Ch. 4: Love and understanding
"Hey, Ruby."
Vic looked up to see Cady come through the door, smiling at Ruby and greeting her. Ruby smiled at Cady in return.
"Good morning, Cady."
Cady moved by Ruby and paused at Vic's desk.
"Hey."
Vic leaned back in her chair and looked up at Cady.
"Come by to see your dad? He's in his office."
Cady gave her a slightly puzzled look.
"Yeah, he called me and said that he needed to see me…and you. I thought you knew I was coming by."
Vic raised her eyebrows in question.
"First I've heard of it."
She pushed up from her chair and tapped on Walt's door before opening it.
"Is there a meeting I didn't know about?"
Walt looked at her with questions until he saw Cady behind her. He stood up.
"Oh, yeah. I uh…wanted to talk to you. Both of you. Close the door."
Vic gave him an odd look, unsure of what was going on. Behind her, Cady closed the door and turned to face him.
"Okay. I'm here."
Vic looked between the two of them, the confusion clear on her face.
"What's…up?"
Walt gestured at Cady, still standing behind his desk.
"Cady…is considering running for Sheriff."
Vic gave her a wide-eyed look.
"Seriously?"
Cady nodded with an uneasy look, her eyes moving between Walt and Vic. After a minute of quiet, clarity washed over her features.
"He didn't tell you."
Vic shook her head as her eyes left Cady and settled on Walt. He met her eyes as she spoke.
"No, he did not. Was he supposed to?"
Both women were looking at him now.
"Um…well…it was his idea."
Vic's eyes continued to hold Walt in place with an unrelenting stare.
"Was it?"
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly uncomfortable with all of the attention he was currently getting.
"I talked to her about it earlier this morning."
Vic's chin tipped a bit.
"So…what's this all about? This is between the two of you. Not me."
He leaned on his desk, his palms flat.
"Cady knows the law better than most. But, as she pointed out, she doesn't really know anything about policework. I figured…you could teach her what she needs to know."
She stared at him for a long moment trying to make sure that she heard what she thought she did.
"Me?"
Cady stood quietly by watching the situation play out.
"Yes."
Vic bit her bottom lip, letting it slide between her teeth.
"You're serious?"
In that moment, she really wanted to be alone with him. Not necessarily for good reasons either. Walt was maintaining some professionalism despite the uncomfortable look on his face.
"You know the job better than anyone else here. You have the best training. The most extensive experience."
The way he said it made it sound obvious. Vic shook her head slightly.
"I'm…"
Her eyes drifted between the two of them.
"…not a teacher."
When he didn't answer, she forged ahead.
"What exactly are we talking here?"
Walt motioned at the chair nearest them.
"Cady, do you want to sit?"
She moved around Vic and took the seat he offered. Vic stayed where she was, a host of uncertainty on her face. She was pretty sure it was leaking out all over the place.
"Before anything is announced, I want to bring her on here. Start getting her some real life experience."
Vic tapped her own chest.
"With me?"
Vic said it slowly, still looking for clarification.
"Yes."
Walt was trying to sound nonchalant and she recognized that was for Cady's benefit more than anything. She turned her eyes to Cady.
"This is what you want?"
Cady gave her a look that mirrored her own feelings of apprehension.
"I think so. I haven't made a final decision yet. Dad said this would be a good first step. That we could…"
Cady paused and her blue eyes flicked between the two of them.
"…he really hasn't talked to you about this?"
"No."
Cady gave her father a look of admonishment.
"Dad."
Before he could respond, Vic turned her gaze back to Walt.
"What exactly is it that you want? For her to…shadow me?"
"Work with you."
"Work with me? As an actual deputy?"
The shake of his head was slight.
"A…trainee."
"Oh-kay. I…"
Her voice faltered and Cady stood up.
"Vic, if it's a problem…"
Vic waved a hand at Cady.
"It's not a problem. It's just out of the blue since some people don't comprehend basic communication skills."
