Page 145 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

This whole thing had left a bad taste in my mouth, and I felt like I needed a drink.

“What’s wrong?” Courtney asked.

I was good at business, but I didn’t love it. I loved horses and helping them. I loved not having to wear a suit every day. I loved being with Brooke. I held Courtney’s gaze as my mind whirled.

She wanted to be the head of Harris Inc. To me, it was a ball and chain tying me to a world that I could negotiate but that gave me little joy. To her, it was a dream come true.

Like my ranch was to me.

Why hadn’t we ever talked about this? We’d shared so many other things, but we’d never told one another what we really wanted.

I wanted out, and she wanted in. Our family didn’t have enough flexibility to put a woman in charge, which was ludicrous. She was the better choice for the job.

“What’s going through that devious mind of yours?” Courtney asked.

I reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder. “How would you like to be CEO of Harris Inc.?”

She frowned. “Pretty sure you can’t transfer that title.”

“Says who?” I smiled and jerked my head back toward the conference room. “You want this. This is your world. You were brilliant in there.”

“What are you going on about?” Her frown turned into a scowl.

“I’m talking about putting you in charge before I leave.”

Courtney blinked.

Now I had both of her shoulders. “Courtney, this is your dream, isn’t it?”

For a moment, she didn’t move.

“Tell me the truth,” I said.

She nodded.

“My dream is to raise horses, have a family, and live on a ranch.”

“It is?” she asked.

“It is.”

“With Brooke?”

“I hope so.”

Courtney’s lips slowly turned up into a smile. “Can you really put me in charge? The older generation won’t approve.”

“Greta will, and she’s got more sway with the family than almost anyone else.”

“True.”

“Father is in no position to argue at this point. He can retire and leave you in charge.”

Courtney’s expression fell. “He won’t.”

“He will.” I squeezed her shoulders. “If you want it, I’ll make sure it happens.”

My sister rarely cried, but now I saw tears glistening in her eyes, and after a moment, she threw her arms around me. “I want it more than anything.”

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