Chapter 4
Deuce took his duffel from the truck and crossed to the porch. He could hear voices—some from the dining room, others from the kitchen—but he needed a few moments of privacy, so he climbed the stairs to his bedroom on the second floor.
Fortunately, Ma hadn’t left it the way it had been when he’d lived there, hadn’t made it a shrine. That would have been creepy.
He took a fresh change of clothes from his duffel, laid them on the bed, then went into the attached bathroom and turned on the shower. When the temperature was to his liking, he pulled back the curtain and stepped into the enclosure.
He and Pop had talked about it while they groomed the gelding. Deuce would split his time between the ranch and the diner—quiet, uncomplicated jobs. Nothing that would call attention to h
