It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
With: Mike, Sam and Charlie Wentworth
Time of Day: Mid-Afternoon
After gazing up and down the street, Matt settled back down in the chair he had been occupying on and off for most of the day. There was still no sign of them, and he wondered if Mike had under-estimated their time of arrival.
Pulling out his pocket watch, he noted that it getting towards the time he would have to be checking on tonight's menu for the restaurant. Friday and Saturday nights were proving to be busiest times and he wanted to make everything was up to standard. Even though he trusted his staff, he just felt better knowing that things were taken care of. In business, he had always had a hands-on approach.
When Mike had sent word of his, Sam's and Charlie impending arrival, Matt had been initially angry. Having his brothers around would make things a bit more difficult in his other line of work. He would have to make sure he warned his brothers to steer well clear of the Steelgraves, especially Leah, and anyone who worked for them.
Thinking over his initial reaction to the news that all three brothers were headed to Kalispell, Matt smiled. In the end it didn't really surprise him that Charlie had followed them instead caving into their father's wishes. After Mike had make the break, he knew it would only be a matter of time before Sam and Charlie did so too. Charlie just did it earlier than he expected him to do.
If Matt was to be perfectly honest with himself, then he was glad that his brothers were coming. It would be the first time in years that all four of them would be together in the one place. Hopefully, they would all be able to find jobs nearby so he could see them on a regular basis. He suddenly remembered that Shade Thornton was looking for some help over at the Lost Lake Ranch. Maybe it would be worthwhile sending them over to find out after they had rested a bit.
The noise of the hotel's front door opening pulled him out his thoughts. It was one guests, who sat down in the one of the other chairs out front. Seeing this an opportunity to do something while he waited for brothers, he began to engage the man in a conversation.
While approaching Kalispell from the south, Mike took the time to look around. They had passed by some small farms but nothing that would be large enough to hire any ranchhands but might be big enough to hire someone inexperienced like Charlie. He would prefer if he, Charlie and maybe Sam could all work on the same ranch but he knew that might not happen. The best option was that Charlie could be with him or Sam at any ranch who would take them both. The worst case scenario, was that Charlie could work for Matt.
A smile crept on his face at thought. It had been a long time since Matt had to look after any of them but he would do it. They were all the type to be there when family needed them and would come running at a moment's notice for any them, except, maybe for their father. Charles Wentworth Senior was a man who could look after himself and didn't need any help. To his father, his sons were a way and means to establish a stronghold in Washington, his own dynasty. Now, that Charlie had rejected the plan, what would happen next would be anybody's guess.
As they got nearer, to the town, Mike noticed a few houses that formed the start of the main street in town. Matt's hotel would be somewhere nearby and probably easy to spot. Looking ahead, he could see a few large buildings indicating that they were about to enter the main part of town. Turning around in the saddle, he saw his two brothers had slowed down and were admiring a couple of young ladies who were exiting one of the homes.
Shaking his head, he motioned to them, "C'mon, you two."
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
Matt had just finished talking to one of his guests out front, when he saw three men riding in from the south. Immediately recognising them, he walked forward to the top of the stairs and waited for them to stop.
Mike was the first one to see Matt, since his other two brothers were still trailing back a little taking in the town and its scenery. Getting off his horse, he walked up the few stairs and gave his brother a hug.
Taking a step back to look at his brother, Matt grinned, "Well, I see you've gained a couple of extra pounds since I last saw you. Must be all that easy living since you became a ranch foreman."
Mike smiled, "And I see that life as a stuffed shirt has done likewise to you."
"Well, if you ask me, I think you both need to lay off the good stuff for a while."
Matt turned to see who had spoken and smiled, "And I suppose you young Charles will make sure we do."
Charlie nodded, "You bet I will."
"And I'll make doubly sure," Sam commented as he got off his horse.
Matt went down the stairs and greeted his other two brothers in the same way he had greeted Mike. It was good to see his family again and he hoped it would be a long time before they parted ways again. The job of keeping an eye on the Steelgraves would take a while but after that he didn't know what would happen. Until then, he would enjoy what time he had with his family.
Looking at his three brothers, he smiled, "I expected you a few days ago but I'm glad you finally made it."
