Page 2 of Wild As Her

He shakes his head and stands, guiding me to the door. “I’m sorry, but we have run out of time.”

“Who is the buyer?” I ask frantically, searching his face as it hits me that this might really be it. It’s over. He knows the fate of my ranch and what will become of it.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to share the details at this time,” he replies firmly.

I clear my throat, hold my head high, and try not to cry as I turn and walk out, not bothering to say anything more. He was never going to hear me out or give my plan a chance.

I have to figure something out. Because no one is coming to save me. I won’t just give up my family’s ranch. I’m going to figure this out. Just like I always do.

How? No clue. Maybe there’s a Hail Mary pass out there somewhere. I rack my brain, trying to think quickly of another idea to present to him. There has to be something.

Teresa, my mom, already moved to town, leaving me to deal with the fallout. Her grand plan was to just give the ranch to the bank after she sold off whatever she could. Ollie, my brother, I love him, but he’s out, too. For them, the ranch holds weighted memories that haunt them. For me, it holds a possibility for future memories. Good memories. And ones with my grandparents I refuse to give up.

I can’t blame Ollie. He helped out as much as he could. He’s a full-time firefighter here in Bridger Falls, and even he couldn’t fix what he didn’t break. I get it. It’s not their dream. It’s mine.

My mom is a full-time nurse at Bridger Falls Memorial Hospital and has been all my life. I’m still so angry at her about all of this. She could have told me that the ranch was circling the drain before it was too late, but she didn’t. She continued to take the money that I gave her to help the ranch, never paying any bills like she said she would. When she ran out of time, she just packed up her stuff, leaving me to deal with the fallout.

This was her parent’s ranch. She was raised here. After my grandparents passed away, my dad turned our world upside down in that house. He did his best to strip away every good memory he could of the ranch and our childhood. Broke everything he could, including us. Then, he did the best thing he could have ever done: he left. But really, it’s only a matter of time before he’s back again. And my mom will give him chance after chance, despite the chaos he’s caused.

I glance back to Satan in a suit aka Atwood who smiles at me as if he won, raising his hand and waving at me. I walk out ofthe bank with my head held high. Screw that guy. Good luck getting your coffee somewhere else, pal.Asshole.

I’m not ready to go home, so I head to my coffee trailer, an old Airstream I gutted and turned into Steamy Sips. A local artist painted the name in big, swooping letters with my logo on the side, and every time I see it, I feel a flicker of pride. It might not be much, but it’s mine. I source my beans from a roaster a few towns over, and if you ask anyone in Bridger Falls, they’ll tell you, I serve the best damn coffee around.

I park my beat-up red truck behind it, unlock the door, and slip inside. The second it closes behind me, I lose it. Full-blown, ugly cry. I wish it helped. It doesn’t.

Once I’ve cried myself out, I rage-clean the already spotless trailer, wiping down counters that don’t need wiping, restocking cups that don’t need restocking. Anything to feel like I’m doingsomething.

Because if I stop moving, if I let myself sit still, I’ll unravel. And I don’t have time to fall apart. Not when the ranch is slipping through my fingers.

Not when everything I’ve ever loved is on the line.

Chapter 2

Cami

Better Man by Little Big Town

After I pull myself together, I head to the Black Dog Saloon, the local watering hole with good food, drinks, and people. I take a deep breath, sighing as I lean back in my seat and struggle to find the energy to get out of the truck after all my crying.

When I finally make it in, I slide onto my favorite stool at the end of the bar.

Cash, the bartender, slides a soda in front of me. “Rough day?”

“You could say that,” I say as I nod in gratitude at the drink.

“Well, I hope your day gets better, Cami. I sure hate to see you down.” Cash smiles and heads off to help another customer.

Cash and his wife Codi are amazing people and have become great friends of mine. And that new little baby boy of theirs is just the sweetest.

I stare into my glass, watching the carbonation when JackJessop slides onto the stool beside me. His familiar scent of pine and leather envelops me. I close my eyes. He smells so damn good. Why does he smell so good?

And of course, this day ends with the cherry on the top with Jack here. It seems he’s always around these days. He’s best friends with my brother, so that doesn’t help. And his ranch is next to mine, and he always seems to find a way to join me on my morning rides with my horse. So, I guess it’s fitting he’s here in my space. It’s not just that he’s always there, it’s that he constantly teases and taunts me that irks me. He loves to get under my skin. And sometimes he does that by simply existing. He looks and smells amazing, and boy does he know it. His arrogance drives me crazy.

“Cami,” he says softly as he looks over at me and gives me a smile. “I like your dress.”

“Thanks, I dressed up to look like you,” I affirm, not bothering to look back at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he tilts his head, amused.

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