When he showed up, his Aunt Margaret was sitting out on the front porch snapping peas and placing them in an old metal colander. He got out of his truck and headed her way.

"Howdy, ma'am. You wouldn't by chance have a glass of ice tea for a weary traveler, would you?" She gazed at him in complete surprise before recognizing him. A smile lit her face.

"Why, Stetson! You've come home! Oh come in!" she exclaimed. He grinned at her excitement as he removed his hat and made his way into the house. "What brings you down here? Where have you been all these years?" He chuckled at her rapid-fire questions.

"I actually came down to talk to Andrew if he's around." he admitted. He, for the time being, ignored her other question. He'd be more than happy to talk for hours with her but he had business to tend to with his uncle.

"He's out in the barn doing some work in the books. The ranch has been struggling a bit. Drought was bad this year." she said. He nodded somberly. Texas was always like that but the deeper south you went, the worse it got. "I'm sure he'd be happy to see you if you wanted to go visit with him. I could send you with a couple glasses of iced tea. As long as you promise to stay for lunch. It's almost ready." He agreed without hesitation and shot his mother a quick text to let her know he wouldn't be home till supper. Then he grabbed the glasses of iced tea, kissed his aunt's cheek, and put his hat on.

He walked into the barn office to find Andrew hunched over a leather-bound book shaking his head. He knew the feeling.

"Special delivery." He jerked upright and slammed the book closed. Then he realized who was standing in his doorway.

"Stetson. W-what are ya doin' here, boy?"

"Thought I would bring you some iced tea." Stetson said, ignoring the odd behavior his uncle seemed to be demonstrating. Andrew laughed. But not a joyous sound. More like a wearied one. More unnatural than genuine. He accepted the second jar with a dip of his head and offered Stetson a chair which the younger man gladly accepted despite the fact that he'd been sitting for the past couple hours.

"Hank never mentioned a word about you bein' back when I talked to him-oh-probably two months ago." Andrew said.

"Yeah, I came back about a month ago. I haven't been home all that long."

"So why are you here now? Don't get me wrong. It's great to see you but you never did anything without a purpose in mind. Just like your daddy you are." Stetson mulled over the comparison and found that he couldn't deny it. He did have a lot in common with the man who fathered him.

"I actually came and visited because I just ran into Tucker." Stetson started. Andrew glanced away and looked down.

"So you're down here to give me an earful about givin' the ranch to Anthony." his uncle said. It wasn't a question.

"No, Uncle Drew. I'm just trying to figure out why. We both know Anthony never cared for the ranch that much." Stetson said. Andrew nodded absently.

"I couldn't give it to Tucker, Stet. Anthony was already on edge about leavin'. It was the only way to keep him around." Revelation dawned. Andrew had always wanted his boys to stick close to home. But, in the process of trying to keep one close by, he'd chased the other off.

Poor Tucker. Stetson couldn't even think of a viable response. Andrew continued. "I know you probably think I should have split it up but Anthony wouldn't stay unless he owned at least fifty-one percent of it. And I knew Tucker would have felt chained for his entire life. I didn't want that for him."

"What about your livelihood, Andrew? You know Anthony will have this place on the market before your body's cold in it's grave. What about Aunt Margaret? Where will she go?" His uncle looked at him in horror.

"He would take care of his mother." he said.

"Sure he would. But in the big city. We both know she would hate that kind of life." Andrew said nothing to this. "I'm sorry, Drew. I didn't come down here to harp on you. I'm just feelin' sorry for Tuck." he admitted.

"I know, Stetson. I knew I was making the wrong decision when I did it and I know that now. But it's too late. Unless Tucker buys the ranch from him, there's no way to save it. And Tuck can't afford that right now." Stetson looked at the hopeless situation. If he had the money, he'd just buy it. But he was barely breaking even and a multi-million dollar ranch wasn't on his shopping list anytime soon. Or ever.

Just then, Margaret called them in for lunch. They both headed toward the house. After a filling meal of popcorn mac-n-cheese casserole and freshly snapped green beans, he filled them in on the last seven years of his life. By three in the afternoon, he decided he'd better head home or risk missing dinner.

"It was nice seeing y'all. Wish I could have said 'hi' to Anthony but I'm sure I'll see him some time in the future." Andrew nodded and both said their goodbyes with a handshake from Andrew and a long hug from his aunt.

"See you around, Stet! Come visit again soon!" He sent his aunt a warm smile and he loaded up in the truck. On his way back to the family ranch, all he could think about was Tucker. There was no way he could help him. No possible way and that grated on him.

He walked through the door around five. He could see that all of his brothers had brought their families over for supper. His mother was setting the table while his sisters-in-law herded the children towards the restroom to wash their hands.

"Where have you been all day?" His brothers all glanced over at him when his father asked the question. He stretched and blew a breath out.

"Oh jes' south o' here 'bout a country mile." He did a terrible impersonation of an old cowboy and Wayne rolled his eyes. Austin just smirked at him.

