cheap.”
“There’s that too.” Carson cracked the top and took a long pull. He couldn’t withhold a shudder. Then he passed the bottle to Cal.
He swallowed a mouthful and almost spit it out. It went down the wrong pipe and he ended up coughing like he’d just taken his first drink.
His brother pounded him on the back. Then Carson did the oddest thing; he left his hand there in the middle of Cal’s back. A moment passed and he stated, “She left today.”
“Yep.”
Carson squeezed his shoulder and let his hand drop. “I hate that for you.”
“I hate it for me too.” He swigged from the bottle. “She wanted to stay.”
“She did?”
“Yeah.” He knocked back another drink. “I made her go.”
“Shit. Why’d you do that?”
“She needs to experience things I can’t give her.”
“Did you get that lame-brained idea from a dime-store card or something?”
“Fuck you.”
Carson laughed. “I ain’t gonna pretend to understand why you did that.”
“As I was sittin’ here, alone with my dog, drinkin’ myself into a stupor, I don’t understand why I did it either.” He paused. “I miss her, Carse. I had one week with her and I shouldn’t miss her this goddamned bad but I do.”
“Length of time don’t mean shit, Cal. You know that from seein’ how fast Carolyn became everything to me.”
“Yeah, well, I was hopin’ to avoid that emotional shit.”
His brother laughed again. “And you stepped right in it—with a West girl to boot.”
Cal said nothing. He just drank.
So did Carson. Finally after a bit he said, “This ain’t no passin’ thing with Kimi, is it?”
“Nope.”
“She knows that?”
“Yep.”
“Then she’ll come back.”
“You sound so sure.”
“And you aren’t?”
“I was.” Cal sighed. “I mean, I am. It’s the waitin’ that’s gonna suck. Even when I know she’s worth the wait.”
Carson clapped him on the back. “Good thing we’ve got plenty of ranch matters to take your mind off it for the next couple of years.”
“Thanks for that.”
“Anytime.” He jumped off the tailgate. “You gonna be okay tonight?”
No . “Yep. But I’ll probably be hung over tomorrow.” Cal pointed at the Wild Turkey. “And I’m blaming it on you.”
“You’ve done your share of mornin’ after whiskey therapy with me so it’s only fair I return the favor.”
Chapter Nine
Year one…
Kimi doll,
I can’t tell you how big my smile is when I see a letter from you in my mailbox. Folks driving by probably thought I’d won the sweepstakes.
I was glad to hear you found a different place to live after you left Juneau. The landlord sounded like a real piece of work. While I understand Alaska is the last frontier, it can’t be comfortable sleeping with a gun under your pillow every night. A beautiful woman like you is bound to attract attention, so be careful .
Not much has changed around here. Working cattle, getting ready for market. Carson and Carolyn are so crazy about Cord. He’s a cute little bugger. Total chip off the old block. My dad seems happy to have a grandson. Even if he is half West. I guess your dad is acting happy about it, even if Cord is half McKay. Although your brother Harland ain’t happy that Carolyn birthed the first grandchild. Carse has mentioned Eli stopping by their place a time or two. I wish you were around to keep Carolyn company. I know she misses you. If the signs I’m seeing in nature are correct, I suspect it’ll be a hard winter. Yep, you knew I’d get to talking about the weather at some point. I wonder how your sister will fare being cooped up in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere all day with a baby.
I did some improvements around the place, not a lot of other things to do. I tilled up the flower beds in the far back corner the past three weekends. After watching nothing come up in the last two years, I figure I’d start over with the planting next spring. So if you’ve got advice on what
“There’s that too.” Carson cracked the top and took a long pull. He couldn’t withhold a shudder. Then he passed the bottle to Cal.
He swallowed a mouthful and almost spit it out. It went down the wrong pipe and he ended up coughing like he’d just taken his first drink.
His brother pounded him on the back. Then Carson did the oddest thing; he left his hand there in the middle of Cal’s back. A moment passed and he stated, “She left today.”
“Yep.”
Carson squeezed his shoulder and let his hand drop. “I hate that for you.”
“I hate it for me too.” He swigged from the bottle. “She wanted to stay.”
“She did?”
“Yeah.” He knocked back another drink. “I made her go.”
“Shit. Why’d you do that?”
“She needs to experience things I can’t give her.”
“Did you get that lame-brained idea from a dime-store card or something?”
“Fuck you.”
Carson laughed. “I ain’t gonna pretend to understand why you did that.”
“As I was sittin’ here, alone with my dog, drinkin’ myself into a stupor, I don’t understand why I did it either.” He paused. “I miss her, Carse. I had one week with her and I shouldn’t miss her this goddamned bad but I do.”
“Length of time don’t mean shit, Cal. You know that from seein’ how fast Carolyn became everything to me.”
“Yeah, well, I was hopin’ to avoid that emotional shit.”
His brother laughed again. “And you stepped right in it—with a West girl to boot.”
Cal said nothing. He just drank.
So did Carson. Finally after a bit he said, “This ain’t no passin’ thing with Kimi, is it?”
“Nope.”
“She knows that?”
“Yep.”
“Then she’ll come back.”
“You sound so sure.”
“And you aren’t?”
“I was.” Cal sighed. “I mean, I am. It’s the waitin’ that’s gonna suck. Even when I know she’s worth the wait.”
Carson clapped him on the back. “Good thing we’ve got plenty of ranch matters to take your mind off it for the next couple of years.”
“Thanks for that.”
“Anytime.” He jumped off the tailgate. “You gonna be okay tonight?”
No . “Yep. But I’ll probably be hung over tomorrow.” Cal pointed at the Wild Turkey. “And I’m blaming it on you.”
“You’ve done your share of mornin’ after whiskey therapy with me so it’s only fair I return the favor.”
Chapter Nine
Year one…
Kimi doll,
I can’t tell you how big my smile is when I see a letter from you in my mailbox. Folks driving by probably thought I’d won the sweepstakes.
I was glad to hear you found a different place to live after you left Juneau. The landlord sounded like a real piece of work. While I understand Alaska is the last frontier, it can’t be comfortable sleeping with a gun under your pillow every night. A beautiful woman like you is bound to attract attention, so be careful .
Not much has changed around here. Working cattle, getting ready for market. Carson and Carolyn are so crazy about Cord. He’s a cute little bugger. Total chip off the old block. My dad seems happy to have a grandson. Even if he is half West. I guess your dad is acting happy about it, even if Cord is half McKay. Although your brother Harland ain’t happy that Carolyn birthed the first grandchild. Carse has mentioned Eli stopping by their place a time or two. I wish you were around to keep Carolyn company. I know she misses you. If the signs I’m seeing in nature are correct, I suspect it’ll be a hard winter. Yep, you knew I’d get to talking about the weather at some point. I wonder how your sister will fare being cooped up in a trailer out in the middle of nowhere all day with a baby.
I did some improvements around the place, not a lot of other things to do. I tilled up the flower beds in the far back corner the past three weekends. After watching nothing come up in the last two years, I figure I’d start over with the planting next spring. So if you’ve got advice on what
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