She blows out a heavy breath. “I went to visit Dakota today.”
“Why?”
She tips her head in Warner’s direction, telling him to get out. He listens, and since the rest of the family hasn’t come to the table yet, we’re alone.
I cup the back of my neck and roll my head in a slow circle. “What did you do?”
Mom pulls out the chair next to me, turns it so it’s facing me, and sits down. “Hon,” she starts, her eyebrows cinched together and concern adding to the creases around her eyes. “Do you believe in your heart that Dakota is marrying you because she wants to help you?”
“Yes.” It’s the truth, but there are other reasons too. Namely, the removal of her debt. But also, things between us have been crazy good. It’s not far-fetched to say that maybe one day, we’d be where we are now. We’ve just fast tracked it.
“I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but she’s not. She’s in a mountain of debt and I think she’s marrying you because she plans to eventually divorce you and get away with enough to pay off her bills and then some.”
I laugh. I actually laugh. My mom balks, rearing back as if slapped.
“Well, I don’t think it’sfunny.” She makes a face and straightens her shirt, which didn’t need straightening in the first place.
I place my hand on hers. “First off, I don’t even want to know how you found out Dakota’spersonalfinancial information. Secondly, I’m aware of everything. I told her if she married me to help me get the ranch, I would pay off her debt.”
Mom covers her gasp by bringing her free hand to her mouth. “Wes, no. The ranch doesn’t have excess funds for that. We sold the land to Dakota in the first place to bring in more money.”
“I know, Mom, but I’ve saved nearly everything I’ve earned for the past fifteen years. I didn’t have expenses in the military, and I haven’t had much of a life since coming back here. I have more than enough to help Dakota. And what she’s giving me in return is worth far more than what I’m doing for her.”
Mom sits back in her seat, all the righteousness disappeared like air in a popped balloon. She opens her mouth to speak but closes it when my dad walks into the room.
“Did you tell him?” he asks, glancing between the two of us.
“Tell me what?”
Mom’s head shakes. “I was getting to it, but Wes just informed me he already knows about Dakota’s motives.”
My dad’s lips stretch back into a tight line. “Well, what’s done is done, and I’m not going back on it now.”
I start to ask what the hell he’s talking about, but he talks over me. “The trust was changed late this morning. The inheritor of this ranch can now be an unmarried direct descendent.”
I blink twice. My breath stalls. My gaze flickers from my dad’s stoic expression to my mom’s worried frown.
The silence stretches on, and it must make my mom uncomfortable because she says, “Wes, this will allow you to get what you want without having to—”
“I know what this allows me,” I say through clenched teeth. My elbows lean on the table and I breathe through a cupped hand. The heavy exhale is the only sound in the room, and it communicates my frustration more than words ever could.
“I don’t know what you’re upset about. You should be thanking your father. He’s getting you out of this mess.”
A few months ago I would’ve given almost anything to inherit the ranch without following the rule, but now it doesn’t feel too good. In fact, it feels like agony.
I’m not afforded even two seconds to figure out my reaction because we’re interrupted by Jessie, who bounds into the room and announces dramatically, “I’m starving past death.” She’s followed by the rest of my family.
Dad takes his place at the head of the table, Mom sits beside him, Gramps across from her, and the rest of us are in the seats we’ve sat in every day since we can remember.
We start eating, but I can’t taste my food. I’m on autopilot. My mom’s eyes look worried, and Wyatt asks, “What’s wrong, Mom?”
Her eyes flash over to me before she answers. “Just one of my goats. She was limping today. She’s just a little thing.” She bites the side of her lower lip, and I get the feeling she’s not making it up. “I’m not sure what happened. I hope she’s all right.”
“She’ll be just fine, Mom,” Warner assuages. “I think you love those goats more than you love us.”
“Depends on the day,” she teases. It sounds forced to my ears, but nobody else appears to notice.
When dinner is over we go our separate ways. Warner heads to his cabin, Jessie leaves to stay the night at a friend’s house, my parents are reading in the study, and Wyatt takes off in his truck, probably headed to a bar in town. I step out front and call Dakota again. This time, I leave her a message. “Hey. Just checking in. Haven’t heard from you.”
