The Outer Edge of Heaven Read Free

meet you, Charlie. Fo has talked about you for years. I'm sure you'll love it here. Make yourself at home."
    As they went back out to the drive, Fo said, "See? I told you my Uncle is the nicest guy in the world. He truly is that cool all the time."
    She shook her head. "How did he end up with such a wife?"
    "She's actually the third one. Chase and Luke's mom died of cancer when they were about eight and nine. She was a wonderful, sweet, kind, smart, strong woman. Then he married Tuckett's mom and didn't do so hot on the second one. She took off somewhere and then he married this third one. She's very pretty, but he would be the first to admit he made a terrible mistake. Still, he does the best he can to be a good dad. Sometimes he's just in way over his head with the ranch and Tuckett and the little ones and especially Chase. I imagine Chase gives Uncle Richard more trouble than all the rest of them put together. It's just a good thing he has Luke to hold everything together."
    "Then Luke isn't like Chase?"
    Fo chuckled. "No. Luke is nothing like Chase. Come on. I'll take you to your house."
    "I'm to have a whole guest house? I thought I'd have a room or something."
    "You get the whole house, but it's pretty small. It's actually an eighteen eighties homestead cabin that's been renovated. You'll love it. You'll feel like you’re in True Grit or something. And around this crazy place, you'll be grateful for the privacy and peace sometimes. It's on the very edge of the compound and no one will bother you."
    "Where do you live?"
    He nodded at a set of long log buildings off to one side as he drove past. "I live in the left bunk house with Luke. The other bunkhouse has a handful of guys and then there are a couple of houses down the road a ways where some more guys live. The married hands live in houses of their own over east of here."
    "Where does Madge stay? And Chase?"
    "They both live right in the main house."
    "Why is Luke in the bunkhouse and Chase in the main house?"
    "I'm not sure. My guess would be because Uncle Richard wants to know what Chase is up to as much as possible, but I don't know. At any rate, I'll bet Chase drives Luke crazy and he moved out here to preserve his sanity. He's pretty quiet living."
    "And Chase isn't?"
    Fo turned to Charlie. "Chase is pretty self explanatory. I'm sure you've figured that out. They're all supposedly members of the Church, but Chase never went on a mission and you've already seen what kind of a saint Angela is. Although, over time she does grow on you a little. She’s smart. Amazingly smart. And she has a pretty laugh.
    “I won't say anything about Chase except to say he's ridiculously concerned with Chase and only Chase. His life’s work is body building and then sharing that physique with women at a part time job in at a health spa in Whitefish. And honestly, I think he does that just so that my uncle doesn’t boot his fanny out of here.”
    He gave her an apologetic smile and continued, “For the most part, the Langstons are wonderful people and I think we'll have a good experience here. Just don't believe everything Chase tells you. He's been known to tell people what they want to hear."
    "And Luke?"
    "Luke is as easy to figure out as Chase or even more so. He's just the other side of the spectrum. He served a mission to France. He’s absolutely bulletproof, selfless, and works the ranch like a machine. I'd trust him with my life."
    Fo pulled up to a small cabin that was maybe twenty four by twenty four with a porch than ran the length of the front and a view all the way across the valley to the south. Charlie loved it on sight.
    She was pleasantly surprised when she got inside to realize that quaint though it was, it was furnished luxuriously and had every modern convenience hidden away within its rustic ambience. It consisted of a bedroom, bathroom and combined living room and kitchen, with a loft over the bedroom half. The kitchen cabinets and appliances were all faced