“Then, you didn’t break her nose,” he decided and turned back to the map.

I blinked, speechless.

“They kiss a lot,” Rose said with a shrug, like that explained it.

Dad shifted so he could sit at the table and glare at me simultaneously. “She’s Sullivan’s girl.”

I ignored the ugliness that curdled in my stomach and forced a soft smile to my mouth. “Not anymore, Dad.”

His forehead crinkled.

“So do you think this is where she fell?” Rose asked, leaning onto the table so far that she might as well have lay on it.

Dad still stared at me, searching for answers I couldn’t give him because I didn’t know what year he thought it was.

“Mr. Daniels?” Rose asked. “Do you not remember?”

He turned back to Rose. “Of course I remember. I know this mine better than anyone.” He pored over the map.

“Cam knows it pretty well,” Rose countered and looked at me.

Trouble, I mouthed at her, and she giggled.

“Because I taught him,” Dad muttered. “Cam was the only one who listened. Tried with Alexander…” His finger trailed along the path. “I always figured it was around here, but Willow never could describe it. She ran off from Alexander, you know. He’d walked with both those Bradley girls, and Willow just took off looking for gold.” He pulled a lump of ore from his pocket. “See, gold.”

Rose picked it up and examined it carefully. “That’s pyrite.”

Dad grinned. “So it is. Do you want to see where I found it?”

She nodded enthusiastically, and just like that, I was no longer her favorite Daniels.

“Camden?” May asked. “Do you think you could grab a bottle of water from the general store? I forgot to bring some for your father, and he needs to take his medication.”

“Go ahead. I’ll keep my eye on them,” Xander promised, motioning to Rose.

“Rosie, you okay if I step out?”

“Yep,” she answered, too busy listening to whatever story my dad was telling to pay me any mind.

“She won Dad over,” Xander said as I passed him to open the gate in the heavy wooden railing.

“She’s a Bradley girl,” I explained with a shrug.

“I’m a Maylard!” she called out.

“See what I mean?” We both laughed, and for that moment, we were normal. Dad wasn’t sick. Xander and I weren’t headed to court to decide our father’s future in a month. We were just brothers.

I got the hell out of there before I did something to wreck the moment.

Young’s General Store was crowded with tourists shopping for vintage-style candy and goods, and I had to pause more than once as I made my way toward the back.

“Cam, go on in,” Jonathan Young called over the crowd when he saw me, and he motioned toward the door only locals were allowed to go through.