Walt shifted under her eyes and the tone in her words. His eyes dropped from hers. She didn't bother hiding her irritation at his lack of warning that this was coming. Vic could see that she was making him uncomfortable and took some satisfaction in it as juvenile as that seemed.
Finally, she turned her attention back to Cady.
"This is for real?"
Cady nodded.
"Yes, it is."
Vic shrugged.
"Okay. When do you want to start?"
Cady looked around the office.
"Is something wrong with today?"
Vic shook her head.
"Nope."
Cady offered her a smile that lacked conviction and pulled open the door, her eyes shifting to Walt who offered her a smile in return. After the silent exchange, she stepped out into the main office. Vic kept her eyes averted from his and waited until they were mostly alone before she actually looked at him and made eye contact. A few seconds of loaded silence passed in between them as they simply looked at each other.
When she finally spoke, it was in in unusually low voice to keep the rest of the office from hearing the exchange. There was certainty in her tone.
"You and I will talk about this later."
He didn't say anything in response and she didn't wait around. Leaving his office, she found Cady waiting at her desk and mused that her day, and her week, had just gotten a hell of a lot more interesting.
xxx
Walt was relieved when he was alone again. He knew that she was telling him the truth. They would definitely talk about this later. He might not like what she wanted to say either. He knew that he should have warned her. He should have said something before Cady got here. He hadn't shared his thoughts about prompting Cady to run when he told her that he was retiring. It didn't seem like the time with the personal conversation they were having at the time.
Truth be told, the idea was only just taking root when he was at her RV. It wasn't fleshed out and he wanted more time to think about before he brought it up. He wasn't sure that either she or Cady would be receptive to the idea. At first, Cady wasn't. She must have given it some thought, though. A couple of hours after he got to work, she called him and told him that she was willing to explore the idea.
He didn't doubt her legal ability. Cady knew the law better than most. Her law school education saw to that. Even so, he didn't want to invite criticism. She could run on her own merit and with her own experience. It wasn't unheard of. She might be taken more seriously if she had on the job experience, though. It might lessen the argument that she didn't know what she was doing.
When Lucian decided to finally retire, the choice for him to run seemed obvious. It was what Lucian wanted. What he was being groomed for. He was the ideal candidate. At that point, he'd been working under Lucian for years. He was well known and respected. A native son of the area and a family man who was clearly invested in Absaroka County.
He ran unopposed and slid right into a job that he had already partially been doing as Lucian aged and parts of the job became harder for him to do physically. As his years of being Sheriff passed him by, he always assumed he would find what Lucian found in him.
A successor.
Branch would have been it if he hadn't jumped the gun and ran before Walt felt that he was ready for the challenge. The Connally genes were too strong and too brash and that wound up ending in tragedy.
Ferg was still young. While he had matured over the years into a reliable deputy, he just wasn't there yet. His budding relationship with Meg was taking up a great deal of his attention. Maybe in the future once he was more settled down and able to give the job the focus it required.
Zach was just hired back on. He liked his newest deputy. They were a lot alike. More than Walt wanted to admit when it came to their respective tempers. There was still a lot to prove there, and he wasn't sure that Zach was leadership material. He was good at his job so far, but he was learning as he went.
The most obvious choice would be Vic. That's what he would have said if you asked him a year, or even six months ago. No one would be able to question her experience or her education. It was her electability that was questionable. Even she knew that. It would be hard to convince people to vote for someone they didn't consider one of them. Still, he was fairly certain that he could sway enough people to get her the votes that she would need if someone ran against her. He wasn't sure she could find the patience for the job either. She was so quick to say what was on her mind. While he appreciated that about her, he was aware that it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.
Given the past few months, he knew she simply wasn't up to it at this point. Nor did she seem to want it. Neither her head or her heart would be able to commit and that would do everyone a disservice. She kept making it clear to him that right now she wasn't thinking about the future. She was existing in a manner that was day to day and it was getting her through this rough period. He understood.
It was one of the reasons they didn't really talk about their own futures. Not really. His retirement announcement was the first nudge in that direction. She seemed to accept it for what it was and not question what it could possibly mean.
