Had to take a longer-than-expected break from writing. Thanks for the patience and the motivating messages you've sent me. I'm glad to finally be back.
Momentarily rooted in place, she watched as Cady made her way between the tables. It was a typically busy Saturday at the Pony, so there was no way for Vic to call out and be heard, or cut Cady off from this distance. And even if she ran, she wouldn't likely beat her to where her family was seated given Cady's head start. Plus, running would only call attention to the fact that there was a reason she was trying to intercept her.
With her hands balled into fists, she headed toward her fate.
As she neared the table, she saw Cady standing near her parents' chairs, leaning in to be heard. Her father rose, and extended his hand in greeting, followed by her mother, who did the same. Victor gave a half-wave from across the table and Michael smiled broadly in greeting from his seat. She watched as her father gestured toward the bathrooms without turning his head and suspected he was telling Cady where she was.
Vic took a breath and stepped forward.
"Cady. You're here."
Cady turned toward her with a grin. "Yeah. Thought I'd pick up some dinner since I didn't feel like cooking when I got home."
"And I see you've met my family."
"Henry pointed out that they were here. I didn't know that they..."
"Yep, we decided to come here after horseback riding."
Cady's eyebrows knit together.
Vic's mother placed her hand on Cady's arm. "We're only sorry you couldn't join us."
Although she could clearly read the confusion on Cady's face, Vic hoped it wasn't as evident to the others.
"Well I was out of..."
Vic stepped forward. "How about joining us now? For dinner."
"Oh...um..." Cady looked around the table.
"We can start by getting some more drinks." She put her hand on Cady's elbow, lightly guiding her toward the bar as she called out over her shoulder. "We'll be right back."
With her eyes on Henry, who was handing a beer to a patron, Vic slowly let out a breath. There were several individuals in front of them waiting to order drinks, so she turned toward Cady. "You're back early."
Cady looked over at her, eyebrows slightly raised.
Vic shrugged. "Henry said something about you being in Denver until tomorrow."
"There were some folks down there I needed to talk to about my client's case. One of the individuals I was hoping to meet with tomorrow morning had a family situation come up, and had to leave town."
Cady no longer bore the smile she'd put on for her family, and Vic could now see a little tiredness in her gaze. "Cady, I uh...I heard about what happened at your office. Walt said you shot someone in self-defense."
Cady nodded, her eyes lowering. "I got your message. Sorry I never called you back."
"Are you ok?"
With a half-smirk, Cady lifted her gaze. "Not really. But thanks...for asking."
The tiredness was still there. And maybe something else. "Have you been able to talk to someone about it?" With how quickly Walt had changed the subject after informing her and Ferg about what had happened, Vic didn't know how well he was handling the situation his daughter had been in. She could only imagine what Cady was going through.
"Henry's been there for me. But mostly I've just thrown myself into my work. With the number of clients I've had recently, I haven't had time for much else."
Cady's eyes scanned Vic's face. "How have you been doing since Chance Gilbert was sentenced?"
God, his name still managed to send a chill through her. "Walt tell you?"
Cady shook her head. "I read about it in the paper."
Vic pursed her lips with a sigh. "Along with all the other shit they've been spinning about me. About Walt."
"Lately that's the only way I can keep tabs on what my dad has been up to, even if most of the information is false."
"Walt's had his hands full with the lawsuit, and..."
"Yeah, I know,"
Silence dangled between them momentarily, until a space cleared at the bar, and Cady stepped forward. Vic joined her side.
Henry greeted them from the other side of the counter. "What can I get you two?"
Vic gestured back to the table. "Can we get a second round for everyone? And..." She turned toward Cady. "What would you like?"
Cady paused for a moment in thought. "I'll take a Blue Moon."
Henry nodded and then turned to fulfill their order.
Placing her left forearm on the bar, Cady turned to face Vic. "I didn't realize your family was going to be in town."
Vic pressed her lips together with a laugh. "That makes two of us."
"They surprised you?"
"You could say that."
Glancing back at their table, Vic saw all four of them engaged in animated conversation.
"You'd think that somewhere during their planning one of them would have thought to reach out to see if this weekend was good for me, or at least to give me a heads up. But, no. Didn't even occur to them."
