Heather stared hard at him. His confession just seconds earlier couldn't have shocked her more. What kind of man didn't love his wife? More reasonably, what kind of man admitted that he didn't love his wife? She'd met men that reeked of annoyance whenever their wives walked into the room. But one that admitted his dislike? That was new. And she didn't know how to take it.

"I met Lisa one day when I was working. She walked in and asked for a mechanic to take a look at her car. One look at her and I offered. While I checked under her hood for any signs of trouble, she and I chatted amiably. By the time I was done, I'd agreed to meet her for dinner. That type of thing went on for several weeks. By our fifth date, I asked her to marry me. We had a civil ceremony at the local courthouse. A month later, we found out she was pregnant. She was angry. Really angry. I had to bribe her into not going to the abortion clinic." His voice was filled with pain at the admission.

Heather was quickly learning to hate this Lisa. She shook her head. "Anyway, Shay was born nine months later. Happy. Healthy. And Lisa still hated her. I-I never quite understood it." he admitted with a shaky voice. He laughed cynically. "I thought mothers were supposed to adore their children." Tears blurred Heather's vision. Poor Shay. He swallowed and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

"Shay was eight months old when she started cheating. I was working myself into the grave and didn't have much time for either of them. Maybe it was my fault. Then again, maybe not. But. I put up with it for years. Three years. She got pregnant again. The baby's father wasn't a guy I particularly liked. I told her she needed to stop seeing him or I was going to file for a divorce. She promised she wouldn't see him again. But she did. I confronted her about it and she broke down into tears before saying she needed to go on a drive. I was pacing the living room thinking when I got a call. I answered it and the officer apologized and said that my wife had been killed in a car accident. I asked what happened and he said she'd been drinking. At eight months pregnant." He shook his head. The waiter came and set their food in front of them and they started eating. Stetson seemed to be done. Her heart broke for him. He was right. She hadn't understood. Not at all. She wasn't even sure what to say in light of what he'd shared.

"Speechless?" His voice was teasing but she heard the undercurrent of uncertainty. She stared at him without blinking for a minute before swallowing the food in her mouth and taking a drink of lemonade.

"Stetson, I'm just...I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how hard that must have been and then I had to go and be rude. I-I was wrong. Please forgive me." He looked her in the eye.

"You don't owe me an apology, Heather. To be honest—"

"Well, well, well. If it ain't the womanizing skunk. Stetson! My man, I am glad to see you." Heather was startled by the harsh voice of Jake Wright. She'd never cared much for him. And judging by Stetson's tightening jaw, he wasn't too fond of Jake either.

"Jake. I'm not interested in fighting with you. So why don't you mossey back on over to your table and let me enjoy my supper?" Though it came out like a question, it certainly wasn't one. And she wasn't looking forward to the next jab. Jake's eyes narrowed.

"You always thought you were better than me, Dalton. Every waking day of your dang life. You've always been the perfect one, haven't you?" He didn't pause to let Stetson answer. "I'm so sick and tired of you uppity Daltons thinkin' you can have whatever you lay your hands on." His breaths were fast and uneven. Stetson stared into his eyes without showing any emotion.

"Jake, let's go home. I'm not feeling well." Lily, Jake's wife, put her small hand on Jake's forearm. He yanked his arm away and lifted it as if he was going to strike her. In an instant, Stetson had him in a headlock. As she watched the scene unfold, she heard Jamie approach. She had a broom in her hand.

"Knock it off!" She heaved the broom down on both of them. Jamie smacked them at least four times. "If you two are still gonna fight and tussle, take it somewhere else! I won't have any glass broken in this building." Her voice brooked no argument. Both men straightened their rumpled shirts and huffed. Stetson looked angry. Furious. Even more so than Jake. He grabbed Jake's shirt collar and Jamie raised the broom again. Though she was sure he could see it, he didn't even flinch. Jamie didn't smack down...yet.

"You need to remember something, Jake. So I want you to listen good to me. I know you hate me but this is one thing I know I'm right about. That woman standing over there is your wife. I suggest you find another way to handle your anger when it comes to her. Because I know her better than a lot of people in this town. And she's as loyal as they come. But she isn't gonna stick by your side if you think you can shove her around. She doesn't take that from anyone. Not her daddy. And certainly not you." He dropped his hold and Jake looked down.

