Page 22 of Wild As Her

I reach into my pocket for some cash. I lay down enough plus a tip and swipe away the tears. I turn and can’t look at anyone as I walk out to my truck and get in the front seat. I set the paperwork down. Ollie follows me and climbs in next to me.

“What are you doing, Ollie?” I swipe away the tears and reach for the glove box for some napkins.

“I don’t think you should be driving like this,” he says as he looks at me worriedly. “Let me drive you home."

“I’ll be fine,” I say calmly. “I’m giving myself a minute, then I just want to go home. I still have a lot of baking to do tonight.”

Then it dawns on me that I won’t even have a kitchen to bake in much longer. I don’t know what I’m going to do or how I’m going to continue to keep Steamy Sips going if I don't have a place to bake. I shake my head and lean back in my seat.

“I’m going to follow you home,” he says as he gets out of the truck. “I’ll help you bake tonight. Do chores, whatever you need.”

“Thanks, Ollie,” I whisper, grateful to not be alone. I buckle in and start my truck. “See you at the house.”

He nods and heads to his truck. Ollie’s always been the best little brother I could have ever asked for. We’re only a little over a year apart in age, so we’ve always been close. Even though he and Jack are best friends. They weren’t always best friends, though.

When we were kids, our parents forbade us from being friends with the Jessops. But once we got older, there wasn’t much our parents could do. Our grandparents always loved the Jessop kids. But my parents and grandparents always had issues with Jack Sr.

I get home and change into comfy clothes and head downstairs to bake. My heart isn’t even in it. I feel numb.

Ollie dries his hands and says, “The chores are done. What can I help with? Are you hungry? You didn’t eat your food.”

“I can’t eat,” I mumble, blinking through hot tears on my face. “I still have to go through these papers and see what we’re up against.”

“Okay, let’s get the baking started and then you can dig into that,” he offers.

We work side-by-side quietly, and I tell Ollie about the cookbook I’ve pitched to an editor. I told him about thebeautiful pictures of the garden and the homemade recipes I wanted to share with the world.

“It can’t end here, Ollie. It can’t. I’m not done yet. I have so many dreams,” I say softly.

“It’s not over. Whatever happens, those are your ideas. You can still do anything that you want to do.”

“Why don’t you care about the ranch?” I ask, emotions filling me.

He slides a pan into the oven and turns to me. “This place just isn’t where my heart is. I know it’s where yours is, and that’s okay. But for me, this place holds memories that make me sad.”

“I’m sorry, Ol.”

“Yeah, me too,” he says wistfully.

When Ollie heads out to check on Mouse, I look around at all my fresh herbs hanging from the window. I think of all the beautiful recipes I’ve created in this kitchen. And my dreams for the future of creating a bed-and-breakfast, writing a farm-to-table cookbook, and turning this place into a somewhere families could enjoy a vacation and have beautiful experiences are now just dreams.

Sitting down to flip through the file Mom gave me, nothing in these papers makes any sense to me. A trust bought the ranch. I google the name, but there’s no information listed. It’s completely private.

And I’m officially screwed.

Chapter 7

Jack

Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma by Luke Combs

Isaddle up and head out before any of the wranglers make it out to the barn. Which isn’t saying much because they haven’t been working that hard, anyway. Tucker and I have been picking up the slack, and let me tell you, things are going to be changing around here.

After I fired Jace and Anson, who both had misguided loyalty, there’s been dissension in the ranks. Apparently, it’s gotten so bad that Tessa, one of the seasoned wranglers, has asked me to meet with them. Tessa’s been around since my mother died when I was ten. She’s been like a mother to me and my brothers and sister. We love her and couldn’t imagine this ranch without her. She has always said that she could never leave us kids or the ranch.

I ride the fence line and swear when I see a whole row down. I slid off my horse and inspect it. It was purposely cut.

“Damn it!” I say as I pull out my phone and call Tessa.

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