"Here you go Cady."
Vic turned to find Henry resting a tray full of beers on the bar and sliding a Blue Moon in Cady's direction.
"And this one..." Henry caught her eye. "...is for you." Vic took the bottle he handed to her, knowing even before she'd brought it to her lips that its contents had been replaced by water.
She blinked, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. "Thanks, Henry."
He nodded, a smile of his own grazing his lips.
"Oh..." Vic tapped the fingers of her left hand lightly against the wood. "Almost forgot. Can you add a Rainier for Walt?"
Vic watched as both of their smiles faded, and two pairs of eyes lifted to scan the room.
"My dad's here?"
"Yeah. He was on his way to the bathroom as I was headed back to the table."
Vic watched as Cady stared silently in the direction of the bathrooms.
Henry turned to pull a can of Rainier out of the fridge. Without glancing in their direction, he silently moved around the bar and made his way over to their table with the tray of drinks.
Cady stood still at Vic's side. "I...I'm not sure it's such a good idea for me to join you guys."
Vic glanced over at her. "Because of Walt?"
"Things have been kinda strained between us recently. The last time we talked...it didn't...it didn't go well."
Had Walt been making a mess of both of his closest relationships?
"I think you should still join us. You said earlier you've been working non-stop. It would be good for you to have a break."
Cady's lips twisted with indecision, her unease apparent. "I don't know."
"Plus, I could really use your help. I can only take so much of my own family, so the more people there are to help serve as a buffer the better. And as far as you and Walt, there will be enough people in the mix this evening that you'll be able to talk to him as much or as little as you want."
Vic tried to convey her confidence in this idea through the smile she gave Cady, who still seemed to be wavering.
"Just give it a try. You can leave whenever you want."
Cady breathed in deeply. "Ok. But don't be surprised if I pull your gun and use it in self-defense."
Vic laughed. "Thankfully, for Walt's sake, I don't have it on me."
Picking her beer up off the bar, Cady took a step toward the table, but Vic reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "Before we head back I need to ask you for a favor?"
Cady turned her head. "What's that?"
"Uh...well...you haven't been to my place, but it's...small. When my family arrived on Thursday, unexpectedly, there was no way all of us were going to be able to fit in it. None of the hotels had any rooms available, so I told them I was going to stay with you. Of course, I didn't remember you were going to be out of town until I was on my way, but I...I never told my parents I didn't end up staying with you. Thought it would just be easier."
"So, you need me to tell them you're staying in my guest room?"
"Pretty much. Yep. Or at least don't say anything to contradict that."
Cady shrugged. "Sure, no problem." She took a step and then turned toward Vic. "Where have you actually been staying?"
"Oh...uh...on Walt's couch."
"Oh."
"Yep. Pretty much my only option."
"Well...at least his couch is comfortable."
Smiling, Vic nodded. "I know. I'd forgotten how comfortable it was to sleep on."
Vic realized what she'd admitted to as she saw the familiar Longmire arched eyebrow directed at her.
"You've slept at my dad's cabin before?"
"Oh...um...yeah. I might have had a bit of a stalker problem a while back."
Both of Cady's eyebrows lifted.
Vic decided she didn't need to share the true extent of the Gorski situation. "The guy got into my place one day while I wasn't home, and when I told Walt, he insisted I stay at his place while Sean was out of town."
Neither of Cady's eyebrows lowered, so Vic continued. "But it all resolved itself, and I ended up only staying one night."
"Did my Dad put a bullet in him?"
Vic laughed. "Just a stern talking-to." That, and Hector's fists, but Cady didn't need to know that.
"A Walt Longmire stern talking-to. The guy didn't stand a chance."
Both Cady and Vic laughed as they looked over at the table.
Vic shifted her weight. "In case they bring it up...you couldn't come to dinner on Friday or horseback riding this afternoon because you were working. That's what I told them when they asked."
"Good to know. And actually true. I'll just leave out the part about being in Denver."
With an exhale, Vic pulled her shoulders back. "Ready?"
Cady took a swig of her beer, her eyes briefly traveling over to the door to the bathrooms before landing back on Vic. "Not really."
"Me either."
And with that, they made their way across the room.
