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Russell sipped his drink and then set the glass aside. He stood and walked in front of Rafe’s chair, placing his hands on the arms before leaning closer. “Maybe. But there are other ways to toast the important things in life. One of them just happens to be the fact that you survived and are here now, in one piece.”
“More or less,” Rafe deadpanned.
“Considerably more,” Russell told him. “Our pasts only make us what we are today. The baggage we take along with us is our choice.” He held Rafe’s gaze. “It’s like a damned suitcase, and all we need to do is let go. Leave it behind and let airport security dispose of it.”
“That’s easy for you to say….”
Russell stiffened. “Don’t think for a minute that you’re alone in having pain in your past. It comes with being alive.” He leaned forward and kissed Rafe hard enough to press him back in the chair. Rafe wound his arms around Russell’s neck and deepened the kiss. Damn, the man tasted like heaven, and Rafe wanted to get as much as he could. Before Rafe was ready, Russell pulled back, his gaze warm, breath lingering over Rafe’s still damp lips. “And so does that. Pleasure and happiness are part of life too, and maybe you have to let go of one so you can have a chance at the other.”
Russell held his gaze, and Rafe blinked, wondering if Russell was talking about Rafe or himself. Maybe the sentiment had been meant for both of them.
Chapter 6
STILL HOLDINGRafe’s gaze, Russell smiled. Then, slowly, he sat back down.
Russell’s heart pounded in his ears. He needed a few minutes to get ahold of himself.
Kissing Rafe had been incredible, and he wanted to do it again. But he wasn’t sure he was ready. His experience with Jase was never far from his mind. Still, as his father had said, Rafe wasn’t Jase. And if Russell was ever going to open up to someone, he had a feeling it would be Rafe. Still, he didn’t want to jump into anything. “How did it go at the bank earlier? Did you take care of everything?”
“Yes. Luther and I went through Uncle Mack’s safe-deposit box. It was interesting…. Another thing I found interesting? It seems my lawyer and one of the bankers have eyes only for each other.”
“Luther and Stacey?” Russell said. “Yeah, those two have been dancing around each other for the past few years. From what I hear, Luther just won’t start the engine… or something.”
“It seems neither one of them is ready. Either that, or they don’t have the courage to take the leap.” The way Rafe said that made Russell wonder if Rafe was talking about him. But that was stupid—they had just met each other.
“Anyway,” Rafe continued, “I found some surprises in Uncle Mack’s box today.” He leaned forward. “Uncle Mack had gold and silver—a lot of it—as well as a large number of stocks—important ones, it seems—as well as bonds. Luther is checking them out for me. If all of them are still good, there’s a great deal of money there.”
“Makes sense. Your uncle saved and invested.” Russell wasn’t sure why Rafe seemed jittery.
“But where did it come from? Yeah, he had the ranch and he probably lived simply, but still, that’s a lot of money—possibly too much money—for someone to have just… saved.” He lowered his voice. “I mean, the bag of gold coins weighed at least twenty pounds. That alone is a shit ton of money. I looked it up, and a pound of gold is worth a small fortune. I guess what’s bothering me is… where did Uncle Mack get it all?”
Russell was surprised, to say the least. Mack never acted like he had anywhere near that kind of money behind him. Maybe that was why Russell had liked him so much.
“There were also letters in the box,” Rafe continued. “And it looks like your dad was right about Mack having someone in his life.” Rafe left the room and went back to the foyer, where he’d left his coat. A few minutes later, he returned with a sheaf of papers. “I brought these with me on the off chance that you’d want to see them. I know you and Uncle Mack were close.” He placed them in Russell’s hands as if they were precious.
Russell opened each letter and read the contents carefully. The letters were long—the first one included several paragraphs about the writer’s life in Denver. But near the end, Russell’s eye stopped. He read the final paragraph again.
I’m looking forward to your visit on Friday, and I have some special things planned for us to do. The house will be all aglow as I wait for your return. Drive carefully. I’ll be watching for you.
The letter was signed Dale.
“There’s nothing overt here. It was as if this Dale was expecting someone to be reading this,” Russell said as he went through the next letter. The tone in this one was more urgent, the sentences clipped and anxious, with little of the description he’d included in the first missive.
I need you to come and soon. Please. You’re the only one who can help me. Your visits mean so much to me. As always, I’ll be watching for you. Come as soon as you can.
Russell blinked a few times. He could almost feel the anxiety behind the words. Shaking his head, he picked up the final note. This one was short, but the words in it tore at his heart.
It’s sometimes hard to put words on paper, but I’m going to try. Thank you for your last visit. Our time together is precious, especially because I know that it will have to end soon. Neither of our families will allow it. And when they find out, there will be trouble. Being honest is the best course of action, but honesty about this comes at a price that I don’t think either one of us is willing, or able, to pay. I will look forward to your one last visit, and once it is over, I will hold it close to me forever.
This note, like the others, was simply signed Dale.
“Look at the dates,” Rafe said. “Each one was written about a month apart, fourteen years ago—the same year I turned twelve.”
Russell folded the letters and handed them back to Rafe. “I don’t know what to say, but I have to agree with you. I think there’s something to this.”
“Do you have any idea who this Dale might be?” Rafe asked. “I’ve thought back to the men Uncle Mack had working at the ranch when I was a kid, but I don’t remember anyone named Dale.”
“I don’t remember a Dale either. But I think that by the time I got to know Mack really well, Dale would have already been in Denver.” He thought back to the talks he used to have with Mack. Never once did Mack mention someone named Dale. Of course, those talks had been more about Russell than Mack.
