Because he was a damn good horse.
Cash pulled up with the fencing truck, the blue Ford we kept stocked with a pile of steel fence posts and a roll of barbed wire. On a thirteen-thousand-acre ranch there was always fencing to do.
“Lead the way.” He waved toward the two-wheel path that would take us to the south part of the ranch.
I mounted Jigsaw and clicked my tongue to walk away from the stables. When we hit grass, I gave him his head and let him go, our pace starting as an easy lope until he was galloping through the meadow.
My heart raced as the air whipped in my face. As he picked up speed, my muscles contracted, my core engaging and my thighs warming. I gave Jigsaw another nudge, letting him break to full throttle.
We were both panting when we hit the tree line. I slowed him down and turned, seeing Cash a way back, the truck bouncing through the middle of the field.
“Good boy.” I patted Jigsaw’s neck, his hide sweating. Then I wiped my own sweaty brow with my shirtsleeve.
The lodge stood tall and proud in the distance. I didn’t spend much time there during the day—it had never felt as much like my place as the barn or stables—but it was mine.
I’d be avoiding that building like the damn plague since Gemma was somewhere inside.
Her face, shocked and beautiful, was burned into my brain. Those pink lips looked as soft as I remembered. Her hair was longer now, hanging in artful waves to the middle of her back. Her eyes were that same mesmerizing hazel.
She’d grown into a stunning woman.
Exactly what I didn’t need on this ranch. I wasn’t sure how long she’d planned to stay, but I had enough to deal with on a good day, with the regular ranch and resort workload. We were gearing up to begin winter prep. There was firewood to cut. The cows would need to be brought down to the meadows from where they’d spent their summer grazing in the mountains.
It was not the time to have an old fling show up at my damn front door.
I’d done a fine job of forgetting Gemma Lane.
At least, I thought I’d forgotten her. The knee-jerk reaction and the fact that now I couldn’t stop thinking about her said otherwise.
She needed to go back to wherever she’d come from and remember that she didn’t belong here. Just like she hadn’t belonged here years ago. With any luck, her visit would end before sundown.
Cash pulled up with the truck and rolled down his window. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“You shot out of there like your heels were on fire.”
“Just wanted to give Jigsaw a chance to run.”
“Sure,” he deadpanned. “You know, before I came to the stables, I helped this hot brunette with a kickass car haul her suitcase into the lodge. She looked awfully familiar, and you’re in a lousier than normal mood today. She wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would she?”
I gritted my teeth. “No.”
He chuckled. “Whatever you say, brother.”
Luggage. Fuck. She was staying.
How did Cash even remember Gemma? When she’d worked here before, he’d been away at college in Idaho. He must have remembered her from a trip home for spring break.
Meanwhile, I’d been here when Gemma, Kat and their other friend had arrived, having just graduated from Montana State. I’d been twenty-two, educated and energized with ideas for taking this ranch to the next level.
It had taken me over a decade to implement some of those ideas. Others had died along the way.
“I want to get through this pasture today if we can,” I told Cash, needing to concentrate on work for a few hours. “Hopefully it’s not too bad.”
“Sounds good. I rode out here last week with Kat so she could try out that mare. I didn’t notice any wires down but we didn’t ride down the line.”
“Fingers crossed this won’t take more than a day. I’d like to get the yearlings in here next week.”
Cash’s forehead furrowed. “Dad said we were going to use this as the calving pasture this year and the yearlings were going north of the highway.”
“What? When?”
“Yesterday. Day before. I don’t know. I assumed he told you.”
“No,” I snapped. “He didn’t.”
And goddamn it, that wasn’t Dad’s decision to make. Not anymore.
He’d agreed to let me handle the land. I had a degree in rangeland management and another in animal science. This pasture didn’t have enough grass for all the pregnant cows, and we’d end up hauling hay. But it would be the perfect pasture to let the yearlings graze before we sold them in a few weeks.
“Son of a bitch.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger.” Cash held up his hands. “I thought it was your idea.”
No, it was not. Which meant I’d have to have another lengthy discussion—argument—with Dad this week. “Let’s get to work.”
Jigsaw didn’t need any prompting to walk easily along the barbed wire fence. He sauntered slowly so I could inspect each of the five wires and make sure none were too loose or broken. When we reached a section where a post had begun to lean and tug the wires out of alignment, I dismounted and set it to rights before continuing down the line.
Damn it to hell.
I was pissed at Granddad for being himself. I was frustrated that Dad would never let go, like his father. And I was angry that ten seconds with Gemma had me so twisted up that when I passed a downed wire, Cash had to holler at me to stop.
“What’s up with you?” he asked, getting out of the truck.
“Just got some shit on my mind.”
“Let’s hear it.”
I looked at my brother as he crossed his arms and leaned on the grill of the truck. He wasn’t going anywhere until I unloaded.
“I’m tired.” I sighed. “Tired of not being heard.” Tired of not feeling like I had some control over my own destiny.
“It’s just habit, East. They aren’t doing it to run you off, they just don’t know any better. I mean, look how long it took Granddad to let Dad run the show. You were—what?—a senior when he retired? I was a sophomore.”
“Maybe I should have taken over the resort when Grandma asked me to.”
“Dealing with guests all day? Pampering them? You would have hated that job. Besides, Katherine is perfect for it.”
She was exactly the right person for that job and everyone knew it, including me. Which was why no one challenged Katherine. When she had an idea, everyone was all ears.
Maybe that was because the resort side of the business had always been Grandma’s passion. When she had announced that she wanted to start a resort and was using five million dollars to build the lodge, Granddad had stayed quiet and smiled as she’d written the first check.
That was when the resort had been a hobby. A side gig. I always thought Granddad had believed in Grandma, but he hadn’t expected it to take off. He certainly hadn’t imagined it would ever be as successful as it was today.
The resort was pulling in more and more income each year, and Katherine had more freedom to run the business than I’d ever had managing the ranch. And I’d lived here my entire life.
“They listen to her,” I said. “Completely. It’s hard not to get jealous.”