Glancing over to Sam, Charlie heaved a heavy sigh. "We would have if hadn't been for ole brother Sam and that woman he met in Helena."
Sam put up hands in a stopping motion, "Hey, don't blame me. How was I to know that she was engaged to the town's banker?"
"You could have taken the time to find out," Mike answered.
Matt frowned, "Let me guess, it's a long story."
"It sure is and I think I need a drink before I tell it."
"I think we all need a drink, " Mike turned to Matt, "Shall we?"
Waving his hand in the direction of the front door of the hotel, Matt smiled, "If you would like to follow me, I'm sure the owner won't mind giving out a few drinks on the house."
The other three voiced their approval and followed Matt into the hotel.
I always feel I belong where I am.
Sam leaned back in his chair and took a good look around the hotel bar. "Well, I have to admit that you've got a real nice place here."
He smiled before continuing, "So... what's the competition like?"
Matt raised an eyebrow at the dig his brother was attempting. "There's a saloon just down the street called The Stardust. It's not too bad and I've met one of the owners, Matilda Devereau."
When he heard the name of the woman, Sam sat up straight, "Sounds like an interesting place. I'll have to make sure I drop in sometime."
"If you do, you better watch out for her partner, Ralph Flandry. As far as I know they aren't romantically linked but she is his friend. Flandry can be a bit protective of those he likes."
Knowing what Matt was getting at Sam nodded, "No need to worry about that, I had good lesson a couple of years back."
Mike put down his whiskey after taking a sip, "I remember you telling me about that." He turned to Matt, "I'm guessing that in town like this there would be a few people watching the back of others."
"There sure is." Matt then began to tell his brothers about the town.
As he listened to his brother, Sam thought about how it could be possible to set down roots here. The town as a whole sounded like a nice place and it was fairly new compared to other places he had been. There was plenty of land out here to start his own ranch and maybe a family. Even though he had flirted with many woman, one day he knew meet the right one and that would be that. Until then, he thought it was solemn duty to at least get to know as many women as he could. If he had some fun along the way, then that would just fine and dandy.
It's not a question of who's right. It's a question of what's right.
After Matt had finished telling them about the town, he turned to another topic. "There is one family you need to steer clear of."
Mike frowned, "Steer clear? As in avoid as much as possible?"
Matt nodded, "Yes. For your own health, it's best you keep away from the Steelgraves and anybody who works for them. They can be a dangerous bunch and a lot of people have, well let's just say, disappeared, after tangling with them."
Sam and Charlie looked gave each other a concerned look. Matt had been here long enough to know who was who and what was what. If he was telling them to stay away from these Steelgraves, then they would. Matt wasn't one give out orders lightly.
"Thanks for the warning," Mike answered. He also knew that Matt was looking out for them and wanted to make sure his brothers stayed safe. There was no need to go into in now because if they were as bad as Matt was implying, then there would be others around to tell them why. Besides there was more pressing business to be sorted out. He took a sip of his whiskey, before continuing, "So what's the work situation like around here?"
"There's a ranch just outside of town looking for a foreman and a couple of hands. The previous foreman was mauled in a bear attack a few weeks back. I also read in the newspaper that one of the owners of the ranch was attacked by the same bear while on a hunting party. Thankfully, they got the bear and just in case you're interested, I hear that bear grease is going for two bucks a jar."
Smiling, Mike replied, "I'm guessing that it must have been some bear to sell grease at that price."
"Apparently, it was. I heard that there will be no shortage over the coming winter and they're making a nice profit as well." Pulling out his pocket watch, Matt looked at it and noted the time. "I think I have time to have one more beer before I have to go back to work. You can stay here until you find a place."
"Well I for one will be happy to have a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in tonight...and maybe a room of my own." Sam winked at Matt.
"Maybe... but first I better tell you about more about the jobs going at Lost Lake Ranch." For the next few minutes, Matt filled his brothers in before helping them get settled in the hotel.
After they had gone upstairs, Matt made his way into the kitchen to see how tonight's meals were coming along. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he would have to admit that he was happy to have his brothers around. However, he knew that their presence here also brought one big problem. Sooner or later, their father would find out that they were all together in place. Since Charlie was his last hope, it wouldn't be long before he came to visit. The thought of seeing of his father again, was something that Matt was not looking forward to.