Grayson woke the next day and ate a quick breakfast at the diner. He wished he had some kind of work to do today. He hated having nothing to do but he knew that if he showed up at Brendan's farm today the old man would be pissed and he didn't want to risk losing his job there. It was the closest thing to a home he had. He decided to walk to the tailors shop down the road and see about buying a new set of clothes since his all of his were old, stained and coming apart at the seams.

He was just walking out with his new clothes wrapped tight in paper under his arm when he heard someone whistle across the street. He was going to ignore it, assuming they must be whistling for someone else, but then they shouted.

"Grayson Fields! Is that you?" Grayson turned and looked at the man who was jogging across the road toward him. Grayson couldn't believe his eyes when he recognized that it was James Mcbride. James and Grayson had been best friends all of their lives.. Or at least until that night five years ago when everyone in Grayson's life had turned their backs on him.

"Yeah it's me." Grayson replied squaring his shoulders and glaring at the shorter man.

"Of course it's you. You're the only son of a bitch I know that could pass himself off as an oak tree." James said smiling and running his hand over his dirty red beard.

"What are you doing here?" Grayson asked. He wanted to be happy to see his best friend but all he could think of was the questioning look that had been in James's eyes five years ago. The look that questioned whether or not Phillip's murder had been in cold blood.

"I've been looking for you, Grayson. You were a damn hard man to find."

"Not like I was hiding, James." Grayson replied. James sighed.

"You think we could go into the saloon and talk for a while?" he asked. Grayson looked hard at his former best friend for several long moments. He had changed quite a bit in the last five years. He hadn't gotten any taller but his freckles had gotten bigger, if that was possible, and his nose had clearly been broken at least once. He looked older now than he had before but Grayson figured he probably looked older too.

"Sure." Grayson said and then he turned and walked down the boardwalk toward the saloon. James nearly had to jog to keep up with the bigger mans long strides.

Once they were seated at a table in the back of the nearly empty saloon Grayson cleared his throat.

"Why were you looking for me?" he asked.

"You need to come home." James replied. Grayson snorted and pulled his hat off so he could shove his hand through his hair before placing his hat back on.

"I was told to never come back." he said matter-of-factly. "I don't think I'd be too welcome if I showed up now."

"That was five years ago, Grayson. You gotta come back sometime." James argued. Grayson shook his head.

"No." he replied. "I ain't going back and having everybody treat me like I'm some kind of cold blooded murderer."

"Nobody is going…." Grayson cut him off by slamming his fist down on the table.

"That's horseshit and you know it! Hell we grew up together, James, and even you think I killed my brother in cold blood!" he yelled. "The only damn person that believed me was the sheriff, thank God, or else I'd a been swinging from a noose in the middle of town!"

"Well it's not like you helped matters much with that God awful temper and all that pride you got. You wouldn't even tell nobody the story of what really happened. You just let everybody think what they wanted."

"Well I assumed that everybody I cared about, all my damn friends and family, would never believe that I could murder my brother in cold blood. Obviously we both know I was wrong." Grayson replied his voice cold and angry. James sighed and looked down at the scarred up old table with shame in his eyes.

"I know I should not have believed what they said, Grayson. I don't believe it anymore."

"I did kill him." Grayson said feeling his stomach turn over at the memory of shooting his older brother in the chest. "But it wasn't because I had a choice." James nodded.

"I know that. And I also know that you'll never tell anybody what really happened in that room will you?"

"Nope." Grayson said looking down at his clenched fists on the table. He forced himself to relax them. He really did need to work on his temper.

"You need to come home, Grayson." James said again after he'd rolled his eyes enough to make sure Grayson knew he thought he was being ridiculous.

"No." Grayson said again. "Now is there anything else you needed or can I get back to what I was doing before you showed up?" He didn't think he needed to let James know that he'd been doing absolutely nothing before he'd shown up.

"Did you even know that Lauren is married now?" James asked his voice suddenly sounded very accusatory. Grayson kept his eyes locked with James's and refused to let the shock he was feeling show on his face. His little sister was married? He had to remind himself that she was nineteen now and therefore not the little girl he remembered.

"No I didn't know." he said keeping his voice cold. "I haven't seen her or my father since they both called me a murderer and my father waved a gun in my face and told me both his sons were dead to him." James winced at the hurt and anger he could hear in Grayson's voice.

"She was only a kid." James said. Grayson sighed and nodded slightly. He knew that but it didn't lessen the pain he'd felt or the pain he was still feeling. James pulled an envelope from his pocket.

"She told me to give this to you if I found you." he said. Grayson took the envelope and saw his name written across the front of it in feminine handwriting.

"You need to know, Grayson, that your dad is really sick." James said, bringing Grayson's eyes away from the letter and back to him.

"Sick?" he asked trying his best to keep his concern for that bastard from showing in his voice.

"Real sick." James replied. "He's dying, Grayson. And Lauren needs you right now and I think it would be good for you to go and try to make amends before it's too late."

"It's not really any of your business." Grayson snapped. He knew he shouldn't be so rude to James but he had five years worth of pent up anger, sadness and resentment and James was bearing the brunt of it because he was the first familiar face Grayson had seen in all that time. James stood up. He could tell by the look on Grayson's face that this conversation was over.

