Spencer stared out at the sunset while standing in a pasture near his childhood home. The wispy grass swayed in the wind and brought with it the earthy sent of the ground with the soft undertones of the cold mountaintops in the distance. This is where he found peace before, a place to allow him to silence his mind and revel in the nature around him. The spring that followed the death of his mother and the arrival of Uncle Jacob and Aunt Cara made this particular pasture a place of true rebirth that comes with Spring; daisies and wild flowers of yellow, pink, and pale blue kissed the surrounding land, as they did now, and dance back and forth in the gentle wind. They provided a reminder that even after the harshest, most ravaging of winters, there can be peace and beauty anew.
He imagined Alex standing next to him, taking in all that he is now. She is the only thing that can make this place more beautiful. Spencer thought to himself as he reached out and let the flower tops brush his palms, pretending they were Alex's fingers. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. Was she on a ship, staring up at the stars? Had she given up on their love and resumed the life she was born into? No. Spencer shook his head to rid the image of her locked arm in arm promenading with a faceless man. She's coming.
"Uncle Spencer!" He heard in the distance. Spencer turned to see is nephew, Jack, on horseback galloping towards him.
Spencer took in the sight of his nephew, a spitting image of his late brother John. A crooked smile with a hat to match, this version of his nephew was drastically different from boy he knew before his deployment overseas. Spencer had always held a familial fondness for his nephew. Jack would follow him around since the moment he could walk, which Spencer didn't mind. Whether it was cleaning the stalls or herding cattle, Jack always wanted to do and be whatever and where ever Spencer was.
Jack dismounted his horse and wrapped Spencer in an embrace.
"I've been waiting a long time to welcome you home, Uncle Spencer. You've come home at the right time…we're falling apart." Jack said as he disguised a sniffle as a cough. Spencer couldn't tell if Jack was overcome with seeing him for the first time in years or if it was the gravity of the predicament the Dutton family was in.
Either way, Banner is a "free" man unless evidence can be provided to show his guilt in the murder of his brother, John, and Don Whitfield will rightfully seize Dutton Ranch if the property tax money isn't paid back in full.
Jack put his arm around him and lead him back towards the house with his horse in tow. He was going on about his bride-to-be, Emily, but Spencer was only halfway listening. His mind was racing with what on Earth he could do to stop all this from happening, but even more so, what his wife was doing…her presence gave him the courage and spontaneity of thought one would need at a time like this. "God I need her now." Her thought to himself.
