Page 2 of The Texas Hero's Homecoming

“And so, your father decided to keep it to himself?”

“Something like that. Papa has a lot of pride. He didn’t want Joe coming home, on account of the farm. He didn’t want him to give up on his career. Being a Ranger is what Joe wants, what Papa thinks he was meant to do.”

“And what about you?”

“Me? I’ve been running the farm. As you can see, I’m doing a bang-up job, but it doesn’t matter anymore. We can’t sustain it. It’s been a trial, with drought and disease and lack of funds to replant.”

“Still, I think Joe would want to know about this.”

“Joetook off and left me here. You two joined up and off you went.”

“Joe left a prosperous farm in your father’s capable hands. As far as he knows, things are going okay. He always praised you for working alongside your father.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. My dreams didn’t much matter.”

“You were seventeen. You didn’t have dreams back then.”

Her eyes pierced him. Regret and injury reflected there. “Maybe I did. Maybe I kept what I wanted to myself.”

Her words sliced straight through him. “Autumn, I was always going to join up. You knew that.”

“Somehow, you made me forget that, right here in this barn.” She glanced at the hayloft where brilliant evening stars had twinkled through the four-pane window. The place where he almost made a big mistake with her.

She sighed, her shoulders rising and falling as if she carried the weight of the world. “It doesn’t matter now. It took me years to earn my online bachelor’s degree. I’m teaching now at Honeysuckle Elementary. This is my first semester. I’m making a living, doing something I love. Something I’ve always dreamed of doing. Papa has agreed to sell the place and then we’ll move into town.”

“And Joe doesn’t know any of this?”

“I’ll tell my son, soon enough.” The aged raspy voice came from behind. Sam turned to find Manuel Messina, leaning heavily against the barn wall, braced by a cane.

“Hello, Manny.” Sam strode over to him and put out his hand. “Good to see you, sir.”

Manuel took his hand then pulled him in for a surprise hug. He didn’t think the older man was strong enough, but he held firm and patted Sam on the back. “Ah… good to see you, son. Very good.”

“Papa, there’s a chill in the air. You should go back inside.”

“I’m not so feeble that I can’t make those decisions for myself.”

Autumn pursed her lips, and it took what looked like all her sanity, to keep them sealed. But it didn’t stop her from giving Sam a big fat pout.

He flashed her a wide grin and turned back to her father.

“You’re well?” the older man asked.

“I’m fine. Got here yesterday. I’m staying in town with my sister, Nicole, right now. I need to be here for her wedding. I guess I’m her best man of honor. She’ll be getting hitched in a few weeks.”

“Ah, your little sis is marrying. That is very nice. She found a good man?”

“Yeah, she did. Garrett is a good guy.”

Manny gave his daughter a looking over. “Seems to me there’s more good men in Last Stand, but Autumn hasn’t found a one of them yet.”

“Papa!” Autumn rolled her eyes and marched past both of them, right out of the barn. “Honestly,” she muttered.

“Set another place for dinner, daughter.”

She stopped in mid-stride and swiveled around. “What?”

“You haven’t had supper yet, have you, son?” Manny asked.

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