Page 123 of Thaw My Heart

His quietness is starting to scare me.

“Do you doubt that I can manage all of this?” From our last conversation, he said he trusted me. Did he change his mind? Sure, I have my doubts about living up to his expectations, but Cole has seemed so sure since the day he asked me to sign those papers. “If you’ve changed your mind⁠—”

“Of course, not,” he says quickly, and I exhale in relief. “You know… you have always been like a son to Annie and me.” A warm smile reaches my lips. “I miss your mother every day, but I’m so thankful we got to keep you.”

Every summer vacation, I spent my time at this ranch. Riding horses, working in the fields, fixing broken fences, and taking care of other odds and ends around the ranch. Discovering how skilled I was with my hands. When my mother passed away, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I can still remember the day I officially moved in. The way it smelled of leather and horsehair, how big and rustic it all felt to me. It was a very different place from our small city apartment in Aspen Hollow.

For the longest time, it was always just my mom and me. Until I came to the ranch and gained a dad, a mom, and an older brother. Back then, Cash was my best friend. He was so excited about having me here, but as the years went on, I outshone him in all of the things he was supposed to do. He was supposed to follow in Cole’s footsteps, but his hands weren’t made to crack and bleed. His back couldn’t carry the same weight, and over time, it came between us.

He hated me for it.

“I think Cash would’ve preferred if I’d stayed someplace else,” I murmur.

I expect Cole to laugh at my joke, but he just stares at the horizon with a tight expression. “I know I have my faults, but I really did try to be a good father to Cash.”

“You are a good father to Cash,” I correct him. He’d given him everything, but it was never enough. And maybe that’s the problem. However, Cash never fit the ranch lifestyle, and in my opinion, he never tried to.

“He was such a good kid… I thought he would take my place someday.” He pauses, shaking his head. “But he was born different. No matter how hard I tried over the years, he was never going to be who I needed him to be.”

My phone vibrates in my pocket, lighting up with Ryker’s name when I pull it out to check.

“But the day you were born,” his eyes light up, “When your trash bag father didn’t show up, I’d already claimed you. Convinced Elena to give you the Harlow name. Hell, I begged her to bring you around as much as she could. I knew you were special.” His deep blue eyes meet mine. “Your birth felt like a second chance.”

Tears fill my eyes. My phone vibrates again, but I push the button, making it stop.

“You were my sister’s son. I already knew you’d be the man I was looking for, and it turns out, you thrived here. Ever since you were a boy, I’ve been…” he pauses, thinking of the words, “Steering you in the right direction.”

I nearly laugh, feeling my phone buzzing again. Non-stop for the last few minutes.

Damnit, Ryker. Give it a rest.

“You were always meant to take my place, Kit,” Cole continues. “Since the summer you turned eighteen, when I signed it in my will. Making it official that if anything were to happen to me, all of this,” he gestures to the frozen wilds around us. “Would be yours.”

No wonder Cash acted the way he did during our last conversation. Legally, the ranch should’ve gone to him, given that he’s Cole’s heir… but Cole had chosen me a long time ago, and I never knew.

This whole time, it was always going to be me.

“How long has Cash known about this?”

Cole rolls his shoulders, letting out an exhale. “Since the day he left for New York. He wasn’t too happy when he found out. Admitted that he had no reason to stay. It damn near broke Annie’s heart. She’s still sore at me for telling him, but I couldn’t lie any longer.” He meets my eyes. “I know you had other dreams, but you belong here, Kit. I’ve always believed in you.”

Like the feeling of sunlight breaking through the clouds on a cold day, his words wash over me, warming me in the rays. It’s the same words I’d said to Sadie last night, that she belonged here. And the truth that’s becoming clearer as each day passes is that I think we both belong here.

“But if you truly don’t want it⁠—”

“I do,” I smile at him with glassy eyes. “Though I can’t promise I can live up to your legacy, but⁠—”

“You’ll do better than me. I know you will,” he smiles.

My phone buzzes again.

What a way to ruin a moment.

Frustration ripples through my veins as I reach for my phone. “One second,” I say to Cole before answering it. “Ryker, what—” But before I get out the words to antagonize him, the mention of Sadie’s name draws me up short.

He babbles on about something not feeling right. About Sadie with another guy, pushed up against a black sports car… “What?” I blink.

“Does Sadie have a husband?” Ryker asks.