’s. When he returned, he seemed less stressed, but he didn’t want Conner here.”
“Conner mentioned he found him,” Owen admitted.
“When he didn’t take Conner home, Jeremiah never failed to call every night and talk to the boys and say good night. Two nights went by, and we didn’t hear from him. I drove up to check on him, bringing the boys. The barns needed tending, and I found the cows still in the pasture. Something felt off. He always did the chores first thing in the morning. We walked up the east trail, knowing his fondness for watching the sunrise. When we didn’t see him, we started down the west trail. We got to the rocky path, and, as usual, the boys ran ahead. Conner saw him first. He screamed my name, and I saw him lying there…”
Owen took her hand as she let out a shaky breath and grew misty-eyed.
“His hand lay across his chest, and a rock lay beside him, covered in blood. The sheriff suggested he suffered from chest pains, stumbled and fell, hitting his head on the rock,” she told him.
“But you don’t believe it?” he asked.
“I grew up here. We’ve hiked the trails at least three times a week. The rock Jeremiah hit his headon contained limestone. The area contains granite. The limestone comes from near the canyons.”
Owen’s eyes grew wide as he gazed at her.
“Did you tell the police?”
Leslie bit her lip. “Sheriff Dalton didn’t see any significance in it. He claimed one of the boys brought it down on one of their many hikes. After all, the resort closed years ago, and who else visited?”
“None of his sons bothered to come,” Owen said, regretfully.
“They took him to the coroner for an autopsy. I suspect you’ll get the results back soon. Something tells me, it’ll say he died from a heart attack.”
“Damn,” he swore under his breath. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
She peered at him angrily and rose. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in ten years. If you recall our last conversation, I asked you not to do anything rash. Everyone hurt when your Mom died. The boys didn’t understand and wanted someone to blame. Yes, they said hurtful things, but they realized their mistake. Jeremiah set them straight and paid for his part. They needed you, Owen. I needed you. You walked away and changed your number, making it clear you didn’t want any part of your family or me. What makes me think you’d possibly believe me when I tell you I don’t believe Jeremiah’s cause of death? He loved this mountain. It’s his family legacy. You know he hiked it every day. If I know, who else does?”
Owen staredat the woman in front of him. He saw the pain he inflicted upon her and felt like an ass. She gave valid points. Would he have believed her? Yes, because she never gave him reason not to. Leslie’s account of his dad’s actions and the timing of his death seemed coincidental to him, too.
