Texas Forever. Janet Dailey

up the pew behind them.

      The rest of the seats were filled with friends, neighbors, and cowhands who had worked with Jasper. Glancing back, Erin caught sight of Kyle, sitting with his mother. She forced herself to put him out of her mind. Today wasn’t about him or their relationship. Today was about honoring the end of a life.

      Jasper’s casket, a plain pine box adorned with an arrangement of wildflowers, golden chamisa, and sage, spoke of the man who lay inside—honest, brave, wise, funny, and kind to the bone. The pallbearers—Will, Beau, Sky, and three long-time ranch hands—had carried the casket into the church. Now it sat on its stand in front of Erin, so close that she could have reached out and touched it. Jasper had always been there for her, to offer support and unconditional love. It was still sinking in that the man who’d been a vital part of her whole life was gone.

      Now, with so many decisions to make and challenges to face, she needed his salty wisdom. What would he say to her about Kyle if he were here? What would he advise her about getting married? But she would never know the answer to those questions. She would never hear Jasper’s voice again.

      * * *

      The service was mercifully short. When it was over, Rose walked with Will and Erin to the car for the drive back to the Rimrock. There, a feast of donated casseroles, salads, breads, and desserts would be laid out on the buffet table in the great room for folks who’d come to pay their respects to Jasper’s ranch family.

      As she waited for Will to climb into the car, she watched people coming out of the church to their vehicles. Not far away, Sky Fletcher was loading his attractive family into their SUV. Rose had yet to be introduced to Sky, but she’d recognized him on sight. Half Comanche and half Bull Tyler, with sharp cheekbones and riveting blue eyes, the foreman of the Rimrock was unmistakable. His wife was, as Will had described her, a stunning woman. Tall and willowy, with cinnamon hair and a model’s elegant carriage, she was busy strapping her three young children into the backseat of the vehicle. It was hard to believe she was Garn Prescott’s daughter. Maybe they would get a chance to talk at the house.

      As Will drove out of the parking lot and swung the car onto the main road out of town, Rose settled back against the seat.

      Tomorrow she would make the long, sad drive with Will, Erin, and Sky to the church cemetery in the Hill Country. By the time they arrived, with the casket lovingly cushioned in the bed of Will’s truck, the sexton would have dug the grave in the spot Jasper had reserved for himself when he’d buried his sweetheart so many years ago. By the time they got back to the Rimrock, it would be dark.

      And then what? Rose asked herself. She hadn’t booked a return flight to Wyoming because she hadn’t known how long she would be staying here. She still didn’t know. But something told her it might be a while. She still had the issue of her neglected property to resolve. But there was more.

      Sitting with her in the cab of the truck were two people she’d come to care about—a troubled man and a young woman on the cusp of adult life. Both of them were grieving. Both of them were facing loss. Maybe she needed to be here for them, to lend her support and pass on what little wisdom she’d gained over the years.

      Maybe this was where Jasper, her oldest and dearest friend, would have wanted her to be.

      * * *

      Erin had offered to help Carmen with the buffet. As the guests streamed into the great room, she busied herself filling the glass pitchers with iced sweet tea, making sure the casseroles and salads had serving utensils, and checking the supply of paper plates, cups, and napkins.

      Kyle and his mother had arrived together. There was no sign of Kyle’s father. Not that Erin cared, since she’d never liked the man. Hunter Cardwell struck her as bossy and self-important, and he treated his poor wife as if he owned her.

      If she married Kyle, the Cardwells would be her in-laws, she reminded herself. But right now she had other things on her mind. Ignoring Kyle’s attempt to catch her eye, she hurried back to the kitchen.

      After the first rush of guests, the traffic around the buffet table had slowed. For now, everything appeared to be under control. After telling Carmen she’d return to help clean up, Erin wandered back into the great room.

      She could see Will standing next to the tall river-stone fireplace, greeting the guests who came by. Kyle and his mother were talking to him now. Vivian Cardwell was clasping Will’s big hand between her palms. Her eyes gazed up at him almost tearfully as she offered her condolences. Kyle was shifting restlessly, looking around the room, probably for her, Erin thought. But after his caveman behavior, she wasn’t ready to be with him again—not until she was sure he’d learned his lesson.

      “Need a break?” The voice at her shoulder was Beau’s.

      Erin had been hoping to talk with her uncle while he was here. Grateful for the chance, she gave him a conspiratorial nod. “Out the back,” she said.

      Like two schoolchildren playing hooky, they cut through the kitchen, slipped out the back door, and headed across the graveled yard to the horse pastures. Beau had always been Erin’s favorite relative. She was happy just to be with him. But she also had some serious issues to bring up.

      The sun was blazing hot. Erin tugged away the ribbon that tied back her hair, letting the light breeze cool the sweat-dampened roots. Beau had taken off his jacket and slung it over his arm.

      “Congratulations on the new little one,” she said. “Boy or girl?”

      “It’s a boy. We just found out. But this trip has worn Natalie out. I talked her into lying down with April for a bit. With luck they’ll both get in a nice nap.” His eyes followed the flight of a circling hawk. “I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I was about your mother. Tori and I were best friends growing up. And then I couldn’t even make it to her funeral.”

      “It all happened so fast,” Erin said. “I understood why you couldn’t come, but I can’t say that Dad did.”

      “That’s just one more thing he’ll hold against me. But I’m worried about Will, Erin. He doesn’t look good.”

      “I’m worried about him, too,” Erin said. “Losing Mom almost killed him. And now Jasper. He’s reeling under the weight of it all. To make matters worse, he blames himself for Jasper’s death.”

      “That doesn’t make sense. The old man was ninety-three. He probably had a stroke or heart attack and ran that ATV into a wash. At least that’s what I heard. You could say that he shouldn’t have been out there alone in the first place, but nobody ever told Jasper what he couldn’t do.”

      “Maybe so. But Dad’s beating himself up because he didn’t check on Jasper the night before and send out a search party right away.” Erin brushed a lock of windblown hair out of her eyes. “The sheriff took a quick look and ruled Jasper’s death an accident. But I’m not satisfied with that. What if somebody killed him, Beau?”

      “Crazier things have happened on this ranch.”

      “After the burial’s done, I plan to do some investigating on my own. I owe it to Dad—and to Jasper—to find out what really happened.”

      “If I were going to be here longer, I’d help you,” Beau said. “As it is, feel free to call me about what you find out. At least I might be able to give you some suggestions.”

      “Thanks, I was hoping you’d say that.”

      They were passing the windmill when the sharp ring of metal on metal reached their ears. Beau gave Erin a questioning look.

      “That’s the farrier Dad hired. He claims the work will pay for itself in time saved by the cowboys and in the condition of the horses. I argued against the expense, and I still have my doubts. But at least the man—Maddox is his name—seems to know what he’s doing. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

      The largest pen was covered at one end by an open shed. In its shade, Luke Maddox was shoeing a brown and white gelding with Appaloosa markings. More