Page 11 of Ropers Can't Tie Knots
“Yes. If you want me to ask a friend for another opinion, I can, but most of the wording in this will is all garbage. I suspect it was drafted that way on purpose to hope you didn’t figure it out. Maybe even give up on it.”
He grabs the edge of a serving cabinet and, still shirtless, I notice all the muscles in his back tense as he hangs his head.
“Thank you, Gabe. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for a while.”
“Of course. I’ll just grab a glass of water and head to my room.”
He’s still like that when I head upstairs, and while I wish I could comfort him, I feel like it’s the wrong thing to do right now. Maybe another day he’d be open for it, but right now, Hunter Burke has a lot to process.
And I wish I could help.
Instead, I close my bedroom door softly and hope tomorrow is a better day for both of us.
four
Hunter
No way in fuck do I want to be married.
It’s not that I don’t believe Gabe. He wouldn’t just make shit up like that, but why would my grandfather do this?
After Gabe closed his door behind him, I broke down for the first time since my grandmother died. I’m so fucking tired of holding it all in and pretending I don’t care. Tears of anger and loss for something I never had flowed freely. My heart, already ripped and jagged at the hands of my grandfather, finally fell apart. I care too much, and I can’t just turn it off.
Grabbing tissues from a box in the living room, I wiped my face and sagged onto the sofa.
It’s not even about the money. Yes, it would help, and while it’s his wealth and he can leave it to whoever he wants, I poured almost thirty years of my life into this ranch. I worked harder than any hired help, and my pay was laughable, but I stayed first out of obligation. Like I owed it to my father to be better for the man who shunned him.
But I also stayed because there was a time I worshipped Jeremiah Burke. He loved me once when I was a child, and I so desperately wanted that man back. The warm hugs and the walks in the barn, talking about horses and ranch life. I wanted to be like him then.
Family was something everyone I knew had, and I craved it. I wanted to be the one he could count on, and I just wanted him to see me. Really see that I was capable. To be proud of his grandson again and flash his smile my way. For just one short,‘good job, Hunter.’
It never happened.
I was foolish to live in a world where I hoped he’d change, but I suppose I’m just as thick as the lawyers who made the will thought I was.
When the tears finally stop flowing, I head up to my bedroom.
Sleep won’t make the problem go away, but it will help me forget about it for a while.
“Here you go, handsome.” Diamond sets my cheesecake down on the table with my coffee. “I gave you extra chocolate sauce. It looks like you could use some happiness.”
“Thanks, Diamond.”
I force a smile, and he pats my shoulder with a friendly squeeze before he returns to the front counter. His long legs eat up the distance as he crosses the room, and I admire not just his legs, but how he’s turned his place into a unique business that all the cowboys flock to.
With the uniform of cut-off shorts and cowboy boots—but only if his staff are comfortable wearing them—The Thirsty Cow’s brand of playful sex appeal, alongside coffee and amazing hand-crafted desserts, draws people in like nothing else. Diamond isn’t just another pretty face. He’s smart as hell.
“Hey…sorry I’m late.” Jackson plops into the chair across from me and pats his messy hair. “I thought I had a ball cap in the truck, and now I’m…yeah. I’m late.”
Jackson is usually calm and mostly put together, but it takes me less than three seconds to bark a laugh when I figure out why he’s late.
“You, ah, missed a few buttons there, Jack. Next time, just wear a T-shirt if you’re getting lucky with a deadline.” I touch the side of my neck. “Also…he left a mark.”
Jackson groans and runs a hand down his face. “It’s just…he was…and then —”
“Donotexplain it. It’s fine. You made me laugh, at least.”
Diamond stops next to us and sets a coffee in front of Jackson with a smirk. “If I was a betting man, I’d say you haven’t had breakfast yet either. I have scones coming out of the oven in ten. I’ll drop a few over right away. They go great with cheesecake.”
