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“Harlan and I always pickmeat lovers.”

Harlan nodded. “I’ll be on Travis’s team.”

“Me and Davey love the barbeque chicken one,” said Jackson. “Lucy likes that kind too.”

“I like Hawaiian,” said Tammy. “I love the pieces of pineapple.”

“Okay, we’re all set.” I waved our server over and ordered the pizzas and another round of beer.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

After a day out in the sun, then all that pizza, we were pretty lethargic when we got back to the ranch. I felt like flopping on my bed and sleeping for the next twenty-four hours.

We’d stopped off at the station for ten minutes—long enough to deliver food and coffee to the prisoners occupying our cozy little jail on Main Street.

As I climbed the porch steps, I hollered to anybody who was listening, “The old man is beat. You kids with energy, go feed the horses and give them my regards.”

Harlan chuckled.

“While y’all are at the barn,” said Annie, “I’m going to get the cards and the chips ready for a hold ‘em tournament.”

“Yahoo,” hollered Jackson.

“I don’t have any chips,” I mumbled.

“You do now, sugar. I brought a new set with me.”

“Okay, you losers,” shouted Jackson, “I’m gonna whip everybody’s asses at poker.” He went flying out the back door with Max and Sarge running behind him.

“He’s loud,” Annie laughed. “The exact opposite of his father. Race was such a quiet guy.”

Hearing Annie talk about Race Ogilvie with so much love in her voice knocked me over the edge.

“That fucker tried to kill me more than once, and I’m not forgetting about it. Not ever. How can you even mention his name in my house?” I stomped out onto the front porch and lit up a smoke.

Annie and Jacks had the chips sorted and the poker game set up and I opted out. I took a couple more beers out of the fridge and sat on the front porch and smoked.

Annie wasn’t talking to me, and I wasn’t sure I would ever speak to her again after what she’d said about Race. She knew how much I hated him.

I stayed on the porch listening to my family having fun in the kitchen and I never came inside until the poker game was over and they were all in bed.

The sofa looked inviting, so I flopped down there, pulled the throw over me, and conked out.

Chapter Fourteen

Sunday, June 3rd.

Wild Stallion Ranch.

My house was filled with noisy, happy kids and two unhappy, silent adults because I hadn’t learned to live with the past. Annie’s past. The life I forced her to live in the past because of my erratic behavior. All the times I left her crying—for months, sometimes years at a time, and she turned to someone else—that was my fault and not hers. She owed me nothing, not even a backward glance, and yet I treated her like she was mine.

This morning, I couldn’t face her and wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she left for Texas right away. I had an uncanny knack for ruining my own happiness.

Self-destruct was my mantra.

I drank black coffee on the porch and chain-smoked while Annie and Tammy made breakfast in the kitchen and had fun with our family.

As soon as Harlan was finished with breakfast and chores at the barn, we left for the station to feed the prisoners.