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You have no idea

"But you’re here, we’re here, and it’s tiue tone

"Order another round We’re gonna need it" Dalton headed for the bathroo in the hallway He had a bout ofout the door

He pressed his shoulders against the wall and closed his eyes, his last conversation with Casper three years ago pushed front and center just like it’d happened yesterday

He’d been sitting outside his trailer, nursing a whiskey when Casper had shown up As soon as the man had climbed out of his pickup, and Dalton had seen thehe’d need it

"I’ You always have run away instead of bein’ aHis dad was on a tear and he’d stay on it until he’d had his full say

"You’re a fool for leaving that sweet Addie at the altar Don’t kno you ever convinced that nice Christian girl to amblin’, whorin’ and brawlin’"

He shoved his ball cap back and looked right into those cruel blue eyes "How’s a church-going, recovering alcoholic, who don’t even live in this town anymore, who don’t have nothin’ to do with his sons, know so much about my supposed reputation?"

"Such a sonna go away anytime soon You really screwed the pooch on this one"

Dalton laughed "Thought you cut out all vulgar language"

"What I said ain’t as vulgar as what you done" His gaze scrutinized Dalton’s every facial injury "See soht up with you"

"Nothin’ I can’t handle"

"I’d love to be around the next ti look off your face"

Dalton flashed his teeth "Or you’re welcoht now, old man"

Casper snorted "Says a lot about your character that you’d get off on beating me up"

"You only have yourself to blame since that’s a trait I inherited from you"

"You inherited nothin’ from me," he spat "’Bout time you knew the truth So after this last stunt you pulled, I prayed for divine assistance, needing His direction He gave n I needed"

"And what did God tell you to do? Ride out here and berate your son until he begged for forgiveness for adding another black lint in his face showed again "Your iveness for the lies she told Lies everyone has always believed But I knew The sign is as plain as the nose on your face"

Was Casper going senile? "You ain’t ot to do with anything?"

"What’s your nose got to do with it? Look at that nose That face of yours Have you ever taken a good long look at yourself in theyourself like a peacock? If you ever had, you’d realize that you don’t look nothin’ like your brothers and you sure don’t look nothin’ like me"

He had dark hair and blue eyes, just like the rest of the McKays He was bigger than his brothers--bigger than all the McKays except for Cam "Cam and Carter favor the West side so that don’tItYour mom screwed around on ly result of that since the day you were born"

"Wow So I get a two-fer? You’re showing that nasty-assa bald-faced lie?"

"Watch your words God is lookin’ down on you"

No, you’re the one who’s always looked down on me

"This ain’t a lie Because blood types don’t lie And you don’t have the same blood type as Luke, Brandt and Tell"

That didn’t prove anything…did it? Fuck, he’d slept through that part of biology Hoas he supposed to remember his brothers’ blood types? When he couldn’t remember his own?

"And if you want real proof that you ain’tof unease started at the back of his neck What if he was telling the truth?

"Why do you think your mom coddled you? Protected you? She knew I knew that you weren’t my flesh and blood"

"She didn’t coddle me and she sure as fuck didn’t protectend of your strap so led out

Don’t fall for this

"Ask her," Casper challenged "Look her in the eye and demand to knohat man she hen she left me for a week Oh, roundabout nineliar"