9. Will
9
WILL
"Here a month and he has already got himself a date with the Mayor's daughter . Damn, big brother, it's almost inspirational," Case says as we drag another roll of the old and dusty carpet that was probably older than Cap out the front door.
The suggestion about hiring a floor buffer from the Cozy Corner Furniture shop was genius. They were delighted to be able to help, the sales assistant Joan couldn't stop raving about Birdie either. I'd be a fool to let the woman slip through my fingers a second time—if you count my screw-up with her phone number, that is.
It's just one date, Will .
Yeah, except the woman is so intriguing, alluring, gorgeous, funny, and gives back as good as she gets. She's also honest as the day is long and if I mess it up again, I'll be kicking my own behind.
Dating wasn't on my to-do list when we moved here. My main focus has always been to get the ranch up and running, however long that takes. Birdie just happens to be an unexpected but no less appreciated happenstance.
Case and I add the carpet on top of the growing trash pile next to the garage with a unified grunt before making our way back inside. At the same time, Sutton and Jude pass us with another heavy roll on their shoulders.
"Heard from her yet?" Case asks not so discretely.
"We talkin' about the mayor's daughter again?" Sutton says, stopping at the top of the stairs and joining us as we take a small break.
Jude snickers. "When are we not talkin' about Birdie Walker lately."
I arch a brow. "I haven't been that bad, have I?"
Sutton shoulder bumps me. "Nah. But it has been a good few hours since I heard you say her name. That's progress."
My head drops with a groan. "Sorry. I just figured after her visit last weekend, she'd have been in contact by now but it's been five days and still nothin'."
Jude cocks his head. "Is she the type to dish out a taste of your own medicine? You didn't use her number for five days, so?—"
"The washin' machine ate it. That wasn't my fault," I explain. "I confessed all when she turned up at my door with her dad. That's why I don't think she's that kind of person."
"Agreed," Case replies. "She seems sweet and sassy. A good person, for sure.
I nod. "She strikes me as someone who values honesty and directness." I remember how she spoke her mind during our first meeting. "If she hasn't reached out, there must be a reason. I swear that's not just my ego talkin' either." But uncertainty gnaws at me and I'm back to second-guessing every interaction we've had.
Sutton claps me on the back. "Relax, man. Maybe she's just playing hard to get."
Jude chuckles. "Or maybe she's waiting for you to make the first move— again— since you missed your chance the first time around."
"Where does she work again? Just the tavern?"
I shake my head. "There's the Falls Pan and Grill."
"The fancy Michelin-starred restaurant we saw the other day?" Case says, looking puzzled.
"Yep."
"I remember Randy sayin' she worked for her Dad and another lawyer too," Sutton adds.
"I think that's Micah. The lawyer, I mean," I confirm.
"She sounds like a workaholic? That sounds familiar," Case says, shooting me a pointed look. "No wonder you two got along."
"I'm a recoverin' workaholic, thank you very much" I snark, finding myself being laughed at by my brothers.
"Hmm, very much a work in progress there. I'd say you were on a one-way trip to burnout before Gramps passed. Am I right?" Sutton is far too intuitive for his own good, but I'm not about to confirm his suspicions.
"Ah, kindred spirits then. No wonder you're so hooked on her," Case muses.
I shrug. "Maybe. It just feels so different to anythin' I've ever experienced before. I've dated–"
"Haven't known you to have a woman in your life since high school, Will. Is that what you call datin'?" Sutton shoots me a skeptical look.
"That's because I was busy buildin' my business and securin' my future," I reply a little defensively.
"Hey, it's not like any of the rest of us have been hittin' home runs in the love department either. I'm just brainstormin', that's all," Sutton says.
"You think Birdie's different?" Jude says, circulating back to what I said.
"There's just somethin' about her that makes me know it's goin’ to be worth the effort to get to know her better. I can't explain it because I don't understand it myself, but everythin' seems brighter and clearer when she's around."
"Damn, our man here sounds smitten," Case chuckles. "Maybe there is something in the Alaskan air like Gramps used to tell us.
"Can't be smitten before a first date," I say, not sure whether I believe that either.
