Page 51 of Red Hot Rancher

“It’s been a few months now,” Jesse said. The guy refused Caleb’s money so all he could do was buy as many drinks—Sprite in Jesse’s case—and meals as he could. Jesse reached for a slice of the pizza they were splitting. “You and Brigit must be pretty serious.”

“Yeah, you’d think.” One of them was serious. He was afraid the other was biding her time.

“It’s February and you two still seem to be a thing.”

Caleb could rattle off the exact date Brigit had moved in, but that’d just look pathetic. “She’s heading to Phoenix for a job interview. Research market analyst. Market research analyst? Whatever.”

“Sounds exciting.” Jesse leveled him with a stare. He didn’t have to push to get Caleb talking. It wasn’t like he could go to Justin with these issues. He probably could, but Justin had ninety-nine problems. Caleb wasn’t going to be one of them.

“I’ve offered her my ranch, told her she could live with me. But she wants a job.”

“You proposed?” Thankfully, Jesse kept his voice down. There might not be a lot of people here, but it only took one with acute hearing to spread rumors that’d send Brigit running.

“No, I didn’t propose. I just…tossed the option out there.” He’d offered himself up as a possibility for her future. And she’d said they should go eat.

At least she wasn’t leading him on and making promises she didn’t plan to keep. Nope. She was applying out of state.

As if sensing that this discussion wasn’t the most uplifting, Jesse switched topics. “Farah’s dad gave you the award for best Christmas present ever.”

His mood lifted. Or he could pretend it did. “He liked the deer sausage?”

“Loved it. He hasn’t gone hunting since before Corinne’s stroke.”

His phone buzzed. The usual spike of excitement hit. Was it Brigit? He’d had to work yesterday when she’d flown out, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d planned it that way. A little awkward to ask your boyfriend for a ride to the airport for a job that’d probably tank the relationship. But whatever.

But when he saw the caller, his heart sank. Shit. “I’ll be right back.”

Jesse nodded as Caleb rose and answered, “What’s up, Mom?”

“Where are you?”

Hello to you too. “I’m in Moore.”

She cackled, the years of smoking obvious. “Smart-ass. Where at in town? I’ll swing by and see you.”

Mom was in town? Thanksgiving and Christmas had come and gone without so much as a text or email. She probably didn’t realize Valentine’s Day was next week. “Just you or is—”

“Fuck, no. I dumped his ass, but Randall’s with me and I want to show him the farm.”

“Who?” Dumped Russ’s ass? But Russ had been the one constant in Mom’s life. The guy had been halfway decent to Caleb. He’d been the one to drag Mom to his high school graduation on time. And he’d answered his phone when Mom had lost or refused to answer her own. “What happened between you and Russ?”

“It doesn’t matter now. You’ll like Randall. He’s a cowboy too.”

Right. There was a difference between a guy who called himself a cowboy and a guy who actually worked the land and animals for a living. Those weren’t the types of guys Mom was attracted to though. She gravitated toward the men who might wear the boots, even the hat, but preferred hanging out in a bar for a living.

“I’m off tomorrow. I can take you both out and show you around.”

“Psst. Caleb, I can still find my home.”

But it’s not yours. And there’s not a home there right now. “I don’t want you around there at night. It’s too easy to get hurt.”

“Caleb, I’m an adult and your mother, and that is my home. If I wanna take Randall there and show him around, I’m gonna do it.”

His grandparents had made sure the land, the house, the finances—all of it was in his name and his name only. They loved Mom, but they’d had the foresight and the fortitude to make sure she couldn’t interfere with Caleb’s future any more than she had. As for the ranch? Mom didn’t give two shits about the cattle or how to keep them alive.

Arguing with Mom was pointless. She didn’t see her own faults. Everyone else was to blame.

“If you’re going out tonight, I can meet you there.” And make sure you don’t plow down a fence taking a wrong turn into an approach. “Where are you staying in town?”

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