“Not likely,” Jake said, looking around. The lack of city lights and people was going to make him jumpy. But right now, he didn’t have a choice.
“All right. Gotta move, my first shift starts in two hours. Cheers, man!” Gordon said, and ended the call.
With that taken care of, Jake’s brain slowed down, focusing on the immediate problem of his presence at this ranch. Frank had left him with strict instructions to not go too far away, the complexity of the will not making it a simple retraction or a refusal on his part. As complicated as it was, Jake was intrigued by the process, looking forward to sinking his teeth into the problem. Gordon had alluded to maybe using it as a chance to really get his act together. Couch surfing and licking his wounded pride was going nowhere fast.
As he stared at the kitchen, the thought ping-ponged around his head that he no more belonged on a ranch in the middle of nowhere than his half brothers could live in the city. The sheer audacity of his late father’s idea made him wonder what he’d been like as a man. Had he been he a vindictive asshole? Mentally unstable? It seemed impossible to reconcile the idea of a man who had successfully run this ranch with the one who, in some strange fit, had willed that ranch to someone he’d never known and didn’t want.
One who had been married to the kind woman Jake had just helped into bed.
“Well, okay, West. If you have to stay for a bit, you need to get your shit together,” he said, and straightened up, turning on the lights over the island and sink.
“You think?” came a terse reply, and he turned to see Tanner stomp in, phone in his hand, hat still on his head.
Jake and he eyed each other for a moment. Jake felt a small pang of regret he’d never gotten to know him. It would have been nice to have family growing up. Maybe, under different circumstances, they could have been friends.
“Where’s Peony?”
“I sent her to rest,” Jake said, the moment gone, moving around to the far side of the kitchen, opening drawers, looking for towels and aprons. “She was exhausted.”
He watched his brother look away and swallow, the anger and resentment rippling off his body. Jake felt his own temper rise, and clamped down on it. He knew that if he didn’t, they might be nose to nose in a moment, screaming their fool heads off. His temper had gotten the better of him at times, and his team had witnessed it in spectacular fashion when a dinner rush was failing.
“I don’t want you in the house,” Tanner spat at him. “You don’t belong here.”
“Right,” Jake replied, readying for the assault, yanking out the first apron he could find in the drawer. “You read that damned document. I have to stay here or this whole place goes to Tree Huggers for Hippos.”
He caught the hint of a smirk from Tanner at the attempted levity, then it was gone, and the angry face was back. Tanner swiped his hat off and shifted his stance a couple of times. He was no stranger to arguing, Jake could see. This guy had a temper just like him.Marvelous.
“I don’t care at this point. You—”
Jake waved a hand, cutting Tanner off. “I get that you don’t want me here. I get that this is a huge slap in your face. Same here, pal. Apparently, our father decided to be an asshole before he died. Not my problem if your pretty pink panties are in a bunch about it. But for now, you get to have me here so I can help your lawyer get this monkey off my back. Then I’ll be gone.”
Jake’s blood was hurtling through his veins now, and he glared at Tanner. That was a speech. He’d tried to keep his mouth shut, but it hadn’t worked.
Tanner was glaring back, jaw working, “Fine. But stay out of the barns. You’ll just get hurt.”
“Seriously, cowboy? What do you take me for?”
“And stay away from Liz,” Tanner added, jabbing a finger at him. “Don’t get any ideas. I saw how you looked at her.”
Looked at her?This guy had a serious fucking control problem. Jake raised an eyebrow as he tied on the frilly pink apron. Tanner had barely had time to see the two of them in the same room before he’d stomped off. But, Jake realized, what he’d seen of Liz, he’d liked. Maybe it had shown? He’d have to be more careful.
“Looked at her? Shit, I’ve barely even been introduced to her. What the fuck is your problem?”
“You are, City Boy.”
“May I remind you that I am older than you,little brother? I would also prefer if you used my name,” Jake snapped, goading Tanner on for some ridiculous reason.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake—” Tanner started, but Jake stalked around to him, standing a foot away from him, folding his arms. They went toe-to-toe, egos snapping like a rubber band between them.
Jake’s knuckles cracked in the fists he was making, and he clamped his teeth down. He desperately wanted to put this pompous, high and mighty asshole in his place. His temper won, but he didn’t want to hit the man. At least, not yet.
“You really don’t like not being the boss, do you?” he added, before he could stop himself.
Tanner growled, poking Jake’s chest with his finger and looking him straight in the eye. “You, asswipe, are not anyone’s boss here. I call the shots, and I say what and when. This is my ranch.”
So that was how it was going to be. Animosity and a pissing contest. But the reality of Tanner’s statement put ice in his blood. It really was their ranch, and Jake had no business dictating anything. He was getting bent out of shape for no reason, other than the guy had tried to push him around and called him on looking at Liz. Which he had.
“Look, Tanner, let’s just—” Jake said, forcing himself to back away, changing his tone to try and make amends. Tanner gave him one final, seething glare, which stopped him mid-sentence, before spinning on his heel and leaving. Which was exactly what he would’ve done, if he’d been in Tanner’s shoes.
