Ever After at Sweetheart Ranch Read Online Free PDF Page B

away. After getting a close-­up view of his flaws, the flaws every man had, she’d move on with her life.
    It was a logical plan, and she was all about logic.
    J ust before dinner on Thursday night, Will sat in the bubble cockpit of the family helicopter, the sound of the rotors muffled by his headset. Holding the steering bar, the cyclic, with his right hand, using the gentlest of touches to hover for a moment, he admired the beauty of the Sweetheart Ranch spread out along the base of the Elk Mountains north of Valentine Valley. He felt at peace, and, as he often did, he said hi to Brittany.
    She’d been the one who’d sparked his imagination about helicopters in ranch work, showing him a Texas photo she’d found online and teasing him about being a cowboy in the sky. A few years after her death, he’d talked his dad into the purchase, and from his first solo flight, he’d felt close to her. In those first few months in the air, her memory finally became a peaceful one for him, and even all these years later, he felt a connection to her whenever he flew.
    As he hovered over the Sweetheart Ranch, which generations of his family had built, a sense of pride in the many buildings was still a feeling of satisfaction deep in his chest. Out in one pasture, a dozen horses roamed free. The family home itself was two stories, with dark wood siding and low additions on either side. There were several barns and outbuildings, of course, but he was hovering over the field outside the hangar, a big red metal barn of a building that fit into the landscape of the ranch.
    Down below he could see his brother Chris waving at him from near the hangar. Chris had left the tractor in position, and all Will had to do was land on the dolly so the helicopter could eventually be towed into the hangar.
    But still, Will hovered, looking down at his brother through the round window, feeling tired before even facing Chris. He was tempted to rise up, as if he could escape, but he knew that was pointless.
    Chris had a strong enthusiasm for helicopters, considering he wasn’t interested in learning how to fly himself. He was a bookworm, along with being a cowboy. He liked playing sports as well as the next guy, but . . . he thought too much, overanalyzed everything. He was convinced that Will’s passion for flying meant he should start a side business, going into search and rescue or renting himself out to the forest ser­vice or the power companies for surveying. No matter how much Will insisted he was all about being a cowboy and focusing on the Sweetheart Ranch, Chris seemed not to believe him.
    But Will had never really told Chris—­or anyone—­the truth, that the helicopter was also about feeling close to the memory of Brittany. Even though that might have faded a bit over the years into a warm glow of celebrating good times rather than a tragic ending, it still seemed almost like a betrayal to be up there with anyone other than family.
    At last he lowered the collective handle next to his hip and settled gently onto the dolly. He saw Chris give him a thumbs-­up, but Chris knew better than to get too close. Will had the landing checklist to run through as he waited for the temperature to cool so he could begin fuel cutoff and eventually start slowing the rotors.
    When at last the clutch light turned off, Will opened the cockpit door, hopped onto the dolly, and then to the pavement.
    Chris was striding toward him, light blond hair gleaming in the sun that was just about to slide behind the mountains. He was shorter and leaner than Will, but there was no mistaking that they were brothers.
    â€œSo did you see the coyotes where we thought they were? The herd has been so nervous.”
    â€œI saw several near the McGuire. We’ll have to head up there soon and take care of them.”
    Chris nodded. “I bet if you approached the Thalbergs or other ranchers in the valley, they’d pay you