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The bus was less than half full when the driver pulled out of the station. Sonny had chosen a seat at the back because he didn’t like having strangers behind him, and from where he was sitting, he could see most of the passengers. A young couple sat head-to-head, whispering, stealing kisses, and holding hands all the way to their destination. Another couple sat in silence. The woman was crying. The man with her had his arm around her shoulders. A sad trip for them, Sonny thought.

People disembarked and others got on. Some slept. Some were on their phones. A few were reading magazines or books. To Sonny, they were symbolic of the microcosms of humanity. All colors. All ages. Some with the weight of the world on their shoulders. Others were looking toward rosy futures. Some were running away. Others were traveling to destinations unknown. He didn’t know where he fit into the constantly changing crowd, but he felt hopeful. He’d been treading water for a long time now, and he’d finally been given the opportunity to swim.

But he was leaving behind the wooded land, the network of myriad creeks and rivers, and the rolling hills of home, and the farther he went, the flatter the land became, and it occurred to him as he rode that the geography was going to give him an unfettered view, no matter where he stood.

As a hunter, this was a negative. As the hunted, the enemy would be visible from any direction, and the moment that went through his mind, his father’s face appeared before him. Sonny closed his eyes and the image disappeared, but he took it as a warning.

Walker wasn’t done with him yet.

***

A very long trip later, Sonny became the last westbound passenger in the bus, and when the driver began slowing down, he sat up straight and glanced out the window to read the sign at the city limits.

CROSSROADS, TEXAS: POPULATION: 2,500

He had reached his destination.

The past was behind him.

There was nothing but opportunity before him, and he wasn’t going to waste it.

***

Magnolia Brennen was scurrying around the dining area in the Yellow Rose Café, just as she did every day, waiting tables, sweeping up after messy customers, then wiping down the tables after they were cleared.

She liked her job and loved her boss, Pearl Fallon, who owned the café.

The day was finally drawing to an end, and they were getting ready to close. Maggie began sweeping, and Pearl was at the register counting out the day’s take. Maggie had been thinking about the dream she’d had last night. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to Pearl about it, but it had been so real she wanted to tell someone.

“Hey Pearl…”

Pearl kept counting. “Yeah?”

“Last night, I had the strangest dream. I was lying in the grass and covered in clouds of butterflies.”

Pearl Fallon paused and looked up. “What does that mean?”

Maggie shrugged. “Probably nothing,” she said, and kept sweeping, but she hadn’t been able to get the dream out of her head. It had been magic. Her entire body had been covered in butterflies—so many that she could still feel the breeze from the flutter of those fragile wings as she was waking up.

She sighed. It had been so real, it had to mean something.

Pearl didn’t know what was in Maggie’s head right now, but it was always in the clouds. Still, she paused at what she was doing and gave Maggie her full attention.

“Butterflies mean transformation, or change. Maybe something’s coming your way,” she said.

Maggie shrugged. “Maybe so, but I hope it’s someone better than Jerry Lee. Like every man I’ve ever known, who makes promises he has no intention of keeping.”

Pearl grimaced, remembering how she’d first seen Maggie—a pretty but skinny nineteen-year-old girl who had just been dumped on the steps of the Rose by a good-for-nothing man. Abandoned in the middle of nowhere with the clothes on her back and her worldly possessions in the duffel bag beside her. In thirty-degree weather, and with a dusting of snow on the ground, all she had against the cold was the zip-up sweatshirt she’d been wearing.

Pearl saw the drama playing out in her parking lot. Saw the man driving away, and the girl staggering to the steps of the Rose before she fell apart. It broke her heart.

She’d brought the girl inside and put a cup of hot coffee in her hands, but the girl couldn’t stop crying long enough to take a sip. She just kept saying the same thing, over and over. “Why do people keep giving me away?”

Pearl didn’t ask her what that meant. She just hired her on the spot.

As it turned out, Magnolia Brennen turned out to be the best employee she’d ever had. Maggie’s high cheekbones, arched eyebrows, and thick black eyelashes shading the bluest of eyes, gave her an unusual beauty. Her lips were full and most often tilted in a smile. She’d come a long way from the young girl she’d been, to the woman she was today. Long legs, a lean body, and all the energy that comes with being young.

Pearl shook off the memory, waiting for Maggie to elaborate on the dream, but she’d stopped talking about butterflies. Pearl let it slide and began wiping down the tabletops while Maggie went outside to sweep the front porch and steps. Pearl started to tell her not to bother, then let her go. They were about to lock up anyway, and Maggie had a thing about sunsets.

The wind was flirting with the hem of Maggie’s blue-and-white puff-sleeved dress as she went out onto the porch. The two-tiered skirt gathered at the waist stopped short just above her knees, and the shirred stretchy bodice with a square neckline was comfortable to work in. She owned three pairs of shoes, which were two more than what she had the day she was dumped at the Rose. A pair of blue-and-white sneakers, one good pair of black flats, and the pink Roper boots she often wore to work.

