"You're leaving, aren't you?" Wayne asked. He'd always been the blunt one of the Dalton family. In reality, they were all pretty blunt.

"I...uh. Yeah. I got a job in Tyler so Shay and I are moving there." Nobody said anything. His nephews seemed saddened by the news. He felt like the bully. Again. I should have known that this would never work out. He knew it seven years ago as well as he did now. But he'd fought the reality because he wanted to be home.

He'd truly missed his family. Even with every fight that had taken place, every "no" his father had ever told him, and every goad that Jake threw his way, when push came to shove, he loved his hometown. More than he ever thought he would. And he hadn't realized just how much he loved it until this moment. When he was faced with the reality of leaving again.

Sure, Tyler wasn't that far from home. But it was different. There were no casual greetings on the street from an old high school buddy. There was none of the familiar streets that he'd learned to drive on. Tyler wasn't a bad town. It just wasn't Quitman. It wasn't home.

"Do we have to, daddy? I like it here." His daughter's voice brought him back from his thoughts. He looked over at Shay. Her big, trusting eyes were full of misery. He grimaced. Her disappointment was something he'd hoped he wouldn't have to deal with. He should have known better.

"You'll like our new house too. It's real nice."

"My cousins won't be there." Her little voice quavered a little and she gulped. He felt his resolve weakening.

"We'll visit." It almost felt like a lie but he would do it if it made this easier on her. She still didn't seem appeased.

"What about Miss Heather?" The question startled him. Yeah, what about the beautiful woman that you've befriended? He was confused.

"What about her?"

"You said I could meet her girls. And you said you'd teach me how to ride when you got back. Now we're leaving again. You lied to me. I hate you!" She folded her arms across her chest and glared down at her plate. Her words tore him apart. He looked back at his own plate and felt the waves of uncertainty overcome him again.

"You can still meet them. I said we'd come visit. And I'll still teach you how to ride. But, Shay," He switched his gaze back to her. She kept her focus on the half-empty plate in front of her. He set down his fork and gently turned her face towards his. At first, she refused to meet his gaze. After much deliberation, she glanced up at him. Anger and accusation had replaced her once love-filled eyes. He spoke gently. "you don't hate me. You're angry. I know that. But please don't say those things to me." Tears instantly filled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, daddy." She whispered. He leaned down and hugged her. When he pulled back, he realized that everyone had been watching the conversation. His brothers, not Kyle, but the other ones, seemed almost saddened by the news of his leaving.

"What's your new job entail?" His father's booming voice broke the silence.

"Chance hired me." He didn't need to explain. If Chance was his boss, he'd only be doing one job. And it wouldn't be loading hay. He'd be the head horse trainer without a doubt.

"That good-for-nothing son of a gun! He's always buttin' in when it comes to my personal business." Stetson stared in shock at his father. Chance may have been one of the best businessmen in all of Texas be he was not a busybody. And his father's implication angered him. It seemed as if there wasn't a person alive that truly liked Chance. Besides him, that is. Chance was the closest thing he'd ever had to a real father.

"What on earth are you talking about? You never even talk to him." Stetson said. Hank scoffed.

"Maybe not recently. But he gave me an earful after you left seven years ago. And I don't take that from anybody. He doesn't even have a family and he was tellin' me how to run mine!" Hank's face was beet-red as he shook his head furiously. Stetson could hardly believe his ears. Chance had spoken with his father? Good grief. What did he tell the second-generation rancher that got him so riled up?

"Regardless. He offered me a good job and a roof over my head, and I'm taking it. It's not like I'm moving back to Idaho." he said.

"And what about the bulls?" Aiden's question changed the subject quickly. Stetson could feel the gazes of everyone on him.

"What about them?" Stetson asked.

"They're yours. Are you taking them with you?" He looked over at Kyle and saw a minuscule measure of guilt in his eyes. But still plenty of anger. And a small bit of apprehension. The latter was most likely caused by Aiden's most recent question. A lot was hinged on those bulls. A whole breeding line.

"You guys go ahead and keep them for now. They wouldn't do me any good at this point." While he seemed somewhat relieved, Kyle's gaze narrowed and revelation dawned. He had done something right. He'd started to fit in. And Kyle didn't like it. So he was causing just enough trouble to make him leave. Though deep down he knew it was wrong, Stetson couldn't hold back his next words. He stood.

"Kyle," He had his brother's full attention so he pressed forward. "As long as I was the little brother running home with his tail tucked between his legs, shamefaced, and depressed, you were happy with patting my head and making me feel better. But the minute I started to do something right," Stetson scoffed and shook his head,

"I was no longer welcome, huh? You felt displaced. Because you've always had to be number one. With the guys. With dad. With our brothers. As a husband. As a father. As a friend. No offense, big brother, but your words were really quite childish. So I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna leave and take my daughter who loves this family more than any of us will ever know, and I'm gonna go live with the only person on planet earth that really gets me.

"And I hope your perfectly ordered little world falls back into place. But there is something I want you to know. I want you to know that you will never have the chance to hurt my daughter again because, if I ever come back, I'll make sure to take it easy so that you can still be number one. And brother, I hope you choke on your own selfishness." Kyle stared at him with his mouth agape. Speechless.

He gathered up Shay and strode from the dining room. The rest of his family had been just as shocked by his angry words. He rarely let his temper get the best of him but something about Kyle's selfishness had pushed him over the edge. He strode to his own bedroom and started to pack. Kyle's shocked expression played over in his brain again and again.