He told her the truth. This was what he wanted. It was also what he thought she needed. Their conversation on his porch that first morning was still clear in his mind. He knew where the bulk of her fear was rooted. If he could remove that from the equation, it might just be what she needed to see the kind of future that they could have together.
The future that he wanted with her.
Taking himself out of the line of fire would go a long way in soothing her fear that she was going to lose him. He would die someday, of course. Everyone did. At his age, with as many times as he looked death in the eye, the idea really didn't bother him. It did bother her. That much was painfully obvious.
He didn't want to be something in her life that brought her fear or pain. That was the same thing she told him crossed her mind when she was contemplating suicide.
"I couldn't be the thing that brought you more pain."
That night, he hadn't let the full impact of what she was saying hit him. He was too focused on her and his own fear of losing her. The same fear that roared to life when he realized she had been shot and was in very real danger of bleeding to death in his Bronco.
It wasn't until later that it really hit him. She kneeled there, alone, with a gun to her head and her finger on the trigger. What pulled her back from the edge was the fact that she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to bring him more pain. She knew that he would spiral and she made a conscious choice to continue living in the pain that she was in to spare him.
Her confession that she loved him shouldn't have come as a surprise. Without actual words, she had already told him so many times how she felt. Why did it take him so long to realize it? To see just how deep her feelings for him ran?
He felt like he didn't deserve that level of devotion.
Wasn't that what real love did, though?
See beyond all of the faults? Believe even when there was no real reason to?
That's what he was counting on.
xxx
"Don't be too hard on him."
Vic gave Cady a quick glance as she steered her truck over the highway.
"What?"
Cady smiled.
"Dad. Don't be too hard on him. He means well. Usually."
Vic didn't respond. She turned her eyes back to the road and reached up to adjust her sunglasses. In her peripheral, she could see Cady alternating between looking out the window and looking at her. She reasoned that a question must be coming.
"Can I ask you something?"
There it was. Vic nodded.
"Sure."
Cady shifted around in her seat.
"What do you really think about all this?"
"All this?"
"Me possibly running for Sheriff?"
Vic bit her lip and pulled into the parking lot of the outdoor shooting range. She figured she needed to know exactly what she was working with before they really got started. It was also an excuse to get out of the office and out from under Walt's watchful eyes.
Putting the truck in park, she pulled her key from the ignition and gave Cady a look.
"How do you mean?"
Cady sighed.
"Do you think it's crazy?"
Vic smiled.
"I think you might be crazy for doing it. Not the idea itself."
Cady smiled again.
"Fair enough."
They left the truck and Cady trailed Vic. This time of the day, they appeared to be the only ones there outside of employees.
"Tell me something."
She had Cady's full attention.
"What?"
Vic stopped at a station and looked out across the range.
"Was this all Walt's idea?"
"Yes."
Vic waited for Cady to elaborate.
"He came to my office, or ex-office, this morning and brought it up. I guess it's not like I have anything else to do right now since I don't have a job."
Vic studied her.
"Is that the truth? I find it hard to believe that you don't have any prospects."
Something in Cady's face told her that she was on the money with that last part. Cady looked away from her.
"I was actually thinking about going to New York."
That didn't surprise Vic at all. She knew from what Walt told her that Cady only came back to Durant after her mother died due to her worry for him. Cady was a smart, well educated, unattached woman. She could have her choice of cities where finding work in a law firm wouldn't be hard.
"New York?"
Cady nodded and returned her eyes to Vic.
"Yeah. I feel like…as an attorney, I've explored all the avenues available here. They haven't exactly worked out. I actually have a couple of friends in New York who were going to help me get started."
"Durant to New York. That's a pretty big difference."
"Yeah, a pretty big distance, too."
"Walt doesn't know?"
Cady shook her head.
"No, I haven't said anything. Then, he comes to me with this."
"Why not just tell him and go on with your plans?"
Cady eyed her.
"You don't think I should do it?"
Vic shrugged.
"What I think doesn't matter."
"It does to my dad."
"Maybe. Listen, Cady. If this is really what you want. Go for it. But, don't do it just because it's what Walt wants. You'll never be happy living your life on someone else's terms."
