Page 52 of One Wild Chance

Summer

When I walk into the farm office, Jaxon’s sitting at my desk with a laptop, studying one of the spreadsheets. I’m struck by how much he looks like his dad. Same broad shoulders and jawline, only with sharper cheekbones, and hair that curls around the edges. But when he looks up, his eyes are completely Miriam’s—gray like a cloudy Kentucky sky on a winter day.

His forehead still has a faint red mark from where that hockey stick caught him two days ago, covered partially by a Lucky Chance ball cap.

“What are you doing in here before me?” Jaxon has never beaten me before.

“I’m here to work. Just like you.” He studies the spreadsheet again, then writes something on a notepad. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.” I set my bag on a chair. “Just surprised, that’s all.”

He twirls a pen in his fingers. “Figured if I’m doing this, I should beat you here at least once.” The corner of his mouth curls before he goes back to the spreadsheet.

“So you’re all in now?”

“I told you that the day James read the will,” he says, like this isn’t a major shift.

“No, you told me you were staying to get the inheritance.”

“Well, I’ve decided to step into my dad’s shoes and learn everything I can about this operation. Somebody needs to before Hank Branford gets his dirty fingers on it.”

I stare at him. “Your dad loved the farm, Jaxon.”

He rubs a hand over the bruise on his forehead. “To be honest, I don’t love this place like Dad did. But I can’t let Branford Farms buy us out. It’s what my parents worked for all their lives. And the people who’ve dedicated their lives to Lucky Chance, like Earl and Ada Mae…” His eyes flick to mine. “I owe them something.”

He didn’t say my name, but he didn’t have to. I know he was thinking of me on that list. Which is interesting, considering this is the same man who said he’d never take over the farm. That there was nothing here for him.

He leans back in his chair, tenting his hands under his chin. “If I’m going to step into Dad’s shoes, I need to do it with the same dedication I have for hockey.”

John Chance made a lot of changes to Lucky Chance over the years, expanding the entire operation. If he’d only had more time, he could’ve gotten this place out of the red. But now that job has fallen to Jaxon, and he doesn’t want to blow it. He’s a man driven by competition, and his brothers are wired the same way. Only this time, the game they’re learning to play is save the farm.

“That’s admirable, Jaxon.”

“Or crazy,” he says with a wry smile.

I try to picture him spending his mornings behind his father’s desk and walking the barn aisles before the sun comes up. The thought of seeing him here every day makes me both uneasy and warm in the same breath.

“How do your brothers feel about you becoming a cowboy?”

He gives me a pointed look. “First of all, I’m not a cowboy. This is a horse farm.”

“I know that.” I smirk. “Just wanted to see if you did.”

He shakes his head and goes back to the spreadsheet as I hang up my jean jacket. My gaze slides over when he’s not looking.

Wait. Is he wearing honest-to-goodness Wranglers…and cowboy boots? He adjusts the waistband of his jeans slightly, the denim so stiff, it’s not even broken in yet.

“Where did you get those boots?” I ask.

He lifts his foot off the ground. “Dad had an extra pair. Never been worn.” He slides a hand across the leather, like he’s still getting used to them. “My brothers are leaving Lucky Chance soon. Do you have that business proposal ready yet?”

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I was hoping to get the old barn cleaned up first. Set up a few things so they can actually see the vision instead of just reading it on paper.”

But between the horses and flowers, I’ve barely been keeping my head above water. If this wedding venture doesn’t work, it could pull everything at Lucky Chance down with it. And I can’t let that happen.

“I’ll make sure to create the proposal today,” I promise, even though that means I’ll probably be up past midnight.

“If you need help with the barn, let me know,” Jaxon offers, turning back to his computer.