married early last spring, and Austin still couldn’t take his eyes off his new wife.
“I hope it’s okay if we join you,” she said. “I know these guys can be overwhelming.”
“I’m used to it.”
Liam admitted she was beautiful, with her dark eyes and long dark hair. Her name totally fit. She was a forensic genealogist. He still wasn’t sure he understood everything that entailed, but apparently Austin’s new private investigation business worked well with her consulting business. He hoped the honeymoon phase lasted on both fronts—business and personal.
They were leaving tomorrow morning to head home to Seattle.
Heath and Harper were headed out too, only on their honeymoon. They married a few months ago in late fall but waited for the winter months when Emerald M Guest Ranch was free of guests before going on their official honeymoon in Hawaii—the exact opposite of the Wyoming mountains in the winter. After getting engaged, Harper moved back to Grayback and began working for Bridger County as a forensic photographer.
Liam had never seen his brothers this blissful, like they both walked around in some sort of radiant heaven Liam had no way of entering. He couldn’t be happier for them, but their contentment only magnified the despair that hovered around him, so he’d tried to get away from them, if only for a few hours.
He laughed inside. There was no escape. All the love, joy, and happiness he thought he’d fled earlier today had followed him here. While he certainly didn’t want the gloom to follow either, why was he struggling with how happy both of his brothers were? Jealousy had never been an issue for him before, but he had no idea how to get such happiness for himself.
Still, there was good news. With both happy couples leaving tomorrow, he would have a few days of peace and quiet at the ranch. Heath had tasked him with running the place in his absence. It was winter. The guest ranch was closed. What could happen?
A waitress came by and took their orders. Liam ordered coffee but no food. He tried to pay attention to his family while he kept his sights on Rae, who was focused on her tablet.
Heath leaned forward and clasped his hands. “Well, I’ve got the news we’ve all been waiting for.”
All eyes riveted on Heath.
“What news would that be?” Liam asked.
“I heard from the sheriff this morning. I’m glad he caught me before we left.” He squeezed Harper’s hand.
Liam leaned in. “And?”
“It has taken months, but we finally know that Dad wasn’t drunk when he was in the collision that killed the senator and his family. The medical examiner who signed the report had moved on, and it took time to track him down. By the time Detective Moffett found him, he was gone. Cancer. But she was able to talk to his sister, who told her that he’d carried a secret, a weight that had burdened him.”
Heath paused and hung his head as if in pain. “Said he’d been paid to doctor the report to make it look like our alcoholic father was responsible. That the senator’s blood alcohol concentration showed he was the intoxicated one.” He looked back up at them. “Too many glasses of wine with dinner? We all know who paid for that report to be doctored—the same man who told me Dad hadn’t been drunk and the accident wasn’t his fault, right after he shot me. He was connected to the senator and his family, and he shifted the blame to Dad. And now, all involved parties are dead.”
“And that means we can let go of the past and move on,” Austin added. “Good work making sure the department kept searching for answers. I know it wasn’t a priority for them.”
“But it was a priority for us,” Heath said. “I had to know.”
“Me too. I feel like a weight’s been lifted,” Austin said. “For years, I blamed myself.”
“I think we all carried some of the blame,” Heath said. He and Austin looked at Liam.
He lifted his hands as if in surrender. “I wasn’t even there when it happened.”
“And maybe you can blame yourself for staying away for so long.” Heath grinned as he squeezed Liam’s shoulder. He hadn’t meant anything by the comment, but as the saying went, there was truth in jest.
“Even though life was kind of hard, we made it. We took care of each other.” Austin put his arm across Willow’s shoulders.