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And the future meant growing and expanding, protecting this beautiful area.
Harry’s land might border ours, but it wasn’t the house next door. It would have been quicker to take a horse, but I thought I might need to run to town afterwards, so I took my black Beamer instead. Driving out of Ward Ranch, I went around the open California State parklands that bordered the both of us. I liked to drive fast, and the car hugged every curve of the valley.
Since returning to Ward Ranch, I’d managed to triple our profits. We were a wealthy family, and I’d put the money to good use. We were responsible for the main road that ran through Springs County and the access roads into the parks. We helped improve the storefronts and invested in the hotel to expand it. Now, we had enough tourists coming in so that most of the small businesses were turning profits, something that hadn’t happened in years.
The Blackwells were doing well, but they weren’t nearly as wealthy as my family. Harry loved the horses, but he knew that his son didn’t feel the same. He wanted to make sure that the ranch was taken care of before he died, but he wasn’t about to sell to just anyone. He was a particular man, and he and my father had never gotten along.
I needed to impress.
Dirt flew up from beneath my tires, and I parked in a cloud of dust. Once it settled, I emerged. Stripping off the jacket I’d pulled over my shirt and jeans, I rolled up my sleeves and headed to the front porch.
Harry appeared on the other side of the screen. The man was in his seventies, and despite the rumors of his failing health, he looked just as distinguished as the first time I’d met him. Dressed in jeans and flannel, he eyed me as he opened the door, and I knew that I’d made the right decision in scrapping the jacket.
“Brendan,” he greeted in a low and gravelly voice. “You’re on time. I appreciate a prompt man.”
Reaching out, I shook his hand. “Harry, I’ve been looking forward to this meeting for a long time.”
A silver eyebrow raised to his silver hairline. “You’ve been looking forward to buying my land for a long time?”
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting with you,” I said with a wry smile. “We’ve been neighbors since before I was born, but you’ve been a hard man to pin down lately.” In fact, I hadn’t seen the older man more than a handful of times in the past twenty years.
He led me through the foyer of the large farmhouse and into his office. When he closed the door, he sighed and ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Been doing a lot of traveling. Thinking.”
Sitting in the large leather chair across from his mahogany desk, I studied him. He looked upset. “Nothing wrong with traveling.”
“There is when you had a wife and a son at home.” His gaze grew distant as he sat down, and I saw the tremble in his hand. “I’m going to be honest with you, Brendan. This meeting isn’t about the sale of the land.”
I stirred in my seat, unease rippling through me. “It isn’t?”
“I’ve watched you over the last few years. You’ve done great things for Ward Ranch. You love the land, you love the horses, and you have a head for business. You certainly have the money to buy me out, so I’d be a fool to turn you down.”
Would it really be this easy?
“Great.” Gripping the arms of the chair, I leaned forward. “Let’s talk details.”
A faint smile spread over his face. “Hold on there, cowboy. The truth is that you aren’t the only one interested in my land, but you’re my favorite contender. Hell, I haven’t even decided if I want to sell the land. Dennis told me just last week that he was interested in keeping it in the family.”
“I don’t understand.” A feeling of suspicion tugged at me. Dennis left Springs County for the city the moment after he graduated from high school. He was far too pampered to get his hands dirty on a horse ranch, and there certainly wasn’t anyone in the county who could outbid me for the land. Why was Harry having second thoughts now?
His chair creaked as he leaned back and appeared to relax. “When you get to be my age, you start to face the failures in your life. Mine are glaring. I’ve mended most of the fences I’d previously burned, but my wife died hating me, and I’m just not building a relationship with my son. The truth was that I’d spent too much of my time worried about my business than my family, and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes. Buying my land is a huge responsibility. Doubling your ranch will take almost all of your time. I don’t want my land to be the reason you never find fulfillment in your life. Love. Family.”
