Page 6 of SEAL of Valor

“Hey there, Weston,” Vivian greets with a smile.

“Mrs. Faye.”

“Boy, how many times am I going to have to tell you to call me Vivian?”

“Apparently more than you already have,” I reply with a smirk. “You headed to town?”

“I am.” Her smile fades slightly. “You doing okay? I know you’ve had to take on a lot more with the ranch, and⁠—”

“I’m doing just fine. You focus on you.” She hasn’t opened up to me about the health issues she’s had recently, but I know that it’s a whole lot more than just “the cost of getting old” like she’s claiming. She’s been forgetful and dizzy lately. And more than once, I’ve caught her napping throughout the day.

“I’m doing just fine, too.”

“Good.”

She smiles again. “Look at us. Two stubborn mules.”

“Till the day I die,” I reply.

“Are you headed into town?” she asks when I start toward my truck.

“Picking up our feed order. Need anything?”

Her expression is shielded. Spend enough time around people whose job it is to keep secrets, and you learn quickly how to read the signs. What are you hiding? “Why don’t you take the day?”

“Why?”

“You’ve been working too hard.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m doing just fine with the work. I prefer to stay busy.” I open the door and toss my gloves inside. “You sure you don’t need anything?”

“No,” she replies. “Thank you for being here, Weston. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Yeah. No need to thank me.” Uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation, I climb behind the wheel of my truck and close the door. After I’ve fired up the engine, I roll the window down. Vivian is still standing on her porch, watching me. “You sure you don’t need anything?”

“Nope. The Good Lord has already provided me with more than enough.” She smiles. “See you later, Weston.”

“See you.” As I pull out of the drive, I fight the urge to stop and point out to her just how ridiculous it is to believe there is a bigger plan for anything. If God exists, then I can’t believe He would have allowed half of the things I’ve gone through to happen.

My dad’s drinking.

Gambling.

Losing everything we ever owned.

Losing my sister.

Losing—I grip the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turn white. I will not go there.

The gravel crunches under my tires as I head down the drive, my thoughts still on God. If He does exist, He certainly doesn’t seem to care for me. So, there it is. Not much I can do about it.

I’ll just keep living my life, moving toward a death that won’t mean anything.

Chapter 3

Reese

Ciao Bella is a bit too much for me. We’ve only been here ten minutes, and I’m already wishing I could dart out the front door and opt for a cheeseburger eaten on the back of a tailgate.