The Construction of Cheer - Liz Isaacson Page 0,62

to the fence and put his foot on the bottom rung. Bishop hung back and unfolded the letter.

The urge to read the whole thing as quickly as he could surged through him, but he forced his eyes to the bottom of the page.

Bear’s letter was longer than Bishop’s, and he tried not to let the envy steal through him.

Please, watch out for Bishop. I fear for him the most, because we are so very important to one another, and he will need your champion heart in the days and years after I am gone.

Bishop looked up at the strong back of his brother. There was no way Bear had seen this letter before, and he had watched out for Bishop from the very day Daddy had died.

He took a deep breath. He and Daddy had been so very important to each other, and Bishop re-read that line and closed his eyes. “I miss you,” he whispered.

There was so much his father hadn’t been able to witness. He hadn’t seen Bishop prove his worth as a cowboy. He hadn’t seen him take over the construction. He hadn’t seen him design and build the barn, or any of the other dozens of projects Bishop had completed over the years.

He hadn’t met Montana, and he hadn’t been here for Cactus’s wedding, or Bear’s, or Ranger’s.

He wouldn’t be here for Bishop’s, if he could manage to get down the aisle.

Bishop took a steadying breath and kept reading.

I leave you with the words of Grandmother, whom I know you loved.

Do not stifle him. Do not stifle yourself, Bear. Do not stifle Bishop. Do not stifle that championship spirit you were named for.

Embrace it, and you will never be led astray.

I love you, and I pray that anything I have done that you resent or are bitter about will be forgiven in the future.

Daddy

Daddy had asked Bishop to forgive him too, and Bishop hadn’t found one thing he needed to forgive his father for—except dying so early.

He supposed that resentment belonged to the Lord though, and Bishop had never allowed it to sink too deeply into his heart.

He refolded Bear’s letter and took out his own. He joined Bear at the fence, though they could wander among the headstones if they wanted.

“Thank you,” he said, giving the letter back. “For letting me see it, and for doing exactly what it said to do before you even got it.”

Bear nodded and tucked the letter back into his pocket.

“You’re mentioned in mine,” Bishop said. “You can read the whole thing if you want.”

Bear glanced at the letter, obvious interest in his eyes. “Maybe another time. I’m still recovering from my own letter.”

It had been a few weeks since Bishop and Montana had shown up at the homestead with the love letters, and as Bishop stood there with Bear, he realized that Bear’s mood and demeanor had flipped a switch about the time the love letters had made a reappearance.

But it wasn’t the love letters troubling Bear. It was Daddy’s letter to him. It sure seemed like a good one to Bishop, but he hadn’t read the whole thing.

“Bear, you’ve done right by all of us,” Bishop said. “So if that’s what—”

“It’s not that,” he said.

“Then what is it?”

“I can’t explain it,” Bear said. “I honestly feel like I’m grieving his death all over again.” He went over the fence. “I just need some time to grieve him again.”

“Okay,” Bishop said, and he followed Bear over the fence and into the cemetery. Together, they cleaned up Daddy’s grave, and then Uncle Bull’s. The two brothers were buried right next to one another, with space on the outer sides for Mother and Aunt Dawna.

Once Bear was satisfied with the cleanliness of the headstones, he straightened. “You and Montana make a real nice couple.”

“Thank you,” Bishop said. “I sure do like her, and that Aurora is quite the character.”

Bear chuckled, and when he looked at Bishop this time, he had some of the sparkle and happiness he’d had for much of the past year back in his eyes. “She sure is. Mister said something about how he wished she was older so he could ask her out. You should’ve heard Judge rip into him.”

Bear shook his head.

“What are we going to do about those two? They can’t move back into the Ranch House together. Things have been better since Mister’s been livin’ up in that cabin.”

“I know,” Bear said. “I think Mister will take one of the cabins in the southern