Heather could tell there was some history behind Stetson's words. Tears were streaming down Lily's face. Relief washed over Heather. That could have been a lot worse. Stetson reached down and picked up two hats. Both men had lost theirs in the fight. Stetson tossed the hat to Jake. He caught it and put it back on his head before gently taking Lily's arm and leading her outside. Stetson sighed.

"Sorry, Jamie." He shuffled his boots nervously. The woman walked over and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Stetson." Everyone in the restaurant stared at her in surprise. The fight had drawn the attention of every soul there. "Nobody's been brave enough to tell him that until you. And he needed to hear it." The same people who'd looked shocked just a minute before now clapped and called out Stetson's name. Apparently, he was the new town hero. He seemed bothered by how the whole ordeal worked out but smiled anyway.

"Thanks guys." He shook his head and sat back down. They made several attempts to continue their conversation but people kept interrupting so they decided to wait. As he held open her car door for him, she sensed some leftover tension from the earlier encounter.

"That was pretty brave of you." she said. He shrugged. "Or pretty stupid." she added. He leaned back and laughed.

"Probably the latter." he said.

"No. Jamie was right. He needed to hear it." He thanked her for eating with him before he closed her car door. She rolled down her window.

"You're welcome. And thank you. Hopefully I'll see you soon." He nodded. He seemed so lost in his own world and she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. Their conversation? The fight? Maybe even Lily? Did it matter? It shouldn't. But it did.

It was all Stetson could do not to drive up to the Wright ranch and check up on Lily. Had Jake's sudden gentleness been a show? He'd seen it time and again with her father. He would act sorry for his gruff manner and then she would show up at school black and blue. Stetson had fought her daddy a few times over it. He, of course, lost most of the time. But it would slow down the old man for a while. He'd leave Lily be and then he would start all over again. Was Jake like her father?

Stetson smacked the steering wheel with his palm. How much would the poor woman have to endure? Lily had been handed the short end of the stick as a freshman in high school. Her mom running off with another man had tipped her father over the edge. John Lynch had turned sour within a few weeks. Not that Stetson couldn't sympathize with him. It wasn't an easy thing—a wife's betrayal. Lily had been fourteen. Brokenhearted by her mother's departure. Terrified of her father. Stetson had taken her under his wing. By the time she was sixteen, her beauty was turning the eyes of every kid in the school. And a few older guys. But he'd been her protector. Nobody even spoke to her without his knowledge. He wondered how his leaving affected her. Had she felt betrayed? Did she pick Jake because she was angry with him? It didn't matter anymore. It was all in the past.

He pulled the old chevy into the ranch driveway. His grandfather had been kind enough to loan him the truck. He said that every man should have a lift. And he was grateful. The idea of relying on his brothers to cart him around wasn't an appealing thought. The only problem with the truck was it's gas mileage. No joy rides in this thing. Even with a few modifications, the truck only got around 13mph on the highway. With gas prices in this day and age, it wasn't a very practical ride. But he loved the old C10. It had been one of the first trucks he'd ever driven. Hank had told him that he couldn't use an automatic until he knew how to handle the manual transmission. He still preferred the latter. He remembered how long it had taken him to get the hang of the gas pedal and shifting business. It was one thing his father had insisted on teaching him. And he'd loved every minute of it. But the poor truck. He killed it over and over again. He parked and got out. Todd, Kyle's oldest boy, pushed Shay down the ramp on the front porch. More little boys followed behind.

"Guess what, dad?" Shay exclaimed.

"What, punkin'?" he replied. She giggled at the nickname.

"I get to ride a horse! Uncle Wayne said he'd teach me!" His daughter's excitement bubbled over. He'd spoken with the doctor before leaving Idaho. He'd said that as long as they took it easy, she wore her brace, and someone was right behind her, he didn't see a problem with her riding. The words had been music to Stetson's ears.

"Well he isn't gonna." he said. He smiled when her big eyes widened.

"Why not?" she whined. He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

"Because your daddy wants to teach you." he lamented. The concern cleared from her face and she smiled at his theatrics.

"Will ya really?" she questioned.

"Sure thing. How about we try after supper?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Okay, daddy!" He kissed her forehead before walking into the house. His family was all gathered in the living room talking. They didn't pause when he walked in.

"I'm just saying that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. The bull we purchased a few years ago produced some fine calves." He hadn't seen Kyle so riled in a long time.

"I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket, Kyle." Irritation rippled in his father's voice. "I have more than one bull to breed with those heifers. After all, the ones from April number over two hundred hundred."

