Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up. “And you believe him?”
I stared into my coffee. “Not for a second.”
The truth was, Jesse had always been good at lying, especially to himself. He’d spent years pretending he didn’t belong here, that he was too good for ranch life. But I remembered how he used to ride, how he’d work the cattle with an instinct that couldn’t be taught. Even though he was only hereby marriage, this land was in his blood too, whether he admitted it or not.
“Your father had his reasons for whatever’s in that will,” Evelyn said carefully. “He wasn’t a man who did anything without thinking it through.”
“Yeah, well, his thinking got cloudy toward the end.” The words came out harsher than I intended.
She gave me a sharp look. “Don’t you talk about Jack that way, young man. That man loved you boys more than anything in this world.”
I set my mug down hard, my emotions bubbling to the surface before I could help it. “Then why would he even consider giving Jesse anything? He abandoned us, Evelyn. Left Dad with a broken nose and me to pick up all the pieces.”
She let out a long sigh, shaking her head. Despite Jesse’s betrayal, she’d always had a soft spot where he was concerned. “There are always two sides to a story, Cole.”
“Not this one.” I pushed away from the counter, not wanting to talk about it anymore. “I need to check on that heifer in the south pasture before the hands get their assignments. Save me some of those biscuits.”
Evelyn just watched me go, silent as the grave.
Outside, the day was brightening, but my mood had darkened. The thought of sitting across from Jesse in that lawyer’s office made my stomach turn. Fifteen years of building something, of sacrificing everything, and now he could just waltz back in and take a piece? And what the fuck was up with Evelyn defending him? He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserveanythingfrom anyone in Hell Creek. He was a stranger, plain and simple. And in these parts, we didn’t trust strangers.
The morning progressed in a blur of tasks and orders. I set the hands to fixing the fence line in the west pasture while I tended to the pregnant heifer myself. She was close to calving,and with the cold snap coming, I couldn’t risk losing either of them. By the time I finished, my hands were numb, and my clothes were smeared with mud and worse. I’d need to clean up before heading into town.
Back at my little cabin, I stripped down and stood under the hot spray of the shower, trying to wash away more than just the dirt. The anger that had been simmering since I saw Jesse at the funeral threatened to boil over. Fifteen years. Fifteen fucking years without so much as a phone call, and now he thought he could claim anything? Dad must have lost his fucking mind in those final months to even consider it.
But there was something else there too, something below the anger. There was a deep, aching pain in my chest that had been left behind when Jesse drove away that day. And I hated myself for feeling it.
Standing there in the shower, I felt my body start to react, old thoughts attempting to bubble to the surface. I reached out, turning the water ice-cold with a flick of my wrist. The shock tore my thoughts away from those old feelings, those heated thoughts I shouldn’t have ever started having about mystepbrother.
Good thing I had a lot of practice bottling my emotions.
Out of the shower, I pulled on my only decent pair of jeans and a clean button-down, avoiding the suit I’d worn to the funeral. This wasn’t a formal occasion. It was business. Ranch business. My business. My future.
“You eat something before you go,” Evelyn commanded when I stopped by the main house again to tell her I was leaving.
“Not hungry.” But I grabbed a biscuit anyway, knowing she’d fuss if I didn’t.
“Your father would want you two to make peace,” she said, her voice gentle but firm.
I stared at her, feeling betrayed all over again. “Don’t. Just... don’t.”
She pressed her lips together into a tight line, clearly wanting to say more. But she stayed silent, respecting my wishes. For now. However, when I stopped at the door to grab my hat, she was right there behind me.
“Cole,” she said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Evelyn…” I replied, shaking my head. “Please.”
“I won’t lecture you,” she continued, turning me to face her. “I just want you to know that your father… well, he was a good man. And this will is his attempt to do right by you boys.” She paused, giving me a good once over. “Just… Just try to remember that, alright?”
“Right,” I said, emotionless as always. My stomach twisted as I remembered the coffin lowered into the ground the day before. For one blissful second, I’d forgotten he was dead, that my life had changed forever. “I… I’ll…try.”
“You’re a good boy,” she smiled, patting me on the cheek. “Now get out of here or you’ll be late.”
I placed my hat on my head. “Yes, ma’am.”
The drive into Hell Creek was short but tense, my knuckles white on the steering wheel. Main Street looked the same as it always had. There were three blocks of brick storefronts that hadn’t changed much since I was a kid. I parked in front of Whitaker’s law office, a narrow brick building wedged between the Hollister Hardware store and the old barbershop.
I was early, but Jesse’s rental car was already there. Perfect. Just what I needed… to be trapped in a room with him longer than necessary.
