Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 146(@200wpm)___ 116(@250wpm)___ 97(@300wpm)
“Absolutely,” Cason says in an easy tone. “The ranch is a huge business.” Then, my bro shoots me a glance and I nod. It’s time to strategically show some of our cards, seeing that we’re about to introduce Kiki as our girlfriend.
“Actually, we don’t make all of our money from ranching,” my twin says in a casual tone. “The cattle business can be a money loser, and it’s a good year if we’re breaking even.”
Kiki gets a confused look, her brows going downwards on that pretty forehead.
“So you’ve been losing money each year?” she asks.
“Not every year,” I answer. “But sometimes. Occasionally. We stay afloat though, because of our financial dealings.”
“You mean cattle futures?” she asks, even more confused now. “Or the land itself, right? This ranch is vast, and you’re likely leasing parcels and getting rental income.”
“No, we don’t receive any rental income,” I respond. “I understand some cattlemen have turned to that, but we keep our land for our own use. No, what I mean is that we trade in crypto, and most of our wealth is held in financial markets.”
There’s a stunned silence before it’s broken.
“You’re crypto bros?” Kiki says in a disbelieving tone. “Are you serious?”
My brother winks.
“We may wear cowboy hats, but crypto bros, as you call them, can exist outside of California. Maybe it’d be more accurate to call us cowboy crypto billionaires,” he amends humorously. “How does that sound?”
“Billionaires?” Kiki gasps, eyes going round.
“Last I counted,” I quip right back. “Not that we’re counting.”
Kiki’s utterly still.
“So you’re not cowboys.”
“No, we are,” Cason states, his eyes on the road before flicking to Kiki with amusement. “But the cattle business has thin margins, if any margin at all, and so we’ve always been traders. Even back in college we were making bets, although of course, crypto didn’t exist then.”
“Wow,” Kiki murmurs as the truck turns onto a dusty road with a large barn on the distance. We roll past a grove, past the barn, and then a massive house materializes, with a bunch of trucks surrounding it.
“Come on,” I say, smiling as the Durango pulls to a stop. “You’ll love the party.”
Sure enough, the sound of country hits our ears, and as Cason grabs the food, I lead Kiki over to the back area where a spread is set up. It looks normal enough. There’s a huge canopy providing shade, with people under the tent eating and drinking from a massive buffet. There’s also a birthday cake in the corner with a banner that reads, “Happy Birthday Josie!” People smile, laugh, and chatter as kids scream with joy on the lawn. I see that they’ve brought out a pony, so the children are going for rides while stuffing their faces full of chips and popcorn.
“Wait a minute, is this a birthday party?” Kiki asks, looking confused. “I thought we were going to a neighborhood get-together.”
“This is a neighborhood get-together,” my brother says, coming up behind her with the sheet cake in hand. “But it’s at the house of our sister, Becca. Hey Becs,” he says jovially when our sister comes over. “Good to see you. We brought a special guest today.”
“I see,” my sister smiles merrily. “Please, introduce me.” Becca is a beautiful woman of about thirty-five with our same dark hair, but the green eyes of our mother. Becs started having kids early, and I think her oldest is about to leave for college. However, even after seven children, our sister is still trim and fit. You would never guess that she’s basically been pregnant for the last fifteen years non-stop.
“Oh hey,” I say, trying to seem casual although my heart’s suddenly going rapid-fire. “This is Kiki,” I say. “Kiki, Becs. Becs, Kiki.”
Fortunately, I managed to avoid clarifying our relationship, although my sister obviously suspects something going on. You don’t turn up at a family event with a beautiful woman in tow with that woman just being a “friend.” But my sister is discreet and smiles sunnily.
“Welcome, Kiki, to the Madewell family,” she says with a broad gesture at the guests milling about and chatting around us. “We’re so glad to have you, even if it’s a children’s birthday party. I’m not sure if you’d like something to drink? Oh, here, let me take you over to the frozen margarita stand. Our sister June insisted on renting the machine, which is so over-the-top for a ten-year old’s birthday party. But I have to admit that the cocktails are divine.”
Then, Becs pulls Kiki away from us by the elbow, with the pretty blonde shooting us a confused glance over one shoulder. She’s so stunning that of course, all the men in the crowd are watching from the corner of their eyes as the two women head over to the churning margarita machine. But it’s not a problem because we know everyone here. Those fuckers wouldn’t dare step in on a woman that arrived with us.