XX
Walt arrived at the table just as Vic and Cady did.
As Vic turned to greet him with a beer she handed him, one of her brothers called out. "Hey Vic!"
She turned to look over her shoulder at her family, who had made the move over to the pool table. Michael stood in front of the closest corner of the table, his right hand grasping a cue stick. "We need your help with something."
"Give me a moment."
He rolled his eyes. "It'll just take a moment. You're the only one who can settle this."
Vic turned, apologetically. "I'll be right back."
Walt watched her walk over to Michael's side. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Cady still standing to his right. He turned toward her, the movement drawing her eyes to his. "Hi."
For a moment she looked back at him, unblinking. "Hi."
Words fled him, and after a few moments passed, Cady pressed her lips together and started to turn back toward the others.
He summoned his courage. "Did you just get back?"
She paused, but didn't turn around. "Yep."
He watched as she lifted her beer to her lips, before looking down at the can in his hands.
"I was in Denver. For work. In case you were wondering."
Looking up he noticed she'd turned toward him, but not completely. She was still avoiding his gaze. "I heard."
He waited, but she didn't elaborate further. He didn't know if he had the right to ask more.
Cady tipped her bottle toward the pool table. "You've been hanging out with Vic's family."
He nodded. "We went horseback riding up at South Fork Lodge this afternoon."
"And dinner last night, I hear."
"Yep."
She took another sip, and he followed suit. "Didn't know you were being so social these days."
He swallowed. "Vic needed my...help."
"Didn't know you were being so helpful these days either."
"Her family surprised her. They showed up unexpectedly Thursday night."
Cady nodded. "She told me." She paused. "Must be nice having family who checks in on you. Must be nice having Walt Longmire willing to help."
"Cady, don't—"
She turned to face him, her eyes fixing on his. "Don't what?"
His lips parted, but he stayed silent, unable to put the discomfort he felt into words.
She stepped closer. "Don't make a scene? There are so many people here that no one is paying attention to us."
He scanned the nearby tables, but no one was looking their way.
"Or did you mean don't bring up anything...difficult? Anything that would require an actual conversation." She paused, which only made his discomfort worse. "Do you remember that, Dad? Conversations? Back when you used to ask me how I was doing and what I was up to?"
"I've stopped by your office multiple times, Cady."
"Yeah, because you needed something from me. Never just to see how my day went. You haven't asked me about my job once. You have no idea how hard it's been or what I've been having to deal with."
"We've talked about your job."
"No, we've talked about how much you disapprove of the fact that I'm working for Jacob Nighthorse, but we haven't actually talked about what I've been doing."
"It's hard to get past who you're doing it for."
"Try."
"What?"
"Try to get past it. Most of my work...most of my week has nothing to do with Jacob. It has to do with...me. Your daughter. It has to do with the people I'm helping."
"You're helping them with dirty money."
"You keep saying that, but you haven't proven that to be true."
"I believe it to be true."
"And that's enough?"
"Nighthorse is not an innocent man, Cady. There are criminal activities going on in and because of that casino. Whether or not he's getting his hands dirty, he's pulling the strings. Or at least aware that these things are happening."
"You talk about prostitution and drugs and murder, but you haven't proven anything. You've just come in with your assumptions. When did that happen? When did you become so fixated and narrow-minded? When did you start willing your biases to be truths, ignoring anything else that doesn't fit the picture of Jacob you are building?"
He lowered his gaze, gripping the Rainier can more tightly in his hands.
"When did you become so selfish, Dad?"
He looked up. "Selfish?"
"Everything is about you. What you need. How things affect you."
"Selfish?" It was almost a whisper coming out of his mouth. "Cady, everything I do is for other people. My focus on Nighthorse. My search for the truth. I do it to help others."
"If you're so in to helping others, why can't you see that I am too? Do you think it was easy accepting the job from Jacob? It wasn't. I knew how you felt about him, and what you've told me about him. I didn't accept his offer to hurt you, Dad. And I didn't do it blindly. I did it because it was the only way I knew how to help the people on the Rez."
"By getting tangled up in Nighthorse's world?"
"Jacob is trying to help these people. Whatever else you think he's trying to manipulate or lie about, he's not doing that here. He's trying to make a difference in their lives. He knows what they're up against."
