4. The Guilty Heads-Up
The Guilty Heads-Up
Bo
The sun hasn't even crested the ridge yet, but I'm already standing on Rick and Melodie's front porch with a thermos of Pearl's coffee and a stomach full of dread.
I should've done this yesterday. Right after Tyler's call. But I drove around Everwood for an hour instead, windows down, trying to convince myself I could just... watch from a distance. Keep things simple.
Nothing about this is simple.
The door swings open before I can knock. Melodie stands there in barn boots and a fleece jacket, hair twisted up in a clip, looking surprised and happy to see me.
"Bo Gates." She smiles, warm and immediate. "You're up early. Falon mentioned you got in yesterday."
"Yes, ma'am." I lift the thermos slightly. "Brought coffee. Thought maybe I could... talk to you and Rick for a minute?"
Her expression shifts, and curiosity and concern coat her eyes. "Of course. Come on in. Rick's in the kitchen, pretending he’s fine."
I follow her inside. The house smells like toast and woodsmoke, familiar in a way that makes my chest ache. I've been here a hundred times. A thousand. And every time it takes me back before my parents passed. Life was different then.
Rick's at the table with his casted leg propped on a chair, flipping through his stock’s latest vaccine records. He glances up when I walk in, eyes sharp despite the early hour.
Next to him, I notice a feed order and a farrier appointment he's trying to reschedule, according to the handwritten notes off to the side. I don’t have the heart to tell him I overheard Falon on the phone yesterday doing exactly the same thing, and that it’s already done.
That’s between her and him, and I’m not getting in the middle of that.
"Bo." He nods. "Melodie said you were back in town."
"Yes, sir." I set the thermos on the counter. "I, uh... I wanted to talk to you both. If that's okay."
Melodie pours three mugs of coffee without asking, slides one toward me, then settles into the chair beside Rick. She doesn't say anything. She knows I'll start when I'm ready.
I wrap my hands around the mug. The heat grounds me.
"Tyler called yesterday." I meet Rick's gaze, then Melodie's. "He asked me to keep an eye on Falon."
Melodie looks tired. She's heard this song before.
"Kevin Bennett," Rick says. It's not a question.
"Yeah." I nod. "Tyler said he's back in town. Said he's been... sniffing around."
Rick's jaw tightens. Melodie takes a slow breath.
Their reaction tells me they’re about as thrilled about him being back as Tyler and I are.
"And Tyler thinks Falon needs a babysitter," Melodie says quietly. There's an edge to her voice I don't hear often.
"No." I shake my head quickly. "I mean, Tyler didn't say it like that. He just... he's worried. And he can't be here."
"So he deputized you." Rick's tone is neutral, but his eyes are steady on mine.
I swallow. "Yes, sir."
The silence stretches. They know why we used to fight Kevin as kids. It wasn't a secret to Rick, Melodie, Aunt Pearl, and Uncle Anthony.
Finally, Melodie speaks. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him I'd watch out for her." I pause. "Not to manage or control her. Falon doesn't need that."
Melodie's expression softens slightly. "No. She doesn't."
Rick studies me for a long moment. Then he leans back in his chair, careful of his leg. "Kevin's always been trouble. He's just so entitled. Thinks the world owes him something because his daddy used to own half the county."
"He's been trying to pin Falon down since high school," Melodie adds. "She's made it clear she's not interested. But he doesn't listen well."
I nod slowly. "Tyler mentioned that."
"And you came here to tell us." Rick's voice is even. Observant, like always.
"Yes, sir." I meet his eyes. "I didn't want to... do this behind your back. Or Falon's. But Tyler asked, and I—" I pause. "I want to do right by all of you. And I figured telling you was the best place to start."
Melodie reaches across the table and squeezes my hand once. Brief. Warm. "Thank you for that."
Rick nods. "We appreciate it, Bo."
I exhale slowly. The knot in my chest loosens slightly.
"Falon's capable," Rick says. "Always has been. She doesn't need rescuing."
"I know," I say quickly. "I'm not trying to?—"
"We know." Melodie's voice is gentle. “You know, Falon’s been running both ranches every morning before most people have their boots on. She hasn't said a word about it, but we know it’s hard work for one ranch, let alone two.”
She topped off all our coffees and pushed a plate of muffins toward me. I took one and remembered when she would always make them when we were kids.
"But it's good to have people who care. People who'll stand with her if she needs it."
I nod. "That's all I want to do."
Rick picks up his coffee, takes a sip, then sets it down with deliberate care. "Kevin's harmless in a lot of ways. But he doesn't take no for an answer. And that's the part that worries me."
"Me too," Melodie adds quietly.
I glance between them. "Do you want me to... I don't know. Talk to him?"
"No," Rick answers. "That'd just escalate things. Kevin thrives on attention. The more you push, the harder he pushes back."
"And if Kevin gets pushy?" I ask.
"Then we deal with it," Rick says. "But we let Falon tell him no. She gets to choose how she handles things."
I nod. "Understood."
Melodie tilts her head slightly, studying me. "How long are you staying, Bo?"
The question on everyone's mind.
"I don't know yet," I admit. "At least through the summer. Pearl's got some repairs she needs help with, and I figured... I don't know. Maybe Everwood's a good place to figure things out."
"It is," Melodie says softly. "And you're always welcome here."
I've always been welcome here. It's a home away from home. Melodie practically gave me my own room when my parents passed, just so I'd feel welcome.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
Rick shifts his leg, wincing slightly. Melodie notices immediately, stands, and moves toward the counter. "You need to take your pain meds."
"I'm fine."
"Rick."
He sighs. "Yes, ma'am."
I stand, sensing the conversation's natural end. "I should get going. Let you two get on with your morning."
Melodie walks me to the door. Before I step outside, she touches my arm lightly.
"Bo," she says. "I know Tyler means well. But Falon's not a job. She's a person. And she deserves to be seen that way."
I meet her eyes. "I know."
She nods. "Good. Then we're all on the same page."
I step onto the porch, the cool morning air hitting my face. One step down and about a hundred to go.
"Bo?" Melodie calls from the doorway.
I turn.
"You're a good man," she says. "Don't forget that."
I don't know what to say to that. So I just nod and walk back to my truck.
The drive back to Pearl's is quiet. My mind's still tangled, but at least now Rick and Melodie know. At least I'm not hiding.
But I still haven't told Falon.
Because the truth is, I didn't come here to keep a promise.
I came here because I couldn't stay away.
And sooner or later, she's going to ask why.