We all get up, and Wyatt takes Colt from Jessie.
Wes says to Wyatt, "I can't believe you boiled water."
"Don't be upset, Wes. You can come to me anytime you need tips on how to romance your wife." Wyatt winks.
Wes lifts his fists like he's going to box, and Wyatt nods down at Colt. "Sorry, can't fight you right now. I'm holding your kid."
Wes takes Colt, shouldering into Wyatt as he leaves the room.
"Boys," Dakota says, rolling her eyes, but there's so much affection on her face.
This dynamic is foreign to me. Siblings fighting and loving, teasing and talking. It makes me resent my mom even more than I already do.
We're sitting out back,watching Wes and Warner play horseshoes. Warner’s oldest kids, Peyton and Charlie, roast marshmallows at the fire pit, the flames licking the air. The warm daytime temperature has given way to a cooler night, and I snuggle deeper into the blanket Wyatt brought outside for me.
Beau sips whiskey from a tumbler, Juliette beside him. Beau was quiet throughout dinner, not that it was any different from how he usually acts. He is a man of so few words, it gives greater weight to the words he does speak.
That's why I feel my body shift when he opens his mouth. I sit up straighter, leaning forward slightly in anticipation.
"Did Wes tell you about the grass?" Beau stares into the fire, the shadows from the flames flickering over his wrinkled, tanned skin. I'm not sure who he's talking to. I look to Juliette, but she stares into the flames too.
Beside me, Wyatt doesn't move from his relaxed position, one leg crossed over his knee, his arm slung around my back, but I feel his muscles tense.
"What about the grass?" Wyatt asks. His tone is low, something that sounds like dread running through it.
"It's dying," Beau growls. Juliette pushes against him with her shoulder, and he frowns. "It is," he adds, digging in his heels.
"Where?" Wyatt asks, looking around at the lawn. It's too dark to see far, but what the outdoor lights show is lush, green grass, all the way until the tree line.
"Not here," Beau says. "The back pastures. They border that land that switched hands a couple years ago. Something is sucking them dry, but I can't see without going out there and it's private property."
Wyatt dips his head. "That's frustrating."
Beau's gaze snaps to me.To Wyatt. "Is that it? It'sfrustrating?"
Juliette places a hand on Beau's arm, but he ignores her.
"What do you want me to say, Dad?"
Somewhere on the periphery of this conversation, it strikes me that the sounds of horseshoes hitting the metal stakes has ceased.
"I want you to give a shit, Wyatt. That's what I want."
“Beau." Juliette's voice is sharp.
"Wes needs help with this place, and it's not the cowboys' job to pull extra weight like they have been." Beau stabs a finger toward the ground as he talks. "This is the Hayden ranch, and I want it run by Hayden men."
Wes intervenes. "Dad, come on. We can do this tomorrow. Tonight's about family time."
"You telling me this isn't weighing heavily on your mind? You need to move the cattle soon, and where are you planning to move them to? An imaginary green pasture? Hayden beef is pasture-raised, Wes. Not corn, and not whatever that dry shit is out there." He waves a hand in the direction of what I'm guessing is the dry grass.
Wes drags a hand over the back of his neck. "No, Dad, I'm thinking about it. But this isn't going to solve the problem."
"What will?" Beau's not really asking a question. He's challenging Wes.
"Not this," Wes says sharply. Dakota's eyes widen, and I get the feeling Wes doesn't use that tone with his father very often.
Beau stands. He reaches a hand down to Juliette and when she takes it, he pulls her up alongside him. "Are you ready to call it a night? I am."