"Alright, John Wayne. Seriously. Where have ya been?" It was Wayne asking this time.

"I went down to visit Uncle Drew." Stetson said. His father looked surprised.

"How was that little brother of mine?" Hank asked. Stetson shrugged.

"Fair to middlin'." he replied.

"Did you see Anthony and Margaret too?" Hank asked.

"I did. Well, Margaret at least. Aunt Margaret wouldn't let me leave without feeding me first. That's why it took me so long to get back. I think Anthony must have been off working." His mother chuckled. She'd just walked up.

"I sure miss them. We should invite them for supper sometime." His mother commented.

"That we should." Stetson agreed. "It would be nice to have them over." Hank didn't give his assent or disapproval.

"Okay. It's time to eat." one of his brothers said. Aiden rubbed his hands together and sent his mother a smile that said it all. He was looking forward to some of her cooking.

Shay sat beside him in her wheelchair—a bit more quiet than usual. After the prayer, everyone started passing around dishes and talking. Everyone, that is, but Shay. Stetson was concerned with her sudden lack of interest. He bumped her gently with his elbow and smiled.

"How was your day, princess?" She shrugged and said nothing.

"Angel? What's wrong?" She stared at her plate and ignored him. The stubborn set of her jaw reminded him of himself. Dalton blood. "Shay, please don't ignore me." He fought irritation at her continued silence. Why now? The females he wanted to please the most in his life were angry at him. What had he done? Who knows. "Shay Linnea. It's rude not to answer somebody when they ask you a question. What's gotten into you?" She suddenly turned a harsh glare on him-one she'd inherited from her mother. And one he had always despised. He tamped down old feelings that rose with the look.

"You don't care about me anymore." The words cut out like a cracking whip and he felt like he'd been slapped. The rest of the family was still consumed in conversation and had missed the angry words spoken by his daughter.

"What do you mean? Of course I care about you. You're my daughter."

"Yeah, sure. You say that but you don't mean it." He raised his brows at her sassy retort.

"What do you mean? I go out there and work myself-" He stopped short of using very grown-up reasoning with her at the realization that she was only six. She wouldn't understand his explanations. Which she, apparently, didn't need. She continued, a little louder this time.

"You're never home. You're always visiting other people and training the horses or going to see Miss Heather. You never want to be with me anymore." Her wrathful words caught the attention of everyone at the table this go-around.

"We'll talk about this later." he said sharply. His words were nearly as harsh as hers.

"Fine." she threw back.

He hated the distance he felt from his normally chipper little girl but he didn't even know how to handle it. Conflict wasn't his strong suit. It never had been. He'd proven that through his departure from the ranch, his less-than-ideal marriage, and now, his little girl's anger. Sure, he dealt with it. But he wasn't good at it. Talk had slowly resumed but when he looked up from his plate, his father was watching him with quiet understanding.

Maybe that's what spooked him the most. He realized that maybe his father hadn't been all that good at dealing with conflict when it came to his youngest son. It felt strange to have something in common with the older man. He'd always felt as if they were a world apart. And that was what he wanted to avoid in his daughter's life.

He wanted Shay to adore him. To trust him. To always feel like he was only there to help her and not hurt her. And so far, he wasn't doing a great job of it. His thoughts of conflict trailed back to his conversation with Heather earlier that day and he sighed. Things could always be worse. That's what his grandfather always said. And he wholeheartedly agreed. But they could also be better and he wanted the better part of it right now.

Heather laughed through the tears as her brother swung her up in the air and spun her around. She'd made the trip to San Antonio to pick him up the night before. She had left the girls with Jade, knowing they wouldn't do well in the car for that long. Neither of them liked the restrictive car seats. Devin set her back down on the ground and smiled.

"It's so good to see you, sis." She grinned and brushed the tears off her cheeks.

"It's good to see you to, Devin. You hungry?"

"Of course I am! Plane rides are taxing, you know." She nodded because she did. It had been years since she went on a plane but she still remembered the mix of excitement and exhaustion.

"Let's go grab something to eat. I lived here for a while so I know a few good places." she said.

"Perfect. Then you can catch me up on your life." Heather nodded and led him towards her car.

"It's not the BMW that you're used to but it runs real good." she said.

"Mother would have a fit if she heard you say that-real instead of really. I can hear her now. 'Heather, you know better than to use improper grammar. Speak properly or don't speak at all.'" Heather winced. His mocking voice bothered her. Maybe because it just wasn't southern courtesy. Maybe because of what Sean had told her when she'd asked about his parents.

Speaking highly of his father had been easy for him. He adored him. Randall Whitley had been his number one hero. But his mother? He'd had very little to admire her for. And yet he wouldn't disrespect her. When Heather had asked why, he looked at her with a gentle smile and spoke softly, "Because, Heather, a long time ago, my dad once told me that how a man treats his mother shows how he'll treat you. And at first, I didn't believe it. But I ended up finding out it was true by watching others. If a man can't respect the woman who gave him life and brought him into this world, he'll never respect the one he marries." And she'd seen proof of that in almost every situation she applied it to. If a man adored his mother, he was attentive to his wife. If he found her annoying, eventually he got fed up with his wife. If he was detached, he'd be the same way with whoever he married.