"That's exactly why we should go find your Birdie and pin her down for this overdue date," Case says, all amusement gone. He looks like he's a man on a mission now, which both thrills and scares me.
I feel Sutton's eyes on me and turn to meet them. "Sutt?"
"I'm right about the burnout thing though, aren't I?"
"Why do you say that?" I ask.
"Cause the way you looked and acted at that lawyer's meeting compared to now is like night and day. And if anyone knows what a man at the end of his tether looks like, it's me. I see so much of it these days," he explains.
I nod, my throat tightening at my admission. Thankfully, Jude speaks up, saving me from having to.
"Do you think Gramps knew, and that's why he sent us here for two years?" he ponders out loud.
Why Gramps wanted us to move here and why he stipulated a two-year minimum stay is still a mystery to all of us. We've been looking for clues around the house since we arrived. But as of right now, we haven't found anything. Which means we're all still in the dark.
"I'm still hopin' that we'll get some sort of sign from Gramps that'll let us know. Until then, we've got work to do if we're ever goin’ to stop sneezin' from the dust," I say, jerking my head toward the house. "Starting in Case's room. If we buckle down now, we should have it livable again tomorrow. Well, a little bit, anyway."
"What are we waitin' for then? Let's get finished up inside and then tonight, we'll head into town and do a bit of bird watchin'," Case says with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"You better not be talkin' about Birdie," I growl as I follow him back inside.
"I think it's cute," Sutton replies. "Birdie– bird watchin' . It's clever."
"You would. You share a brain sometimes," I mutter.
"Callin' her a bird could also be seen as derogatory, don't you think?" Jude asks.
Case's eyes widen and he's already shaking his head from side to side when his gaze meets mine. "I didn't mean it like that . Jeez. I may joke around but I respect women. A lot ."
"OK. I'm probably a bit sensitive when it comes to her anyway," I admit.
"Because you like her," Sutton teases.
"Birdie and Willy-Will sittin' in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G." By the time Jude gets to the first S, the twins have joined in, all of us laughing and roughhousing each other as we reach Case's room and take in the worn floorboards.
"We'll start pullin' the staples out of the wood, then we can get to sandin'," I say, stepping inside. Just as I reach the far corner near the closet door, a floorboard underneath one of my feet flexes a little too much. After shifting sideways, I adjust my footing. My eyes drop to the faulty wood panel. It's a different color to the others but since the room was carpeted, it wasn't noticeable.
"What are you lookin' at?" Jude asks, coming up beside me just as I nudge the board again with the toe of my working boot.
I nod to the ground. "It's loose and looks different from the rest."
"Gramps was a bit of a hoarder," Sutton replies dryly as he joins us. "Maybe it's another hidey-hole."
Case moves in, closing the circle as we all look down at the ground.
"So, it calls to reason that he'd have more hidin' places around the house. There will likely be some of them we never find," Sutton continues.
I jerk my eyes his way. "Are you sayin' that our time here might end up bein' like a giant treasure hunt?"
Sutton shrugs. "I can think of worse things we could find. Imagine if he was into taxidermy and we had to deal with stuffed dead animals lookin' at us everywhere."
Case shudders. "Hard pass on that. I'll accept many things but a house full of animals watchin' me all the time? Nope, nuh uh. Never. That's a surefire way to get me back to the Bay Area before our two years are up."
"I think we'd all be hitchin' a ride with you," I reply with a snicker, trying to shake off the image of a house full of stuffed animals. Each to their own but not on this ranch. "How 'bout we stop guessin' and just see what the deal is with this floor, yeah? Any volunteers?"
All of us step back like we're being tasked with disarming a bomb, not lifting a floorboard.
"I'll do it. If it's a livin' creature—" Jude starts.
"Or a dead one," Case replies deadpan, cutting him off.
Jude nods. "That too. I've probably got the strongest constitution out of all of us."
"Cause you're the one we picked on the most as a kid?" Case adds with a snort.
That puts a smirk on our younger brother's face. "There is that."
"OK, enough with the suspense buildin'. Are we lookin' or not?" Sutton says, staring at the floor as Jude kneels and takes the offered hammer out of my hand.