She could see Cady mulling over her words, her blue eyes distant. Vic pulled her Glock from her holster and offered it to Cady. Cady took with both hands carefully. Vic merely stood by and watched.
"Show me what you know."
Cady smiled nervously.
"Most of my experience is with rifles."
"But you've shot handguns?"
"Yes. A few times."
"Good."
Vic stepped back and watched as Cady moved the gun around in her hands, taking a more comfortable grip. After checking the weapon and finding a stance she liked, she put on the ear protection that was provided and fired at the target.
After taking her shots, Cady lay the gun down and pulled off her ear muffs. She followed Vic down to the target, where Vic pulled it off and passed it to her.
"Not bad."
Vic started back and Cady carried the target along with her. Vic picked up her 9mm and started to slip it back into the holster.
"Now you."
Vic looked up.
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Vic smiled a bit and nodded. Cady moved away while Vic took aim and fired at a fresh target. Once Vic was done, she blew out a breath.
"That's…really good."
Vic holstered the gun and went to collect her own target.
"I've been shooting since I was old enough to not be knocked on my ass by recoil."
"I see that. I was more of a horse girl."
Vic smiled.
"I can see that."
Cady glanced at the holstered weapon.
"That's a 9mm?"
"Yeah, if you're gonna carry, you need to find something that you're comfortable with. This would be a good place to start."
Cady nodded, her eyes still on the weapon.
"You know…I've killed a man."
Vic raised her eyes.
"Yeah, I heard."
Cady's blue eyes were on her.
"You've…killed, too."
It was a statement. Vic shifted on her feet.
"Yes, I have."
"What's it like for you?"
It was a fair question and one that was extremely thought provoking. Vic pushed out a breath.
"It's…hard."
"It is. It changes you."
Vic dipped her face as they started back towards her truck.
"It should. Taking a life…shouldn't be easy. If it is, you're in the wrong line of work."
"You sound just like my dad."
Vic pulled open the door and slid behind the wheel. Cady took the passenger seat and pulled her seatbelt across.
"You were shot not too long ago."
Vic sat, not cranking the truck just yet.
"Yep."
"Were you afraid to get back out there after?"
Vic was quiet for a stretch. She could feel Cady waiting for answer. She inhaled a deep breath, trying to keep those thoughts out of her head. The ones that always threatened to take over. Reaching down, she turned the key and the motor turned over.
"I still am."
xxx
"Do you want to tell me what in the hell you were thinking?"
He had been expecting it all day long. Thankfully, she waited until everyone else filtered out for the day and they were alone in the office. Even so, the sharpness in her voice surprised him as she stood in front of him with her feelings broadcasting on her face.
Vic stood with her hands on her hips and her eyes on him with a focus that could give a laser a run for its money. He wasn't really working. Not anymore. From his seat, he heard the sounds of his office staff leaving one by one. Chairs scraping over the wooden floor, the sound of keys jingling as they dangled from hands, muted goodbyes and murmurs about evening plans.
Until there was only Vic left in the main office. The minutes ticked by as he sat. Waiting. He could hear her moving around. He heard her walk across the floor. He heard the drawers of her desk open and close. That was followed by silence. A heavy silence that he could feel. He couldn't have said if she was debating coming in or planning out what she intended to say. It could have been a combination of the two.
She stood up and walked to his office door, pausing. The pause felt like it lasted forever. Of course, it was fairly short. Skipping her normal custom of tapping on the door, she simply opened it, came inside, and closed the door behind her.
Walt stood up and came around his desk.
"I should have told you."
He was willing to concede that point.
"Yes, you should have. I repeat, what the hell?"
Walt leaned on his desk.
"I just thought of her last night."
Vic wasn't giving him an inch.
"Before or after you were at my place?"
His lack of an answer was an answer.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Walt sighed.
"It was just an idea. I hadn't really…fleshed it out yet. It wasn't until later…"
Vic dropped her arms and took a few steps towards him.
"Do you really think this is a good idea?"
