Ever since I’d told him that Josie had left me with nothing more than a scrap of paper holding two pathetic words, he’d spent his days trying to convince me to go get her.
Every day, at his ranch or the bar, he’d ask me if I’d reached out.
Every day, my answer had remained the same.
No.
But he hadn’t given up. This job was proof of that.
Frank had given me everything in his will. His land in Tennessee, his bar, and his blessing. He’d even arranged for someone to take care of everything while I was gone because he knew I would’ve said no to Doug when he called if he hadn’t.
He’d said life was too short not to chase after what you want.
We shared that sentiment, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Being near Josie Hayes, well, it was a cruel form of torture.
I’d known what awaited me in Texas, and I’d come anyway.
It wasn’t like I had anyone to keep me company in Tennessee.
It’d been a surprise for both of us when he figured out who Josie’s dad was. She and I had never traded last names, but Frank had sworn there was something familiar about her he couldn’t place. It wasn’t until he’d been up to inspect the Hayes’ cabin near the peak that it clicked.
He’d walked up to the bar, slapped a picture on the table, said, “Found your girl,” and then walked back to the storage closet he called an office. Smug fucker even whistled the whole ten steps, leaving me with nothing but the sound of George Strait on the jukebox.
I didn’t realize what it was at the time, or how Frank even had it. When I’d questioned him about it, he’d asked me if I’d reachedout to Josie yet. He wouldn’t budge, refusing to tell me his secrets until the end.
I wanted to be angry at Josie, and part of me was. I’d spent more time feeling blindsided and confused. Did I have any right to be? We’d only known each other for five days, but it’d been enough to make me want more. I wanted her time. I wanted to build on that five days until it became a lifetime.
When I agreed to come to Texas, I’d made a plan. Yes, I was going to work my ass off and try to live up to the man Frank thought I could be, but it was more than that. I wanted to look her in the eye and ask her why she’d left without a goodbye.
“How was your first day?” Bishop asked, sitting beside me with two more beers. I downed the rest, trading it for the fresh one in his hand. “Ready to run for the hills yet?”
“Naw,” I said, shaking my head. There was no way I would run now. Not when everything I wanted was so close. “It’s a little out of my comfort zone, but I’m grateful to learn from the best, you know? Douglas Hayes is a fucking legend.”
Even before I knew Frank’s connection to the Hayes family, or Josie’s for that matter, I knew who Doug was. As a kid, I watched him on TV, dreaming of the day I could be just like him. It was part of the reason I’d entered the equine world to begin with.
But I’d never thought I’d be sitting here on his ranch, staring at his daughter like I was. God, she was fucking beautiful. I hadn’t forgot, but it was different seeing her again.
“He is,” Bishop agreed. “He’s a tough bastard, but I’ve never met a man with a bigger heart.”
“What’s your story with him?” I asked, screwing off the lid.
Bishop was silent, taking a long pull of his beer before he answered. “I grew up here. My mom was an alcoholic, and my dad… Well, he was never around much. He’d pop in several times a year, stay for a few weeks, then leave. Mom never talked about him, and I learned not to ask. Then, one year later, he didn’t show, and Mom was distraught. She was always a mess, but this was different. She blamed me, said it was my fault he’d left in the first place. Then she kicked me out.”
“Fuck, man,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged, playing it off. “It was a long time ago. Can’t exactly hold it against her now. Point is, Doug took me in when I had no one else. I worked at the Tractor Supply in town. We’d met a few times when he came in to buy shit for the ranch. When mom kicked me out, I packed my bags and walked out here looking for a job and a place to stay.”
“You walked here?”
“Sure did. What else was I supposed to do? I had nowhere to go. Doug was my only chance to carve out a new future for myself, and I was determined to make him see how serious I was. Turns out, he was going to offer me a job the moment I turned eighteen. He said we’d just expedited the timeline a bit.”
“And you’ve been here ever since?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling his hat down. “No reason to leave—not that I’d want to. I just want to work hard and earn an honest living. Doug gave me both of those things.”
I nodded my head. “I get that. We all need someone to believe in us.”
The sensation of being watched had my gaze flitting across the roaring flames. Amongst the chaos of laughter and loud music, Josie’s eyes were fixed on me. The smile on her face moments ago was gone, replaced by a million questions I was sure were reflected on my own.
