His brother nodded. “Easy is good. Just don’t forget to keep your head on straight. You’re juggling some pretty heavy stuff here.”
He nodded, taking another sip of his beer. “Trust me, I’m not forgetting. But I’ve got this, Dale. We’ve got this.”
“All right, Romeo.” His brother grinned. “Just don’t let Harper do all the heavy lifting. You’ve got a reputation to uphold, after all.”
Laughing, he clinked his beer against Dale’s. Despite the lack of progress with the notes, Cas felt a little lighter, grateful for the straightforward camaraderie with his brother. As the sound of Harper’s laughter carried through the house, Cascouldn’t resist the urge to go to her, to soak in her light and warmth.
“Thanks for the beer,” he said, setting his empty bottle on the counter. “Think it’s time we got back in there.”
Nodding, his brother did the same, then they walked back to the living room, joining Harper and Sadie, who were still chatting comfortably on the couch and loveseat. He felt a shift in the air as Dale approached Sadie, dropping down next to her on the loveseat, and sliding his arm around her shoulders in a casual but protective gesture. Sadie leaned into him with a soft smile, and Cas noticed the way they seemed to fit together like two pieces of a puzzle finally snapping into place.
He was beginning to understand that feeling.
His gaze met Harper’s, and a zing charged through him. Yeah, they had some fitting going on, too. He joined her on the couch, reached for her hand, and a second zing commenced when she immediately entwined their fingers.
Dale glanced at Sadie, who gave him an encouraging nod. “Go ahead,” she said softly, her eyes full of warmth.
Clearing his throat, his brother turned to face him and Harper with confidence, raising his chin. “So, after a lot of thought and some serious talks with Sadie, I’ve made a decision about the job offers,” Dale began, his voice steadying as he spoke. “I’ve decided to go with my gut on this one. I’ve applied for a deputy position with the sheriff’s department.”
He grinned, feeling a surge of pride for his brother. It wasn’t a surprising choice. Dale had always been the type to follow the rules, to seek out justice and order wherever he could. He’d be a natural fit as a deputy, and Cas knew he’d do the job well.
Harper clapped her hands together, her eyes lighting up. “That’s awesome, Dale! You’re going to be great.”
Cas nodded in agreement, shifting forward to thrust his hand out to his brother. “I knew you’d go that route. It suits you.You’ve always been the ‘by the book’ guy, and the department could use someone like you.”
Dale smiled, looking like a weight had been lifted. “Thanks, guys. I’ve been going back and forth on this for weeks, but Sadie helped me figure it out. She’s been great through all of it.”
The pretty brunette’s smile was soft and proud. “I’m just glad he’s doing what feels right to him. Trust me, I know how important it is to do something you love.”
“Only then can you excel,” Harper said with a nod.
Cas watched the happy couple. It was good to see his brother so sure of himself, so confident with his choice. “Anyone else know?” he asked, curious if this was as new to others as it was to him and Harper.
Dale shook his head. “You two are the first.”
“Good call,” he said. “We’re behind you all the way. But seriously, we all know Gabe is waiting on bended knee for your application to cross his desk.”
Sadie snorted. “That’s pretty much what I told him.”
His brother nodded, but Cas could see a flicker of concern enter his eyes. The guy wasn’t the type to let things go easily, especially when it came to protecting the people he cared about. Cas knew what was coming before Dale even opened his mouth.
“So, listen,” his brother said, his tone shifting slightly. “With everything that’s been going on—the notes, the diary entries—I think it’s time we bring the sheriff into the loop. This could go south fast, and we’re dealing with some serious stuff here. It’s not just old family drama. This could involve some prominent people in Harland. Gabe needs to know.”
He glanced at Harper, who seemed to be weighing Dale’s words carefully. Cas knew his brother was dead-on, but there was a part of him that wanted to keep this close, to protect Harper from any more complications. However, the reality wasthat they were in over their heads, and involving the sheriff might be the safest move.
Harper nodded slowly. “I get it, Dale. You’re right—we can’t just keep this between us, especially if there are bigger players involved. We need to be smart about this.”
Sadie reached over, giving Harper’s knee a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll figure it out together. And Gabe’s good people. He’ll know what to do.”
Cas inhaled as he considered his own decision. He trusted Dale’s judgment, and he knew Gabe was one of the best. Hell, the guy was a former Navy SEAL too, but opening this up to the sheriff meant accepting that they might not have control over what came next. Still, he couldn’t ignore the nagging sense that they needed all the help they could get.
“We’ll think about it,” Cas said finally. “But let’s see what else Mary has to say first. Maybe there’s something in the next entry that’ll give us a clearer picture.”
The group settled back against the cushions while Harper retrieved the diary from the coffee table. She opened it to the bookmarked page, then began to read aloud,
“June 15th, 1937. I don’t know how much longer I can keep pretending. The lies are getting harder to bear, and the guilt is like a weight on my chest every day. They think they’ve silenced me, that I’m too scared to speak up. But the truth has a way of surfacing, no matter how deep you try to bury it. I fear for him, and I fear for myself. If anyone finds out what really happened that night, it will destroy everything. But love doesn’t care about the consequences—it just is. And for that, we’ll pay the price.”
Harper’s voice trailed off, her gaze scanning the page again as if to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. Cas felt the tension in the room spike, the air heavy with theweight of Mary’s confession. It was clearer than ever that their great-grandmother had been caught in something dangerous, something that threatened to unravel everything she’d known.
