He sits, folding his hands loosely in front of him. "I'll get right to it. I think there's a way we can both come out ahead here."
Aunt Mae's gaze flicks toward me.
Slow.
Weighing.
For a moment, I think I might be sent away. The idea of it—of being shut out of something that has my dad's name all over it—makes my chest tighten.
Finally, Mae speaks.
"Haze, you know things aren't getting any easier around here." Her voice is steady, but there's tiredness beneath it. "I need to make some hard choices about the ranch. Cole has a proposalfor me, and I invited him here to tell me what's on his mind." She meets my eyes. "I reckon you can remain respectful, or you can go to the barn with Eli. Yes?"
The words land harder than I expect.
Cole Maddox. Of all people.
I swallow. I don't trust myself to speak.
So I nod.
Cole's mouth curves faintly, that polite, practiced expression still in place, and I hate how easily he wears it.
I take a step farther into the room and wait to hear what he's come to say.
The office still smells faintly like my dad. Old leather. Paper. The clean, dry edge of aftershave that no amount of time has ever fully erased. I stand just inside the door, hands folded tight in front of me, as Cole settles deeper into the chair across from dad's desk.
He rests his hat on his knee, posture relaxed, respectful. It's unsettling how easily he fits in the room.
"I'll keep this simple," Cole says. "Clark Ranch is carrying more weight than it should be. Feed costs, labor, repairs, auction schedules. Things are tight. Tighter than you let on."
Mae doesn't respond. Just watches him, eyes steady.
"I'm not here to make that worse," he continues. "I'm here to offer breathing room."
My spine stiffens.
"By buying us," I say. "You mean taking what isn't yours."
Cole's gaze slides to me, mild and measured. "I prefer to think of it as investing, Hazel. Keeping Clark Ranch in the family—with outside support."
Mae lifts a hand. "Hazel."
I fall silent, chest too tight to breathe.
Cole continues. "I'm offering to purchase a majority stake. You keep running it. You keep the Clark legacy intact. The name stays on the gate. I take on the financial risk."
"And what do you get?" Mae asks.
"A return," he says easily. "And a say. Nothing unreasonable."
I stare at him. "You think owning half of my family's ranch is nothing unreasonable?"
"Mae's the one carrying the weight," he says simply. "I'm here to help lighten that load."
The words hit harder than I expect. He doesn't raise his voice. Just lets the truth sit there, sharp and clean.
Mae hasn't moved. Her hands rest on the desk, fingers laced. Thinking. Weighing.
