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Unsure of her place, Rissa focused her attention on Burke. He lifted his gaze to hers and smiled. She saw the sorrow in his gaze, but knew it wasn’t directed at her. He lifted his hand for hers.
She moved forward to take it. He pulled her onto the bed beside him and tucked her under his arm. “Thanks for coming.”
Jolie smiled at them all. “Thanks, everyone. I assume we can thank Knox for calling you all in.”
Knox grinned. “You’re welcome. This is emotional shit, and I thought we needed you all.”
Burke chuckled softly. “You’re right. This is emotional shit. Thanks to Amber, Lawson found a notebook tucked inside a boot. It’s written by Jay and is all about his regrets.”
Rissa leaned into Burke’s side. “You have some answers.”
Even though it wasn’t a question, he nodded. “We knew it wouldn’t be a happy story because it tore the brothers apart, but it’s difficult to hear it from Jay’s own writing.”
He held up the notebook, and Thea smiled. “Jay had dozens of those notebooks everywhere. He used them for everything. Said his family all did it.”
Knox nodded. “Fox liked notebooks, too. Can you read through what you’ve found so far to catch them up?”
Rissa wrapped her arm around Burke’s waist as he did so. His voice was mostly steady, but she could hear the echo of Jay’s regrets in his words.
“Seems like Mato found his own woman. Hope he didn’t steal her. Relax, that was a joke. Sort of.”
The room chuckled at that. Jolie’s voice was watery. “So much like Fox.”
After a few more pages, Burke read. “A grandson. Congratulations, my brother. May he grow to be a good man with a strong heart.”
Rissa squeezed him as his voice trembled at the words. “You did. He’d be so proud of you. They both would.”
Burke turned to pull her fully into his arms and buried his face in her hair. After he drew a breath, he straightened and read more.
“Another boy. A younger brother, just like you. Hope he doesn’t steal Burke’s girl.”
Chuckles rippled through the room at that. Lawson grinned and hugged Dani. “I did have the biggest crush on Rissa when I was about ten, but I got my own girl. Rissa’s only ever had eyes for you, anyway.”
Rissa’s cheeks flushed at the words while everyone laughed. Knox grinned. “Same goes for Boss Man.”
Burke shook his head with a laugh, but when he met her gaze, he smiled. “True.”
With the sadness lifted by the banter, Burke continued reading. Jay joked about a third boy, wondering how in the world Mato and Halona would handle three.
“Finally, a girl. You make sure those boys treasure her and keep her safe.”
Amber smiled. “They did, Jay. They still do.”
“Another precious girl. You’ve got quite the family there, Fox. Do you know how lucky you are? Damn lucky.”
Burke flipped through a few empty pages, then came across another entry. “Fox, my brother, if you ever find this, I’ll be gone.”
Everyone gulped in a gasp. Burke kept his eyes on the page, his voice trembling as he read. “I wish I hadn’t left. Wish I’d figured out how to come home. One day, maybe. I’m done running and I’m closer to where you are, but I don’t know if I’ll make the final trek. Maybe when I get this farm running, I’ll show up. I want to meet those grandkids of yours. They’ve done well for themselves. You must be proud.”
Burke drew in another shaky breath and read the final lines.
“I’m proud of you, Fox. Proud that you and Janica brought up a good man who created another generation of good people. You’re a good man, Fox. Hope to tell you that one day.”
Rissa hugged Burke to her, and he once again buried his face in her hair. Frizzle barked and set her paws against Rissa’s legs. She scooped up her friend, who immediately reached to lick Burke’s chin, making him chuckle. “I’m okay, Frizzle. We all are. We have answers.”
Amber sighed. “Even though it was so difficult to hear, I’m glad we found the book.”
Jolie nodded. “I wish Jay had made his way back, but I’m glad he did the next best thing and left us the farm and his memories. He’d be glad we’re here, glad that we know the history.”