"Cady's an attorney. It's not unprecedented."
Vic shook her head.
"Not that. Me working with her when you and I are…doing what we're doing."
He frowned.
"What does one have to do with the other?"
She gave him an incredulous look.
"Are you serious? It has everything to do with it. She's going to find out, Walt. She's not stupid. There's a good chance she'll figure it out. Even if she doesn't, I wasn't aware that we were planning to keep this a secret forever. Or…is that something else you chose not to tell me."
"I'm retiring, Vic. We won't all be working together forever."
"No, I'll be the one working with her. You're her father. You'll be fine. I'm the one she'll be pissed at if this goes bad. I'm the one who's got to work for her, Walt. God! Did you even stop and think about the position that you were putting me in?"
His eyes dropped to the floor. Vic advanced.
"You didn't."
Walt looked back up and shook his head.
"No, I guess not. Vic, if you don't want to work with her…"
"I don't have any problem working with Cady. I like Cady. What I have a problem with is you making these kinds of decisions without talking to me. You're right. You will be retired. I will be the one who deals with the fallout. You can't just make unilateral decisions like this."
Walt pushed out a breath.
"What do you want me to do?"
Vic folded her arms across her chest.
"I think you should tell her."
He felt his own heart speed up at the prospect.
"Tell her?"
The words came out slowly. Vic nodded.
"About us. Before she gets pulled all the way into this, she deserves to have all the information so she can make an informed decision. If she still wants to pursue this, that's what we'll do."
He watched her for a long moment before he spoke.
"You don't think she's going to like the idea of me and you."
Vic shrugged.
"I don't know, Walt. I just know that I felt like crap lying to her today."
"We're not lying."
Vic rolled her eyes. He supposed he deserved it.
"Lying. Not telling. At the end of the day, it's all the same."
He hesitated, unsure of where to go from here.
"I…thought we weren't telling people just yet."
"She's your daughter, Walt. Not people."
He shifted on his feet. Vic tilted her head.
"You don't want to tell her?"
"It's not that. It's just…I thought that we would have more time before we had to go public."
Vic shook her head.
"Walt, telling Cady isn't going public. Do you just not want to tell her?"
He grew quiet again. Vic bit her bottom lip and he knew that he was doing little to quell the fears that were already there.
"It's not that."
"Then what?"
Walt straightened up, grasping his thoughts firmly.
"Cady has told me in the past that it's hard for her to see me with another woman."
He took a few steps towards her. Vic's eyes stayed on him.
"That's understandable."
"It is."
"You're assuming she won't approve."
Walt shoulders shifted.
"I don't know how she'll feel. I hope that she's happy for me."
"Maybe you should give her a little more credit."
"Maybe."
He was right in front of her now. Vic inhaled and pushed out the breath in a steadying manner.
"Walt, you can't be doing this thing where you withhold information in the name of protecting people. Or, because you don't want to deal with it. You should have come to me about this before I heard about it from Cady."
She was quieter now, her anger ebbing away.
"I know."
"Cady deserves to have all the facts before she makes a decision like this. All of the facts. Before she decides if she really wants to work with me. This might change her mind."
He frowned.
"Cady likes you."
She gave him a dubious look.
"Cady likes me as a kind of friend and someone who rented a room from her for a while. That doesn't mean she'll like me as the woman in your life. There's a pretty big difference in those things."
She was right. He knew that. He was reluctant to tell Cady. He was afraid that Cady would oppose what they were doing and that would put him in a difficult position. He wanted the two of them to get along. He wanted to repair the damage he had done to his relationship with his daughter, not make it worse. He wanted to strengthen his relationship with both of them and he didn't want those two desires to be in conflict with the other.
"You're right."
Vic's head cocked again.
"What was that?"
He cleared his throat.
"You're right. I should have told you and she does need to know. You…are right."
In spite of herself, she smiled slightly.
"Wow. I should record this moment for future reference. You admitting that I'm right about…more than one thing."
Walt gave her an amused look.
"Don't get used to it."
She smiled before growing serious.
