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“What would you have me do, sucker-punch him and kick him while he’s down?”

“He may be the boss of the ranch, but he isn’t the boss of you.”

I grimaced. “He kinda is.”

“Bullshit. With all the hours you’ve put in over the years, that ranch is as much yours as it is his.”

“So, you want me to walk into his office and say, Hey, Daddy, this shit isn’t fair?”

“Yes, but maybe don’t call him Daddy.”

My stomach was tight like someone was collecting my insides into a low ponytail. “Dial, no.”

“I know you hate difficult conversations.”

“I’d rather be written out of the will than have to confront him.”

“Well, good news, you won’t have to do it alone, because I’ll be right beside you.”

“Or, or… hear me out. We could just go and disappear into the woods,” I teased.

“No, we’re standing our ground, and your father is just going to have to deal with it.”

I pulled her closer until her chest pressed against me. “And you’ve got my back?”

“Back, front, and side. I’ve got you covered.”

Normally, I didn’t concede. I was taller and bigger than most—sure, you could disagree with me, but what you couldn’t do was whoop my ass. That wasn’t an option. But my dad wasn’t some asshole in a bar or a guy I went to school with. While I didn’t agree with most of my father’s choices, I respected what he’d built. My grandfather was a farmer who’d loved horses, and in one generation his son, my father, became the most respected horse trainer in the country. There was something to be said about the work ethic and interpersonal skills it took to make that happen.

I was proud of what he’d built, but it was time to let me implement some of my ideas. He’d taught me well, but it was almost as if he didn’t trust me to soar on my own. I wanted to work alongside my father, not under him. He claimed that eventually Palmer Horse Ranch would be mine, but if he didn’t remove the guardrails, it would be difficult to grow the brand. I’d been taking his criticism on the chin out of respect, but shit was getting real old.

“Dial, this is a professional conflict, and while I appreciate the offer, I have to handle this on my own,” I said. “My dad isn’t gonna respect me if I bring my girlfriend to the mediation table.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but remember, you need to ask for what you want. You know that ranch better than you know the freckles on Maple’s face. Ernest has been testing you since childhood, but now it’s time he started treating you like an equal. Don’t you let him shut you down, and don’t you give him one single inch of ground.”

After completing my morning tasks, I headed to the admin building, filled with staff who were there to ensure gigs were booked, contracts were signed, and checks had cleared. I had an office in the admin wing, but I rarely used it. Nature was my workroom. Deals got closed from my pickup truck or in the middle of conditioning the horses.

My father was in his usual spot, hunched over some paperwork.

Knocking on the open door, I said, “Hi, Dad.”

“You’re back. How was Texas?”

“Busy.”

“Did you find a place? I mean, anything will work, since you’ll be at the site most of the time.”

“I did, and the lease has been signed.”

“We probably should’ve just purchased a place. Maybe next year.”

I closed his office door, then dropped into a chair in front of his desk. “Can we talk?”

He pried his eyes from the papers scattered across the surface of the table to acknowledge me. “Is everything okay with the site?”

“Yeah, it’s progressing just how we planned.” I cleared my throat. “I thought we’d agreed I’d tell Dial about Texas.”

“You were taking too long, so I sped things up.”