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“Actually, I think I might have. I kept writing to Uncle Mack, sending cards and letters to him, even after you ostracized him. And I just discovered that he sent some to me too. Only you sent them back. Well, I have them now, and in a weird way, I’m getting to know my uncle, even if it’s late. I’m also learning even more about what pieces of crap my parents are.”
The slap reverberated through the room like a clap of thunder. “I will not tolerate that,” Rafe’s mother said, pulling her hand back to strike him again. But Rafe caught it this time.
“Don’t try it, old lady. Hit me again and I’ll break your wrist.” He tossed away her arm like it was something that stunk. “Now, I need you to get the hell out of here. You are not welcome here. And if you show up again, I’ll have the sheriff escort you away.” The anger in the room welled like a black mass as Rafe opened the door. “Leave. You walked away from Mack and did the same to me. You have no place here.”
“Your father and I did what was right.”
“And so am I,” Rafe said, pushing his father out the door.
His mother crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not leaving.” Her eyes burned with enough hatred to warm the outside. Russell felt it from where he stood.
Rafe shrugged. “Russell, call the sheriff and tell him we need him to take care of a few trespassers.” He turned and winked. “Or better yet, go get Mack’s gun.”
At that, his mother blanched and finally backed away. “You aren’t the son we raised,” she snapped.
Rafe smiled. “Of course I am. I’m just like you—heartless, uncaring, and selfish. You two will get nothing from me. Uncle Mack called you out in his will and specifically said that you were to get nothing. Do you hear that?Nothing. And I intend to honor his wishes.”
Rafe and his mother stood glaring at each other. When she still didn’t move, Rafe turned to Russell again. “Russell, please get the gun.” She flinched and finally turned and walked away. Rafe slammed the door behind her.
Once Rafe’s parents were gone, the dogs wandered in, all nuzzling to get close to Rafe. “I’m glad you stayed away,” he said, petting each of them. “It was safer for you not to be here. Besides, if any of you had bitten them, their bitterness would have left a bad taste in your mouth.”
The dogs followed him as he headed back toward the bedroom. When Russell joined him, the dogs had all flopped on the bed, and they stayed there as he and Rafe went back to work.
A FEWhours later, Russell was almost finished putting the last load of bags in the truck. Most were things to be given away. It suddenly hit Russell just how much of a person’s life ended up in the trash or a donation bin after they died. Still, there was a lot that remained.
“What are you going to do with the rest?” Russell asked. It seemed that Mack had kept a lot of things over the years. They’d found several shoeboxes filled with all kinds of things at the top of the closet, behind the clothes, and even under the bed. They set them aside for Rafe to go through later.
“I’m not sure. I’ll know better when I see what’s there.”
Russell shooed the dogs off the bed and stripped it to the mattress, which seemed brand-new. He found fresh bedding and remade it, then brought in Rafe’s pillows. “You might as well use this room. It has a bigger bed.” Once he was finished, they put all the boxes in the extra bedroom. “The dresser is empty.”
“But this is still Uncle Mack’s room,” Rafe said.
“No. This is your house now, and you need to make it yours.” Russell approached Rafe, holding his gaze. “This is your life and your home. Mack left it for you, and he would want you to make yourself comfortable. So I suggest you do that.” Russell hated that Rafe seemed so tentative. “You’re a damned bull rider, and yet you’re scared to make this place your own?”
“It feels like I’m erasing Uncle Mack,” Rafe told him. “And I didn’t get the chance to know him that well. The last thing I want is for him to disappear.” He shook his head. “This doesn’t have anything to do with being brave. I want to know where I come from. I know who my parents are…. Hell, you do too, now. You saw them today in all their glory.”
“You aren’t going to erase Mack by living in the house.” Russell gently removed the picture of a very young Rafe from the wall. “Because he’s still here. And a part of you has always been here too. See that smile and those eyes? I’d know them anywhere. And so did Mack, because he kept this picture close. And just like the picture, part of him will remain here too.”
“I guess.” Rafe took the picture and set it aside. “After I figured out why my parents had turned away from Mack, I couldn’t help wondering if he ever found someone who accepted him, who loved him. And thanks to those letters, I’m pretty sure he had someone in his life. Maybe that was how the family found out about the two of them. Maybe that was why they rejected him. The timing adds up. But I can’t help feeling there’s more to the story.”
Russell drew Rafe into an embrace. “Sometimes it takes time for all the pieces of a puzzle to come together. Rushing it isn’t going to help.”
“I see,” Rafe whispered as Russell stroked his cheek. “But it seems that someone here is growing impatient… maybe even rushing a little bit.” Rafe grinned that wicked smile of his. “Not that I’m complaining, but are you sure about this?”
Russell drew closer, sliding his arms around Rafe’s waist. “I should be the one asking you. It isn’t as though we spent the day doing the most romantic of activities.”
“I know.” Rafe wound his arms around Russell’s neck, running a hand over his head. “For a long time, I didn’t think I was worth much because of the things I’d had to do to survive, and that carried itself into other parts of my life. I didn’t think I had anything to give… anyone. And I acted like it, taking risks and not really caring what happened to me.”
“What are you saying?” Russell asked, his mind jumping to some pretty frightening conclusions.
“That I’ve learned some things. Yes, up until a little while ago, I rode bulls and took a lot of chances with my life, but that time is over. I’m through with being an adrenaline junkie. I need to slow down and take things one step at a time.”
“I see. Well, my days weren’t spent on the back of a bucking bull, but if you think starting a company from nothing and building it into a successful business isn’t an adrenaline roller coaster, you’d be mistaken. I can pick the right people for almost any job, but….”
Rafe smiled. “In your love life, you always choose the worst fit?” he asked, and Russell nodded. “I see. So what does your intuition tell you about me?” he whispered, drawing closer.
Russell closed his eyes. He’d thrown his instincts out the window the moment he’d met Rafe.