"Promise me that you won't do this again."
Walt dipped his chin.
"I won't do this again."
She continued to look up at him. Waiting.
"I promise."
Vic nodded with a degree of satisfaction.
"Good."
She started to step back, but Walt spoke up.
"Henry knows."
Vic's brow went up.
"You told Henry?"
"No. He guessed."
She huffed out a breath.
"I'm not surprised. What did he say?"
"Not much."
She considered him.
"He try and talk you out of it?"
Walt shook his head.
"Not exactly. He asked me if this was wise."
She stared at him for a minute.
"You know it's probably not."
Walt nodded.
"Yeah. I know."
Vic's eyes held his for a minute longer before she put some distance in between them.
"I'm going home."
Walt tilted his head and took a step in her direction. Extending his hand, it landed on her shoulder and he stepped closer.
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I think we both need some space. And, some time."
Walt dipped his face and kissed her.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."
Vic lingered in his space before she stepped away.
xxx
Walt stood on Cady's stoop and waited. It wasn't all that late and her lights were on. She should still be awake. He toyed with the idea of not doing this tonight. But, Vic was right. It needed to be done so that Cady could make the best decision for herself. With him having thrown the entire situation into high gear, it needed to be done sooner rather than later.
"Dad!"
She sounded surprised to see him when she opened the door and peered out at him under the yellowish light of the porch light. No wonder. It wasn't every day he showed up at her door after dark.
"Hey, Punk. You got a few minutes?"
She stepped aside to give him room to pass.
"Of course. Is something wrong?"
Walt removed his hat and held it by the brim.
"No, no. Everything is fine. I just wanted to talk to you."
He followed Cady into the living room where he looked around feeling somewhat nervous. She gestured at the couch.
"Do you want some coffee?"
Walt shook his head as he sat down.
"No, thanks."
Cady took a seat in a chair and pulled her legs up. She looked like she was getting ready for bed. Walt played with the brim of his hat, turning it around in his hands. Cady looked at him with expectation.
"What's up?"
Walt leaned forward, his hat dangling between his legs.
"There's something I want to talk to you about."
"You already said that."
He offered her a slight smile and glanced down. Cady shifted in her chair, clearly antsy.
"What is it, dad? Is it about this sheriff thing?"
Walt inhaled and looked up to find his daughter's big blue eyes on him. In moments like this one, she reminded him so much of her mother.
"Not really. It's…personal."
His words did nothing to quench the curiosity and nerves he saw mixed up in her face.
"Okay. Are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"
Another slight smile escaped him.
She was also his daughter.
Walt took another breath and his hands stilled. There was no point in beating around the bush. Not when she was clearly waiting for him to talk to her. If he wanted to resolve their differences, he knew that meant being honest with her.
Even when it was uncomfortable.
This would be a good starting point.
"I uh…I wanted you to know that I'm…seeing someone."
The phrase didn't quite seem to fit. But, neither did any of the other often used labels. It was only semantics anyway.
Cady's eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
Walt nodded slowly.
"Yep."
"Weren't you seeing…Donna?"
Walt shook his head.
"No. That's…over. It's been over for a while now."
"Oh."
He felt a sudden pang of guilt at how out of the loop his own daughter was in regards to his life. Not that she needed to know every detail of his relationships. But, he could understand why she always felt like he was shutting her out. He was whether it was intentional or not.
"So…there's someone else?"
She sounded as unsure as he felt.
"Yep."
She was waiting, but he was struggling. Cady prodded him predictably. His reluctance to talk about himself was nothing new.
"Someone I know?"
Walt cleared his throat and lifted his eyes once again to find hers.
"It's Vic."
Quiet settled over them as Cady absorbed the information, her eyes holding his steadily. Based on her lack of any real facial expression other than surprise, he couldn't gauge her reaction. After what felt like forever, she found her voice.
"Vic?"
The word was wrapped up in questions.
"Yeah."
He started turning his hat around in his hands again.
"Vic."
She repeated it with less questions and more wonder. Walt stayed quiet knowing she wasn't looking for confirmation. She was trying to wrap her mind around the idea. She bit her lip and her eyes fell away.
