Luke’s gaze shifts between us, calm but sharp, like he’s weighing both sides before he steps in. “It’s not about whether it makes sense,” he says carefully. “It’s about timing, resources, and what it does to everything else we’ve already got going.”
“And what happens if we don’t?” I counter, gesturing toward the box still sitting open on the table. “We just leave that out there? Pretend it’s not tied to something bigger? Hope it doesn’t come back on us?”
That lands, heavy and unavoidable, and I see it in the way Brooks’ jaw tightens slightly, in the way Wade’s attention snaps back to the box like he’s seeing it differently now.
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Brooks replies, steady but firmer now. “I’m saying we don’t make a move this big without knowing exactly what we’re stepping into. Especially if this is connected to someone like Colt.”
“It’s already connected,” I say, not raising my voice but not softening it either. “Whether we act on it or not doesn’t change that. It just decides whether we’re ready for it when it comes.”
Silence stretches out again, thicker this time, not just about the house or the land, but about what this could turn into if we’re right.
Wade lets out a low breath. “And the will?” he presses. “You’re asking all of us to sign off on something we didn’t plan for, something that shifts how this place runs, and you want it now, not six months from now when we’ve got a clearer picture.”
“I’m not asking,” I say, meeting his gaze straight on, that’s the truth whether it sits right or not. “I’m telling you this is the direction I’m going, and I need you with me on it.”
That pulls a reaction.
Not anger, not yet, but something close, something that sparks in Wade first before Brooks reins it in with a look. Luke steps forward just enough to keep it from tipping too far.
“Easy,” Luke says, his tone calm but firm. “We’re not fighting each other on this.”
“I’m not fighting,” I answer, dragging a hand through my hair, trying to keep the edge from turning into something else. “I’m making a call based on what’s in front of us. I’m not going to sit on it just because it doesn’t line up with the timeline we had in our heads.”
Brooks studies me for a long second, longer than he needs to if this were just about numbers or logistics, and I can see it in his eyes when he makes the shift, when he stops looking at this like a business decision and starts looking at it for what it actually is.
Something bigger.
“Alright,” he says finally, slow and deliberate. “Then we do it the right way. We look at everything, we plan it out, and we move forward together.”
Wade huffs out a breath, not fully convinced but not walking away either. “You’re serious about this,” he mutters.
“Yeah,” I say, steady as I’ve been all day. “I am. This ranch is making good money now thanks to Brooks.”
Luke nods once, like that settles it enough for now. “Then we start figuring it out tonight,” he says. “All of it. The land, the build, and whatever that box is tied to.”
I glance down at it again, the unease from earlier settling back in where it hasn’t really left, and I nod once.
Because one way or another…
Everything just got tied together.
And there’s no backing out of it now.
The decision doesn’t explode into anything dramatic after that, it settles in the way most things do between us, with a few looks exchanged, a couple of quiet recalculations. An understanding that none of us are walking away from what’s in front of us even if we’d rather have more time to figure it out.
Brooks is the first to move it forward in a real way, pushing the box closed with a careful hand before setting it aside like he’s already filed it under problems we’re going to solve, not ignore. “We do this the smart way,” he says, his tone steady but firm. “We don’t rush the build just because it feels urgent, andwe don’t ignore the possibility that whoever put that out there might be watching how we respond.”
“I’m not rushing it,” I answer, even though there’s still a part of me that wants to put a foundation in the ground tomorrow just to claim the space. “I’m moving on it.”
“There’s a difference,” Luke adds, stepping in closer, his voice calm but grounded in a way that keeps everything from tipping back into tension. “We can start clearing, lining up permits, getting materials in place, but we’re not cutting corners, and we’re not making ourselves vulnerable while we do it.”
Wade folds his arms, looking between us like he’s still not thrilled with the timing but isn’t willing to fight it outright anymore. “So we’re all just agreeing this is happening,” he says, more of a statement than a question.
“We’re agreeing we’re not leaving that land exposed,” Brooks corrects, his gaze steady. “And if building out there is the way we lock it down and stay ahead of whatever this is, then yeah, we move on it.”
Wade exhales through his nose, the last of the resistance easing out of his posture. There’s something else there too, something tighter, more personal than just land or timing. “Fine,” he mutters. “But I want eyes on that place until something’s in the ground. Not just plans on paper. Last time something felt off around here, I ignored it, and we all know how that ended.”
His jaw tightens slightly, and he doesn’t need to say more for all of us to know exactly what he’s talking about, the trouble he had before, the way things spiraled faster than any of us expected.