"Sorry. It's a bad habit." She smiled as she said it. She wasn't really all that sorry. Not sorry at all.

"Don't apologize. I think it's cute." She rolled her eyes as he hopped in. On the way to the little cafe she'd dubbed her favorite, he filled her in on his trip and the details of his life. His major. His girlfriend. At that topic, her mind instantly flew to Stetson. Which wasn't all that hard since he was never far from her mind. Devin's girl's name was Emma and she sounded sweet and gentle. The kind of girl she hoped he would find. He didn't deserve one of the prissy girls his father would have picked out for him.

"What about you? You have a Romeo trying to sweep you off your feet?" Devin asked with a sly grin.

The sudden change of subject startled her. How could she answer that? They pulled up to the cafe and after sitting down and ordering food, he prodded further. Like their father, he had never been one to let things lie. "Are you avoiding my question?" he asked.

"Not exactly." He shot her a "yeah right" look and she smirked. "If I did, 'trying to sweep me off my feet' would be the operative phrase. But I'm not really interested." She bit her lip at the half-truth.

"Liar." he accused. He didn't look satisfied with the vague answer.

"He wants us to be a thing but I'm hesitant because I'm not sure he's the ride-or-die type, Dev. I don't want to waste my time with a man who wants to play games. If he isn't there for marriage, I'm not gonna mess around. And after Sean, I'm not sure I'm ready to remarry."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You've known this guy for how long? And you're already thinking about marriage?" Devin asked in a shocked manner.

"I've known him for about a month. And yes. I am actually because I don't like boys that fool around with girls' hearts to feed their egos. I deserve better and so do my daughters. It's not just about me here. I have two precious little girls to consider and I'm not gonna risk their hearts to get to know him better." She said. Devin nodded.

"I can understand that. I bet you're a real good mother." She chuckled at his joke. He could be such a goof when he wanted to.

"Here in the Lonestar state, little brother, we call 'em mommas." He grinned and shook his head.

"You love Texas, don't you?" he finally asked.

"I do." she didn't hesitate to admit.

"You can live in New York City and hear every catchphrase in the book, but when you move out to Texas, the term 'Land of the Free and Home of the Brave' takes on reality. It's not just words. It's a way of life. And it's one I love." He stared at her for a minute before slowly nodding his head.

"I'm glad you found your peace, sis. You never had it in New York. It's good to see you happy." She smiled and nodded.

"It's good to be happy." He let the topic of a "Romeo" go and she appreciated it. If she'd had to talk about Stetson anymore, she was sure she would have spit everything out.

They both thanked the waitress as she delivered their food—a quarter-pound burger from none other than a Dalton Charolais for her and a salad for Devin. Apparently he was on a vegan diet. And she wasn't envious at all. Devin and her had an odd sort of camaraderie.

They were bound together by a mutual chasm between them and their parents. Jared had been on the other side of the emotional canyon not because he was more worthy of it but because he was the oldest. And with the oldest came expectations and hopes and dreams. Especially in the high-class society of New York City. J

Jared was everyone's prince charming. She coughed down a bite of her burger at the thought. He was pretty much nice to everyone but me and Devin. She took a sip of water and glanced over at her brother who was getting ready to eat the last crouton on his plate. She canned a smile and shot him a serious look.

"You gonna eat that?" she asked. He looked up in surprise.

"Why?" He sent her a look that only Devin could achieve so perfectly. A mix between half-confused and half-understanding.

"Just curious." she said. He stared at her.

"Do you want it?" he asked as he offered it to her.

"No. You go ahead." She feigned nonchalance and took another bite of her burger.

"Heather." He waited until she looked up. "Seriously. Do you want it?" She started laughing and shook her head. Any understanding in his eyes had faded with her sudden fit of laughter. He now looked as though he was ready to bolt. Or lock her up in an asylum. When she finally caught her breath, he just stared for a few minutes. She returned his stare just for fun.

"May I ask why...?" He let his words trail off and she shrugged.

"I just wanted to mess with you, Dev. Eat your crouton. I don't want it." He half smiled-still a little uncertain. "Oh common, Devin! I was teasing you. Does nobody do that back east?" she asked. He shook his head as he slowly started to laugh.

"Not as much now that you moved south. I think you took all the goofiness with you." he said. She shook her head and tsk-tsked like she had heard Jill do in the past. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence. Once they'd both finished and he paid the bill—which he had insisted on like the perfect gentleman that he was, they walked back outside.

"Are you ready to meet your nieces?" she asked.

"Yes, I am! I can hardly wait!" His exuberance reminded her of everything good in life. She was the one who could hardly wait. The girls are going to love him. She was certain of it.