Walt cupped the side of his neck as he tried to keep his breathing even.
Cady crossed her arms. "So, you can help others, but anyone else trying to do the same doesn't stack up? Or comes under suspicion?"
"Altruism is not Nighthorse's true motive."
"You have no idea what Jacob's motives are, Dad. He may be flawed. He may be benefiting from his support of the community because people are grateful for his help. But I believe he has his people's best interests in mind."
"You are naive if you think Nighthorse is merely flawed."
"Just because Jacob works in the grey doesn't make him a criminal. The world isn't black and white. You act like it is, or insist that it should be, but that's not how it operates. To have an impact...to make progress...sometimes you have to work in the grey. Jacob knows that. And I've seen that to be true."
"Cady, he's going to take you down with him, and you don't even realize it. Or worse, you'll go down, and he'll get away scot-free.
"I can take care of myself."
"Not if you're ensnared in Nighthorse's strings."
She shook her head slightly. "When you're not lecturing me, all you seem to be doing is underestimating me. I guess I'm always going to disappoint you."
Walt's gaze darted over to Vic, remembering their porch conversation the previous day about children disappointing their parents. He found her looking back at him, concern clearly etched in her eyes. And then suddenly a smile stretched across her face. Hopeful and encouraging. He felt something in him loosen, and he was able to take his first full breath.
Turning back toward his daughter, he was able to fully look at her. Cady was staring down at her hands, and he saw the competing tiredness and tension in her face. He wanted to ease her pain. The pain he was clearly responsible for.
"I'm sorry, Punk."
She blinked, a look of surprise evident in her eyes. "You're sorry?"
"I'm sorry that I come across as judgmental. It's...it's only because I'm concerned."
"You didn't seem so concerned when you arrived at the police station after I shot JP Wright. You didn't even ask me how I was doing. I had been in danger, and I killed a man, and not one peep from you about my well-being."
"I came in to find out how you were doing only to learn that you had called Nighthorse instead of me...your own father."
"I did that because the incident occurred on the Rez, like I told you."
"That's only partly why you did that. Matthias would have let you make more than one call. You chose not to call me. You once again chose Nighthorse over me."
Looking past his shoulder, Cady's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I...I guess I thought you'd focus more on your belief that Jacob had put me in a dangerous situation, than helping me through the aftermath of having survived a dangerous situation. I couldn't deal with that. I needed..." Her voice broke, and she paused. "I needed someone who'd be there for me. Whose greatest concern was whether I was ok. I needed...my dad, but you haven't really felt like my dad lately."
Her accusation stabbed with the sharp pain of truth. He'd been standing firm all this time, waiting for her to be the one to bend, unwilling to admit error on his part. "You're right. I...I haven't felt like myself these past weeks. Things have seemed so out of my control...with you, and Henry, and the lawsuit, and my job. Maybe I have been selfish. Maybe I've been so focused on keeping my head above water, that I haven't noticed that you've been trying to do the same."
A sudden cheer sounded from the direction of the pool table, and they both turned to see Vic and her brother high-fiving.
"That sure is a long game of pool."
"Yes it is." He paused before looking over at her. "I'm sorry I've been making it so much about me, lately. When everything started to slip between us, I didn't know how to find my way back..."
"How about we take it one step at a time? Maybe the next time we see each other, start with 'Hey Punk, how's it going?' Maybe stop by my place purely for the sake of catching up, without a lecture or an ask for something in sight."
"That easy, uh?"
She shrugged. "It could be."
He nodded, placing his empty can on the table.
"Want another beer?"
She looked up at him. "Sure."
"When I get back you can tell me more about your trip to Denver."
"Ok." Her smile, for the first time, didn't seem forced, and the tightness within him continued to loosen.
"Hey Longmires." Walt and Cady looked over to the pool table where Vic stood, smiling broadly. "Up for taking on the winners for the next game?"
Walt looked over at Cady, who cocked an eyebrow his way before she turned back toward Vic. "You're on."
XX
Vic finally found herself standing alone next to Walt, whose eyes were on Cady and Michael, who stood on the other side of the table strategizing her next shot.
