know one way or the other.”
Bishop nodded, his chest suddenly so tight.
“If she says yes,” Cactus continued. “He gets to work with her on the construction projects around the ranch and offer her a raise.”
“What?” Bear asked, his voice on the border of a bellow.
“If she says no,” Cactus said as if Bear hadn’t spoken at all. “He gets the extra budget that three of us agree he needs, and he can hire the extra people so he won’t have to see her as much.”
Bishop immediately knew where Cactus was driving. “So you’re going to give me an increased budget no matter what.”
“I think we should,” Cactus said. “Ranger and Ward already agreed.” He looked across the table to Ranger, who nodded. “If Montana says yes, she can have the extra budget for her salary, and you two get to work exclusively together. The projects will take longer….” He let the sentence hang there, and Bishop got lost in a fantasy for a few moments.
Him and Montana, working on all the construction around the ranch. Together. No one else. It was always sunny but never too hot. She held his hand on rooftops and beneath trees, and he kissed her with a summer breeze blowing across his shoulders, his cowboy hat pressed against her back as she cradled his face in her hands.
“He’s gone,” Bear said, and Bishop blinked his way back to the meeting.
“Sorry, what?”
“I hope it was a good vision,” Bear said. “Because I just agreed to this crazy plan of Cactus’s, and you didn’t even hear me.”
Bishop’s eyes widened, and he looked at the other men at the table, all of them either nodding or chuckling too. He swallowed and said, “It was a good vision, thanks.”
The five of them laughed together then, and Bishop stood up to leave the conference room with everyone else. “Thanks, Bear,” he said, stepping to his brother’s side.
“Of course,” Bear said. “Bishop, if you need more budget, just say so. You never even said.” He paused to let the others exit first.
“I was embarrassed,” Bishop admitted in a near-whisper. “I know how important it is to you to maintain the integrity of our daddy’s procedures.”
“Daddy never had to deal with two termite infestations in one house.” Bear clapped his hand on Bishop’s shoulder. “Or a beautiful blonde with impressive carpentry skills.”
“Yeah,” Bishop said, needing this moment to be lighter. “He had to deal with Mother.”
Bear burst out laughing, though they both loved their mother very much. “And six unruly boys, and Arizona.”
“No wonder he went to an early grave,” Bishop said, though that wasn’t funny at all.
He and Bear sobered, and Bear looked him right in the eye. “Let’s go out to the cemetery on Sunday morning before church. Just you and me.”
The lump in Bishop’s throat choked him, so all he did was nod. How did Bear know that Bishop needed exactly what he’d just suggested? That he needed to feel connected to Bear and his father, and he couldn’t if they weren’t all together?
“All right,” Bear said, his voice gruff. “Now go call that woman and see what she says.” He grinned at Bishop, who suddenly had more confidence than he needed to make the call.
Outside, in his truck, he looked at his phone. He didn’t want to call, though he could. He knew right were Montana was, and that she was expecting him in the cabin they’d started yesterday in only ten minutes.
He should at least call and let her know he was running a little late. He backed out first, then tapped to get the phone ringing.
“Hey,” she said after only one ring. “Let me guess. You’re running late.”
“Only ten minutes or so,” he said, wondering if he was really always running late.
“Did you happen to get any of that candy you mentioned?”
He looked at the bag of chocolate-covered mint patties he’d taken from the conference room. “Yes, ma’am. A whole bag.”
“Thank the Lord above,” she said with a sigh. “Because I pulled out the stove, and Bishop, you’re not going to like what I found.”
His heart started to pound, and he started up the lane toward Mother’s too fast. “What is it?”
“There’s a huge hole in the wall here,” she said, her voice moving further from the speaker and pitching it down. “I’m surprised you can’t see it from outside.”
“Great,” he said, his mood suddenly foul again. “Listen, can we forget about the hole for a second? I want to ask you something.”
“Okay.” Her voice centered