Free Return to the Black Hills by Debra Salonen

surprise.
    “Buck?”
    “Damn,” the voice on the other end of the line cursed. “You were starting to call me Dad again. Now, we’re back to Buck. ” His father sighed. “I guess I should have expected that, given the way I left things.”
    Cade wouldn’t argue the point. “What do you want? Has something changed?” Knowing Buck, that could mean anything.
    “No. I still plan to stick with this spiritual retreat. We only have a few chances to call. I wasn’t going to bother you, but I saw a hummingbird zipping around a sage and I thought of Shiloh. How’s she doing?”
    Like you care. Like you ever cared. “She’s fine. We made your bison chili recipe this morning.”
    “Oh, man, that sounds good. We eat a lot of vegetables here. And tofu,” Buck said, his tone a bit baffled.
    Well, you’re the one who had to go all the way to California to make peace with your maker, Cade almost said. He didn’t. He held his tongue and let the emptiness between them fill the line.
    “Where is my granddaughter? May I talk to her?”
    “She’s at Kat’s. I’m on my way there now to pick her up. I told you before you left that I might look into renting your house. Well, I sealed the deal with one of the stuntwomen from the Sentinel Passtime show. Her name is Jessie Bouchard. Unfortunately, she had a little mishap this morning. Twisted her ankle pretty bad. She’ll be on crutches for a while, but she still wants to rent the place.”
    Buck didn’t reply right away. When he did, his tone was somber and reflective. “You always were a big-hearted kid. You were the only one who was nice to Helen.”
    Cade didn’t like to think about that time in his life. Chaos didn’t come close to describing the petty war carried on between his older siblings and Helen’s three brats. As the youngest of the six, Cade had done his best to disappear. Sometimes that had meant hiding behind his stepmother’s skirts.
    Buck sighed weightily, then added, “I did love her, son. More than I realized. That’s why her death hit me so hard. I have to try to figure out how something so good and real could turn so ugly and mean.”
    “I hope the retreat helps, Dad.” The man had put Cade’s name on the deed and all the bank accounts before he left. Unfortunately, that good fortune brought along a whole hell of a lot more responsibilities. Time-consuming responsibilities. “I have to go now. Shiloh’s waiting.”
    “I knew you weren’t gonna be happy about this, son, but you gotta admit, this is a lot better than me sitting around drowning my sorrows in a bottle.”
    Cade had to give him that one.
    “Just one thing, Cadence.” Helen was the only person who ever called him that. “Is she pretty?”
    “Who?”
    “That stunt gal who’s moving into my house. Is she easy on the eyes?”
    Cade started to grin. “Yeah, Dad. They both are.” He pretended to stop and think a second. “Wait. Did I forget to mention that Jessie has an identical twin named Remy and they’re both gorgeous? Yep, that new pool you put in for Shiloh is going to be looking pretty nice in a few weeks. You enjoy that tofu, now. See you in August. Bye.”
    He was still smiling when he pulled out of the parking lot.

    “W OW . T HIS PLACE IS unbelievable,” Jessie said, rolling down her window as they passed under a massive arch of metal and carved wood. Garrity Ranch.
    The car’s right front tire hit a pothole and the crutches she’d been given toppled sideways, nearly smacking her in the face. She shoved them between the seats, but the big rubber tip on one of them got wedged beneath the sole of her snow-boot-size protective brace.
    “What do you think of my designer footwear?” she asked. “Doesn’t it remind you of that nursery rhyme where the lady has too many kids? I remember thinking that was our life—particularly when Mom’s friends came over with their broods.”
    “That was the best part of Mama’s house, for me,” Remy said. “The Bullies