"But they're all from Tony's!"

"His stock is quality. And we need the loin genes he has."

"Dad, his stock is quality. I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying that we need to find some different ones to throw in. Tony's calves are a little on the large size no matter what kind of birth weight our bulls had. If we get them too big, we'll lose heifers. Good heifers at that." Kyle sounded just as upset as his father. Stetson listened to them banter back and forth for a few minutes.

If he was being honest, he would have to say that he agreed with Kyle. Not all the genes came from the bull but it was a pretty big risk considering that they were first-time mothers. His other brothers threw in a comment every once in a while but he still hadn't worked up the courage. The women just shook their heads as they listened to the argument. Stubborn. The Dalton men were thick-headed. Finally, he butted in.

"Why not buy a couple of Chancy's bulls? They are all pretty small but they have that bigger loin we need." Everyone looked at him. His mother's eyes were sparkling and he knew she was surprised that he'd spoken up. In the past, he'd always let the others sort it out.

"It ain't bull-buyin' season, little brother. He sells out in May." Wayne's comment irked him. He knew that. He wasn't an idiot.

"It isn't bull-buyin' season, Wayne." his wife, Hannah, corrected. He didn't catch on.

"That's what I just said." The rest of the women cackled. Stetson ignored them.

"I know that, Wayne. But he'd still sell to us. For the right price."

"Why would I want to spend twice what I could have in May, Stetson? Especially since I have plenty of fine bulls here on the ranch." his father questioned. Stetson cringed. His father was a bulldog right now. If they got into an argument, it wasn't going to be pretty. He braced himself.

"Because Kyle's right." His own boldness shocked him. He shot his brother a glance and noticed that he seemed surprised as well. "Tony's animals are some of the best in Texas. But they're Texas-sized. If you throw one of his bulls in with our heifers, there's a chance the calves will take on more of Tony's size. And then next spring, we're either gonna lose a bunch of good heifers. Or we're gonna be pullin' calves for two months. Or, if we get real lucky, things might work out alright." His father watched him for a moment before responding.

"If you can convince Chancy to sell some of his bulls for a reasonable price, I'll do it. But if he's gonna price-gouge, I'm stickin' Tony's in there and that's my final decision."

"Deal. I'll be gone for the next two days. Mom, can you keep an eye on Shay?" he questioned, turning her way. A smile spread slowly across her face.

"Sure." she said. He didn't miss the joy in her voice.

"Thanks." He dashed upstairs and packed an overnight bag before kissing Shay goodbye and headed out to the cattle truck. He promised he would teach her to ride when he got back. The sadness in her eyes dimmed slightly with his promise.

"Stet?" He paused as Kyle jogged towards him. "You want me to come?" Stetson considered his offer, leaned toward saying yes, then declined.

"I've got to do this myself, Ky. Thank you though." Kyle nodded warily.

"Okay then. See you soon."

Stetson waved as he pulled out of the driveway. As he drove, he thought. Judging by their looks when he agreed to this whole ordeal, his brothers didn't think he could do it. Chancy wasn't the nicest guy on the planet. But he was the most business-savvy. Which meant Stetson had his work cut out for him.

But he had an advantage. Chancy had always liked him. He didn't know why. Maybe it was his determination. Maybe Chancy didn't even know why. He recalled numerous times Chancy had offered him a job. He hadn't taken any of the offers because he had plenty of work without traveling forty minutes to another man's ranch.

But, he'd trained a couple cutting horses for Chance Williams. And the man had been more than pleased with the outcome. It also helped that the Dalton Ranch wasn't too much of a competitor. Not because they weren't just as good. It had more to do with the fact that they were close to a big city. The Dallas/Fort Worth area had more than enough people interested in buying cattle. And where the Dalton's focused on purebred stock, Chance produced both meat and breeding cattle. Some of the best in both departments. He'd heard that Chancy shipped beef all the way back to Oregon. And he could well believe it. Stetson had tried a few of his burgers. They weren't anything to sneeze at.

The Willaims' ranch, the C2W, had a total of nine thousand head. About five thousand smaller than the D&S-give or take. But that didn't make them any less successful. Last he'd heard, Chance was making four-fifths of what the Daltons were. With less overhead. He settled back as he drove on US-37 S for the last leg of the trip. He didn't know how the conversation ahead would go. But he was determined to get those bulls. If for nothing else, then to show his father he was capable of completing something he set out to do.