He'd never been so bold. But something about Lisa's behavior had strengthened him. Or maybe it had just hardened him. He wasn't the kid who left. He was a man who'd gone through fire just to stay afloat. And he'd walk through hell if he had to, but he'd come out. Shay was quieter than usual as he folded up some clothes and stuffed them in a suitcase. His grandfather had already told him that the Chevy was his for as long as he needed it—something he was grateful for. He heard a knock on the door and hesitated just a couple seconds before walking over and opening it. His mother grabbed him in a bear hug and held on tight. He returned the pressure for a solid five minutes before letting her go.

"You'll come visit?" He could hear the plea in his mother's quavering voice.

"Hopefully." He couldn't make any promises. Except to Shay, right? He changed his answer. "Yes, I'll come visit."

"Take Ranger with you." He sent her a sad smile.

"I don't have room. Or a trailer."

"Chancy will let you keep him there. And you can borrow a trailer. We don't need all of them at once." she insisted.

"Momma, dad would say no and-" she cut him off.

"I wasn't asking you. I was telling you." Her voice was stronger now. He backed down.

"Okay. I'll take him." She nodded and walked into the room. He watched as she leaned down by Shay's wheelchair. His daughter glanced up at her grandmother with tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to go." Jill Dalton nodded. She'd been called empathetic before, but, in this case, she wasn't only feeling Shay's pain. She had plenty of her own.

"I know, darling. But sometimes daddys have to do things that aren't very fun to protect us. And your daddy is a real good protector." Shay glanced over at him.

"I don't want to do things that aren't fun anymore. I want to stay here with you and pawpaw. And everyone else." He stared deep into his daughter's eyes and saw the pain and trial that she had gone through over the years. It was wearing on her. He sucked in a breath to fortify himself. Wasn't parenting doing what was best for your child? Was his idea crazy? Some might say so. But he'd learned long ago that his daughter was like him. And if he knew anything about himself, it was that he liked having a choice.

"Shay," he walked closer. "Would you rather stay here than come with me?" He felt the words hit his heart like a 9mm bullet but held his peace. This was a decision he wanted her to make. He wasn't going to drag her from pillar to post. Not anymore. She deserved a choice in this case.

"Would you really let me?" The excitement in her voice told him all he needed to know. She's gonna stay. She's really gonna stay here. He fought the moisture brimming in his eyes.

"If that's what you want." His voice cracked on the last word.

"Oh, please, daddy! Let me stay!" Her smile broke through like the sun after a Texas rainstorm. Hope burned in her eyes and he glanced at his mother. She nodded once to give her consent but pulled him aside.

"You need to stay too, Stetson. She needs you. We all do."

"No, momma. It would be better for everyone if I left." He turned away before she could protest and walked over to his daughter. He kissed Shay goodbye, told her he'd call her for bedtime, picked up his duffle bag full of clothes and walked out the front door. His father watched him from the porch. He made no comment. Just watched as Stetson lumbered over to his truck and hopped in. He pushed away the pain building in his chest. He needed to let Shay make this decision.

If she wanted to come stay with him, he'd come back in a minute. But somehow he knew that, just like the rest of his family, she didn't need him to make it. He started up the truck and backed out of the driveway. The trip to Tyler was lonely without Shay's presence. All he had were the crooning voices of abandoned lovers on the radio and the tears brimming in his eyes. Somehow, leaving now hurt more than it had seven years ago. Why? Because he wasn't just leaving his hometown and his family. He was leaving the angel that had captured his heart five-almost six years-prior. And she didn't know how bad it had hurt to hear her begging to stay. Because he'd locked that part of his heart up a long time ago. And nobody short of the Almighty himself knew how to get into it.

Jill tucked Shay in and kissed her forehead. As much as she loved having her granddaughter close by, she couldn't shake the feeling that Stetson needed to be there with her. She'd seen the agony in his eyes when he'd agreed to let her stay. But he had put aside his own desires to see his little girl as happy as she could be. And that spoke volumes about the man he'd grown up to be.

"Gramma?" Shay asked.

"Yes, sweety?" Shay's eyes were full of sadness.

"I want daddy to kiss me goodnight." Jill smiled softly.

"He kissed you earlier, remember?"

"It's not the same. Sometimes, when I have a bad dream, he'll give me a big hug and let me sleep with him. What if I have a bad dream tonight?"

"Then you call for me or pawpaw and we'll give you hugs." Shay shook her head vehemently.

"I want my daddy!" The tears were coming quickly and Jill could tell things were going downhill fast.

"Let's call him, okay?" Shay stopped her demands but tears were still puddled in her eyes. The phone only rang once before her youngest son picked up.

"Hello?" he said.

"Daddy, I miss you." The phone was on speaker and Shay beat her to saying 'hi'. Jill listened close by.

"I miss you too, baby girl." He sounded broken. Just as she had when he left. The sound of his voice was awfully sad.

"I want a daddy-hug." Shay said.

"Right now?" Stetson asked.

"Yes." she insisted.

"Can you give me forty minutes?" Stetson asked seriously.

"Yes." He chuckled.

"Okay. I'll see you then, sweetheart." He hung up and Jill stared at the phone. It was nearly nine at night and he was gonna drive forty minutes to give her a hug and then drive another forty to get back to Tyler. Dad of the year? Just maybe.