Her voice low so others couldn't hear her, she leaned in closer. "Sorry I abandoned you earlier. By the time I turned back to join you at the table, you and Cady seemed to be deep in conversation, and I didn't want to interfere. It seemed like maybe you two needed to...talk."
Walt ran his thumb along his lower lip. "We did."
"Did you clear the air?"
"A little."
She paused, waiting for him to continue. When he stayed quiet but looked her way, she arched her eyebrow at him. His eyebrow lifted in confusion. "What?"
"That's all I get? You just held the longest conversation I've ever seen you have with Cady, and all you have to say is 'a little?'"
He gestured to their nearby family members. "It didn't seem like the right time or place to elaborate."
She crossed her arms, both eyebrows lifting this time, but he didn't budge.
"Well that just means I'm adding it to the list."
"What list?"
"The list of things you say we're going to talk about. What's going on with Cady. What's going on with Henry. What's going on..." She almost added 'with all the kissing,' but held back. His eyes fell to her lips and she wondered if he was thinking about the same thing. "You said we'd talk about it all back at your cabin tonight..."
Looking back at the pair across the table, he ran his hand along his jaw. "I think I said we'd talk about it later. At some point."
"Hmm...I distinctly remember you saying 'later tonight, back at the cabin.'" Peering over at him, she tried to gauge if he was busy remembering that moment in the bathroom hallway earlier that evening, like she was. It was on a constant loop for her.
His eyes flashed over to hers, but he never got a chance to respond.
"Vickie. Walt. So good to see the two of you."
Omar suddenly appeared between them, his arms going around both of their shoulders.
Annoyed that her conversation with Walt had been derailed, and annoyed that it was Omar doing the interrupting, Vic tried to step to the side. "Omar, what are you doing at the Pony on a Saturday? Aren't you usually off on a hunting trip with clients on the weekend?"
Squeezing tighter, he pulled her closer. "Well, Vickie, thanks for noticing. I usually am. But my clients had to suddenly cancel, and I unexpectedly found myself with nothing to do, so I thought I would come to the Red Pony and throw back a pint or two."
Omar looked over at the pool table in front of them. "Walt, I see your daughter has made it out this evening as well. Who's the guy she's playing pool with?"
Again Vic tried to pull her shoulder free from his grasp. "My brother."
Omar turned her way. "Your brother? Is your family visiting?"
"Yes." As soon as the word escaped her lips she regretted that she had confirmed the fact for him.
"Then you need to introduce me. I have always wondered what the Moretti clan might be like."
She was about to refuse when her mother stepped in front of them. "And who do we have here?"
Omar dropped his arms from their shoulders and stepped forward. "Omar Rhoades at your service."
"Well, Omar Rhoades, I'm Lena Moretti, Vic's mother."
A smile spread across Omar's face. "Mother? I had taken you for Vickie's sister, even though she'd never mentioned she had one."
Vic could not prevent an eye roll from escaping. She'd never mentioned one word about her family to Omar.
"Vic, aren't you going to properly introduce your friend?"
She could see Omar start to raise his arm as if he was going to embrace her side again, so she took a step toward her mother. "Omar owns a ranch up by the north fork of Rock Creek. He's a bit of an expert on hunting and firearms, so the Sheriff's Department has utilized his services from time to time."
"A bit of an expert? That's the qualifier you use for me?"
Vic shifted the beer bottle in her hands, her nails working to peel back the bottom corner of the label. "Well you did allow someone to shoot me with a tranq gun a while back."
"That had nothing to do with me, and in no way diminishes my expertise."
Before she could refute his assertions, he turned back toward her mother. "And what has fair Vickie been showing you during your visit, other than this fine establishment?"
Her mother smiled up at him. "She gave us a tour of the county on Friday, and we went horseback riding earlier today."
"And what are your plans tomorrow?"
"We haven't settled on any yet. The boys are interested in going to a gun range Vic had mentioned, but that's not really my cup of tea."
"And what's more your cup of tea?"
"I heard there's a winery a few hours away, and some local breweries even closer."
"You know what? You should come over to my ranch tomorrow."
Vic's fingers paused on the beer label, her eyes going big. "What? No?"
