I stumble as I tell her the whole conspiracy and the senseless need for her mom's death. She falls into my arms and I become her source of strength. My arms envelope her quivering body feeling the weight lifting off her shoulders but the grief descends heavily upon her.

"Cady, I promise it will be okay." I whisper into her ear just as I did when she was a little girl with a bruised knee or a skinned elbow. "I'll always be here, punk."

Her fingers sink into my flesh as her tears soak through to my skin.

I stand in silence holding my daughter thinking of how close I was to denying myself a future with her, with my friends all in the name of revenge.

We sit on the knoll for a while visiting with Martha and with each other.

"What are we going to do?"

I pause before answering her, taking her hands in mine, "We are going to go through this together, Cady and we are going to let the system administer justice. It's what we have to do."

"Dad, don't shut me out."

"I won't." I look into her intense eyes, "I promise."

I start, the entire truth follows, "Earlier today, I spread your mom's ashes right here at this very spot. I vowed revenge and I asked her to forgive me because I wanted to kill Nighthorse but standing here, looking at you, I realize that revenge comes in different forms."

"What do you mean?"

"Prison will kill a man like him."

She looks at me, studying my face, "Cady, I needed to say good bye to your mom alone. I hope you understand."

Nodding her head, her red hair falling forward in her face, "Of course, I understand. I have been waiting for you to say good-bye to mom. I made peace a long time ago. It's something I will never get over but I had to accept she was gone or I would have lost myself." She looks up, "but I need to ask you to understand something."

I wait for her, "I need you to begin thinking about me. This isn't just about you and Mom. It's about me too." I nod.

"You're right"

Her eyes are still there, looking at me, not flinching, "I want to see Branch. I want to be there for him, Dad. After everything, I think he will need me more than ever but I need you to be ok with it."

"Only if you think it's the right thing to do."

"I do"

"Your mom would have thought the same."

We hug each other once more. The assurance that we have each other transcends any words that will ever pass between us.

That's how it is as time elapses not halting to our lives, our hopes or our dreams. The year goes by with plea bargains and faceless prosecutors as the wagons of my family circle closer and tighter. The lapse of time has allowed the department to rebuild, as well as can be expected. In the end, Branch sold his holdings after six months of intensive therapy and moved to Denver for a fresh start. It would be damn near impossible for him to continue to live here in Durant, small town, big mouths, and a name that once stood for much more than multiple homicides.

Ruby placed an ad in the government jobs website after Human Resources approved my request to fill Branch's position. In the meantime, Ferg and me rotate for coverage with Vic coming in for a cover shift splitting the late afternoon with me and the busier part of the night with Ferg. The winter weather is true to form in that it helps slow down crime with the exception of Christmas. Families fight at Christmas. Never could explain it, Jesus's birth and all, but the combination of close quarters, alcohol, and distant relatives is like oxygen, fuel, and a spark. You got fire.

We made it through though and with the flip of a calendar page have started the new year with an uneventful frozen night. So it goes this afternoon, as I turn another page of No Country for Old Men, which at times feels like McCarthy is the only man who understands my life, my thoughts, or my dreams. Heavy boots on the entry steps interrupt my train of thought as my eyes lift off of the page, making mental note of my place, I peer out into the office bay, past Vic and up toward Drew Jackson. Drew stops short of the half-door, next to the coat rack, and tips his hat toward Vic before peeling it off of his full head of bronze hair.

"Ma'am"

She barks back like I expect but not quite as sharp as usual, "Deputy Moretti, can I help you?"

Drew peels off his scarf revealing his golden star over his heart and whips the scarf in with his hat hanging them on the coat rack. Vic makes her way toward Drew, puts her hand out, obviously seeing the star,

"Hi, I'm Vic, you here to see Walt?"

Drew takes her hand, "Vic." Her name lingers there, "nice to meet you." He holds her hand for a beat longer, "Drew."

I haven't seen Drew in a long time and my memory is like yours it plays tricks on me because I don't remember Drew being as tall as me and I certainly didn't remember what a striking figure he cut in person. He could be the long lost younger brother of Sam Shepard. He's always lived in Carbon County; close enough to Denver and Provo to make him equal part sophisticate and renegade.

Walking toward him, I stop just behind Vic, reaching out my hand and brushing past her ever so slightly with my open palm all but forcing him to release hers, "Drew."

"Walt."

He shakes my hand with a firm grip, two old friends saying hello.

"What brings you up to this part of the state?"

My hands fall to my hips and it instantly occurs to me that I'm sizing him up and I think maybe he's doing the same.

"Ruby will be glad to see you. How long has it been?" I say.

"Oh 'bout five years I think."

It's then I remember he was at Martha's funeral. He seems to remember at the same time and our eyes fall off of each other toward the floor.

Vic steps aside and lands back at her desk and I point Drew toward my office.

"Hey, Walt anyway I can trouble you for a cup of hot coffee. Sure is cold out there."

"I'll get it." Vic is up and moving toward the coffee pot.

