Chace's easy posture vanishes. His shoulders go rigid, the playfulness draining from his face in an instant. Beside me, Shae shifts closer, her body angled like she's bracing for impact.
Across the way, Eli turns and he starts walking toward us with long, deliberate strides, and I can feel the intent radiating off him even from here.
I wondered how long it would take for this to happen.
The Maddoxs and my family weren't friends. Never pretended to be. Two ranches with neighboring properties and competing interests—my dad building a reputation as one of the best horse trainers in the state, Cole's father running a bigger operation that always seemed to want more. More land. More clients. More of everything. The rivalry was quiet but constant, the kind that simmered under polite nods at the feed store.
And now Cole's taken over. Expanded. Looking to keep growing.
"Cole," I say, voice flat. Nothing warm. Nothing inviting. "How's the ranch?"
"Pretty damn good," he says easily, like we're old friends catching up. "Been busy lately, actually." His gaze slides past me, deliberate and calculating. "A lot of your previous boarders havemoved their horses to our stables. Seems folks prefer a place that can promise consistency."
My nails dig into my palms.
He shrugs, all casual indifference. "Too bad about your daddy's place. Hate to see good land struggle like that." He pauses, lets the words settle. "Course, I've made Mae a fair offer. More than fair, really. But she won't even discuss it."
Something hot and sharp flares behind my ribs.
An offer. He's been trying to buy us out?
I'm vaguely aware of Chace stepping in closer on my right, Shae on my left, both of them silent but solid. Eli closes the distance and stops just behind my shoulder, close enough that I can feel the heat coming off him, close enough that Cole's eyes flick to him with something like amusement.
"Well I'll be damned," Cole says, that humorless smile widening. "Looks like you've still got your guard dogs, Hazel."
Eli's hand curls into a fist at his side. I can feel the tension radiating off him, tightly leashed but dangerous. Cole notices too. Of course he does.
Cole lifts both hands in mock surrender. "Easy now. I'm going." But he leans in slightly as he says it, just enough to make the moment feel intimate. Threatening. His voice drops. "But that land's going to be mine eventually. One way or another."
The words land heavy, a promise and a threat wrapped together.
Then Cole tips his hat to me, turns on his heel, and walks away like he hasn't just confirmed what I suspected—he's beencircling, waiting for us to fail so he can swoop in and buy the place out from under us.
The noise of the rodeo rushes back in all at once—music and laughter and the announcer's voice crackling over the speakers. But it feels distant, muted, like I'm hearing it through water.
I exhale slowly and look at Eli.
That look on his face—I've seen it before. Years ago, when Cole's father tried to poach one of our trainers. When someone at the feed store made a crack about my dad's methods. Eli's always been protective of this place, of us. I'd just forgotten how much.
Chace shifts beside me, breaking the silence. "Man, don't let him get to you. Cole's all talk."
"No, he's not," Eli says quietly. Dangerously.
The moment stretches. Thick. Uncomfortable.
Before I can say anything, Addie comes barreling through the tension like sunlight cutting through storm clouds.
"Did you see?" she says breathlessly, flushed and bright-eyed, ribbon clutched in her hand like she can't quite believe it's real. "I placed! Second!"
The shift in energy she brings is so abrupt it almost gives me whiplash. I turn toward her, and the smile that comes is genuine, cutting through everything else. "Addie, that was incredible. You rode it clean."
She laughs, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "I know! I thought I screwed up that second turn,but—" She stops, finally noticing the tension still hovering around us like smoke. Her smile fades. "What happened? What did I miss?"
I don't answer. I'm looking at Eli again, and the question is out before I can stop it.
"What did he mean?" My voice comes out steadier than I feel. "What offer?"
Eli turns on me so fast it makes me flinch.
