Page 20 of Deacon (Men of Clifton, Montana #52)

“It’s not going to be easy, Deke. You’ve been a bachelor a long time and always lived alone.” Case said.

“I know, but we’ll make it work,” Deke answered.

Case exchanged a look with Hud, who sat hunched in the wooden chair. The grain creaked as he shifted.

“We’ll all have dinner together once she gets settled in,” their father said, eyes sweeping over his sons.

“All right. I’ll be here,” Case replied, straightening.

“Me too,” Hud said, pushing his chair back and rising. He slipped on his hat. “All kidding aside, Deke, I’ll support you any way I can. I need to head home.”

“Thanks, Hud.” Deke nodded as Hud stepped outside, the door thudding softly behind him.

Case stood and removed his own hat from its peg. “Same here, Deke.” He paused at the threshold, letting the golden light fall across his face. “I need to get home and get some work done, too.” Then he was gone, leaving the kitchen silent but for the faint hum of the refrigerator.

Deke exhaled, shoulders sagging as he faced his father. “I’m sorry for disappointing you, Dad.”

“Deke, you’re not disappointing me,” his father said. “You’re doing exactly what you should. I just wish she’d have let you know sooner. You missed two years of your daughter’s life.”

Deke’s chest tightened. “I know. I was angry, Dad, but I already love that little girl. She has our eyes.” He managed a small smile.

“How does her family feel now that you’re back in the picture?”

“Her dad was angry she kept it from me. Her brother… I don’t know. Ava said she’d talk to him today—”

His phone buzzed sharply in his pocket. Deke glanced at the screen. “Sorry, Dad. It’s Dave.” He stood and answered, voice low. “Dave? What’s up?”

“Deke, I know you just got back from Maple Ridge, but I need you there tomorrow. Smith is willing to talk.”

“Tomorrow?” Deke ran a hand through his hair. “Damn, I just got home.”

“I know, and I hate to bother you on a Sunday, but Autumn Falls says Smith will only speak with you.”

“Damn. All right. I’ll head out in the morning. Hey, can I get Tuesday and Wednesday off? If at all possible.”

“If it’s possible, it won’t be a problem. Call me after you talk with Smith.”

“Yes, sir.” Deke hung up, sank back onto the chair, and stared at the dappled light on the floor.

“Did I hear right? You have to go back to Maple Ridge?” his father asked gently.

“One of the men involved in the rustling wants to talk, but only to me.”

“This is going to wear you down, Deke. All this travel.”

He nodded, rubbing his temple. “It already has. But once this case is done, I’ll be home for good.”

His father’s lined face softened. “For that alone, I’m glad Ava and your daughter will be moving here.”

“I told her it was too much of driving back and forth for either of us. We’d both get tired of it, not to mention how it would wear Ellie out.” Deke pulled his phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen, then handed the phone to his father.

His father scrolled through the gallery, pausing at a photo of a bright-eyed little girl clutching a doll. His vision misted. “She’s beautiful. I can see you in her, her hair, her eyes, that smile. That’s all you.” He thumbed through more photos. “Who’s this?”

Deke looked at the photo and smiled. “That’s Ava.”

“That is one beautiful woman,” his father said. “Blonde hair, blue eyes and a beautiful smile. She is stunning.”

“I know. I thought so the first time I saw her.”

“Well, who knows? Maybe you two can make this work. I hope so because I want to know my granddaughter. The way Hud and Case are fooling around, they’ll never give me any. ”

Deke chuckled. “Probably not Hud, anyway. He likes being single too much.”

“One day, a woman will come along that will bring him to his knees. I guarantee it. I just hope I live long enough to see it.”

Deke grinned. “I want to see that too.” He pushed his chair back and stood. “I’d better get home, get some things done since I have to leave in the morning. Damn, I’ll be glad when this case is over.”

“I’m sure, son. You be careful. Oh, why are you taking Tuesday and Wednesday off?”

“I had Ava order everything I’d need for Ellie, and it will be delivered Tuesday. Wednesday, I’ll put it all together.”

“If you need some help, let me know.”

“Thanks, Dad. I probably will. I have a good bit of things that need to be put together.”

“Just let me know.”

“I will. I’ll talk to you soon.” Deke took his hat from the hook, opened the door, then walked out.

****

Ava rounded the corner into the entryway, her boots whispering against the polished hardwood. A faint aroma of coffee drifted through the air. “Dad?” she called, her voice echoing under the high ceiling.

He emerged from the kitchen, a dish towel slung over one arm, sleeves rolled to his elbows. Late afternoon light slanted in, catching on the silver strands in his hair. “What are you doing here?” His tone filled with surprise.

