eyes and said, “Read it, my love. Tell me if you think he’s right.”
A couple of hours later, Sammy smoothed the hair from Bear’s forehead. “We should go down, Teddy. I’m sure everyone’s here by now.”
Bear opened his eyes and looked into his wife’s. She was so good and so kind, and Bear did love her with his whole champion heart. “Okay,” he said. After she’d read the letter and told him that yes, he had a heart made of gold, she’d tucked him into bed and said, Rest for a while, baby. You don’t rest enough.
She’d tucked herself into his arms, and Bear had thanked the Lord for his multitude of blessings and dozed. At some point, he’d smelled the beginnings of lunch, which meant Bishop had come out of his room.
Bear groaned as he sat up and he took a moment as the room spun to give it time to settle. “I just need a minute to wash my face.” He went into the bathroom and drenched a washrag with cold water. After wiping it down his face to clear away the evidence of tears, he looked into his eyes. “I don’t want to cry in front of everyone.”
Bear couldn’t even remember the last time he’d cried. Probably the day they’d buried Daddy, over fifteen years ago.
Sammy appeared in the doorway, and she was soft and strong at the same time. Their eyes met in the mirror, and she held up her phone. “I screened this. You have a ton of messages, but none of them are essential for you to read right now. The only one I’d respond to is the one from your mother.”
Bear turned toward her and took the device. “Thank you.” For some reason, he was having a hard time maintaining eye contact with her.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed with me,” she said. “I know it makes no sense to you what happened this morning, but I understand it. I understand it, because I’ve lived it.”
He wrapped her in a hug and stroked her hair, his words stuck somewhere in his chest.
“Come on,” she said. “Bishop’s started texting me now.”
When Bear arrived in the kitchen, every eye swung his way, and most of them carried plenty of anxiety. Bishop wore a navy blue apron and looked up from the casserole dish. “Finally,” he said, taking off the oven mitts and tossing them on the counter. “Okay, everyone. Quiet down.”
No one was talking, and Bear thought of the day they’d all gathered to this spot of land. The house was different, but this was the same place where Daddy had once lived and died. He had kept them in the hall and said he’d like to say a prayer before they went in to visit him.
It wasn’t the last time Bear had visited his father, but he’d known his dad wouldn’t survive the moment he’d opened his mouth to say that prayer. He hadn’t known what he was going to say then, just as he didn’t now.
Last time, he’d just opened his mouth.
Maybe this time, that was all he had to do again.
“Thanks for coming,” he said. “Bishop and Montana have been working on the cabins in the southern sector, and they’ve made a very exciting discovery.”
Bishop moved over to stand next to Bear, and everyone tracked him. Montana sat at the large kitchen table, smartly out of the way.
“Well?” Cactus growled. “What is it?”
“Just spit it out,” Ward said.
“Okay,” Bishop said, his grin giddy. “Now, it’s a bit of a mess, but I’m going to clean it all up. The box and the letters and everything.”
Zona sucked in a breath and covered her mouth.
“Montana found a safe hidden in the wall that has the box full of Mother’s love letters from Daddy.” Bishop smiled around at everyone. “There was an envelope with money and—”
“The letters?” Preacher asked, cutting him off.
“Are you sure?” Judge took a step closer, his eyes firing with hope.
“I’m quite sure,” Bishop said, and he reached up to the cupboard above the fridge. “They’re right here.” He pulled out the box, and everyone crowded around, even Ranger and his brothers. Etta and Ida must not have been able to make it.
“But you guys,” Bishop said as everyone started talking again.
“Bish,” Bear said. “Give them a minute.”
Bishop nodded and glanced over to Montana.
“She’s probably overwhelmed,” Bear said.
“Yeah,” Sammy said. “Or she doesn’t have a family that’s like this.”
“Go make sure she’s okay,” Bear urged.
Bishop moved that way, and Bear spoke to