Drew's eyes follow her as she passes him and starts filling the pot with water. His eyes don't linger though and it's only once he passes the threshold that Vic turns her head back and watches him into my office. My stomach tinges and I remind it it doesn't have a right to.

"Walt, I'm following up on a lead for a missing person and I thought I would stop in, you know as a courtesy to let you know I'm here. I'm not interested in traipsing through your county without your knowledge and well without your permission if you will."

"Someone important I take it?"

"Yeah, you can say that. It's Aaron Vogel of the Vogel Gas and Oil family."

"Wyoming royalty you mean."

He drops his head, purses his lips as if he is holding back a bit of sarcasm. When he looks up he reveals a smile full of perfect teeth. He looked the same nearly 30 years ago when we faced each other in the state football championship.

"Many consider them that you could say."

I lean forward on my desk, moving Old Men into my desk drawer,

"How can I help you, Drew?"

"Well, I gotta lead that places Aaron in your county. Seems he's got mixed up in some sort of identity theft ring. I can't figure a kid with that kind of money wantin' to steal someone else's but there's no tellin' anymore, Walt."

"Yup, you're right about that."

Vic walks in with steaming hot cup of coffee and places it in front of me. She turns her head toward Drew, "I wasn't sure what you like in your coffee."

Her hand falls to her hip and I hold the hot cup to my lips and blow the steam as I look up at her smiling at Drew.

"Just black would be great." He smiles and she blesses him with hers.

Vic comes back with another cup of hot coffee and hands it to Drew.

Drew takes a careful sip and purses his full lips, "Mmm that hits the spot."

"Thank you." Drew smiles that smile again, "Vic" He says as she looks at her over his cup.

A hint of a smile passes Vic's lips as she walks back toward her desk.

She throws out, "You're welcome," as she closes my door behind her on the way out.

Everyone flirts. Vic's words spin in my head as I reassess.

"You always were lucky Walt."

I shift in my chair. I can feel my leg bounce a bit, you know the way it does when I get anxious. One of my tells.

I don't respond but Drew throws his line out just a bit farther as he reaches for more, "Your deputy," his thumb points back over his shoulder, "makes a mean cup of Joe."

"She's a good cop." It's a statement. A firm one.

"I would expect nothing less."

I nod and this time my lips purse before I take another sip of coffee.

"She married? I didn't see a ring but nowadays that doesn't mean what it used to."

"Are you?"

"What, married?" He laughs, "Hell, no."

My eyes don't leave his.

"Like I said before, Walt, not all of us are lucky like you. Never found the right woman and settled down. It doesn't mean I stopped lookin' though."

Drew's hazel eyes shine intensely as he holds up his leather clad notebook silently acknowledging that I didn't answer his question, "Walt, I need help getting a search warrant signed in your county but more importantly I will need some help going through the computer files once we seize them."

"You aren't going to send them to Cheyenne?"

"Yeah, but only after I get a look."

He holds his head down, looking into his cup, and then his eyes flash back at me, "Honestly, Walt I would rather turn this over to the Feds for interstate violations for the wire transfers and such but I need to give them something for them to take this case and I don't want to wait for Cheyenne. If it isn't terrorism the Feds aren't so quick to jump on a case anymore."

I remain silent as I think about the Connally name and all the weight that a significant Wyoming name can bear down on a man, on a sheriff, in a small town.

"You need to throw them a bone to get their attention first."

"Bingo." His index finger shoots back at me confirming I hit the target.

I stand and Drew follows suit, opening my door, "Vic," I point with my thumb over my shoulder, "Drew is going to need some help getting a search warrant. He's working an identity theft case and it looks like the suspect is in Durant." I can feel my hands fall to their natural position of authority, my left on my magazines and my right on the butt of my Colt.

Her eyes look more brilliant brown than ever before as she acknowledges me. "Ok."

"Thanks."

Glancing back at Drew he holds a closed lip smile in Vic's direction before pressing the coffee cup to his lips.

"Thanks again for the coffee. It's good."

"I'm gonna need some info." She's all business.

Drew pulls up a chair next to Vic and the two start working. It's that way until Ferg comes in to relieve me. I catch him up to speed before heading out.

"Hey Walt, can my county budget afford that hotel across the street?"

I turn, looking up at the brim of my hat before landing my eyes on him, "Nope."

Pausing to think for a moment I can't help but capture Vic's smile in my mind, "You can flop at my cabin. Nothing fancy but it will keep the rain off your head."

"Thanks, Walt. I appreciate that."

"The Ferg can show you the way out there later."

"Walt, I can show Drew after my shift. It's not a problem."

"Ah, well…I was…."

Drew cuts me off, "I was hoping your deputy would have dinner with me," He looks over at Vic, "and if you don't mind Vic, maybe I can just follow you out to Walt's place afterward? Consider it a professional courtesy." He gives her his full smile.

If I didn't know better, I would swear she is blushing, her head is down and she tucks her golden locks behind her ears as she glances in my direction for guidance.

"Sure," she says.

He makes quick work, I envy him that so I nod and out of habit or good manners I smile and offer a small wave as I spin on my heels heading out the door and toward my solitary life. My gun and my badge my only companions.