Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,58

even if she had been raised to run towards a conflict, to have a cool head no matter the circumstances, or risk.

She had pushed to become deputized at one time, thought her fathers would welcome her with open arms but they had always put her off claiming that she was not ready, that she could learn more, or that the timing wasn’t right. Seylah hadn’t given up on her desire to wear a badge, to lend a hand in an official capacity, but as it stood things were not in her favor to win her fathers over.

She was not the law. She was a secretary.

Paperwork was all that was in Selyah’s foreseeable future given the conflict with the homesteaders. There was no changing. Not the way it was, not without something big. What that was, she didn’t know, but now was not the time to push. She could see it in the set of her fathers’ shoulders. They were not inclined to listen to her protests, this was a matter the two men had already made their minds up on.

She sucked in a deep breath. “I know, Daddy,” she murmured, picking up another sheaf of paper and filing it away with a sure hand. The only thing she would be doing was sorting through paperwork, even if she knew she was up to the task of putting homesteaders in line, or keeping the peace.

“It’s not forever,” Will said, coming to stand beside her desk. He put a hand on the papers she was filing, stopping her from continuing on with her work. “Sweetheart, look at me. Please.”

Seylah let out a shuddering breath and raised her eyes to her father’s. “I know,” she lied.

His mouth pressed into a thin line. “Seylah, if it were different, we would not stop you.”

“When will things change then? When will it be perfect?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “The answer is that it won’t ever be safe enough for me if I’m ever to come out from behind this desk.”

Forrest watched them with a frown. “We just want you to be safe. It’s our job to protect you, your mother and your sisters. That’s what we were put here to do.”

“You raised us to be strong. You should know that we can handle what life brings our way. You told us that we could do whatever we put our mind to, and sometimes that puts us into uncomfortable or imperfect situations.”

Will sighed. “Seylah, this is not just uncomfortable. This is dangerous.”

“Then let me handle the danger.”

“If you were hurt,” Forrest shook his head. “We would never survive it if anything happened--” he continued after a moment, but he stopped speaking, rubbing a hand across his jaw and took in a shaky breath.

Will went to him, a comforting arm wrapping around his husband. Forrest turned into him with a shake of his head. “I can’t even say it,” Forrest mumbled into Will’s shoulder.

Seylah looked away, hating the fear rolling off her fathers. She knew their worries, how they wanted her and her sisters to be happy and healthy, and most of all safe. If her dreams could be safer life would be far simpler, but she was her fathers’ daughter and all that she wished for in her life was to wear a badge on her chest as they did.

“Now is not the time, Seylah. But soon,” Will told her, rubbing Forrest’s back.

“I know,” Seylah said quietly. Now was not the time for pressing her hand, now was the time to simply be with her family as their daughter. She went to them and held her arms out and immediately the men drew her close into a hug that had her sandwiched between them, smothered in paternal love so fierce she could scarcely breathe.

Secretary or not, badge or not, Seylah knew one thing would never change, and that was the unwavering love of her fathers. That would be constant, true, and strong no matter her profession.

Seylah was walking through town when she caught sight of August. He was at the end of the avenue, his back to her but she would recognize the set of his shoulders anywhere. The earlier disappointment of the day faded away with the prospect of seeing August.

She quickened her steps and made to lift a hand in greeting but her limb froze when she saw that August was not alone. There was a woman at his side, a pretty auburn haired woman that was clothed in a dress