I finally find a clean button-up shirt in the closet and slip it over my arms. My back protests the stretch. Having only been home for two weeks, I’m still getting back into the routine of daily life on the ranch. Mucking stalls, scooping the field, and exercising a handful of horses every day is a lot afterspending a good chunk of my time sitting at a desk doing research and writing papers for the last four years.
But it’s good. It feels amazing to be back here. Home.
After closing the last button, I snatch the NDA off the dresser and head out.
“What the hell is going on?” Caleb yells as I rip down the stairs, taking them two at a time. It’s like he slipped right into Dad’s place, trying to keep us in order. But he’s not our father, and we’re all grown adults by now, so we mostly ignore him.
I skid into the kitchen, skipping over his question. “Where’s Shayla?”
One of his thick eyebrows stretches toward his hairline. “How should I know? None of you tell me anything anymore.”
He winces when I land a punch on his shoulder. “Excuse me? Aren’t you the one who neglected to tell the rest of us what was going on at the ranch? You can’t expect us to fall in line when you were the one keeping secrets.”
It still hurts. That he didn’t trust us, that he didn’t let us help. I kinda get it. He’s the oldest. He’s always been the responsible one. But we could have helped sooner if he’d let us.
Instead of an answer, he just gives me a few slow blinks, and then I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Much more sedate ones than mine. I spin around, waiting for my sister to appear.
She walks into the kitchen with a frown, brushing a strand of strawberry blonde hair that escaped the tight confines of her ponytail off her face. Shayla resemblesMom so much, sometimes it hurts to look at her, but I keep my smile bright.
She’s struggling enough right now. Doesn’t need my grief piled on top of it.
“Things were much quieter before you got home, Quint. Why do you have to stomp around the house like you’re trying to wake the neighbors?”
“Shay-Shay, our closest neighbors live miles away. I couldn’t wake them if I put on a live concert. And it’s going to get a hell of a lot noisier once the film crew arrives.”
She wrinkles her freckled nose. “Don’t remind me.”
“Listen. I need your help. Both of you. Preston too, if he’s not glued to his computer.”
Shayla rolls her eyes. “I can’t help you before I’ve had coffee. Maybe not even after.”
Caleb goes back to typing away on the laptop that seems to be a permanent fixture on the dining room table these days. It’s like he’s forgotten all about our family meals and Mom’s rules about working at the table.
“Caleb, get your laptop off the table.” There’s a bite to Shayla’s tone, but to be honest, she’s been all sharp edges for the last year. She was never the sunny one in the family, but the bitterness and depression weighing her down since the accident has been visible.
He snorts. “I’m working. Something some of the rest of you could learn from.”
His judgment feels like a punch to the gut. He’s the one who insisted I stay in school, even after everything we lost. I know he doesn’t mean it, but it’s still tough to hear.
“I’m off to do some of that myself, but I really do need to talk to you guys, like, now. I’ll make you coffee, but then you’re going to sit down and listen to me. Both of you.” I shoot my sister a look.
She sighs, but nods. “Getting feisty, little brother. Make sure to put some cinnamon powder on mine.”
“Of course.”
The sound of the coffee grinder is accompanied by the smell of fresh coffee beans, and I drag in a deep inhale of it before dumping it into the filter.
Caleb is still typing away, and Shayla is sitting at the table, hands folded in front of her, when I finally get the good stuff poured.
My first sip is sweet, rich, and creamy. Just the way I like it. But the ones I place down in front of my siblings are black as our old stud, Coal. Pain twists my heart at the memory of him. Losing him was such a blow to the ranch. He was a special horse, but he meant way more to me than a means to pay the bills.
“Caleb!” I finally snap at him, and he shuts the computer.
There are creases between his eyes that look permanent, like he spends too much time worrying. But that makes me a little angry too, because if he’d trusted us, we could have lifted some of the burden off his shoulders.
I drop the NDA on the table. Aurelia was reluctant to let me tell the rest of the family at first, but I explained to her how impossible it would be for me to sneak her in and out of here without anyone else knowing, and she finally gave in. There are still a couple of ranch hands tocontend with, but we can figure it out. I’ll make sure I do. I really want to make this happen. I’m not even sure why, but there was something about her that made me want to help. Something in her eyes or the way she looked at me. And it’s not just her unreal beauty. I can’t even define it.
Shayla clutches her pink flowered mug like it’s a life preserver and takes a long sip, leaning back in her chair. “So, what is it you need from us, Quint? What is so important it couldn’t wait until after breakfast?”
