McCoys had a truce.”
“A peace treaty would be more like it,” River said.
“A peace treaty,” Cassidy repeated. “That's an excellent idea, River. We need a declaration of peace and a binding agreement between our families that the violence and hatred ends now.”
“But what if one side doesn't keep the treaty?” Bobby asked.
“Well since I am now part of the Wilde family, I can guarantee you that it won't be us,” Cassidy said.
“She's right, Bobby,” Charlie said. “It's time we end this.”
“What about Father? You know he won't agree.”
“Father's an old man. What's he going to do? We do most of the work on the ranch nowadays. He just barks orders. If all three of us and Mom tell him what's what, he won't be able to boss us around anymore.”
“Maybe you're right,” Bobby said. “Maybe it's time we stood up for ourselves. It's our family, too, and if we don't want to be this way anymore, we shouldn't have to.”
“You've all been bailed out,” the deputy sheriff said, shoving a key into the lock on the bar doors.
Austin was behind her, and so was Cassidy's mom. Cassidy hugged her mom and thanked her, and so did Bobby and Charlie.
“We need to talk,” her mother said. “What you've done is unforgivable, and it's going to stop now. Same with your father. If you men don't shape up, I'm leaving, and you'll never see me again.”
“You're right, Mom. We agree,” Charlie said.
“We had a long time to talk while we were behind bars, Mom. I think we've come to a decision you'll like. The McCoys and the Wildes are forming a peace treaty. If Dad doesn't like it, he can carry on with his hatred alone,” Cassidy said.
“God be praised,” her mother said, hugging Cassidy again.
Cassidy smiled and turned to Gunner, taking his hand as they walked out of the sheriff's department. It was a new day and a new life of peace for all of them.
13
Gunner parked his truck in front of Austin's house. He saw Cheyenne with the baby on her hip waving from the back lawn. Austin was already at the barbecue as the warm summer sun cooled on the western horizon.
He and Cassidy climbed out of the car. She was carrying a Jell-O mold with marshmallows that she'd made for the gathering. Shane and Montana were already there, seated in the shade at the picnic table. Cassidy brought her Jell-O mold to the potluck table while Gunner went to greet his brother at the grill. The smell of barbecue ribs, steak, hamburgers, and sausage filled his nostrils.
More cars parked outside Austin's house as Gunner grabbed a bottle of beer from the cooler and joined Cassidy, Shane, and Montana at the table.
Cash and Cal arrived with River, and Cassidy waved to her new friend. Boo was right at River's heels.
When the next car arrived, everyone stopped in hushed silence. Cal and Bobby McCoy were the first to climb out of the back seat of the crew cab, followed by their parents from the front.
A shiver went down Gunner's spine, and he prayed that this peace treaty would work. Mrs. McCoy was carrying a basket of lemon bars and set them on the table with the rest of the food before slipping into the picnic table beside her daughter.
“Do you want a drink, Mom?” Cassidy asked, filling a plastic cup with Chardonnay.
“Thank you, dear,” her mom said, her voice hinting at her anxiety.
“It's good to have you here,” Gunner said.
Heath and his mate Rose were the next to arrive, bringing their gourmet goat milk cheese. Rose was showing the roundness of her belly. As she entered the third trimester of her pregnancy. Heath helped her into an Adirondack chair and grabbed her a bottle of juice from the cooler. Cheyenne set her toddler down in the grass, and he ran to his aunt Rose and climbed in her lap.
Dylan was last to arrive, sitting at the edge of the party with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other.
“Now that everyone's here, we can start the meeting,” Austin said, putting the platter of barbecue onto the potluck table.
“But first, we eat,” Cheyenne said.
Everyone lined up at the potluck table, filling their paper plates to the brim with potato salad, barbecue, Jell-O, macaroni salad, breadsticks, and all of the other delicious delicacies the families had prepared.
They sat down at the long picnic table that had been constructed out of three separate ones to allow for the