I pull out of her drive and get on a dirt road as fast as I can. The road becomes blurry as my eyes fill with tears. I keep the windows down, trying to get some air because right now it feels like I can’t fucking breathe. I just let the person I love most in the world go, and I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.
Chapter 1
Weston 12 years later
“Are you sure about this, son?” my dad asks, his grey bushy eyebrow quirking up at my newest idea for the ranch as he brings his cup of steaming hot coffee to his lips. We start most of our mornings this way, we have for years: breakfast at the house, and then we bust our asses for the rest of the day.
“Yeah, I think it could really work for us.” Now, if I’m being totally honest, no, I’m not sure. There’s about a million things I’m not sure of these days. How much hay I need to buy. What pasture I should switch to next month. Somehow, I forgot everything I knew about ranching the second my dad handed me the reins. It’s been nothing but a year of second-guessing, but every Taylor man who has taken over our family ranch has done something to keep it going, and this is going to be my thing. “I’m tired of seeing ranch land get picked apart during tough times. This would help us generate some income without requiring much up-front investment. After that, it’s just maintenance.”
“I’ve spent the last year wracking my brain trying to think of something that would allow us to be more financially secure, even if it’s just a little extra cash flow. If something were to ever go awry with the cattle, it would help keep us afloat,” I add on. If I am nervous about this, it makes me worried he will be, too.
Running cattle isn’t cheap, and all it takes is one bad year for everything to go to shit. I got the idea when one of my best friends’ wives mentioned how she wished she could have visited a place like this when she was young. She wasn’t exactly a city girl, but she had never seen the beauty that is the Wyoming mountains like you do when you’re in Windy Peaks. We have a few run-down cabins around the property, and I can fix them up and use them as vacation homes. We get some extra cash flow, some city-bound family will get to enjoy the mountain air, and everyone wins.
“And your siblings are on board?” he asks, setting his cup down and leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. I’m sure he thinks this is one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had, which is saying something because I tend to ask for forgiveness, not for permission. Thanks to my fully developed frontal lobe, I have actually thought this through.
“Yeah, I have Aspen working on finding a consulting company to help. I don’t really have the time to juggle all of that, and I know it would be an extra expense, but I’ve talked it over with everyone, and they agree. Maverick has agreed to help with investments, Rhett can help with labor, and Aspen, well, she will stitch Rhett and Maverick up when they nail themselves to something.”
My sister is a nurse at the local hospital, but when my dad handed down the ranch, it was split between me, my sister, and my two best friends, Maverick and Rhett. They’ve been like brothers to me for most of my life, having both lived with us at various points, so my dad thinks of them as sons. Aspen and I hold the majority, but to be honest, that pretty much means shit to all of us. We all take pride in this land, and this is where our hearts live. We give it our all and hope it works out.
“Well, son, I know you don’t need it, but you’ve got my stamp of approval. You can tell me more about it on our ride out to the south pasture.” He dips his head to me in a sign of respect and it still feels foreign. Getting up from the chair, he moves to the front door. Even retirement can’t slow this man down. “The boys meeting us out there today?”“Yeah, I figured Rhett would have been here this morning, but he said he’d be ready to work by six, so I’m sure he will be around somewhere. Maverick and Ava had an appointment this morning, so he will be out to help us when they get back.”
Mav married his one-night stand by accident in Vegas. Turns out luck was with him, because they stayed married and made the rest of us nauseous with how annoyingly in love they are. Now they’ve got one of their own on the way.
I’m happy for him, and a bit jealous. I wish I could have that.
“You coming, son? Or do you need the morning off too?” Dad’s deep, grainy voice pulls me out of my thought spiral and back to the present.
“I thought you were supposed to be retired,” I joke as I walk to the front of the house, opting for my ball cap instead of my hat. “Let’s take the ranger, the horses rode pretty hard for us yesterday.”
“Ain’t got to tell me twice, my back is still yelling at me for sitting on that horse for so damn long.”
I close the door behind me and get started on another day of my dream job of ranch life. I’ve always loved the ranch, but the older I get, the more gratitude I feel toward it, and the more respect I have for my old man for trusting me enough to hand it down. It being mine has changed me in ways I didn’t think were possible. I’m in charge of keeping this legacy going now, and that’s not something I take lightly.
Later that evening, the family all gathers around the large oak table for dinner. The smell of Mom's cooking has my mouth watering, and the fact that the only thing I ate after breakfast was some half-crumbled peanut butter crackers I found in the ranger. But it’s almost the end of calving season, which means it’s about to be a busy couple of weeks.
“We need to make sure we have everything ready for round up. I’ve got Dr. Wilhelm and Dr. Smith coming out to examine the animals and vaccinate. We still have quite a few calves we will need to tag as well,” I say as I grab a glob of butter with my knife and smear it across my dinner roll. “Mom, you still good to cook us the dinner meal? Ava and Aspen each agreed to bring a couple of sides, so you don’t have to worry about it as much.”
“Honey, I’ve been cooking for that day longer than you’ve been alive. I’ve got it handled. We’re planning on pulled pork and burgers. I’ll make my potato salad. Your dad is going to run into town and buy the liquor store out of beer.” She shoots my dad a wink, and he shakes his head. His eyes still have a little twinkle in them when he looks at her, and I can’t help but feel a pang in my chest at the reminder that I once had that.
“Hey now, the three boys we’ve got just at this table will probably be drinking half.” He gives Rhett, Mav, and me a pointed look.
“I’m a father now, I’ve learned how to slow down and be an adult,” Maverick says, and Ava nearly chokes on the water she just drank as she laughs.
“Yeah, okay.” She shakes her head and rests her other hand on her growing belly.
“I have to agree with Ava, sorry, dude,” Aspen chimes in, before looking over at me. “Hey, by the way, I got that company booked. They’re sending someone out on Monday at eight in the morning to come help. They’ll be around for three months as a project manager, so you don’t have to be as hands-on-”
I start to interrupt her by raising my hand and asking if they are going to help with the software and updating the books issue I’ve been having. My dad refuses to update anything to this century, and it’s been a pain in the ass going document by document trying to digitize everything.
“And before you ask, yes, they will also help with the back office work.” She smiles at me before shoveling a large bite of roasted chicken and gravy into her mouth.
A rush of relief pummels through me. “Thank you.”
I wasn’t sure how much Aspen was going to want to help out on the ranch, but she’s insanely good at all the background stuff I never seem to find time for. Like calling people. I like people, mostly, but my sister, Aspen, can talk to a brick wall, so it’s nice to have her handle it.
The five of us have done a pretty good job over the last year taking over the ranch. Getting to do your dream job with your family is something special. I have to remember that, especially on the bad days.
Chapter 2
