He took a sip of coffee, remembering all the times he’d teased her as a kid. It was part of his job as little brother. Her teen years were a nightmare. John Hart kept a tight rein on his only daughter, and Dinah rebelled over and over. Tuf often wondered if Dinah would make it through those turbulent times. He would tease her just to see her smile.
Dinah scooted to the end of the booth. “I have to get back to work.”
“What’s Cheyenne’s situation?” he asked before he could stop himself.
She sighed. “Please tell me you’ve gotten over that teenage crush.”
“I have.” He twisted his cup. “I’m just curious. She’s different.”
“She’s going through a rough time.”
“She said her husband wasn’t with her in Roundup.”
“No.” Dinah dug in her purse and laid some bills on the table.
“Are they divorced?”
She frowned at him. “No. He died.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t expecting that. “Cancer, heart…”
“Tuf.” His sister actually glared at him. “Cheyenne’s emotions are very fragile right now and…”
“What happened to her husband?”
Her glare was now burning holes through him. “You can’t let this go, can you?”
“Like I told you, I’m curious. There’s a certain sadness about her, and I know something traumatic has happened in her life.”
Dinah zipped her purse. “Okay. But what I tell you, you keep to yourself. Very few people in Roundup know this, and I don’t want people gossiping behind her back.”
“Have you ever known me to gossip?”
“No, and that’s why I’m telling you.” She drew a deep breath. “Her husband was a marine.”
“He died in combat?”
“No. He was out for six months and had severe PTSD. Austin said he had terrible nightmares and was sometimes violent.”
A knot formed in his stomach and bile rose in his throat. He fought the terrible memories every day, and he vowed they would not bring him down. He’d stand strong. He was a marine. But there were days…
“What happened?”
“He left a note for Cheyenne saying he was leaving and not to try and find him. He added they were better off without him. Two days later he was found in a motel. He’d shot himself.”
“Oh, God.” Now he knew what the look in Cheyenne’s eyes was about. The life she’d planned was not the life she was living. She’d learned that there was hatred and evil in the world and it had spread to the most innocent victims like herself and her daughters. Her belief in life had been shattered, and she was struggling to make sense of it all—like he was.
“I’m sorry she had to go through that,” he murmured.
“We all are.” Dinah reached across the table and rubbed his forearm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yep.” He reached for his hat. “I’ll walk you to your office.”
Dinah got to her feet. “Oh, please. I’m the sheriff, remember?”
Tuf stood with a smile. But he still had an ache inside for all the soldiers who had come home and were still fighting that terrible war in their minds.
“Look,” Dinah said, and he followed her gaze to the kitchen area. Beau stood there. He kissed Sierra and headed for the front door.
“Hey, Beau,” Tuf called.
Beau swung around and walked toward them with a grin on his face.
“You’re home,” Tuf said.
“We got back late last night. I spoke with Dad, and he and Jordan just drove in, too. I’m picking up Duke at the sheriff’s office, and we’re going out to welcome them home.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Dinah stepped toward the door. “I’ll go with you to the office to make sure we don’t have anything pressing. See you at the ranch.” She waved to Tuf.
Tuf made his way across the street to his truck. As he was about to get in, he noticed Sadie and Sammie looking through the glass door of the shop. He raised a hand in greeting. Surprisingly, they both lifted a hand, but they didn’t smile. He knew without a doubt they were affected by their father’s death. Cheyenne shooed them back to their seats, and their eyes locked for a moment. So much sadness clouded her beautiful face. He got in his truck and drove away, telling himself it was none of his business.
And he was real good at lying to himself.
* * *
WHEN HE REACHED THE RANCH, he saw Ace’s and Colt’s trucks parked near Ace’s vet office. He drove there, too. As he got out, he heard loud voices coming from the barn attached to the office.
“It’s time, Ace,” Colt was saying. “Midnight has healed and we need to get him on the rodeo circuit as soon as February.”
“No way. I’m not risking him getting hurt again. Breeding season is about to start and he’ll be busy.”
“Damn it. Can’t you see how restless he is? He needs the excitement of the rodeo.”
“I agree,” Tuf said before he thought it through.
His brothers swung around to stare at him. It wasn’t a good stare. His settling-in period was over.
Ace’s eyes narrowed on him. “You haven’t shown any interest in this ranch for eight years and now you think you have a say?”
“Yeah, Tuf,” Colt added. “We understand about the first six years. You were fighting a war, but where in the hell have you been for the last two?”
Ace had a lot more to say. “Do you even realize how bad it’s been around here? We had to lease a lot of our land and take out a mortgage with my vet business on the line to survive. Everyone pulled their weight to make sure Thunder Ranch didn’t go under.”
“I didn’t know.”
“No, because you never called home to find out.” Cool, collected Ace had reached a breaking point, and Tuf knew he had every right to be upset. “You never even called home to check on Mom. That I can’t forgive. Do you know she had a spell with her heart and was hospitalized for a few days? We had no way to get in touch with you.”
He felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut by the wildest bronc in Montana. He swallowed. “Mom had my cell number. I gave it to her when I called that one time.”
“No.” Ace shook his head. “Mom would have told me.”
“I had it,” their mom said from the doorway. Uncle Josh, Beau, Duke and Dinah stood behind her.
“What?” The color drained from Ace’s face. “But you asked me to call his friends to see if Tuf had contacted them.”
The group walked farther into the barn until they stood in a circle. Horses neighed, and Royce and Gracie came in through a side door. But everyone was staring at his mom.
“Yes, I did,” Sarah admitted. “I was worried and wanted to know if Tomas had reached out to some of his old buddies. They would talk to you quicker than an overprotective mother. I’m sorry, Ace. I know I lean on you too much.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Ace assured her. “It’s not your fault. It’s Tuf’s.”
Tuf took the blow to his heart like a marine, like a cowboy, without flinching. It was his fault, and it was time to open that wound