“My opinion is Zachariah shouldn’t have accepted the money. But he did and he agreed to keep his mouth shut about it. So like I said, his hatred of Jonas McKay was understandable, but Zachariah wasn’t innocent either. In fact, he helped perpetrate the continuing hatred between the Wests and McKays—without telling anyone why the families were enemies.”
Carolyn drummed her pen on the table. “It’s sad the McKays and the Wests were just sucked into that mindset. When I first started dating Carson? Even my mother didn’t know the issue between the McKays and Wests. At least that first generation. And I did not appreciate when Mom finally told me that she did sneak around with Jed McKay for a month or so when she was dating our father. So yeah, Jed McKay deserved to get his ass kicked by Dad because we both know if the boot had been on the other foot and Eli West had been sneaking around with Jed McKay’s girl? Jed would’ve come out swinging.”
“True. Still, it’s creepy to think that our mother slept with our husbands’ father.”
“Welcome to small-town Wyoming,” Carolyn said wryly.
“Welcome to family confessions. Jesus. Neither one of us would’ve gone back through the boxes that Dad had kept or the ones we found in the attic upstairs on the McKay side if it wasn’t for Jed spilling his guts to me.”
“I hate the secrets and lies. Hate it.”
“Me too. Especially that the McKays lied to everyone. I understand why, but it makes no sense on why Jonas, aka Silas, would make a deathbed confession to his son Jed, about who he really was, because he’d gotten away with impersonating his twin nearly all his life.”
“Maybe the reason Jed told you about Silas and Jonas switching identities, before Jonas took off, and after he escaped from jail, is because you had identical McKay twins?” Carolyn suggested.
“Possibly. Jed told me that even though he was a grown man when his father told him the truth—that he was Silas, not Jonas—he had a hard time accepting that his father had killed a man.”
“It was pretty ballsy of Silas, aka Jonas, to send a letter to his twin and Dinah a couple of years later telling them that he’d settled in Montana.”
“I think our husbands would hire a private detective to track down the missing McKay descendants if they knew.”
“Agreed.”
Carolyn stared into space. “You think Charlie would search for the son Vi gave up for adoption if he knew the truth?”
“I don’t know. I was pissed when Jed threw that whopper of a secret at me. How is it right that we know Charlie and Vi have another kid when Charlie doesn’t have any idea?” Kimi shook her head. “That saying confession is good for the soul is a load of crap. I never wanted the burden of Jed’s confessions. Especially when I’m keepin’ those truths about the McKay family from my husband. Me’n Cal never fight, but if he found out that I know all this stuff? He’d really be hurt.”
“So would Carson.”
“Which is why I told you,” Kimi said. “It was eatin’ me alive.”
“I just wish we could talk to Vi about it.”
Kimi groaned. “Lord, she’ll be fit to be tied when she hears I’ve got a grandchild before she does. I’ve heard her nag and bitch at Libby about when she’s gonna make her a grandmother. The poor woman.”
“Why some women see fit to meddle in their grown children’s lives…” Carolyn looked at Kimi and they both burst out laughing. “Lord. I couldn’t even say that with a straight face.”
“That’s my cue to go.” Kimi stood. “Thanks for the ear and the whiskey.”
“Any time.”
“Before I forget, are we doin’ anything for the West reunion the weekend of the rodeo?”
“Just showing up with food, I guess, since Tracy is in charge.”
“You gonna say anything to Stuart and Janet?”
Carolyn shook her head. “I know it’s been a couple of years but I’m still mad at them. Chet and Remy know better to push me on this. At least they’ve stepped up.”
“How could Stu and Janet just ignore that situation with Boone? He’s their grandson—their only grandson. I mean, yeah, Dax screwed up years ago, but one strike and he’s out of the family? That sounds like something Dad would’ve done.”
“Which is why I don’t want to go to the stupid reunion. Beings our boys are competing in the rodeo that day, I’m planning on having the McKays—and a few select Wests—over here the day after. Will that work?”
Kimi wrinkled her nose. “Can we selectively invite McKays too?”
“I wish. But I’ve already mentioned it to Joan. I’d like to make the event alcohol free—not just to keep Casper from getting stinking drunk.” It’d be easier for Colt to be there, even when everything she’d read said the recovering alcoholic needed to decide the social limitations, not his family or friends. Just letting her son be was harder than she’d imagined.
“We’ve got time to figure out the menu. I’m just hopin’ that Kade gets to bring his baby girl.”
“How do you think Cal will react to the news he’s a grandpa?”
“I’m about to find out.” Kimi waved and she was gone.
Several hours later Kimi returned, livid about Cal chewing her out for telling her sister they were grandparents before she’d told him. So Kimi and Cal, the couple who never fought, had a huge row, right in front of Carolyn and Carson.