Chapter Thirty-Three

The nearly three week trip was long to say the least. While the weather cooperated and they weren't held up by snow or ice, the cold had been a forced to be reckoned with, especially at night.

Turner, Will and Lillith had slept all curled up together every night. Turner wrapped around Will and Will wrapped around Lillith while a kerosene lamp burned and put off a meager amount of heat at their feet.

Turner chuckled in Bernice's saddle. He could only imagine the reaction they'd have gotten if someone would have ridden up and caught them all curled together that way. Thankfully, that hadn't happened.

Turner felt his stomach twist uncomfortably when the ranch came into view on the horizon. The stone bricks, the white pillars, the ivy, the dark shutters, the wide door, the wrap around porch and balcony... it was all so familiar and yet felt like a memory from a different life.

He took in the sight of the flower gardens and window boxes, the well, the woodshed, the smoke house, the bunk house, the corrals and the barns. Memories of Peter and the life they'd lived together here, flooded Turner's mind.

He glanced at Will who was sitting up front in the wagon with Lillith and a smile curved his lips. Peter would have liked Will and soon this house would be full of new memories as Turner built a life here with the man he loved more than life.

"Damn, Turner.." Will mumbled as his eyes scanned the acres of buildings and corrals sprawled out in front of them, "I would have never guessed by that cabin we stayed in that you came from this kind of money..."

"I don't," Turner replied, "Peter was a wealthy man and he left it all to me."

"How wealthy are we talking?" Lillith whispered.

"Wealthy enough to live comfortably for the rest of our lives even without the ranch," Turner replied. He probably should have told Will how much money he had but he hadn't even thought about. Honestly he hadn't touched any of the money that Peter had left him--the memory of Peter's death had been too fresh in his mind and too painful and Turner had quite simply run away from everything.

Turner heard Will and Lillith talking together about the house, the beautiful horses, the cattle and the money.

He clicked his tongue and urged Bernice into a faster gait, going out ahead of the wagon. He hadn't seen his brother, Christopher, in over three years and, honestly, he was excited to see the man again. He knew that his niece, Callie would be six years old now and the babe that Christopher's wife, June, had been carrying would be nearly three.

It still amazed Turner that Christopher had settled down with June. His brother had always been the charming one out of the two brothers and he'd had always left strings of crying women behind him--until he'd set his eyes on June. Then again, Turner knew better than anyone that love had a way of changing a man.

Though it had been a while since he'd seen him, Turner recognized his brother the instant the man stepped out of the barn. Christopher was shorter and smaller in build than Turner. He had shorter hair and kept his face smooth but that was where the physical differences ended. They had the same eyes, the same hair color, same skin tone and same sharp features.

Christopher's gaze fell on him and his eyes widened, "Holy hell!" he exclaimed. "Is that my mountaintop recluse of a brother?!"

"Yeah, I reckon it's me," Turner replied. He hopped off of Bernice and held his hand out to Christopher.

Scoffing, his brother knocked his hand away and then wrapped him in a warm hug, "It's been too damn long, Turner."

"I agree," Turner replied.

Christopher pulled away and his gaze went behind Turner. Turner looked back to see Will and Lillith watching the reunion from their seats on the wagon, "Who are they?" Christopher questioned.

Turner went to the wagon and helped Lillith down, "This is Lillith. She's a friend of mine and gonna be staying here awhile."

Christopher pulled off his hat, swiped his arm across his sweaty brow and held out his hand, "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"I'm sure June will love having a bit of softer company around here," Turner stated, wondering where the sister in law he'd only meant a handful of times was hiding at.

Christopher cleared his throat and flopped his hat back on his head. His gaze went to the dirt and he shook his head, "June ain't with us anymore, Turner. She passed away a few years ago."

"Shit," Turner's heart hurt for his brother. He knew how deeply the man had loved June. "I'm damned sorry, Christopher. What about the children?"

"Callie is just fine and growing like a weed. She's inside with the tutor practicing her schooling and grumbling about it. My son..." Christopher cleared his throat roughly and let out a long breath, "My son didn't live past childbirth. He died with his mama."

Turner stood there dumbfounded. His brother had been going through hell and Turner had been hidden away and not there to help him the way he should have been, "Damn, Christopher, I'm sorry... I should have been here..."

Christopher smiled comfortingly and patted Turner on the back, "Don't worry about it, little brother. You were dealing with your own problems."

Turner heard a throat clear behind him and realized that Will had come to stand there, "Sorry, Will. Will this is my brother, Christopher. Christopher, this is Will."

Will shook Christopher's hand, "Nice to meet you."

Christopher smiled and his gaze went from Will to Turner and then back to Will, "Nice to meet you too, Will. Are you taking care of my brother?"