"My clients had to cancel, and I had already purchased all the supplies for the trip. We can eat, drink and be merry. I've got plenty of local wines and beers, and some not so local ones as well. Plus, I can show Vickie's brothers my personal gun range."
Vic stepped forward. "Omar, that's not necessary."
"Oh, come on. Your mother already said you have no firm plans. And we can meet both your brothers' interests and your mother's. With no expense or effort on your part, and a much shorter car ride. What could be better?"
Before Vic could think of a reason not to accept the offer, her mother cut in. "I think that is a lovely idea."
Omar clamped a hand down on Walt's shoulder. "And you and Cady will join us too, right Walt?"
"Oh...uh..."
"Of course they will." Once again her mother smiled.
XX
She had about five seconds. Maybe six. He had shot the cue ball into the far corner, cleanly knocking the three ball into the pocket. He was still leaning over the table, his focus on the invisible trajectory the ball had taken. Based on his previous shots, she had about five seconds before he straightened. Five seconds before his focus returned to the people around him. Five seconds to take him in before she had to divert her gaze.
Actually, she was probably now down to three.
When he'd first positioned himself to take the shot, she'd glanced around, finding the others all in conversation. Her mother and Victor were chatting with Henry back at the table. Her father and Omar were deep into a lengthy discussion at the far end. Even their opponents, Cady and Michael, were laughing about something to her right, not presently paying attention to their own game.
So she'd been free to watch him without scrutiny. But in three seconds she was going to have to look away, or he'd catch her staring.
Three. Two.
But she never got to one, because Walt turned early. He hadn't even straightened when he turned his head her way.
His eyes found hers, and immediately warmth rushed to her cheeks, as she blushed at being discovered watching him.
He stayed like that for a moment, holding her gaze, and then finally pulled himself upright. He leaned back against the edge of the pool table, the cue stick in his right hand, the corners of his mouth slowly tugging upwards.
She could feel the warmth continue to spread across her skin, but this time the blush wasn't due to embarrassment, and wasn't isolated to just her face.
Her thoughts drifted to later that evening, when they'd return to his cabin. When it would just be the two of them. Would he still be looking at her like this? Would they be able to keep a safe distance between them?
Drawn to him, she took a step forward. And then another. His gaze never wavered.
She ran her tongue across her lips, briefly wondering where she'd placed her 'beer' bottle of water. She could use a sip right now.
As she neared, Walt pushed himself off the table, straightening to his full height.
His lips parted as if he was about to say something, but when she lifted her foot to move closer, Cady stepped in front of her.
"Hey there." Cady flashed her a toothy smile.
A quick glance at Walt, Vic found his eyes still on her from behind Cady's right shoulder.
Reluctantly Vic brought her gaze back to Cady. "Hey there yourself."
"You're a pretty good pool player."
"Uh...thanks."
"I should know. I grew up around Henry and my Dad, who have spent many an hour conversing over pool or darts. Right, Dad?"
Walt shook his head slightly, his focus finally shifting to his daughter. "Right, what?"
"You and Henry. Years of pool and darts between you."
"Uh...right."
Cady's head swiveled back in Vic's direction. Again, her smile appeared, her eyes dancing along with it.
Vic smiled in return. "Are you drunk?"
The smile before her grew. "I am."
Cady laughed lightly, as she ran her hand through her hair. "Just a bit." She glanced around the bar, her gaze not really landing on anything. "But I think I should go home, before it becomes more than a bit."
"Well, I don't think you should be driving."
"I was thinking the same thing." Her eyes drifted back to Vic's. "In fact, I was thinking about one bird, two stones."
Vic's eyebrows knitted slightly. "Do you mean 'two birds, one stone?'"
Cady shuffled her stance. "That's what I said."
Vic tried to muffle a smile.
Cady extended one of her fingers. "Bird one...you drive me home in my Jeep." She extended a second finger. "Bird two...you take my guest room."
It took a moment for Cady's meaning to sink in. Vic's eyes flicked over to Walt, who was staring in front of him, his beer can frozen in place just before his lips.
Oblivious, Cady continued. "I know that couch is comfortable and everything, but it's no match for sleeping in a bed." Again she flashed her smile, both eyebrows lifting in anticipation. "So...what do you say? Wanna be my roomie again?"