"Look, I'll give you a day or two to think about it before I leave town. Maybe you'll come with me and maybe you won't but at least I'll be able to tell Lauren and Callie I tried." he said. At the mention of Callie's name Grayson's green eyes widened and the coldness in them seemed to melt away. James tried hard to hide his smile. Looks like Callie was still one of his friends biggest weaknesses and James would be more than happy to use that weakness to bring his friend back home where he belonged.

"Callie?" Grayson said cursing at the longing he could clearly hear in his voice.

"Yeah Callie." James said rolling his eyes. "She's been worried sick about you for five years."

"You mean she isn't…." he stopped himself before he could finish asking whether or not she was married. He needed to keep a little of his pride intact.

"She isn't what?" James asked with a grin because he knew damn well what Grayson was wanting to know but he wasn't going to tell him unless he swallowed his pride and asked the question.

"Nothing." Grayson said and James sighed when he heard the coldness return to his voice.

"Just think about it, Grayson, and I'll be around whenever you make up your mind." he said and walked out of the saloon. Grayson rubbed his hands over his face and stared down at the envelope wondering what in the world his sister could have written.

888

Grayson waited until he was locked back in his room at the hotel and sitting on the edge of the bed before he opened the envelope. He didn't know what she had written and he had wanted to make sure he was in private before he read in just in case his reaction was one that he wouldn't want anyone else to see.

Dearest Grayson,

It has been so long since I've seen you that I would have long since forgotten what you looked like if not for the picture that papa still has hanging in the living room. We miss you, Grayson. Papa has not said that out loud but I know enough to know he does. He is very sick, Grayson, and we know that he is not going to live much longer. When I say that we know what I mean is my husband and I…. Yes I married but I did not include his name in this letter because he is afraid that you will hurt him for marrying your little sister.

I hope that you will come home, Grayson. I need my big brother. I want to be face to face with you when I apologize for how I acted five years ago. I hope that James finds you and brings you home to papa and me.

All my Love

Lauren.

Grayson wiped a tear from his eye and sniffed. He folded the letter carefully and placed it back in the envelope before placing into his pants pocket. He laid back on the bed and stared up at the wood planked ceiling as if hoping the wooden boards would speak to him and offer him advice on what he should do….

He sighed, stood up and began gathering up the few belongings he had here in town. He would have to stop at Brendan's and tell the old man he wouldn't be working for him anymore and collect the rest of his things. His little sister needed him and he would be there for her.

He walked outside with his saddlebags over his shoulder and found James waiting for him in a rocking chair on the boardwalk.

"I knew you'd come." James said in response to Grayson's puzzled look. Grayson just nodded.

"If Lauren needs me, I'll be there." he said. James smiled as he stood up.

"Good. She really does need you, Grayson. And so does your father."

"Don't talk to me about that son of a bitch." Grayson snapped. James nodded and then shifted his feet nervously.

"What is wrong?" Grayson asked. James took a deep breath.

"Well Callie knew I was coming to look for you and I was supposed to give you something from her if I found you." he replied. Grayson felt his heart leap up into his throat.

"Well where is it?" he asked and James nearly laughed out loud at the excitement on Grayson's face.

"Well it was two things actually and it's more something I have to do….." he said. Grayson was confused and he was growing angry.

"Dammit, if she gave you something for me, I want it now!" he growled. James nodded, took a deep breath and squared his shoulders before throwing his arms around Grayson's broad shoulders and hugging him tight. Grayson was about to punch James in the jaw as he pulled away but then it dawned on him that that hug had been from Callie.

"She hugged me….?" he asked. James nodded.

"Yeah." Grayson tried to still his heartbeat. If she had sent him that hug then surely she didn't believe he was a cold blooded murderer and she didn't really hate him for leaving.

"Wait, didn't you say there were two things?" James nodded and looked like he was going to vomit as his face paled. For a moment Grayson panicked that it was a kiss and he really hoped that James wouldn't try to deliver that personally but he didn't have to panic for long before James drilled his fist hard into Grayson's stomach with every ounce of strength the much smaller man possessed. Grayson doubled over as his breath came out in a rush.

He looked up at James and James jumped backwards. If looks could kill then he would have fallen over dead right then and there from the anger in Grayson's green eyes.

"Please don't hurt me." James said knowing that when Grayson got pissed his fists tended to fly very quickly. "That was from Callie." Grayson stood up straight rubbing his stomach with his hand.

"She told you to punch me?" he demanded. James nodded.

"Actually she told me to punch you a bit lower but I really didn't want you to kill me."

"Thanks for that." Grayson said matter of factly. He thought about Callie. Her temper had always been something to talk about! It was second only to Grayson's and he could easily imagine her telling James to punch him in the family jewels. Grayson chuckled, the sound surprising him. It had been a long time since he'd felt like chuckling.

"Let's go, James. I am ready to go home." he said and James happily followed him to the town stable thankful to not be sporting any new black eyes or busted teeth but then again they weren't home yet and he had yet to tell Grayson that he was Lauren's new husband.