"If you just start at one end–" I tell him, stopping when he spears me with a pointed look.
"I do know what I'm doin', Will," Jude sighs.
I wave him off, gesturing for him to continue. I swear you could hear a pin drop for how quiet the damn room is as Jude starts prying the floorboard free.
"Maybe it's just a storage space Gramps forgot about," he ponders.
"Or maybe it's where he stashed his secret fortune!" Case exclaims, always the one with the wild ideas.
We share a look, a mix of excitement and skepticism dancing in our eyes as Jude reveals a small compartment underneath with an old-looking yellow envelope placed inside a plastic bag.
"I'm bettin' that it's money," Case says, rubbing his hands together. Maybe we'll have enough for Will to treat Birdie to that fancy restaurant."
"Doubt it," I snort, not that I won't take her to the Falls Pan and Grill, I just don't think Gramps would stash money away.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Sutton says as he reaches for the envelope.
He pulls it out carefully and dusts it off before getting back to his feet. The envelope is aged and dirty and looks like it's been in there for a good long while. The handwriting on the front has faded with time but there's no mistaking it, it's definitely Gramps's scrawl.
"Are we goin' to stand here and try and see through it with our non-existent x-ray vision, or are we goin' to read it?" Case asks eagerly, leaning over Jude's shoulder to get a better look.
"OK. Give me a minute," Jude says, carefully opening one corner of the tab and slowly putting it open.
"To my grandsons. If you're readin' this, it means my time on earth, time on this land of ours, is over. I don't want you to be sad, because if my last day has been and gone, know that I lived it without regret, which is the very thing I wish for all of you as well," he reads. "I also know that if you're readin' this, you're rippin' my house to shreds to make it all your own. That thought alone will make this old man smile from wherever I'm watchin' down on you from."
He reads ahead to himself, his eyes widening and his lips parting. He slowly lifts his head to meet my curious gaze. "I think you should read this, Will."
I take the note from him and see that Case and Sutton are waiting expectantly for me to continue.
"OK. He said that it would make him smile?—"
"Yeah, we heard that part. What's next?" Sutton says, fully invested like we all are.
"William, as the oldest, I know that you'll be head of the family by default and by choice. That is why this first message is for you," I say, my brows bunching deeper the more I read.
"How did he…?" Jude says, shaking his head. "It's like the man knew us better than we know ourselves."
Sutton shakes his head. "To be honest, it's not that much of a stretch that we'd let Will be the head of the ranch. Especially while we're still finding our footin' and decidin' what the future holds for us."
I shrug. "I guess…"
"Keep goin', Willy Will," Jude teases, earning a death glare from me again.
"You're probably wonderin' why I've not only given you all the Cooper land and the mountain but also asked y'all to live here for a set time together. I have my reasons, some of which you'll discover the longer you stay on the ranch. I remember just how curious and stubborn y'all are. You were never quitters, and I don't think you're goin' to start now."
"Damn, and here we were thinkin' the old man had lost his marbles," Case chuckles.
I soon join him. "I'm startin' to think he was smarter than we all gave him credit for."
"Is there more?" Sutton asks, nodding at the letter.
"Yep," I reply, returning my attention to the page. "When I came back here five years ago, I did so out of obligation but also because I felt myself being called back to the mountain, my home. Now, your home too. I knew I was sick, and that eventually what I had would take me. So, while you may've all thought I was goin' cuckoo, I had a plan, and things to do before my time would come."
"And we all thought he was a tin-hat wearin' conspiracy theorist preparing for the apocalypse," Jude snickers.
"For now, all I ask is that you keep an open mind, do whatever your heart desires with your land, and get to know the people and places around our pretty little town. Lastly. Will, you know your brothers don't need much leadin' but we all know you'll do it out of duty anyway. At the very least, play the peacemaker between Cayson and everyone else," I continue.
"Hey!" Case moans, "why's he pickin' on me?"
"Maybe because he knew you?" Sutton replies deadpan.
