Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79831 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
The words land like a weight in my chest. My gaze drifts past Bobby, across the creek, and to the three hundred acres on the other side that my grandfather sold decades ago to stay afloat.
Land my father spent his life trying to get back.
Land that used to be a part of Blackbird Ranch.
Land that, according to Mira, Ed Beardsley is circling. And, if that’s the case, I’ll never have a shot at bringing it back into the Adler family.
A knot twists in my stomach so tightly that it almost knocks the wind out of me. I’ve tried my damnedest not to think about either one—Mira or Ed—since she left this morning. Both send a fire shooting through my veins, just for very different reasons.
“I’m gonna head to town. Text me if you think of anything else you want me to pick up while I’m there,” Bobby says.
“All right.”
I wait until he pulls away before I release the hefty breath holding in my lungs.
Mira St. James is the last person I expected to see today. It’s been months since I ran into her at Piper’s Pizza. We shared a pizza that afternoon and chatted like two people who’ve known each other all their lives. We just made certain to keep things superficial and not dig too deeply into anything other than Lolly and pleasantries.
I hate that I love her. I hate it so much that sometimes I think I hate her. There are moments when I tell myself that I’m going to move on—that I’ll finally find someone else to love, to have a family with, because there’s not a snowball’s chance in hell that we’ll ever be together. But as soon as I get close to another woman, I do what I always do. I put a little space between us, leaving room … just in case.
Just in case Mira ever comes home.
“Fuck.” I throw open my truck door and take off my hat, tossing it onto the passenger’s seat. The sun beats down on my head, but there’s something about the heat that feels purifying.
I climb into the truck and start the engine. Cool air races across my sweaty skin, causing me to shiver. As I put the truck into drive, my brother’s name flashes across the navigation screen.
“Hey, Gray,” I say after accepting the call. “What’s going on?”
“Headed to the Royals facility. I have a meeting there in an hour. You?”
“Sitting in my truck right now. Just sent Bobby into town for supplies. We’re fixing up Betsy Barn.”
“No shit.”
I grin. “No shit.”
Out of all the outbuildings on Blackbird Ranch’s five hundred acres, not one has more lore than Betsy Barn. It was the premiere party spot back in the day. Ol’ Betsy Barn saw more underage drinking and bonfires than any place in Sugar County. It’s also where one of our friends lost the title to his car in a poker tournament during Gray’s senior year, where I had my first kiss with Mira in the loft, and where Brooks hid out when he ran away from home.
We thought we were so slick back then—like we were really pulling off stunts in secret. Now I realize that Dad knew all about them. Most of them, anyway. He just thought we were safer if we acted up at home rather than on the roads or around people who could take advantage of us.
“I love to hear it,” Gray says. “What brought this on?”
“We need more space. We have shit everywhere, and the disorganization is making me crazy. I figured I either had to tear Betsy down or fix her up, and I don’t have the heart for the first.”
“You always were a baby.” He chuckles despite ribbing me. “No, really, I think it’s a good thing. It’ll be nice seeing her take on a new life.”
I take a breath, deciding whether to tell Gray about Beardsley or not. Typically, I wouldn’t bother, but now that he and Astrid are living on the ranch in the offseason, it only feels right to loop him into things like this—things that would ultimately affect him, too.
Before I can get the words out, he speaks again.
“I called you for a reason,” he says, pausing to take a deep breath. “Astrid and I sat down last night and had a long talk. And … yeah. I think it’s time to hang up my rugby boots.”
“You’re retiring?”
“I’m filling out the paperwork today. I’ll finish the season out, but then that’s it.”
Retirement? I smile, running a hand over my jaw. I expected a reason for this call because Gray doesn’t call to chitchat. But retirement? That’s unexpected. “Congratulations, Gray. You’ve had a helluva career. You should be proud.”
“Oh, shut the hell up.” He chuckles, unable to take a compliment. “Astrid wants to renovate the cabin and live full-time on the ranch, if that’s okay with you. We want to settle down and raise a family.”