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“I could eat something.”
Kellan motioned for the server.
Jake smiled at her, his arm winding around Emily. “Had enough of trig, huh?”
“Had enough of Pythagoras.” Rolling her eyes, Arien popped a peanut into her mouth.
“Ah, the triangle guy. Numbers are the building blocks of reality.” He chuckled. “You know, he believed the meaning behind numbers was deeply significant, and considered the number three—the number of harmony, wisdom, and understanding—to be the perfect number.”
“Is that right?” Cracking open another nut, she snorted.
“Truth.” Jake winked. “It’s also the number of time—past, present, future. Of the divine. And magic.”
“Uh-huh, okay, is that where your, um…” Searching for the right word, Arien paused, twirling her hand in front of her. “… logic comes from?”
“Maybe.” His smile grew. He tipped his head to the side. “Or maybe, it was just practical a hundred and eighty years ago.”
The server came to take their order. Kellan spoke on her behalf. “Cheeseburger—well done. Do you have green chili?”
“I can ask.”
“Do that.”
Tanner squeezed her side. Jake ordered another pitcher of beer and a taco salad for Emily.
As the server left, Arien planted her elbows on the table. “You were saying?”
Glancing to Kellan, Tanner, and lastly to his brother, he nodded. “The wagon train encountered a mountain man on the trail going west. Our great-grandfather, Levi, fell in love with his daughter. People called her half breed, because her mother was Shoshone.”
She gasped. “Assholes.”
“Yeah, the world was different then. I like to believe people aren’t as ignorant now. Anyhow, she thought no one would ever love her because of it, but Levi did. He wanted to marry her. The old mountain man gave him his blessing on one condition. He had to take her sister, too.”
No fucking way.
Picking up Tanner’s beer, Arien took a swallow.
“Marrying two sisters or two brothers was common among her mother’s tribe, you see, as it is in India, Tibet, and other places in the world.”
“So he married them both.”
“He did.” Emily combed her fingers through his long dark hair. “But that’s just part of the story.”
“Go on.”
“The mountain man imparted many Shoshone beliefs and traditions to them. They believed in visions, dreams if you will, and he told them to settle by the lake on the three-headed mountain. If they heeded his words, the earth would bless them with endless favor and bounty. He’d seen it.”
“And they believed him?”
“Nah, they thought he was off his rocker. Nippin’ on too much whiskey.” Sniggering, Jake wet his whistle with a swallow of beer. “Until they accidentally veered off the trail and came upon Brooks Mountain. It didn’t take long for them to see what the mountain man told them was true. The earth blessed them with favor just as he said it would—even more than they ever dreamed of. Still does.
“So, yeah, maybe it’s Pythagorean logic. The Shoshone.” He smirked. “Or maybe just because Levi wanted my great-grandmother so badly. The pool of eligible mates was sparse here back then. There weren’t a lot of people to start a family with in order to grow and prosper, so maybe the others did find it practical and went along with what the old man told them.”
“Still ain’t many people here.” Tossing her chestnut waves, Emily snickered. “Less than half a million in the entire damn state. Betcha the prospects are dismal unless you’re lucky enough to live in Brookside.”
“But that’s not what drives us, Arien. It’s absolute love.” Rubbing Emily’s back, Jake went on, “See, family is the most important part of our values. It’s the trinity that binds us all together and sustains us.”
“The old man must have been tripping on ’shrooms or something. A magic mountain? That’s just crazy.”
