3. Chapter 3 - Cade
“I just wanted to wish you a happy Halloween.” Mom’s voice crackles through the speakers. “Your dad and I are staying with Mason for a while to, um, well, we missed the ranch.” She almost sounds like she’s trying to hurry off the line.
“I know he got remarried, Mom,” I sigh. I appreciate that she’s trying not to say anything. “And he has more kids. Are you there to see them?”
She’s silent for a long time. “You’ve never asked,” she whispers. “What changed?”
That makes me pause. Is it just because I didn’t expect him to move on?
Or is there a trace of jealousy over this new life he’s leading when I’m still stuck in the past?
But as I sit in this tiny mother-in-law’s apartment over Pete’s garage and stare down at the photos of the two dead men who were hired to run Black Gulch cows over a cliff, a part of me longs for the comfort and safety that family gives.
“I don’t know, Mom. It’s been a long time. Maybe I need to pull my head out of my ass and move on.” Running my palm over my face doesn’t erase the gory images I’m looking at.
“Don’t talk like that. Everyone deals with trauma differently. But if you ever decide to come visit, I’m sure Mason would welcome you.” She gives a small hum at the end.
It’s her tell when she’s lying. After all these years, she still can’t hide the truth.
My brother still hates me.
“Thanks, Ma. But I think keeping my distance is safest.” There hasn’t been enough time passed to make me forget the pain and anger in his voice during our last phone call.
It was the day after the accident. When I was lying in a hospital bed, dealing with the loss of Ava and the crushing guilt over causing him to lose his wife, he called to tell me he never wanted to see me again.
To be honest, I don’t know if I can look him in the eye. I’ve held that bitter self loathing in my chest for over a decade. It’s a part of me, just like the scars I carry.
“One day, I want all of my babies back under one roof.” Her soft sigh betrays the ache she must be feeling.
“Maybe. But not anytime soon. I’m glad you get to visit. How long are you going to be in Montana?” Should I tell her I’m here too and only a few miles away?
Not yet.
The only thing I have going for me on this investigation is that no one else besides Pete knows I’m here. I can use that to my advantage.
“We’re going to stay for a while. At least through the holidays. With all of the new babies—” Her teeth snap with an audible click. “Son, how much can I talk?”
Now it’s my turn to sigh. “Tell me everything. I’m done sticking my head in the sand.” In a strange way, it may even help with finding the motive behind everything being aimed at the ranch.
Or that’s my way of coping with not being a part of the family.
Somedays, I miss them. Hell, most days.
As Mom starts to fill in the gaps, telling me all about Mason’s new wife and the family he’s building, it makes me wish even more I was a part of it.
Nephews and nieces I’ve never met?
“Even Ford found love, after everything that happened with him,” she trails on.
“Wait, what happened to him?” I know he’s always been Mason’s right hand, even when we were teenagers.
“Oh, honey. That’s a really long story and I don’t know all of the details.” There’s a tremor behind her words.
My mom is one of the strongest women I know. For it to rattle her, it had to be bad.
I jot a note to do some research on his history. What if something he got tied up in followed him to my brother’s place?
Ford has always been rough around the edges. Mason had to pick him up from the bar when they were younger more times than I can count. I’m pretty sure my brother bailed him out more than once as well.
The two dead bodies in the thick-ass file in front of me can attest that he won’t go down easy. But I did read enough of the report to agree with what he did. I’d have probably done the same in his shoes.
Fuck, this is going to take months to go through all of the evidence.
My screen lights up with Pete’s name.
“Mom, I’m sorry, I have to go. It’s work calling.” I might be wrong. He could be asking if I want to come down for a beer.
Either way, I’m just about topped out with how much McCullough family past I can absorb tonight.
“Love you. Can I call you again at Thanksgiving?” The hopeful lilt at the end makes it impossible to say ‘no’.
“Of course, Ma. I’ll talk to you then.” When I hang up I take a moment to pull in a remorseful inhale.
Then swipe to accept on the exhale.
“Cade? Seems luck is on our side,” Pete chuckles. “The sheriff just called me. Apparently Max Simmons tried to kidnap Elena Evans right out from under Wade’s nose.”
“Well, that was brilliant,” I quip dryly. “Is he in custody?”
“Yep. Your nephew tackled him down behind Hilltop bar.” As he laughs, my thoughts wander to the gangly ten year old I remember.
“Sawyer?” Shit. It’s hard to picture him as an adult.
Pete sighs. “Yes, Cade. I don’t exactly hang out for coffee with your lot, but Wade keeps me fairly appraised of what everyone is up to. It sounds like Sawyer has grown up with a good head on his shoulders.”
That doesn’t surprise me. Mason was always a great father.
He shouldn’t have had to raise those kids on his own.
God damn this whole situation is hard to stomach. Everything I’ve tried to get away from and bury in the past is hitting me with both barrels.
“Cade?” Pete huffs. “I’m gonna let you go. After Wade gets Max booked tomorrow, I’ll get us in there to talk to him later next week.”
“Yea, that sounds good.” Standing, I stretch my legs, working out the ache that always takes hold in my knees when I sit too long.
I guess no matter how far I run, I still have that night plaguing me.
Every flip of the page in that hefty folder tells me that I’m here for a reason.
This might be my chance to finally open the door to start healing the wound between me and the rest of my family.