She gave the entryway a couple of swipes with the broom, and then walked to the west end of the porch to watch the sun slowly sliding below the horizon. The sky was already an explosion of purple and orange, with pink and yellow feathered in among the hues, just to make sure you were still paying attention. She considered sundown on the prairie as God’s apology for every heartache she’d ever suffered.

On the days when Jerry Lee’s face would flash before her, she would get angry all over again. But when she dreamed of him at night, it was always about the time before, when he was good to her and made her laugh, until she woke up remembering how deeply he’d betrayed her, and how gullible she’d been to ever believe a man like that.

She wrapped her arms around the porch post and leaned into it, watching the sky as the colors continued to bleed one into the other, and thought. Lord, am I going to grow old alone because I trusted so blindly? I don’t want that, but I can’t bring myself to grieve my situation when You give me a daily masterpiece like this.

Every day, like today, she sought solace in the kaleidoscope of colors as the sun made a run for the horizon, and here she was again, staring down Highway 86 as if desire alone would bring her a knight in shining armor. She might have stayed until dark had Pearl not yelled at her from inside the Yellow Rose.

“Maggie! Come in and help me finish so we can close up!”

Maggie pivoted on one heel and bolted. “Yes, ma’am! Comin’!” she yelled, and ran back into the diner.

“Lock the door and turn the Open sign to Closed. I’ve already shut down the kitchen,” Pearl said.

“Yes, ma’am,” Maggie said, and turned around to flip the sign when she saw the Greyhound bus slowing down, then pulling into the parking lot.

One very tall man got out, retrieved his luggage, and then moved toward the Rose as the bus pulled away. From the stoop of his shoulders, and the suitcase and duffel bag he was carrying, it appeared that he’d also brought the weight of the world with him. He looked like he needed a hug.

“Wait, Pearl! One more customer.”

Pearl sighed. “Is he drivin’ or walkin’?”

“Walking…just got off the bus,” Maggie said.

Pearl sighed. “We may be the only opportunity he’s had all day to find food. I guess we’re still open,” and she headed for the kitchen to turn the grill back on.

Maggie watched the man come up the steps, pause to take off a black Stetson before coming inside, and as he did, she felt the air shifting around her again, like the butterflies from her dream.

Oh my God! He looks like the actor who played Sam in the 1883 series! The one who was in love with Elsa! But he’s famous. He wouldn’t be riding a bus to the middle of nowhere, or would he?

“Am I too late to order food?” he asked.

Still rattled by what she was feeling, Maggie managed a smile. “No sir, you are not.”

“Then I’ll take a cheeseburger with fries and the biggest glass of sweet tea you serve. Is there a place I can wash up?”

“Men’s room is right down that hall to your left,” she said. He set his bags down by a table and walked away. As he did, she couldn’t help but notice the long black ponytail hanging down his back, then she went to turn in the order.

“I heard,” Pearl said. “Do you know who that is?”

Maggie blinked. “Well, he looks like the actor who played Sam in the series 1883 , but it’s surely not. Do you know who he is?”

Pearl grinned. “I never thought of him like that, but now that you mention it, he sure does. However, that’s Sonny Bluejacket. Used to be one hell of a bull rider on the circuit before he got stomped near to death. I haven’t seen him in ages. I thought he went back to Oklahoma. It’s where he was from.”

“Bluejacket is a different name,” Maggie said.

“It’s a Shawnee name, but I think his tribal affiliation is Muscogee. Never was another rider like him.”

Maggie shuddered at the thought of being stomped by one of those big rodeo bulls, and went to set a place for him at a table, along with the big glass of iced tea.

She was refilling salt and pepper shakers behind the counter when he came out from the men’s room carrying his jacket. He hung the jacket and hat on another chair at his table and sat down.

The first thing Maggie noticed was how tall he stood without the weight on his back, and how striking he was. The tint of copper in his skin. Wide shoulders. Long arms and legs, that handsome face, and chocolate-brown eyes. He had a presence that demanded attention, but he was focused on the icy drink before him.

When he reached for the tea and drank the glass empty, the look of ecstasy on his face was like nothing she’d ever seen before. She hadn’t seen a water bottle anywhere on the outside of his backpack, and the thought that he had been that thirsty hurt her heart. Without talking, she filled up a pitcher with tea and carried it to the table, along with another glass of ice. When she set it down before him, he looked up at her and smiled.

“Thank you.”

A bell dinged in the kitchen and Pearl yelled, “Pickup!”

Maggie pivoted to get his food, unaware she was being observed.

Sonny kept watching her—the way she moved—those long legs beneath that short dress, pink cowboy boots, and the way her face lit up when she was talking. And her eyes—blue as the sky. He turned his head before she caught him staring.

“Enjoy,” she said, as she set the food in front of him.

“Thank you, ma’am, I will.”