"You're involved with someone who works for you."
"Yeah."
Cady looked up.
"Can you say something besides yeah?"
Walt pressed his lips together. Cady's forehead was furrowed with thought.
"You…and…Vic. How long has this been going on?"
That was an overly complicated question. He decided to stick to the basics where Cady was concerned. There was no need to go any deeper than was necessary. Not right now.
"A few days."
Her brows went up.
"A few days? So…"
He cut in knowing where she was going.
"It's serious, Cady."
She paused.
"In a few days?"
Walt sighed. He started to respond, but she beat him to it.
"Are you having some kind of midlife crisis?"
"What?"
That was one he hadn't seen coming. Cady ran her palms over her pants.
"It's just…unlike you to be…doing this with someone who works for you."
"She won't work for me much longer."
"Is that why you're retiring?"
"I'm retiring because I want to."
"Really?"
It sounded like she didn't believe him.
"Yes, Cady. You and I talked about that during my trial."
"I thought it was just because of the lawsuit."
"It wasn't. It's been on my mind for a while."
"How does Vic feel about it?"
"What does that matter?"
"This just all seems…out of the blue. Did she talk you into this?"
"No. This was my idea, Cady. I want to retire. I don't want to do this job forever. I can't. There are other things I would like to do with my life."
"Like be with a woman…"
Cady paused.
"…how old is she?"
Walt pushed out a breath.
"What does that matter?"
Cady huffed.
"It just seems out of character for you to suddenly be interested in a woman who is so much younger. It's a little concerning. What happened to Donna? Wasn't she a doctor?"
"A psychiatrist. Donna and I weren't…it wasn't working."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why wasn't it working? Did it have something to do with Vic?"
Walt looked down at his hat again.
"Cady, I am not getting into the specifics of my relationships with women. Not with you. You're my daughter. There's got to be a line. But, I want to be honest with you. I don't want to shut you out. I should have told you before I brought you in to work with Vic. It was wrong of me to put either of you in this position."
"Why are you telling me now?"
"It was Vic's idea."
"Good to know someone was thinking. That might explain why she seemed so caught off guard today. Dad…I've got to ask…is this really serious…or…"
He didn't wait for her to finish.
"It's serious."
"Is that why she was staying with you after she was shot?"
"No. That was purely for her safety. Nothing happened then."
Cady studied him and again reminded him of Martha.
"Not physically."
He didn't answer. She wasn't wrong.
"It was kind of obvious that she had feelings for you. But, I didn't know that you…reciprocated them. Back when you were shot…she was…really, really worried about you. I guess I should have paid that more attention."
Walt shook his head.
"We didn't even know."
Cady gave him a look.
"She knew. You might have been in denial, but not her."
She huffed out a quiet laugh.
"This…does this seem like a good idea, dad? Really?"
"Henry asked me the same thing."
"Maybe you should ask yourself that before it goes any further."
"I've already given it plenty of thought."
"Really? It all seems rushed to me. A few days is what you just said. No one falls in love in a few days, dad. Unless, this has been going on for longer than you're saying."
Walt chose not to take that road and tapped his fingers on the soft material of his hat.
"I'm telling you because you're my daughter, Cady. I love you. I want you to know what's going on with my life. I want you…to be happy for me."
She considered him.
"Are you…happy?"
Walt's eyes left hers and wandered around the room before they finally returned.
"I'm getting there."
With that, he stood up and slapped his hat against his thigh.
"Think about it for a while. I still think she's the best person to work with if you decide to run. Take some time. I understand this is a lot. She's good at her job, Cady. If you would give this a chance, you would see that she's good for me, too."
Putting his hat back on, he reached out and traced his finger over her cheek before he glanced towards the door.
"It's getting late. I'll go and let you get some rest. Think about what I said. Take some time. There's no rush. This is new for all of us and it'll take some time."
Cady merely watched as he crossed the living room and left the small house.
Author's Note: I will be out of town next week on vacation, so there will be no updates until the following week.