Beaten down by grief, annoyance, desperation, and exhaustion, Bryant slid from behind the wheel of his truck. His boots stirred up a cloud of dust that made him aware of how dry it already was at Compass Ranch. He had his work cut out for him.

“Hi, baby.” His mom, Cindi, ran out to greet him. She flung herself at him, smothering him in her arms. His father waved from behind her.

“He’s hardly a baby anymore,” Sam said with a rueful grin as he flung an arm around Bryant’s shoulders and another around his mother. “I’m glad you’re home, son.”

“Thanks, Dad.” He shook his head. “Is it really true? It seems like a bad dream.”

“I’m afraid so.” Sam winced. “I keep expecting him to rip me about leaving my office and getting my hands dirty or insisting we give the workers another raise. It’s like I can still hear him and know what he would think about things that are happening, especially of everyone making a big deal over him and his…death. It was that way with JD, and Vicki, too. I guess we carry their influence with us so it’s like they’re still here, telling us to do the things they would have in real life. They live on in that way, I suppose.”

“There was a time when I thought not having a family was the worst thing on earth. Now I realize that the more you hold precious, the more you’re opening yourself to be hurt.” His mom blinked back tears, making Bryant cringe. She wasn’t the crying type. And nothing he said or did could bring Jake back.

Fortunately, his dad knew what she needed to hear. “We loved him as much as we could while he was here. And we’ll love him even now that he’s not. It’d be far worse to never have met someone worth mourning.”

His mom nodded, then tucked herself against his dad’s side. She hugged him fiercely and without words Bryant knew what she was thinking. There would come a day when they were separated. His parents. Their kids. All of them. And those days would be dark. They would make the most of the time they had together before then if they were smart.

With a rich history came lots of loss, Bryant realized then. But he knew deep down that Jake and his grandparents wouldn’t want them to let their grief eclipse their many blessings, including the progress they could make for future generations, Comptons to come, if they kept the legacy of their ancestors’ hard work alive.

“What’s all that?” Sam jerked his chin toward the canvas tarps in the back of the truck. They covered some of the equipment Bryant had borrowed from school. “Did you bring home all your stuff? Thought you had a few months to go yet. You’re not quitting now, are you?”

“Hell no.” Bryant had been looking forward to walking across the stage and claiming his doctoral degree for as long as he could remember. “It’s my final project. Or parts of it. Jake…he told me he thought you would approve.”

“Then I’m sure I will.” His dad nodded. “Can it wait until after the services?”

Although Bryant winced mentally, aware of his approaching deadlines and the need to catch as much rain as possible during the initial phases of the system set up, it didn’t feel right to discuss it now. “Yeah, of course. But I’ll warn you now, it’s going to be expensive.”

“So you’ll tell me why we should spend a bunch of money on whatever it is you’re cooking up. Hopefully it’s at least as useful as that still Jake busted you and your cousins cobbling together when you were underage. I’m pretty sure he financed the addition to his house by selling moonshine from that thing. Claimed it was the best he’d ever had.”

“That bastard.” Bryant laughed. On a ranch, water was more valuable than booze. “It’s even better, I promise.”

Sam nodded. “I’m looking forward to hearing about it. It’ll be nice to have something to work on after...”

Bryant should have known it would be as simple as that. His father trusted him implicitly. Then again, he didn’t have all the facts regarding Bryant’s poor judgment and the repercussions it could cause, like Jake had. As far as Bryant knew, Jake had never broken his confidence. Had never told his parents why that ranch hand had disappeared so fast, and why Bryant had been so quiet until he too could escape Compton Pass.

Now that his self-imposed banishment was over, he had to come home for longer than a brief visit and deal with reacquainting himself with ranch life and all the restrictions that came with it by himself.

Damn, he missed Jake.

How would he do this on his own?

Simple. The way he had for years now. By ignoring his wayward desires and keeping to himself so he didn’t get hurt. He thought of his mom and what she’d said. It was better to be lonely than broken. He knew that now. Next time he saw Vaughn he’d make sure they both understood that so no one, especially not Bryant, got hurt.

Again.

“Uncle Bryant!” His niece Lomasi snapped him from his morose thoughts as she raced out to greet him. At twelve years old, she reminded him so much of Sterling and the way she’d done the same thing when she’d spotted him outside her shop that he couldn’t help but grin. Then again, her gray eyes and the wisdom in them reminded him of Jake, her paternal grandfather.

He would see the old man in everything around them.

For a moment that thought struck him hard.

Until he hugged Lomasi tight. “Hey there!”

“You look so sad. Mom said it’s okay to cry about Grandpa, but he’d rather you laugh when you think of him.” She patted his cheek.

He hoped one day Lomasi and the rest of his nine honorary nieces and nephews—some of whom were technically first cousins once removed, his cousins’ kids, not that anyone bothered to make that distinction—might say the same thing about him. For a moment, he pictured the retaining ponds he planned to build and the border landscaping that would help trap water inside the fields. They could be both functional and beautiful.

He vowed to do it right. To contribute what he could to this place they’d all built and continued to improve on together. If he lived well, maybe someday he’d be as loved as Jake. Okay, probably not. But close would be good enough.

“Well, I brought something with me that might cheer you up some.” He pivoted and reached into his backpack, which was sitting on the middle of the truck’s bench seat. From within he drew out a T-shirt with his college’s name and mascot—a bald eagle—printed on it, and handed it to her.

He’d picked it for her because of her love of wildlife. Viho had taught her a lot of his customs. They seemed to resonate with Lomasi more than with her brother and sister.

“This is for me? Really?” Lomasi tugged it on over her dress, then spun in a circle. “I love it! Now we match. I always wanted to be like you.”

“Are you kidding?” Bryant rocked back on his heels. He had no idea Lomasi looked up to him in that way. Her admiration swelled his heart and made him wish he’d brought more gifts for her and her siblings.

“Of course.” She smiled up at him. “Don’t tell Uncle Austin, James, or Doug, but you’re my favorite.”

Bryant grinned. “Damn straight, I am.”

“I won’t even tell that you swore. Take a selfie with me?” she asked.

He whipped his phone out of his back pocket and crouched down so they fit in the frame together. For the first time, he saw she resembled him a little around her mouth and nose. Funny that he’d seen everyone else in her instead. Bryant knew then and there that he was home for good, other than defending his thesis and graduation.

Now he just had to figure out how to fit his life into the complex ecosystem of Compass Ranch. It would be harder without Jake’s guidance, but not impossible when there were so many people who cared about him around. He couldn’t wait to see his cousins at the bonfire later.

Maybe it was time to talk to Austin, Doug, and James about what was really bugging him.

Lomasi put her hand in his and tugged him toward Sterling and Viho’s house, where he usually bunked when he was on breaks. They had lived in Sterling’s original cottage until they outgrew it and built a full-sized house next door instead. So he often claimed the “guest house”.

Maybe he’d talk to Viho and Sterling about renting it from them now that he’d need a place to stay indefinitely. At least until he figured out exactly where to go from here.