I raise an eyebrow. “You’re not just gonna find shit like that on a bank statement.”
Sawyer gives me a look, flat and unimpressed. “Exactly. Hence my contacts.” He claps a hand on my shoulder, firm. “Don’t worry about it.”
I probably don’t want to know what his contacts are capable of. But if it helps Lark keep the diner in her hands, so be it.
Vaughn stands, then reaches across the desk and shakes my hand again. “Get back to me in the next couple days. Offer won’t last long.”
“I will.”
He nods once, then walks to the door. Just before he opens it, he glances back. “Shame about Lane.”
My chest tightens, but I nod.
Vaughn’s voice lowers. “We didn’t always see eye to eye, but your old man was a tough bastard. And a good man. Don’t make ‘em like that anymore.”
“Thank you.”
He hesitates for a beat. “Molly’s always been good to my Estelle. Despite…well, everything between our families. I’ve always appreciated that.”
Then he straightens his hat, opens the door. “I gotta get back out to the ranch, but we’ll be in touch.”
Sawyer lingers as Vaughn disappears down the hall, phone still in hand, then leans a little closer.
“He’s not as bad as you probably think,” he says, stuffing his phone in his pocket. “Little rough around the edges, sure. But deep down? He’s a good man. Looks out for his family, his community. Always been that way.”
I glance at him, studying his face. He’s hard to read, but there’s no edge in his voice, no sales pitch. Just a man telling the truth the way he sees it.
“Guess we’ll see,” I say.
Sawyer shrugs. “I’ll get back to you about the financials. Might take a minute, but I’ll find something.”
I nod. “Appreciate it.”
He lifts his chin, and we start walking downstairs, boots thudding softly against the hardwood. In the kitchen, Estelle’s at the sink, sleeves rolled up, washing dishes while sunlight pours in through the big window behind her.
She turns when she hears us, drying her hands on a dish towel. “You takin’ off, Boone?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Before I can say anything else, she crosses the room and pulls me into a hug—not just a polite pat on the back, but a real hug.
I freeze for half a second, not sure what to do with it, then half-hug her back, awkward as hell.
She pulls away, smiling. “Y’all be safe now, you hear?”
I nod, the weight of it sticking with me as I step outside.
Their house—for all its size, all its shine—feels warm in a way I didn’t expect. Comfortable. Full of love. I don’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t this.
I climb into Lucille, turn the key, and back down the long gravel drive. As I pass the front pasture, I catch sight of Emily on horseback, riding alongside a couple of the ranch hands.
I take it all in—the rolling hills, the wide Montana sky stretching endlessly overhead—and grip the wheel tighter.
Vaughn’s offer is still circling in my head. It’s solid. Logical. Doesn’t screw Lark over, doesn’t ask more than what’s fair. But it’s not just mycall, and I know that. She’s the one who built her life around that diner.
I don’t trust people easily until they’ve shown me that I can. But there’s something in this that feels…possible. Like maybe for once, we’re not fighting with our backs against the wall. Maybe we’ve got a shot to come out on top.
Maybe, for once, we’ve got help.
