“What about you, Byron? Has Sue married you off yet?” she asks.

It’s then that I see Rosey across the room. She’s carrying in a tray of beers. She looks beautiful, her hair swept back off her face, her eyes sparkling as she offers people drinks and familiar greetings.

“Not yet,” I say.

“Well, I think you need a nice woman with a big heart. Like the woman you came to Grizzly’s with.”

I shoot her a look that says, You’re not being subtle.

Juney shrugs. “I don’t know a lot about a lot of things, but I can spot chemistry a mile away.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that Rosey and I have chemistry. But that’s not enough. She works for me. She’s fresh out of a big bag of shit in Oregon. She’s not looking for a relationship. Especially with a man who’s her boss.

My mind starts to reel through possibilities. Maybe next year when things have settled for her. Maybe she could get a job in town rather than at the Colorado Club. But I can’t suggest that. This job comes with a roof over her head. And she’s good at what she does—she’s already been promoted.

I miss her. I want our nights back on the porch. But as much power as I have, I can’t get everything my own way.

“Well, thanks for the tip,” I say to Juney. “I’ll bear it in mind.”

“Make sure you do, or the women of Star Falls will have to take matters into their own hands.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“Fuck around and find out, Byron.”

“That sounds like a threat.”

“It’s meant as a promise.”

I chuckle. I might have changed her life by buying up her artwork. I might be a billionaire New Yorker. But around here, I’m still going to be the guy Juney went to high school with, the running back on the football team, the boy who ran away to New York—and a son of Star Falls. For the first time in a long time, I’m okay with that. That’s my legacy. Not my father’s.

Rosey turns and catches my eye, then heads toward me with the tray of drinks. Juney swoops one up. “Thanks,” she says and heads off, leaving me and Rosey alone in a sea of people.

“Great turnout,” she says. “You must be delighted. Want a beer to celebrate?”

It takes my brain a minute to register what she’s saying. I just can’t stop staring at her. The way her kindness seems to radiate from her, the way her skin gleams and her eyes dance in delight at seeing me.