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This part’s bullshit.

How would they know this?

Written records, my ass.

Use this on the apple trees.

Don’t piss off the Abenaki.

Show Thea this.

Like our parents taught us.

Hm. That was the first mention Burke had seen of his great-grandparents. Maybe there were more personal notes he could find.

He grabbed an armful of books and moved to the couch. Hoping he’d find more personal revelations, he started with the books on Abenaki culture. To avoid getting sucked into the book itself, Burke started at the back and flipped through the pages, looking for notes rather than reading.

It didn’t take long for him to find more, but most of the notes were opinionated comments about the author's intelligence, the lack of research done, or reminders to tell someone, including Linda. Who was Linda?

Was she another neighbor or a person from Phail that Burke hadn’t met yet? Maybe she was Jay’s girlfriend or wife from before he’d moved to the area. They still hadn’t found where he had lived before buying the farm.

Burke had offered to do the research when Knox first arrived on the farm, not realizing how much of his life and time Curt’s actions would take from him.

Now he had the time. Burke opened a note on his phone and started listing comments he found that might aid his research. There weren’t many.

Still, he smiled at the grumpy tone of many of the notes Jay had left. Fox had been the same. A man who could appear grumpy, but who really had a soft heart. Like his brother, Jay’s notes proved he cared about the land around him and their family’s indigenous history.

He straightened when he saw the name Janica in an interior margin, with an exclamation mark after it. That was Burke’s grandmother’s name, Fox’s wife. She’d died before Burke had been born, but here was a connection to her. Janica wasn’t a common name, so Burke assumed whatever had split the brothers apart, Janica’s name implied it had happened when they were older.

Burke ran his finger over the name. It was written in an inner margin and would have been missed by anyone who flipped through the book and only looked at the outer edges. The name was written with a heavy hand; the imprint of the word visible on the next few pages.

Burke skimmed the page. It was a retelling of an old story.

Atian and O’nis were betrothed in the old ways. As the eldest children of neighboring clans, they were betrothed when both survived their first three years.

The decision was made to halt fighting between the clans. Instead of warring, the two groups would work together. Trade routes would be protected, and the union with another clan would keep the future generations healthy. More time could be spent on growing and harvesting.

Atian and O’nis met as children at the annual gathering of the clans. They spent time with their brothers and sisters, learning the ways of the other clan and their forefathers and foremothers.

Over the years, they grew to know each other, but in the way of children, they thought more of companionship than of politics.

Atian’s brother, Massil, befriended O’nis while his brother followed the men, learning their ways.

The bond between Massil and O’nis strengthened over the years, and their feelings turned to love. At the next annual gathering, Massil declared his feelings to O’nis, and she returned them. Together, they approached Atian, to tell him they wanted to marry.

Atian’s wrath consumed him. He was the one betrothed. He was the one who was to unite the clans and lead the people.

The brothers fought while the elders watched, waiting to see who would conquer the other.

The battle waged fiercely, but in the end, Massil bested his brother and won the right to marry O’nis.

To keep the friendship between the clans, Massil returned with O’nis to her family, while her younger sister agreed to marry Atian.

Peace between the clans was restored, but the brothers never spoke again.

Burke read the story three times, mind whirling at the implications. Had Janica and Jay dated? Been engaged? And then she’d married Fox instead?

This might be the reason Jay and Fox had drifted apart. A love triangle. Not something he would ever have considered.