Page 18 of Dirty Secrets
“Yes. I’ve been looking into how the Wolfes and the Dirtys are connected.”
For a split second, his eyes narrow. “Digging into our family secrets, are you?” Then he chuckles, rolling his eyes. “Obviously, the Wolfe businesses have their names all over this town. But the Dirty family had to pick something else. Nobody in their right mind would want to get their bread from the Dirty Bakery or produce from Dirty Fruit and Vegetables.”
I love that he’s still amused by his last name. Most people would think it was an annoyance.
Shane reaches out to smack Walker’s knee affectionately. “But I think we turned out all right. A lot of family pride, even with a silly last name that makes people look at us funny.”
“We saw on some old maps that it looked like the two families bought a bunch of land at the same time,” Walker says.
“And my friends and I are assuming that they moved here together,” I add. “Which means they also probably emigrated from Europe together?”
“Well, yes.” Shane scratches the back of his head. “But we don’t exactly tell people about it these days.” His eyes flick back and forth shiftily. “What I’m saying is, this doesn’t need to be talked about in the middle of the next Town Hall meeting or anything. You got me?”
I nod solemnly. “Of course.”
“It was Aiden Dirty’s idea to come here and buy up a bunch of cheap land around 1860. He talked his buddy Adler Wolfe into coming too. They both found wives during the preparations to travel over from Ireland, so they were ready to start families the second they had their cabins built.”
“Ireland?” Walker looks shocked. “I heard that the Wolfe family came from Hungary.”
“I thought it sounded like a German name,” I add.
Shane shakes his head. “Nope. Both men were Irish. And they were hearing about this great territory that had been partially settled, but there was a huge stretch of the mountain where there was still land for sale. Nobody could get at it until they blasted a road through, though. A bit harder to live here, a bit harder to farm. But the land is fertile enough and the water is clean, so they came here and decided to start their own town together.”
“So why does everyone think that Adler Wolfe founded it singlehandedly?” I ask.
He shrugs, settling back in his easy chair and taking a sip of coffee. “Well, according to family legend, they had different opinions on quite a few things. Aiden was an adventurer at heart, but he was also a bit quiet. Didn’t want to stick out, you know? Not just because the name can’t really go on a business sign. He didn’t want people looking up to him as a role model, ora figurehead or anything. He was just a man who wanted to get this town going.”
I glance at Walker, the strong, focused man who volunteers to drive people in their moments of need and shrugs it off as if it’s nothing. Now I see where he gets it.
Shane turns to me. “You’re here running a background check, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
He laughs as if I’d just told a five-star joke. “Don’t play shy with me, missy. Y’all have just started dating, and you’re checking out his family history to make sure he’s a worthy man. I get it.”
“I didn’t… I wouldn’t…”
He reaches out to pat my arm. “It’sfine. His grandma did the same thing. It’s smart. You don’t hitch your horse to a cart until you know the cart isn’t half-busted.”
He sits back, waving his hand in the direction of the twenty-foot vaulted ceiling. “We keep our wealth quiet. Our houses are a bit further out of town. People know that we own Valley Auto, because the boys work there, but they don’t seem to twig that the men in our family tend to retire around forty-five, then just work on little projects for themselves.”
Suddenly I feel like a bad researcher for never asking about Walker’s dad’s work. I guess he doesn’t have any.
“People don’t know it, but we donate half of the operating expenses to keep the town running every year. We also own the grocery store with no name, Jim’s Pizza, and The Bakery on Main.”
“What?”
Walker reaches over to squeeze my hand. “I’d honestly forgotten about Jim’s, sorry.”
“So…yes,” Shane continues. “Walker is a quality man. I wasn’t going to let any of my kids or grandkids grow up spoiled,no matter how much money we have squirreled away. They all went to school and got good grades, traveled a bit to learn about the world, then came back here to do some hard labor for the people of this town.”
His proud grin is adorable. “When people in our family get married, they get quite a good inheritance. That way they can retire early and really be there for their kids. Plus, the kids will never want for anything. You know…as long as they work hard and don’t turn into assholes.”
He shoots a dark look at Walker. “Which is why your cousin Larry was encouraged to move away. Greedy lazy jackass.”
Walker chuckles, but my head is reeling. He’s even wealthier than I thought. “But…wait… If someone doesn’t get married, they don’t get the money?”
Shane shrugs casually. “Oh, I’m always there when someone needs something. But getting married and setting up a home worthy of a quality woman usually takes a chunk of cash.” He smirks toward Walker. “This one here never asked me for a thing past the age of ten?—”