When she opened her eyes, she saw several people staring at her. Some smiling. Some shaking their heads. She didn’t care. She brought her attention back to the map and saw her next destination. “That’ll take me two days. Oh well. Wilde, Nevada, is as good a place as anywhere.”
Chapter Two
June 3, 1980 – Wilde, Nevada
Dillon Wilde heard his brothers running down one of the abandoned shafts in the silver mine that his family had owned for generations. The ranch was the other family enterprise, which he favored more. You would think his brothers were delinquent teenagers instead of men in their midtwenties—Craig, twenty-six, and Dan, twenty-seven. Though the youngest at twenty-four, he was the most levelheaded of the three of them.
Pappy Jack walked up next to him. “They at it again?”
“Yes, sir.” He loved and respected all three of his dads, but he was glad that Dad Tom and Pop Will hadn’t come with Pappy. Unlike Pappy, who appreciated a good prank and most shenanigans, Dad and Pop had their limits.
“Fun and games don’t belong in the mine, boys,” Dad frequently reminded them since they were very young.
The Wilde Silver Mine had been in their family for generations. No other business employed as many citizens of Wilde, Nevada, which shared his family’s surname, as the mine. The town his ancestors had founded was unique in many ways from the outside world. It had all started way back when the very first Wilde brothers had fallen in love with the same woman. Instead of tearing them apart, it had actually brought them together. And the ownership of the mine would never be divided. That practice of the Wilde brothers marrying one woman had continued on until this very day. Though some families in town were the traditional one man and one woman, most were like his. One mom and multiple dads.
“I appreciate you trying to keep your brothers in line, son,” Pappy said. “Quite the task you’ve set for yourself. Perhaps you should let them fall on their faces a few times.”
“I can’t do that. They’re my brothers. We’re supposed to stick together.”
His father smiled. “Through thick and thin. Just like Tom, Will, and me.”
They heard a loud noise coming from the shaft.
“Shit,” Craig yelled.
He and Pappy ran into the shaft. The overhead lights were off. Pappy hit the switch, illuminating the space.
Dan stood over Craig, who was stretched out on the floor grabbing his leg.
“What happened?” Pappy asked Craig.
“I cut my leg.” He removed his hand and showed the four-inch gash in his thigh.
Pappy shook his head. “That’s going to need stitches. What the hell were you two doing?”
“I was proving to Dan that I knew this shaft like the back of my hand.”
“More like your ass,” Dillon said. “Get up and I’ll take you to the doctor.”
“We need to get that wound cleaned and make sure it stops bleeding,” Pappy said. “Come on. There’s a first-aid kit up ahead.”
Placing Craig between them, he and Dan helped him. They followed Pappy Jack to another part of the mine.
Pappy cleaned Craig’s gash. “Boys, I wouldn’t want to be you when you have to tell your mother this story, let alone your other two dads. I love that you enjoy life. You should. Don’t ever let that spark go away, but you have to start thinking about your future. One day you will have a family of your own, a woman to love, and children to teach. This mine will be y
ours. The town will depend on you just like they do your dear old dads.”
“But, Pappy, you’ve told me about how you, Dad, and Pop did some pretty crazy things when you were our age,” Craig said. “We’re just continuing the family legacy.”
Their dad smiled. “None of us ever needed stitches, son. We were smarter than that. I think it’s past time for you to get some smarts, too. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, sir,” Craig answered. “I can drive myself. Dan and Dillon don’t need to take me. There’s a little more work left.”
“Not a chance,” Pappy said. “Don’t want you passing out at the wheel. All three of you are finished for today. Get your stitches. Grab a bite at the diner. Then get to the ranch and check on our new calves.”
“Yes, sir,” Dillon said, putting his arm around Craig.
“Dillon, try to make sure these two walk the straight and narrow for the rest of the day,” Pappy said with a wink.