AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why did you hit that reporter after your concert, Anson?” my father asked.
“I had a restraining order to keep him off any property owned by the family here in Comfort. He showed up at the concert hall and asked me about Bristol. He had just come from Comfort and had confronted Grams and Bristol on Grams’ porch.”
“So instead of telling him he broke the law, you punched him?”
“Yes, Sir, I did.”
He nodded.
“Always were a hothead.”
It was my turn to nod. “I guess so, Sir.”
“So you slinked back here to hide?”
I looked up at him. “I’m not hiding from anyone.”
“Is that so?”
Anger pulsed through my veins. I turned and watched the young foal.
“Nick will fix the fence tomorrow.”
“I can…”
He turned and looked down at me. “I don’t need or want your help, Anson. You walked away from this ranch. Six years ago. You didn’t want anything to do with it. Nick will fix the fence. I didn’t want to cause a scene in there.”
I pushed off the fence. “What else does this Nick do on the ranch, Dad?”
When he glared down at me, I had the urge to flee, but I stood my ground.
“What you were supposed to be doing before you ran off to be a superstar.”
“You never even gave me a chance. I wasn’t walking away from the ranch forever, Dad. I had my own dreams. Shouldn’t I have been allowed to follow them? I could have come back and worked the ranch. But all those years you made it clear I wasn’t welcome home.”
He turned and then jumped down. When he stepped toward me, I fought the urge to step back.
“You don’t get to show up back here and act like everything is okay. You haven’t been around the last six years, Anson. This wasn’t your ranch to worry about then, and it sure as shit ain’t your worry now.”
“What are you saying, Dad?”
“I’m saying you don’t get to come back and claim something that’s not yours.”
I wanted to laugh. “You think I’m only interested in the ranch?”
“It’s worth a pretty penny now.”
“I don’t give a fuck if it’s worth ten million—I could write you a check for that on the spot right now and not fucking blink twice, Dad. I’m not interested in money.”
He scoffed and started to walk toward the house.
“Tell your grandmother and grandfather we won’t be over for dinner tonight…neither will Nick,” he said.
I nearly stumbled back. The pain in my chest damn near left me breathless.
I laughed in utter shock when reality hit me.
My father slowed and turned around, a hard stare on his face. “Something funny?”
“This Nick, he’s my replacement?”
For a moment he looked stunned, then confused. Then he looked downright pissed off.
“If you don’t want me here, say the word and I’ll leave and never set foot on this ranch again. But you need to be man enough to tell me that to my face, Dad.”
“Anson!”
My mother’s voice sounded panicked. I wasn’t sure when she’d walked up.
When my father didn’t say anything, I felt the back of my eyes sting.
“Right. I guess it was pretty fucking foolish of me to think you’d let me explain my side of things.”
I quickly walked away as I heard my mother call out after me.
“Anson! Anson, don’t go. Wait.”
By the time I got to granddad’s truck, my mother caught up with me.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving, Mom. It’s clear he doesn’t want me here.”
“That’s not true. What happened?”
I caught a glimpse of Nick walking to the barn. He glanced at me and then at Dad. He looked confused.
“Is this Nick guy in Dad’s books?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is he handling any of the finances?”
“Well, he handles some, yes. He’s the foreman of the ranch. Your father thinks highly of…”
Her voice trailed off. Then tears filled her eyes. “No, Anson Michael, you get that thought out of your head right now. Your father and I both trust Nick.”
I shook my head and pushed away the feeling of regret. “I’d have come back, Mama. I would have helped him with the ranch. I wanted to help him with the ranch. I only wanted a few years for myself. That’s all I asked for.”
“Sweetheart, he doesn’t understand that. You just left without even saying goodbye to us. To Bristol, to your grandparents. You left.”
“And he won’t let me explain it all to him now!” I shouted.
My mother glanced back at the house. “Give him some time.”
“Time? If six years hasn’t cooled him off, I don’t think a few weeks will make a difference.”
Nick walked back out carrying a bucket of feed.
I jerked my head in his direction. “It’s nice to know I was so easily replaced by everyone. First Bristol and Josh, and now this.”
“Anson Meyer, jealousy does not become you, and in this case, it’s not warranted.”
