Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 112903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
I can smell the earthy scent of the Colorado River above the even earthier odors of the herd. Cows low. My horse nickers, but he otherwise ignores the way Sawyer’s mare flicks him with her tail.
I know this land better than anyone. I was born here, and I always assumed I’d die here too.
Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. Doesn’t really matter anymore though. ’Cause as long as I do right by Sally, I’m gonna die a happy man.
I’ll miss Texas like crazy. I’ll always miss my family. But that’s what planes are for, right?
I clear my throat, squinting against the growing light. “Think y’all could get by around here without me?”
Silence.
My heart drums in my throat as my brothers stare at me, wide-eyed looks on their faces.
“That mean what I think it does?” Cash asks at last.
I dip my head. “I’m moving to New York with Sally. That’s only if she’ll let me, of course—”
“She’s gonna let you.” Sawyer reaches over and claps a hand on my shoulder. “I’m so fucking happy for you, Wy.”
“But really, is Sally pregnant?” Cash asks.
I laugh. “No, she’s not pregnant. She wants to be, then, yeah, I’m more’n happy to make that happen. But that’s not why we’re moving in together. And moving together. Hopefully moving together. I wanna do things right.” I glance at Cash. “Which is why I wanted to talk to y’all first. Our family, this ranch—you’re my world. I don’t want—” Christ, I’m gonna cry. “I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t have to. But I gotta follow my girl, you know? I gotta help her make her dreams come true because, well, Sally is my dream.”
Sawyer squeezes my shoulder. “Then you gotta follow your girl.”
“We have so much going on here.” I gesture to our left, where a construction site is just visible. That’s Mollie’s new studio going up, along with part of the road that will eventually link the former Luck Ranch with the Rivers Ranch. “I understand that this is a terrible time for me to duck out—”
“But you do what you have to do.” Cash’s tone is kind, which makes the tears fall faster. “I understand.”
Wiping my eyes, I sniffle. “You mean that?”
It suddenly seems silly to me that I ever expected this conversation to go any other way. Of course my brothers are going to support me. Even Cash. If anyone has learned about the power and the importance of love, it’s him.
“Yeah, I mean that. I know making this decision couldn’t have been easy for you.”
“It wasn’t.” I straighten in the saddle. “At the same time, it was the easiest decision I’ve ever made. Do I wish Sally and I could be together here in Hartsville? Hell yeah, I do. But that’s not the hand we’ve been dealt, so I gotta play the cards we do have the best I can.”
Sawyer’s lips twitch. “You would make that metaphor.”
“You would fall right the fuck off that horse if I pushed you.”
His eyes glimmer. “I dare you.”
“Sally’ll fix him right up,” Ryder says.
I nod. “She does have a way with a drill.”
“That’s not funny,” Sawyer replies.
Duke guffaws. “It kinda is though.”
“You haven’t told her any of this? Sally?” Cash asks, one eye shut against the sun.
“I haven’t. Kinda want to make it a big thing. Wear an I Love New York shirt or something. Really show her I’m serious about being there for her, that I’m excited to support her. Had to get y’all’s blessing first, though, because I know this is a decision that affects all of us. I know she’s gonna want to see that y’all will get along just fine without me.”
Cash sniffles.
My turn to stare.
“Yeah, I’m gonna miss your ass.” He lifts his shoulder and uses it to wipe his nose. “I’m also happy for you. Really fucking happy, Wy. Mom…you know she’s celebrating up in heaven, right? Just yelling at the top of her lungs, Fucking finally!”
I’m laughing and I’m crying, and so are all my brothers. Conversations about my parents have always made me feel a gut punch of grief. And the grief is still there. But I also feel…a little more at peace now than I did in the past. Like deep down, I know that while I might miss Mom like crazy, talking about her isn’t going to kill me.
The grief is not going to kill me.
“I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately.” I reach for my rope when a steer starts to stray from the herd. Drop my hand when he gets back in line on his own. “She and Dad had to make a lot of sacrifices. Not just for us, but for each other too. Dad inherited this huge ranch, and I’m not sure Mom ever pictured herself becoming a rancher too. But she did it because she loved him. He made it work because he loved her. And they were happy. At least I think they were happy, from what I remember anyway.”