“Why didn’t you tell me John Smith was involved in the theft?” Ava folded her arms, her stomach knotting.

He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled, eyes darkening with worry.

“Hell, Ava, I’m still trying to process everything.

” He shook his head. “I don’t know how he got pulled in, but I’m counting on Deke to shake it out of him.

” His phone buzzed on the countertop. He retrieved it, tapped the screen, then looked back at her.

“Speak of the devil.” He swiped to answer.

“Deke? What’s going on, son?” He listened, brow furrowing.

“That’s good news, isn’t it? I hope so too.

Will you stop by the house?” He nodded. “Okay, if you can.” He pocketed the device.

“Deke will be in Maple Ridge tomorrow. Smith wants to sit down with him.”

Ava lifted an eyebrow. “He does? Maybe he’ll tell him who else is behind this.”

He leaned against the counter. “I hope so. Says the two Winchesters aren’t talking.”

“Maybe once they know Smith’s talking, they’ll open up.”

“We’ll see,” he said.

“Is Deacon coming here?” she asked softly.

He shrugged. “If he has time. No promises.”

Ava drew a steadying breath. “Okay. I’m heading to Tyler’s to pick up Ellie, then I’m going home.” She paused at the door. “Did you have fun last night?”

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Why did she stay with Tyler?”

“I wanted a night out. What did you do?”

He rubbed his chin. “I went out to dinner.”

Her lips curved. “Alone?”

He smirked. “No, and that’s all you need to know.”

“Oh, come on, Dad. If you’re seeing someone, why not tell me?”

He sighed, shoulders sagging. “Because I don’t know where it’s going, and I don’t want you or Tyler breathing down my neck if it fizzles.”

“Fair enough.” She opened the door and slipped out.

The car’s engine rumbled to life, its low, steady thrum a reassuring heartbeat that slowed the gallop of her nerves as she guided it down the gravel drive toward her brother’s house.

The late-afternoon light slanted through pines, turning the two-story log home at the end of the lane into a glowing silhouette.

She parked, resting her palm on the cool leather of the steering wheel, closing her eyes to summon courage.

Then she slipped out, boots crunching on the stones, climbed the wide steps of the porch, and lifted her hand to knock, each rap ringing against the heavy wooden door.

Tyler opened it almost instantly, his broad shoulders framed by the fading daylight. A friendly grin curved his lips, one hand tucked casually into the pocket of faded jeans. “Hey, sis. Come on in.”

The faint scent of pine greeted her. “Thanks,” she said, her pulse still drumming in her ears. She shifted her gaze toward the soft glow of the rec room beyond. “Is Ellie ready?”

He shook his head. “She’s in there, watching a movie with the kids. But hey, you’re not in a hurry, right?”

Ava’s throat tightened. “No. Actually… I need to talk to you.”

His grin faltered. Tyler’s gaze sharpened. “About what?”

“Can we go to your office?”

She followed him past the rec room, where the muted murmur of dialogue and the occasional burst of laughter rippled through the doorway.

The scent of buttered popcorn drifted out as Tyler led her down the hall.

He opened a solid oak door that closed behind them with a muted click.

The office was spacious, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined one wall, a polished mahogany desk sat centered on a braided rug, and two high-backed leather chairs faced each other across its gleaming surface.

Ava sank into one of the wingback chairs, the rich upholstery soft against her palms. Tyler pulled the leather chair up, settled behind the desk, and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the smooth wood. When she remained still, he lifted an eyebrow. “You said you needed to talk to me.”

Her pulse thundered in her temples. She smoothed her shirt and pressed her palms into her knees. “I do… I’m just scared of your reaction.”

Relief softened his features. “Ava, you should never be scared to tell me anything.”

She drew in a shaky breath, voice barely more than a whisper. “Deacon Anderson is Ellie’s father.” The name spilled out, weighty as a confession.

Tyler’s jaw clenched, veins rising at his neck. His blue eyes narrowed, disbelief flickering like embers. “I’m sorry… Agent Deacon Anderson from MDOL is Ellie’s father?” The question throbbed low and tense.

She nodded, bracing herself. “Yes— ”

He sprang up so fast his chair rolled back into the bookshelf with a soft scrape. His voice rose, echoing off the dark wood shelves. “And he didn’t want anything to do with her?”

“I lied about that,” she blurted. “He didn’t know she existed until he came here about the cattle and saw me.”

Tyler wheeled his chair forward, plopped down, and ran a hand through his hair. “Ava, why would you lie to us about that?”