I continue to the end. "I want y'all to know that you each have somethin' to offer the ranch and the town, and you each need to be here as much as the other. My only hope is that you embark on this journey of discovery and find out where your true callin' lies. Whatever you may find out about me and our family's history, trust in the reasons for why I've done the things I've done and why this land must always stay in Cooper hands. Until you discover anything else, I hope this book will go some way to explain one of the reasons I called you back to our land. Love, Gramps. P.S. If any of you bring anythin' resemblin' a satellite dish into my house, so help me, I'll start hauntin' y'all till it's gone."
"He did not say that!" Case protests, holding his hand out for the letter, which I give over willingly. "Dammit, how did he know ?"
I chuckle and I pull out a worn leather notebook, strings tying it shut in the same fisherman knots my grandfather used everywhere. "The old man was not dumb, and he was anti-technology, remember. He told me on the phone once that the most he'd ever consider would be solar panels, and that's cause it's a renewable source. But he didn't want anythin' transmittin' anythin'—his words—on his land."
"Well, technically it's not in the house, is it?" Case says with a wicked grin, jumping at least a foot in the air when the front door chooses then to slam shut with a loud bang, making Sutton, Jude, and I burst out laughing.
"What do you think the rest of it means? He was rather cryptic, don't ya think?" Jude asks. "Except that book there? Wonder what deep dark family secrets are hidin' in it."
I turn the bound book over in my hands, not finding any clues on the outside as to what might be contained inside.
"You goin’ to open it?" Case says, nodding to my hands.
I bounce a shoulder before pulling the leather strings free and flicking the front cover over. "Cooper Family Tree?" I keep fanning through the pages.
"What?" Sutton says, taking it off my hands and reading it himself, his frown deepening the longer he stares at it. "Why would Gramps be givin' us a family tree?"
"Oooh. Maybe there's a secret hidden family we don't know about?" Jude says with a snort.
"Doubt it. Gramps was as straight as an arrow. After Grandma died, he was all about Dad and the rest of the kids. Then, about us four and Abby," I say confidently. If there's one thing I know, it's my grandfather's honesty and honor. "He left this here for a reason."
"Wish he'd give us step-by-step instructions for all of this. This is goin' to be the longest damn game of hide and seek ever, isn't it?" Case sighs.
I can't help but laugh. "Oh well, at least it'll give us something else to focus on when the small-town ranch life gets us down."
Sutton tilts his head. "Never took you for a quitter, Will."
"I know we can do this. I just know it ain't goin' to be a walk in the park, either. At least Gramps leavin' us crumbs of information will help make it just that bit more interestin'," I explain. "But Gramps is right, I say we just keep an open mind, live in the now while we're here, and maybe forget about the two-year deadline thing. Because we can't change it, so we might as well enjoy life as it comes and worry about the rest of it later."
"Here, here. That's a very healthy way of approachin' things," Sutton says, clearly wearing his counselor hat.
"OK. So, live in the now, don't count our chickens before they hatch, enjoy life in Timber Falls, and what? Are we goin' to ignore the other stuff he said? About whatever we may find out about him and the Cooper family's history, and trust the reasons why he did what he had to do? What about that stuff about the land havin' to stay in Cooper hands?" Case says. "Why give us a two-year deadline if it can't be sold? This whole thing is confusin'. We still don't even know why we're here."
I give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You're right, we don't. But I think this letter is goin' to be the first of many things we'll find out about Gramps and this ranch. I think he was right though. It's a journey we have to go on anyway, so I vote we just sit back and enjoy the ride. We're bound to find out eventually."
"And we keep looking for more loose floorboards and hidden compartments," Sutton adds.
"Yep. Think of it like a long-ass game of hide and seek like we used to play as kids," Jude says with a wide grin.
"In that case. Tag. Will, you're it. Guess it's your shout at the Lair tonight," Case lightly whacks my arm before darting out of the room, his laughter following behind him.
I look between Sutton and Jude who just stare back at me and shrug before they both move toward the hallway. "He's got ya there, brother. But hey," Sutton says, stopping to look over his shoulder at me. "At least this gives you an excuse to talk to Birdie again. You know, make that second -first move."
With a waggle of his brows, he's gone, and I'm left standing in the empty bedroom holding a letter from my dead grandfather with more questions than answers–except for one certainty. Tonight, come hell or high water, I'm going to land a date with Birdie Walker.