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“You do that. You work far too hard, Destiny Marie. Far too hard. You are young. You should enjoy it.” Even his voice was a match for Fred's. The way he held his head. The slightly arrogant way he looked at the room around him.He noticed Sean standing there. “Hello. I'm in the way. I apologize.”
“I'm sorry, but you look incredibly familiar.” Sean knew how to play the pretty when meeting people. Especially when he got caught staring. “Have we met before?”
“I have one of those faces.” The man gave a practiced, but shrewd smile. Just like Fred's. “But you most likely have seen me in the news a time or two. Retired general Gerald Talley. I was a diplomat to the UN for a fair few years, too. Pretty high up that food chain. Now, I am retired. Riding herd on my daughters, nieces, grandson, mother, and the woman who is worse than all of them combined—my new bride. Is this your first visit to the Talley Inn?”
He even sounded just like Fred. Down to the inflection in his voice. But Sean recognized the name. Gerald Talley had been a national name in the diplomatic scene for decades. Sean had seen photos of him before—but had never put it together. Now he wonderedwhyhe had missed it—of course, the man was almost always photographed in full military uniform.
No wonder Fred’s files with WITSEC had been so buried. Someone had put the pieces together years ago. Buried Fred Brown and his secrets, probably totidy upGerald Talley’s past, too. Make it easier for any scandals to stay hidden, after all.
Powerful men like this had powerful friends.
And a brother like this possiblycouldfrighten men like Morris Preston, for that matter.
“Uh, no. Return trip actually. I stayed a week or so back. I found myself here again, and decided the inn was far better than the chains by the interstate.”
“Uncle Gerald's grandparents built the inn, Marshal...Sutton, isn't it?” Dusty said, giving him a beautiful smile.Her mother'sbeautiful smile.NowSean understood why she had struck him so strongly. She had LaDonna’s smile. Dylan’s smile. Sweet little Dorie, who was just a slightly smaller, younger, version of this woman in front of him now. He should have seen the resemblance before. “Now, my cousins and sisters and I run it. Uncle Gerald and Grandma are retired. At least, they are supposed to be. They like to keep their fingers in things. How long will you be staying this time?”
“I...a few days, this time, I believe. I hope you have availability.” He was staying exactly where he was. Until he figured all of this out.
“Marin will get you taken care of,” she said.
“Where are you going tonight?” Fred’s twin asked in the same tone Sean had heard Fred use with his daughters before. “It’s getting dark in about an hour.”
“Matt just called while I was looking for Marin. I’m going to meet him at the Collier place. They have a mare having problems with her first foaling. I’m going to take Matt his spare bag. And be there if I’m needed.”
“That’s the place just a mile past city limits?”
“Yes, Uncle Gerald. Just right up the road. I’ll be fine.”
“Call me when you get home, young lady. You know I worry like an old woman.”
“I’ll do that, you beautiful old woman, you.” She kissed her uncle on the cheek and hugged him. And then was gone. Sean resisted staring after her like an idiot.
He knew one thing, though. Dusty Talley was LaDonna's daughter. And she had deserved better than what she had gotten.
What he was going to do about it, Sean didn't know.
For now, it was time to retreat.
He had some thinking to do.
33
Dylan hateddriving in the dark and especially in the snow. But Devaney had driven for six hours straight already. Her sister deserved a break. Dahlia didn’t drive—she was too afraid to. And Dorie was too young and too inexperienced to drive that far in the dark and inclement weather.
Dylan was just going to take it slow. That was all.
“Do you think they are like us?” Dorie asked from the backseat. The little car Dylan had bought two years ago wasn’t really made for the weather like this. They rarely went anywhere when it was snowing this hard.
Dorie and Dahlia were crammed into the back. Devaney was working the GPS.
“Masterson County is south of Sublette County,” Devaney said. “I’m sure they are like us, but also different, Dor. Nature vs. Nurture. I mean, look how different Dahl and I are.”
“They may not want to meet us,” Dorie said, voicing Dylan’s own fears. “I mean, Mom and Daddy just left them behind. And then had four more kids. What if they resent us?”
“Do we resent them, though?” Dylan asked. She hadn’t let herself think too much about these four siblings she didn’t know. “I’m not sure how we are supposed to think or feel about them.”
“Mad,” Dahlia whispered. “I’m mad that we didn’t get to know them, didn’t get to grow up with them. We don’t even know their names or how old they are. And it isn’t fair. We’ll never have ties with them. Not like we do each other. And they won’t have those memories with us, either. We’re just…two separate families now. And that just doesn’t seem right at all.”
