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Gone was the teasing.
The old man's eyes hardened.
Just for a second.
Then the expression vanished.
Too late.
I saw it.
"You know him."
"Yeah."
The answer was short.
Flat.
Controlled.
I didn't like that either.
"What happened?"
Hank looked toward the pasture.
Toward the road.
Toward anywhere except me.
Which was answer enough.
A knot formed in my stomach.
"How bad?"
The old rancher stayed silent.
A long moment passed.
Wind rustled the trees.
Cattle lowed somewhere in the distance.
Finally, Hank sighed.
The sound carried years of regret.
"Bad enough."
Something cold settled in my chest.
"What does that mean?"
"It means my daughter stopped smiling for almost a year."
That hit harder than I expected.
