“Surely there are records.”

“Weirdly enough, there aren’t. I only know what’s been passed down by my family.”

“How old was your uncle?”

“Great-uncle. He was young. Twenty-two or twenty-three.”

Acid churns in my gut. “That’s awful.”

“Yeah. I always wondered why my dad wanted to come here.”

“Why did he?”

“He was trying to figure out what happened. He hit dead end after dead end, but he loved this place, so he stayed and opened up the bar.”

“Did he even know his uncle?”

“That’s just it. He didn’t. But he was named after him, so I guess he felt close to the situation or something.”

I nod. “I guess I get it.”

“Then you’re ahead of me. I don’t get it at all. But I love Snow Creek. My mom’s a local. They met when Dad first got here, so she probably had a hand in why he stayed as well.”

“It is a charming little town.”

“It’s home.”

I nod once more. I could easily hang my hat here.

But I won’t.

I’ll see my internship to its end, but after that, I need to leave.

I need to get away from Dale Steel.

And then a lightbulb shines above me. Brendan and Dale went to school together. They’re the same age. Maybe Brendan has some insight.

I clear my throat. “Jade tells me you and Dale went to school together.”

“We did.”

“So…are you friends?”

He pauses a moment, wrinkling his forehead. “That’s an interesting question.”

“It’s a yes or no question,” I counter.

“For most people, yeah, it is. For Dale?” He sighs. “It’s kind of hard to answer.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure Dale has friends.”

“What do you mean by that? Is he not friendly?”

“No, he’s perfectly friendly. He’s a good guy. He’s just… I’m not sure I can describe it. We hung out sometimes. We had fun. But something doesn’t quite fit. It’s like he’s got a shield around him or something.”

“He doesn’t let people in,” I say, more to myself than to Brendan.

“Yeah. That’s it. And we were in high school, you know? And we were guys. It wasn’t like we had slumber parties and pillow fights.”

“I hate to rain on your parade, but not all high school girls have slumber parties and pillow fights. I think I went to one slumber party in my life, and I’ve never been in a pillow fight.”

He gasps in mock surprise. “Say it’s not so!”

I can’t help a giggle. “Some high school girls are very social, but so are some high school guys. But I get what you mean. It’s different.”

“Yeah. Snow Creek is hardly a thriving metropolis, so the guys in our class were all friends. Everyone liked Dale, and he liked everyone else as far as I know. But there was something different about him.”

“He’s closed off,” I say.

“Yeah. Exactly.”

“I know. I’ve been working with him since I got here.” And sleeping with him…

“So you’ve experienced it.”

“Yeah, which is weird, because his brother doesn’t seem that way at all. Of course I’ve hardly said two words to him. He was here for one day before Diana left for Denver.”

Brendan nods. “Donny’s definitely different.”

“I wonder why he still goes by Donny.”

“His real name is Donovan. It’s what he prefers, I guess.”

“Do you remember when Dale and Donny came to the ranch?”

“Yeah. They were both quiet at first. We were still in elementary school. Donny opened up pretty quickly.”

“But not Dale.”

“Right. Not Dale.”

I can’t imagine Dale ever opening up to anyone, so what Brendan says next surprises me.

“He and Donny went through a lot of therapy, or so I heard.”

Therapy requires a lot of opening up. “Why would they need therapy?”

He shakes his head. “Beats me. Maybe they came from an abusive home or something. I mean, why else would two brothers be adopted when they were ten and seven? They were probably in the social services system, and Talon and Jade adopted them from there.”

Why? Good question. From what I’ve learned, the Steels are generous people, but taking on two young boys who probably came from less than optimal circumstances… But did they? Dale himself told me he never went hungry.

Of course, not going hungry and being abused aren’t mutually exclusive.

An ache squeezes at my heart. I can’t bear the thought of Dale enduring any kind of abusive situation.

“What happened to their parents?” I ask.

“No one really knows. The Steels kept the whole thing pretty quiet. I probably shouldn’t say this…”

“Say what?”

“I like the Steels. They’re great. They do a ton for this town, and they support all the local businesses. And I like Dale and Donny. But public records have a way of disappearing sometimes, if you get my drift.”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“You’re not the first person to wonder about Dale and Donny’s past. Most people in town have at one time or another. But there’s nothing out there. Nothing.”

“Maybe you’re not looking in the right places.”

“It’s not like anyone’s hired a PI or anything. It’s not our business, and most of us can’t afford it anyway. But people wonder, you know?”

I nod. I know. I’m probably more curious than anyone in Snow Creek, because I’m in love with one of them.

“Then with Jade being the city attorney, and all,” Brendan continues. “She has access to all local and state records. Probably even federal records.”

“That doesn’t mean she can make them disappear.”

“No, but the Steels can pay for just about anything they want. If they want something—or someone—to disappear, they can make it happen.”

Shivers crawl across my back. “Someone? Are you kidding me? They could make someone disappear?”

Brendan twists his lips. “I can see you bring out things in me that I don’t normally talk about. We haven’t even started the wine yet.”