Chapter 7

Kashi chuckled to herself as she walked home from her dad's house back towards her uncle's. She was lucky she hadn't run into one of the other ranch hands who knew a little more about her relationship with her dad. They definitely wouldn't have kept her secret. Though she hadn't known him long, she was confident that Carr would keep her secret. He seemed like the decent type.

She walked up her uncle's long driveway, going around the side before she came into view of the front door. Her uncle might not care if she came home late, but she didn't want to take the chance. She jumped into her window on the first floor, everything just as she left it. She flopped backwards onto the blue and white quilt her aunt had undoubtedly sewed.

Kashi took the envelope out of her pocket but before she opened it. A text… a few... from Sierra distracted her.

"Hey!" the first message said. "Where have you been?" then "Kashi it's been all day."

Kashi smiled. Typical. "I told you I started working. I've been busy." but before she could close her phone she was surprised to see a message from Carr.

"Hey Kashi. It was good to see you. If I ask what was in the envelope will you still tell me no?" He ended the message with a wink. She wanted to be annoyed but she couldn't help but smile at his message.

"No means no." she sent. "Go to bed, we both have work early in the morning." She chuckled in spite of herself and plugged her phone into the wall charger. Then she turned her attention to the envelope she'd set beside herself.

But something was peculiar about it. There was a stamp on it. Her envelope had been blank… Her stomach dropped in anticipation and she drew out the contents hastily. These were not what she had gone there for. These were a collection of letters to her dad and from some name she didn't recognize.

Mr. James Thompson,

In regard to our last conversation, I feel as if your concerns may be correct and you need to talk to him. He's too young to know what is best. We both know the serious consequences and what that may do to the two of us and to him. It's difficult and we all mean well but plan different routes than one another. As ours are similar I say we continue without him. The longer this drags on the harder it is for him to come out with it, so if we keep it a secret perhaps it will persuade him to discontinue his threats.

Kashi read on scanning a series of letters. Whatever they were referencing didn't sound good… but it also wasn't enough substance to draw any conclusions. All she knew was that her dad and two other people were involved in something negative. The letters were dated from the time her older siblings were just young children… she looked to an earlier one… even before.

Before she could think too much about it because she had come for quite a different envelope and it wasn't the one she grabbed. She whispered under her breath, frowning, brow furrowing. "Damnit, where is it?" She rifled through the papers to no avail. She only turned up more letters to her father… and a yellowed photograph. The edges were worn as if someone had toyed with it just a little too much. She could make out a very young figure to be her father and, to her great surprise, her uncle as well. But the two of them were in great spirits, shaking hands and smiling like the devil, a man whom she didn't recognize looking fondly on from the side. It was quite a happy photo, so different from the urgent and slightly disconcerting matters concealed within the letters. Kashi ran a thumb over the image, smiling despite herself. The brothers hadn't always been feuding, she supposed. They had for most of her life, but they couldn't have been on bad terms their entire lives.

She folded the letters gently back into their envelope, but slid the photo onto her dresser underneath a pretty floral table runner. She didn't have time to run back to try and find her envelope tonight, not if she wanted sleep, that is. Grimacing, she turned the envelope over in her hands before dropping it in her duffel and tossing a shirt over it to conceal it so nobody would stumble upon it. Her aunt tended to come through her room and clean up her stuff. She didn't want her finding it so she shoved the duffel in the closet… hopefully that should be enough. She turned off the lamp and slid under the quilt, hoping her envelope was safe.