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He gave a sharp shake of his head, fighting the emotions that came with saying this stuff out loud. “When you’re raised in a family who runs a business like mine, you begin to understand it’s more like a monarchy than anything else.”
Confusion spread across her expression like a plague, reaching every corner. “What are you talking about? You never wanted to run a coffee shop because you love this ranch? Do you hear how that sounds?”
He flinched. “I know exactly how it sounds. But the fact of the matter is that this ranch has been in my family forgenerations. It was passed down to the oldest son decade after decade. I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but I’m the fourth son in my family. How many fourth-born males end up being king?”
Still she stared at him, dumbfounded. He didn’t know how to make this clearer to her. What else could he say? Daniel searched his mind and ended on one thing. “Bo is the first born, so he gets first dibs. When he has children, he and Gabby will pass it down to them. It doesn’t matter how much I wanted the ranch. I would never have the opportunity.”
“You can’t be serious.” Megan climbed out of her seat and walked around the island. “You’re telling me that you opened a coffee shop because you were going to be pushed out of your family’s business? Have I fallen into an alternate reality or something? It’s not like we live in the fourteenth century. Did you even tell them what you wanted?”
“I didn’t have to. What aren’t you getting about this? My family’s business will follow the tradition it was meant to.”
“No.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “No?”
“No, I don’t believe it. You can’t just sit back and let your dreams go to waste.”
Daniel stiffened. This was unexpected. He hadn’t thought Megan would lecture him. Immediately he regretted what he’d said. His eyes clouded over, and he scowled at his food. “Nevermind. I knew you wouldn’t understand.”
She was quiet for a moment. Actually, it was longer than he’d expected, prompting him to look up at her. Gone was the frustration and indignant fury over his choice. Instead, it was replaced with concern. No anger. No pity. Just pure worry—over him.
“What?” he ground out. “Are you going to tell me that I should confess to my folks that I want a piece of the pie? That I should get to have access to the business, and it wasn’t my fault I was born fourth?”
“No.”
He glanced at her again.
“I mean, you definitely should, but I’m not going to tell you to do that. Clearly, you’ve already thought about it and you’ve decided it’s not the path you want to take.”
“You’re right,” he murmured. “I know what would happen and I’m not willing to go through it.”
“Can I ask you something?”
He grunted, unwilling or unable to string together a coherent sentence.
“Don’t you want to be happy?”
“I’mhappy,” he spit back.
Megan gave him a look—one that said she wouldn’t have believed him even if he’d used a calm, collected voice. “I don’t think I’ve seen you happy since I’ve arrived.” She gestured around the cabin. “Actually, I think you showed bits of happiness here. You clearly love this place—being out here in the country. Why would you subject yourself to misery being cooped up in a coffee shop of all places?”
He frowned. At the time he’d thought he was making the right choice. It had made sense. “The guy who owned Mountaintop Java before me was selling it at a steal. He was a family friend and he was moving to Florida to retire. It happened around the time I graduated and I wanted to find my… place.” Even to his own ears, his excuse didn’t seem to hold water. He’d done it because it had been convenient. “I really do like working at the shop. I like visiting with the people… most days.” He shot her a chagrined smile. “But I guess if I had a choice, I would have wanted to run this ranch instead.”
The ache in his chest grew deeper. He’d never told a single soul about what he’d really wanted in his life. He’d just gone ahead and worn a mask, so everyone believed he was doing what he wanted.
Daniel placed a fist on the counter and his expression hardened. “But there’s something that people don’t understand. Sometimes there are paths we have to take and see them through. I made my decision. I’m not going to go back on it just because I didn’t get my dream job. I’m happy with my coffee shop and when my family needs my help, they know they can ask me to come. Just last month I had to help with moving the herd of cattle we have.”
His gaze swung over to meet hers. Megan stared at him thoughtfully then picked up her sandwich. “Well, I can’t fault you for sticking it out. I’m the same way. Stubborn people like us? We have to find our own path, right?”
“Right,” he mumbled.
She made a moaning sound, waving her sandwich at him with a smile. “Maybe you should consider being a cook. This is amazing.”
Her compliment seemed to smooth all the rough edges that their conversation had become. He didn’t have the strength to comment back, so he nodded and grabbed his own sandwich. They didn’t discuss business, nor his need to bring his coffee shop from the brink. But something told him they didn’t have to.
Megan understood. She might not be willing to stand down, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he wouldn’t want her to. She was fiery and headstrong. She had a knack for business and she knew what she wanted. She’d sink her teeth into anyone who was foolish enough to stand in her way and for the time being, he might be that person. She’d just have to grow to accept that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Just like he was beginning to accept the same about her.
