Page 60 of Red Hot Rancher

“I’ve gotta go.” Caleb paused before he got up. “But thanks for the talk. I mean it.”

He hoped they didn’t think he was brushing them off and walking out in a huff, but he didn’t wait around to see. He had emails to send.

On the way to Justin’s, he formulated his plans. Once he was settled in his room, he pulled up his email. The home builder got a message first, canceling the meeting. The next email was for the banker, spelling out what he wanted to do instead.

Sleep was restless, but he powered through the waking-up-alone part. He was a man on a mission.

He flew through his chores, then dusted himself off and drove to town, grateful for all that money he’d spent keeping his good truck running. Swinging into the bank’s parking lot, he found a spot. If it were any other banker, he probably would’ve gone home to change. But Dennis Gleason had worked with his family for years. Grandpa had sung the man’s praises, that he’d kept them from rolling under several times.

“Caleb,” Dennis greeted. “Come in.”

Caleb selected a chair across from the expansive desk. Pictures of Dennis’s kids and grandkids lined the walls and bookshelves. Even artwork from one of his grandkids hung behind his chair. Dennis was family man. He’d know how big of a decision this was for Caleb.

“I was quite surprised by your email.” Dennis sifted through some papers. “It’s a sudden shift to go from building a home to selling the entire ranch.”

“I assure you, it’s not a decision I made lightly.” Only impulsively.

“No, I can imagine.” A line formed across Dennis’s brow as he studied the forms in front of him. “I went back and pulled the information from the time your grandpa thought of selling.”

“Excuse me?” This was news to him. His grandparents had died in that place. They’d wanted to sell?

“Yeah. Gosh, it was years ago. You were a teenager. But we started the process. I have all the appraisals from then. They’ll be different now. Higher. Anyway.” Dennis pushed the forms across the desk. “They decided not to when you planned to stay in Moore. Keeping the ranch limping along wasn’t easy, but they wanted you to have something to your name, and a home if you ever needed it.”

He had needed it.

His grandparents had kept the place for him? They’d continued ranching for him when they could’ve sold and, hell, moved to motherfucking Arizona? Dennis was right. They had limped along. He’d taken what Grandpa had taught him and wasn’t doing much better. It was part of why his impulsive decision had made sense.

Now selling the ranch and chasing Brigit to Arizona was suddenly so complicated. So terribly complicated.

He was in possession of this very thing—a huge and major thing with a lot of cattle roaming on it—because his grandparents had worked and sacrificed for him.

How could he sell now that he knew that? They’d toiled for extra years, given up retirement, all so he could have more.

His chest burned as conflict raged inside. Was this what Brigit was feeling? So damn torn between everything her family had done for her and her own personal wants, which weren’t trivial but seemed so compared to all that had been given up for her?

Fuck.

But he wasn’t one to give up. “Dennis, I’ll get back to you.”

He was going to have to change his plans. He wasn’t leaving, and she wasn’t staying? Well, he could change that.

Chapter 17

“I hate all of this.” Brigit studied her parents’ reactions. Mom blinked at the sudden announcement. Dad folded his hands in front of himself. Call her a coward, but she’d waited until she had a ticket in hand and all her clothing packed before making her announcement.

It wasn’t like Mom or Dad would jump in her way, or unload her items as she stuffed them in, or refuse to give her a ride to the airport. But Brigit wasn’t working within her normal confines of being the good girl.

She continued. “The only good thing about this misadventure is that I got to hang out with you guys. But this isn’t me.” She slowly inhaled, lining steel up and down her spine. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you”—since they wouldn’t accept her money—“but it won’t be by living a life that I can’t stand. I gave up Caleb twice. Once because I thought it was what I wanted, and who knows, maybe that was true then.” But she was a stronger person now. “The second time because I thought I had to.”

Mom looked away, guilt reflecting in her features. Dad’s expression grew grimmer the longer she talked. And she wasn’t done talking.

“I’m not this girl. Growing up, I lived for racing through the pastures, but somewhere along the line, I convinced myself that kind of life wasn’t for me as an adult. Even though adult me sees my siblings and my cousins doing it. I don’t want a desk job. I want to use my education and expertise to help farmers and ranchers improve their processes and I want to continue building my expertise by doing it. I’m good at it.”

Mom cocked her head, but her look wasn’t challenging. “How?”

“I don’t know. I’ll apply to the Walker Five, or I’ll find someone who needs a hired hand and doesn’t balk at boobs. But the first thing I’m going to do is talk to Caleb.” Could she patch the rift between them? Her anger had faded, replaced by understanding. He was owed one outburst after ten years. He’d had so many reasons to tell her to fuck off, so she shouldn’t be startled when he finally had. “He makes me feel good about myself. I have fun with him. Real fun. That may sound insignificant, but I’ve been miserable for years. And I wouldn’t have been if I’d opened up and talked to Caleb and you two in the first place. But thanks to him, I’m comfortable enough with myself to do that now.”

He’d done so much for her. The unshakable Caleb had been hurt one too many times, and she’d been one of the ones wielding a knife.

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