Page 56 of All Night with the Cowboy
“You’re the first to hear of it, other than my attorney. What I need from you is your word that you’ll put this ranch first when I’m gone. I’m going to see my lawyer next week, put all my affairs in order, and I want you managing the ranch and overseeing all our property, as well as being my power of attorney. Cody can manage the finances and reinvestments and your sisters will keep their seats at the table, but I see you running the show. If that’s what you want to do, then the offer is there, son.” He placed a hand on Tanner’s shoulder, his bright blue eyes locked on his as he spoke. “There will come a time when you’ll need to decide between bull and bronc riding, and running the Ford dynasty, Tanner, and I need to know that you’re levelheaded enough to make that call when the time comes. I don’t need an answer now, but you’re going to have to chew it over and give me an answer sooner than later.”
Tanner didn’t hesitate. He held out his hand, clasping his father’s palm when he did the same. “I love what I do, and I was never going to stop because I was told to, but if this family needs me? If this ranch needs me? You can count on me, no questions asked. I’m proud of my namesake and I’ll never turn my back on what you’ve built here, and that’s a promise.”
His father pulled him in for a hug, a rare display of affection that took Tanner by surprise. He wrapped his arms around his dad and held him straight back, blinking away tears as he considered the thought of his father not being around for much longer. It didn’t seem so long ago that they’d all had to confront death when their mom had passed away, even though it was almost fifteen years ago.
“You know, your brother might have been the conventional success story,” Walter said, letting Tanner go and giving him another friendly slap on the back before stepping back and starting to walk again, “but you? You’ve made it on your own. You’ve earned millions doing something that gives you a buzz, and that’s no different to the way I feel doing property deals. I’m proud of you, son, and I want you to know that we’re not all that different. I should have told you years ago, but you know how I am sometimes.”
Tanner fell into step beside him, trying to stop his jaw from hitting the ground. It was the nicest thing his father had ever said to him, and the first time he’d ever heard the wordsI’m proud of you. He also got how hard it was to pay someone a genuine compliment or talk about feelings—maybe they weren’t so different after all.
All these years he’d been like an angry bull himself whenever anyone in his life had suggested he give up what he loved. Until now. He wasn’t giving up anytime soon, he was so damn determined to climb up again, clasp his fingers through the rigging and feel the buck of a bull beneath him, but when the time came, he knew he could walk away. If it meant stepping up and taking over the reins of the Ford family ranch and property portfolio, he’d do it. In a heartbeat.
“Don’t tell me that after all these years you’re going to admit to being the rebel in your own family?” Tanner asked, teasing his dad.
“You’d better believe it,” he said, rumbling with laughter and making Tanner crack up laughing too. “Your granddad wanted me to be some fancy attorney or doctor or something, wanted me to have the education he’d never been able to have, but that wasn’t for me. We all have to follow our own path, no matter what everyone else thinks.”
All these years of thinking they were at odds—it was a strange feeling seeing how similar their choices had been.
“Well, looks like we both picked the right path, huh?”
His old man laughed. “I guess so. Now tell me about Fiji. You think it’d be a good place for an old man to recover from cancer treatment? I kind of like the idea of taking a pretty nurse with me, and I’d get to see what it was like for you traveling with your gorgeous therapist.”
Tanner wasn’t ready for cancer jokes yet, not after just finding out, but he braved a smile for his father’s sake. It was nice to spend time with him like this, even if the circumstances weren’t exactly ideal.
“Fiji was amazing, I’d highly recommend it,” Tanner said. The part he wouldn’t recommend was hooking up with an old flame and driving yourself stark raving mad over her.
“So if it was so amazing, why are you working yourself to the bone out here with the boys? Why the hell aren’t you training and focusing on your recovery? And don’t give me some bullshit about wanting to do hard labor for no good goddamn reason.”
Damn, his father knew him too well. Better than he’d realized. He was about to open his mouth and give him some bullshit answer when the old man chuckled.
“She got you all hot under the collar, didn’t she? That old flame of yours?” He was still smiling to himself as he nudged his shoulder into Tanner’s. “Take some advice from an old man, would you? If she’s driving you this crazy, then do something about it. We don’t get enough time above ground as it is, and if I were your age again, I’d be making the most of it. What the hell have you got to lose?”
Tanner wasn’t going to have this conversation, not now, and he wasn’t going to explain why he was keeping as much distance as possible from Lauren. “Thanks for the advice, Dad.”
They headed for the house, walking side by side, Tanner glancing at his father every now and again. He hoped he wasn’t in pain, and he sure as hell hoped he’d tell Mia soon, because there was no way Tanner could keep this a secret from his little sister. She’d know straightaway that something was wrong and that he was hiding something from her.
***
Tanner lay in bed that night, his mind split between worrying for his dad and playing over his advice. What the hell was he doing pretending like he didn’t have feelings for Lauren? He’d never stopped having feelings for her—he’d just hated her for what had happened.
Maybe he should call her. What the hell was wrong with seeing if she’d come take a look at him? Maybe see if she could massage away some of his stiffness? Run him through some more exercises?
He groaned and shut his eyes.Or slip between hissheets and remind him just how much he wanted her skin against his.
Tanner reached for his phone and stared at it. He should text her. It was late but he could still send her a message and see if she’d come by the ranch. The season hadn’t started yet, she’d have time if she wanted to, and maybe seeing her on the ranch, on his home soil, would be the catalyst he needed to get her the hell out of his head.
He scrolled through his contacts then groaned as he realized he didn’t even have her number. Mia had been the one in contact with Lauren before their trip, and Tanner had never thought to ask her for it. They weren’t supposed to be hooking up once they were home, so there hadn’t seemed to be any point.
He looked her up on Facebook, clicked Friend Request then noticed she hadn’t posted a picture for almost two years. Clearly she wasn’t into social media—another thing they had in common. So he begrudgingly texted Mia instead, asking if she wouldn’t mind forwarding him Lauren’s contact info.
A text pinged back almost instantly.
Why do you need it? Are you in pain?
Tanner laughed to himself.Yes, he replied. Only it wasn’t his injuries that were causing him pain, not this time.
Hope you’re ok. I’ll forward the contact through in a sec.
He never fooled his sister, yet the one time he actually had something to hide she hadn’t even picked up on it. He lay back, trying to figure out what the hell it was about Lauren that drove him nuts. She was beautiful, but there were plenty of beautiful girls out there inthe world and none of them had ever made him feel like she did. Maybe it was their past, but there just seemed to be something about her, something that made him want to caress her cheek one moment and slam his fist into a wall in frustration the next.
