Page 32 of Hard Rain Coming

The barn was full, and she tried her best to scan the room without looking too obvious. There were a lot of folks besides her family here. Most of them she knew. Neighbors. Friends from town. A host of employees, probably seventy-five at least. The core group, about twenty-five or so, included cowboys, some like Dallas, whose families and the Bridgestones went back generations. Others had new roles, things that had changed with the onset of modern ranching. The Triple B now had solar power and windmills and a dedicated manager to make sure it all worked.

But still, the heart of ranching was simple. It was Angus beef and horses. It was making sure there was enough feed and water in spite of the weather.

Dallas Henhawk had a hand in all of it, but apparently, he wasn’t in the mood to celebrate. He was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey, glad you made it out.” Benton handed her a red Solo cup.

“What’s this?”

“Whiskey. You look like you need a shot.”

Vivian tipped the cup back and downed the liquid, liking the burn as it made its way down her throat.

“Is he here?” she asked, surprised the words had found their way out. Normally, she was a sit-back-and-observe kind of gal.

“Dad’s not feeling well. He decided to sit this one out.”

She turned and frowned. “Oh I…”

Benton’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not asking about Dad.”

She didn’t reply, because she was pissed at herself for opening up like that.

“He’s not here either.” Benton poured a generous helping of whiskey into her cup, and she tossed it back with equal enthusiasm. She handed him the empty cup.

“That’s enough for me.” She stepped away from her brother, suddenly restless. Everything was loud. The music. The people. Her heart and head. She felt like a string pulled too tight and didn’t like it.

“Viv.”

She yanked her head back. “What?”

“I hope you’re happy being back here.”

She tried to smile. “I don’t know if I can ever be happy. I don’t know that it’s in me.”

Benton held her gaze, his expression unreadable. “You were happy once.”

“We all were.” She shrugged.

“I’m not talking about us as a family. I’m talking about you. About a time when you were happy because you had someone that cared.”

And I threw it all away.

The thought crept in, sneaky-like, and hit like a pointed arrow. She’d ruined everything.

For a few seconds, she stared across the room at Jack, who was seated with her brothers, Cal and Ryland. Millie Sue, Scarlett, and Nora were also at the table, all of them listening to some crazy story her friend was no doubt telling. Jack was, if anything, an entertainer.

This barn was full of people, and yet the one person she wanted to see wasn’t there.

“Is he at his place?” she asked quietly.

Benton slowly nodded. “I expect so.” He paused, his expression thoughtful. “The keys are in my truck.”

“Why would I…what do you mean?” Dumb question, because she knew exactly what he meant. She stared down at the floor. Was she going to do this? Did she have enough nerve? Vivian took a step back. “Keep an eye on Jack.”

It seemed that she did.

“I’ll try, but he seems to be doing a good job on his own.”