For the public eye? That wasn’t fair, and she shoved the judgmental thought away. “Yeah. I want to know why.”

“Because I’m not done yet. I want to give back. Owen served his country. You’re protecting natural resources and fighting crime. I don’t want to feel like I’m not contributing. I don’t want to feel old. People like me, we have life experience. It’s good for something. The thought of running for office, of working as an elected official, makes me feel alive again.”

Terra thought maybe he was still searching, trying to fill that emptiness after losing his daughter. “That all makes sense, Gramps. I’m proud of you.”

“At least you got to meet Marcus.”

“Tell me more about him.”

“He’s a political consultant.”

“When you were transportation commissioner for this region, you were appointed by the governor, so you didn’t need a campaign manager. Is that right?”

“This is a whole new ball game, Terra. I need someone who can handle the pressure.”

“Okay. I can see that. So, who is this guy, really? Where did you meet him?” Terra sure hoped Gramps knew what he was doing. Sure, he’d had his fingers in every industry pie in Montana, but he could be getting in over his head. But who was she to make that call?

“He’s someone I’ve known for a while. He knew your mother.”

“So . . . you just called him up and asked him to work for you?”

“No, nothing like that. As Providence would have it, he called me to catch up. We got to talking, and he agreed to come up and chat. Or consult. He mentioned he wanted to meet with you and Owen. Get to know you. All part of building a strategy.”

“Well, I’ll be around. Speaking of meeting people, what did you think of Owen’s friend, Leif? You met with him in your office today.”

Gramps’s breath hitched, but he kept his smile in place—the smile he’d always had for her. Still, she didn’t miss that he was surprised she knew about that meeting.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Of course. I invited Leif to chat in private. I wanted to know how he thought Owen was really doing. Leif went through everything with him but came out with all his limbs.” Gramps’s face twisted with pain at the words. “I love you and Owen. You’re all I’ve got.”

Terra smiled and rose. She moved to stand behind and hug him. “We love you too. Now, you’d better go get your beauty rest.”

He laughed and pushed from the table. “Are you calling me an old man?”

“I would never. You can hold your own. And right about now, I think you could outlast me tonight. I’m beat.”