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“Was he fire and brimstone?”
“Quite the opposite. He never believed in the punitive school of religious zeal. He fell squarely on the side of love-your-brother and do-unto-others. He also fell in love with a Pequot woman and ran afoul of the Massachusetts law against interracial marriage. So he and his congregation pulled up stakes and moved out of Massachusetts and into Vermont, where they could make their own community, their own rules.” Kenny smiled crookedly. “Did you know that Vermont is one of the few states in the US that’s never had anti-miscegenation laws on the books?”
Casey blinked. “No. I did not.”
“Well, Persistence accepted anyone into his flock who was ready to live and let live, and his descendants fully embraced his vision. Harrison House was even a stop on the Underground Railroad. His great-great-grandson married one of the former slaves who decided to stay.”
“Really? That’s… wow.”
Kenny grinned. “I know, right? They’ve always offered a home to anyone who didn’t belong elsewhere—hence the town’s name. It’s actually written into the town charter, the original of which hangs over the fireplace in the Harrison House living room, right opposite a cross-stitch sampler that Dev’s mother made with the town’s unofficial motto: Welcome Home. Don’t be a dick.”
Casey laughed. “Nice.”
“Totally.” Kenny held out his fist for Casey to bump. “The only people who were refused residence were those who weren’t willing to follow that fundamental principle. Persistence’s wife’s sibling was two-natured, so there was queer representation as far back as the first settlers. That openness, that welcome, as well as the diversity, has continued ever since.”
Casey swallowed against a throat gone tight. A whole town dedicated to acceptance. How cool was that? Man, his father would have hated it here.
“We had an influx of new residents after the World Wars, for instance,” Kenny continued. “German-Americans who were run out of towns they’d lived in all their lives. Japanese-Americans released from internment camps with nowhere else to go. That’s when my great-grandparents moved here. They were Chinese, but after the war, most people tarred any Asian with the Pearl Harbor brush.”
“Wow.”
“From the beginning, there’s always been a Harrison at the helm.” He wrinkled his nose. “Persistence was blind in one area, though—stupid primogeniture traditions. Ownership of Harrison House and responsibility for the town always goes to the eldest son. Dev is the younger of two. Since their dad was killed in action in the Gulf, his elder brother, Garlan, was groomed by their grandfather to take over from the time they were kids.”
“Ouch. That sucks.”
Kenny chuckled. “Actually, it suited them both just fine. Garlan, as first-born kids often are, had a definite control-freak side, and Dev… Well, he had other ambitions, other plans, that didn’t include becoming the de facto Daddy to a town full of obstinate eccentrics.” Kenny sighed. “All that changed when a semi skidded on the ice out by the quarry and plowed into Garlan’s car, killing him and his grandfather instantly.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yeah. The roads around here can be… Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing you’re here during the summer and leave it at that. Anyway, Dev’s been taking care of the place ever since. Which”—Kenny’s smile was definitely sly—“is why Dev’s single. His boyfriend objected strongly to Dev’s decision to come home.”
“Then I’m guessing said boyfriend wouldn’t be welcome, anyway.”
Kenny shot Casey a puzzled glance. “What do you mean?”
“He failed the unofficial motto test, of course. I mean, what’s more dickish than not standing behind your partner when they experience hardship?” Casey caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and dared a quick look behind them. “Don’t look now,” he whispered, “but we’ve got a tail.”
Kenny, to his credit, didn’t look. “Randolph Scott?”
“Mmmhmmm. Unless Home’s got another feline resident with a tail like a ginger squirrel’s and a notch out of one ear.”
Kenny bit his lip, brows bunched, then gave a tiny nod. “Okay. I was planning to take you to the Market and introduce you to Kat, the proprietor, but since we’ve collected a different sort of cat? Change of plan.” Kenny veered off the sidewalk and cut across the wide lawn in front of a yellow Victorian with pristine white trim and a discreet sign that read Home Historical Society. “He still following?”
Casey dared another glance. “Yup. Where are we going?”
“Harrison Veterinary Clinic. It’s on East Road.”
Casey matched Kenny’s casual amble. “Another Harrison?”
“Dev’s cousin Ty.”
“But if there was already a Harrison in town, why did Dev have to come home to run things?”
Kenny snorted. “Primogeniture, remember? Ty’s not in the main hereditary line. He’s actually Dev’s second cousin. His grandfather was Dev’s grandfather’s adopted brother. He wouldn’t be on the hook unless something happened to Dev, too.”
“Why don’t you change that rule? It seems like you risk getting saddled with poor or corrupt government when you’re operating under a divine-right-of-Harrisons thing.”
“Oh trust me, they’ve tried—the family, not the town. But every time the current Harrison-in-charge brings it up, the town votes it down again. It’s almost a superstition with them now. As long as there’s a Harrison at the helm, Home will be okay.”