Maggie smiled. “Not ma’am, just Maggie. Short for Magnolia.”

“A most beautiful and delicate flower,” he said.

Maggie watched his teeth flash white beneath a near-smile, and then he began eating as she walked away.

For Sonny, the food filled the long-empty spot in his belly, and this place marked the end of his journey.

Maggie was still thinking about being named for a beautiful and delicate flower when Pearl came out of the kitchen and pulled up a chair beside Sonny.

“Long time, no see,” she said.

He wiped his mouth and looked up. “Hello, Pearl. You still make the best cheeseburgers in Texas.”

She smiled. “Where have you been?”

“Back home, living with my brother and his family. Helping out on the farm and training horses for ranchers.”

“Good to have family,” she said.

“They are good people, but I had long outstayed my welcome. I am here, because I got a letter from Emmit Cooper’s lawyer, informing me that Emmit named me his heir.”

“Oh, my lord! Congratulations! Are you selling or staying?” she asked.

Sonny popped a couple of fries in his mouth, then chewed and swallowed before he spoke again. “Planning to stay. Emmit wouldn’t have given it to me, otherwise.”

“Just be prepared to have to reclaim what’s yours,” Pearl said.

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Remember Wade Sutton?” she asked.

He frowned, thinking back, then shrugged. “No.”

“Well, without a by your leave, Wade has moved all of Emmit’s horses onto his property, and is driving Emmit’s truck around town like it was his own.”

Sonny stilled. “The hell you say.”

Maggie had been listening without comment. She knew nothing of the backstory except that Emmit had recently passed and she missed the old man, and whoever Sonny Bluejacket was, he must have meant something special to Emmit. But from the look on Sonny’s face, Wade Sutton was in for more than he might be able to handle.

“I don’t know where Emmit’s place is, but I have directions. I do not know Wade Sutton or where his property is,” Sonny said.

Before she knew it, Maggie heard herself offering him a ride.

“I know where Emmit’s place is. I used to go out twice a month and clean his house for him. And I know where Wade Sutton’s place is, too. Last I knew, the power was still on at your house, but I doubt there’s any food. And if Wade didn’t steal Emmit’s furniture, too, it should still be fully furnished. We’re about to close up shop. If you’ll wait until I can help Pearl mop up, I’ll take you, myself.”

“I can mop,” Pearl said, then got up and went behind the counter and pulled out a twelve-gauge shotgun. “It’s loaded. You just aim and pull the trigger. It might be the incentive Wade needs to turn over stolen property without an argument.”

“No gun,” Sonny said. “I won’t need it. Sheriff Reddick already knows I inherited the property. We spoke while I was still in Oklahoma. Apparently, Emmit’s lawyer notified him, too. And Matt Reddick is a friend from my rodeo days. Excuse me a moment,” he said, and walked away to make a call. The phone rang three times before Sonny got an answer.

“Hello, this is Reddick.”

“Matt, this is Sonny Bluejacket. I’m at the Yellow Rose. Pearl Fallon just told me that Wade Sutton has been driving Emmit Cooper’s truck around town, and that he’s moved all of Emmit’s horses onto his place. Just want you to know, I’m about to go get my property back.”

“Well shit, Sonny. Don’t do something you can’t take back. If he gives you a hard time, just tell him I’m on the way. Lucky for you I was on a call not too far from the Rose. I can be at the ranch in about half an hour. How are you getting there?”

“Magnolia Brennen is giving me a ride.”

“Then go straight to Emmit’s house. I’ll pick you up there and you send Maggie home. I don’t want her in the middle of this. It could get ugly.”

Sonny looked across the room at the slender brunette with the pretty blue eyes and ready smile. The idea that she might come to harm because of him, made him cautious.

“Right. Thanks. I’ll be waiting for you,” he said.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Reddick said.

Sonny walked back to where the women were talking. “I’ll take that ride out to the house. Sheriff Reddick is going to pick me up there and go with me to Sutton’s.”

Pearl nodded. “Good move. Maggie, I know you don’t know Sonny, but I do, and you will always be safe with him.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Maggie said.

“Pearl, I appreciate the vote of confidence, and Miss Magnolia, I appreciate the ride,” he said, left a handful of bills on the table, put his jacket and hat back on, and shouldered the backpack. “I’m ready when you are.”

Maggie took a quick breath. “You can call me Maggie. Magnolia is a mouthful. I’m parked out back. We’ll go this way,” she said, and led them through the delivery entrance and across the parking area to her car—a gray 4x4 SUV.

Sundown had gone ahead and happened without Maggie tonight, but fortunately, the security lights surrounding the Yellow Rose were shining the way as she unlocked the trunk.

Sonny put his bags in it, then slid into the front seat and put his hat in his lap.

Maggie pointed to a lever beneath the seat. “Give yourself some leg room,” she said, and then waited until he got settled and buckled up before she drove away.