Turner groaned, "What makes you think he'd be taking care of me?"

Christopher laughed lightly, "Don't try to deny that you're together. You lit up like a dynamite fuse when you turned and looked at him. And I reckon he's probably taking care of you because you aren't nearly as tough as you like to think you are."

Turner cracked his knuckles, "I'm plenty tough."

"Oh I have no doubts that you could physically kick my ass, Turner. You always did have the brute strength and the blood lust of the family. No, I was talking about being emotionally strong, big brother. When it comes to emotions I'm afraid your growth was stunted."

Will laughed, "I like you, Christopher. I think you and I will get along just fine."

"He does seem to have a firm understanding of his brother," Lillith agreed.

Turner rolled his eyes, put his arm around Will and pulled him back to his side, "Yeah we'll we've been traveling a long time. Do you reckon we could rest up and get something to eat?"

Christopher motioned toward the house, "I reckon you still know your way around, don't you? I'll take care of the horses and be in after a while. I wish I could come in and visit now but I was in the middle of separating some cattle..."

"That's fine," Turner assured him, "We'll need lot of time for that.. Uh.. Rest."

Christopher was laughing and shaking his head as he walked away.

Turner led Will and Lillith toward the house and he stopped on the bottom step of the porch. The last time he'd been inside had been the day he'd buried Peter. He'd done the burial himself. Others had wanted to help, had insisted that Turner didn't need to do everything alone, but Turner hadn't wanted anyone else there.

He had waited until everyone had left the funeral and then he dug that hole, used Bernice as a pulley and lowered Peter into the hole. He had then fallen asleep on top of the casket and in the dawn's light had finished burying him before riding off and leaving all of this behind.

Will's hand slipped inside his and Turner found the strength needed to climb those steps, open the door and step inside.

Everything was exactly how he remembered and yet so different. Different pictures covered the walls, different decorations sat on the tables and a different chandelier hung in the entry way.

"Can I help you--" Marie's heavily accented voice cut off and her brown eyes widened. She made the sign of the cross on her ample bosom. "Oh mi dios, Turner! Is that you?"

Turner nodded, "It's me.'

She rushed forward and pulled him into a hug, "I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed. She pulled away then and slapped him before squeezing the cheek she'd assaulted and then kissing it lovingly, "You should never worry a woman so! A son to me is what you are and you never even told me goodbye!"

Turner shifted his feet and pulled off his hat, "I'm sorry, ma'am."

"I lost my Peter and my Turner all at once! But now you are back! Christopher will be so happy."

"I saw him outside,' Turner informed her.

She clapped happily and then turned her gaze to Will and Lillith, "Who might we have here?"

"This is Lillith," Turner introduced first. "She helped me out when I got shot and needed a place to stay so I told her she could stay here."

"Shot?" she exclaimed, laying her hand on her soft middle, "Es demasiado!"

Turner shook his had at the old mexian woman's theatrics. She had always been overly dramatic, "Lillith, this is Maria. She's lived here longer than I ever did."

The two women greeted each other with a smile and then Maria turned her attention to Will. Turner saw her studying him closely and he studied Will as well. That soft, almost child-like face. Those freckles, charismatic green eyes and full lips. The way he was flushing under the scrutiny and shifted his feet.

Damnation, Turner was going to have to get him a bedroom sometimes very soon.

'What is your name?" Maria demanded, her eyes narrowing.

"Uh.. My name is Will, ma'am."

"And you're in love with my Turner?" she questioned. Turner grumbled. How did everyone just seem to know that they were together?

Will's face reddened yet another shade and he nodded, "Yes, ma'am."

Maria let out a low breath, "You had better never hurt that man, Will."

"No ma'am,"

Turner decided to intervene, "That's enough of that, Maria! Do you have anything cooked? We're starving?"

"No, but I can set about doing that right now," she turned to head toward the kitchens but grabbed her arm.

"Do you think you show us to some rooms first? We're really tired and I'm not sure what Christopher has done with the place."

"He's using the office and bedroom upstairs since they're easier to work out of," Maria informed him. Turner felt a moment of pain knowing that the bedroom he'd shared with Peter had been taken over and changed by someone else. "Callie uses the bedroom that is nearest the master bedroom. There are two spare rooms available. One behind the kitchen and the other back beside the parlor."

"Show Lillith to her room behind the kitchen," Turner grabbed Will's hand, "I'm gonna go take Will for some rest. He's awfully tired."

Will made a big show of yawning loudly, "Exhausted," he agreed.

Maria rolled her eyes and waved her hand, "Shoo, then! But you had better at least ignore your lust fueled urges long enough to take those filthy clothes off before you get in that bed! I don't need mud and dirt staining up my freshly laundered sheets!"

A/N: The next chapter will be pure smut, i promise you!