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“Oh, you’re built for it, all right.” She waggled her eyebrows.

“I’m good with my hands. I could get a job at Morton’s.”

“You would hate having to wear an apron while helping customers find plungers.”

Sitting up, I looked her square in the eye. “Do you think I made a mistake?”

“I don’t know. Do you think being in Texas away from your family is what’s best for us right now?”

“My being unemployed isn’t best for us either.”

“You’re not unemployed. Ernest was calling your bluff. He didn’t think you’d stand up to him, but now he knows you’re not going to continue to go along to get along.”

“So, I should just show up tomorrow like nothing happened?”

“Yeah, if he wants you gone, he’s gonna have to say it with his full chest.”

“I wish you could’ve seen his face when I told him. Part of him wanted to strangle me, and the other part was shocked I was saying no.”

“I’m proud of you,” she said. “And your dad should be too. He raised you to be strong and make smart decisions, and that’s what you did.”

“Worse comes to worse, we’ll be all right. I’ve got money squirreled away.”

“And you have me. I’ll look after you while we figure shit out.”

“I’m sorry about this. This is the last thing I want to spend my energy on.” I kneaded her thigh, leaning into her neck. “I wanna be focused on this, being all tangled up with you, kissing every inch of your body.”

Dial drew in a breath when my lips connected with the delicate skin on her neck.

“That… I want to hear you make that sound over and over again.”

Next day, I showed up at the stables like Dial had suggested. I wasn’t going to abandon the horses or my responsibilities. My horses were like family to me. I’d been present for many of their births.

My dad was the face of the ranch, but behind the scenes, nothing moved without my input. Ernest would give a directive, and the staff would come to me to confirm how or whether to implement it. The fact that he just saw me as his son and not his second-in-command was insulting.

I was switching out hay from the stall when I heard, “Oz, you in here?” in Dad’s familiar, gruff voice.

“In the back here.” His voice had the effect it always did—my stomach knotted, my palms grew sweaty, and my mouth went dry.

“I heard Luna was ready for formal training.” He examined the near-pristine stalls with wood beams, skylights, and chandeliers.

“Yep, her third birthday was last week, so she is ready to join the program. She’s a gentle girl. I think she’ll do well.”

“Mmm, good.”

He wasn’t here about Luna, and I was ninety-nine percent certain he’d asked someone for Luna’s name and information. The ranch had grown so quickly that he didn’t know all our horses’ names, but I did because I loved each and every one.

“So, your momma said I couldn’t fire you.”

Moving a pail with feed, I said, “I could have told you that.”

“You’re mad at me. You think I’m a bad father.”

“I don’t. I just wish you could trust me for once.”

“Oz, I do trust you, and that’s why I’m so hard on you,” he said. “I see your potential. One day you’ll take this ranch further than I could ever imagine.”

“If that’s true, why do you treat me like an idiot who requires guardrails?”