ChapterOne
Maddox
“Did you become a monk and forget to tell us?”
Ignoring Wyatt, I round the front of my Ford F-150, the soles of my boots kicking up dust as I stalk toward the main house.I’m not in the mood for his shit—not today.
“Hey, don’t walk away from me.We’re not on the clock, Mad.”
I scoff at that.He may not be on the clock, but I’m always on—from sun up to sun down, and everything in between.As long as my eyes are open and my heart is pumping, I’m a prisoner to this land.
“It would do you good to get away from this place.Cut loose.Have a beer.Find yourself a pretty girl to take home, one who likes a man with dirty hands and doesn’t mind if he has a grumpy disposition so long as he gets her off.”He pauses for a beat as I continue to charge toward the house.“You remember how to get a woman off, don’t you?”
My boots freeze, and my fists ball at my sides.I’m going to kill him and bury him at the edge of the property.Lots of coyotes out there.They’ll take care of his remains.
“Oh, it looks like I struck a nerve,” he taunts.“Good.”
Turning around, I meet his lopsided grin with a glare.To his credit, he doesn’t even flinch.That stupid grin remains firmly in place, and his light eyes twinkle with both mischief and satisfaction.
I used to think the men on this ranch couldn’t respect me unless they feared me, but it’s quite the opposite.The men who work this landdorespect me as their boss, and that’s because they can relate to me.We’re family, and family calls one another out on their bullshit.They goad each other, and occasionally, they remind them that they’re human.That there is more to life than work, and every man has needs.
“While I appreciate your concern over my capabilities when it comes to pleasing a woman, it’s not needed, nor is it wanted.I get by just fine,” I growl, flicking the rim of my Stetson so he can get a better view of my glare.“Just ask your mother.She didn’t seem to have any complaints.”
Wyatt’s grin falters for a split second, then he wags a finger at me, his lips turning up a fraction higher.
Such a smug motherfucker.
“That won’t work with me, Mad.The bitch who bore me has more mileage on her than all the tractors and trailers on this land combined.You could be my daddy for all I know.”
A low whistle sounds from behind me, causing me to glance over my shoulder.My ranch manager, Tyler, leans over the railing of the front porch, shaking his head at me, a bemused expression flitting across his face.
“Should we get a DNA test?Are you Wyatt’s daddy?”
“Fuck off,” I hiss.
I’m thirty-one, and even if I had a thing for older women, Wy is in his twenties.The math don’t math.Besides, I’m not stupid enough to go ungloved with a woman.The last thing I need is someone or something else trying to tie me down.
“Think about it.We’re leaving in an hour,” Wyatt shouts.“The night is young, boss man, and your hand can probably use a break.”
He saddles his horse and tips his hat toward me before he takes off, leaving a plume of dust in his wake.I shake my head, knowing very well he’ll be back in an hour, and I won’t answer the door when he knocks on it.
“What was that about?”Tyler questions as I make my way up the stairs.I reach the landing and remove my hat.
Releasing a sigh, I comb my fingers through my overgrown hair and narrow my eyes at him.
“Like you don’t know.”
He leans against the railing, bracing his hands on either side of him as he crosses one boot over the other, and shrugs a shoulder.
“I’m just trying to figure out if you’re acting like someone pissed in your grits this morning because the guys are going out tonight, or because they asked you, their boss, to join them.”
“We have a new herd of cattle being delivered tomorrow,” I point out, my jaw clenching slightly.“I ain’t looking forward to babysitting a bunch of hungover men when there’s shit to be done around here.”
He pushes off the railing and crosses his arms over his chest.
I’m familiar with that stance, and I know all too well what comes next.Tyler and I have been friends since we were kids, and when Granddaddy got sick and handed me the reins to Meadows Ranch, there was only one guy I trusted to be my right-hand man, and that was Tyler.He’s loyal to a fault, but he’s not afraid to put me in my place, and he’s two seconds away from handing me some hard truths.
“That ain’t fair, Maddox.Our guys work hard.They deserve some downtime.Burnout is real, man, and the only person who knows that better than me is you.”He pauses for a beat, cocking his head to the side as he studies me with a blank expression.“Permission to speak as your friend, and not your employee?”
