Page 20

I glance at the empty desk across from mine. Garrett’s. Wyatt and Sawyer cleaned it out a couple of weeks after he passed, even though I said I would do it. I think they knew going through his things would likely destroy me.

Kind of like looking through these photos must’ve destroyed Garrett. He clearly loved his ex-wife and daughter, but they never visited, and he never visited them. As far as I know, anyway. Is that why he put the photos in the lockbox? So he wouldn’t have to face his regret?

I pick up a sun-bleached photo of Mollie. She was really fucking cute as a kid. Blonde pigtails. Big smile that showed off the two front teeth she was missing.

There are countless photos of her on horseback. More’n a little shocking to see City Girl cheesing it on top of agorgeous, spotted Appaloosa. But she looks at ease in the saddle. Happy, even.

Wonder if she misses it. The horses, the sunshine. The wide-open spaces of life in Hill Country.

I shove that thought aside in an attempt to ease the ache in my chest.

Garrett also looks happy in these photos. Really happy. I wouldn’t say he was unhappy during the time I knew him, but he definitely wasn’t lit up the way he is in these pictures.

Families are complicated. I know that better than anyone. But the idea that Garrett died without ever making things right with the people he clearly loved more than anything is downright tragic.

I should’ve pushed him more. Tried harder to get him to Dallas—or at the very least, get him on the phone more often. But he got set in his ways and ended up using his money in a failed attempt to buy his daughter’s affection.

Now he’s gone.

What if I die before I have a chance to make my dreams come true? What if I’m not able to save Rivers Ranch?

What if I never have a family of my own?

No-strings sex suits me just fine for now. I wanna get laid, I got calls to make.

Sometimes, though, I wish I had someone who slept in my bed for more than a night. I wish I had a person—theperson—to talk to and take care of. Someone who’d take care of me too. Life is heavy. It’d be nice not to have to face it alone for once.

Not like it matters. I’m too damn busy taking care of everyone else to even think of adding a girlfriend to the mix.

Maybe that’s why Garrett stayed single after his divorce. Still, I wonder why the hell he left these pictures to me and not to Mollie or Aubrey. What is he trying to tell me? Is he trying to teach me some kind of lesson? Show me a way toavoid making the same mistakes he did? Or was this some sort of clerical error, a typo in the will that was never fixed?

Looking out the window over my desk, I blink the blurriness from my eyes. Do I share these with Mollie? Send them to her, maybe?

She’s gotta regret not trying harder with her dad. What the fuck is wrong with her, not visiting even once? The man clearly adored her, but she couldn’t be bothered to come see him. She sure enjoyed the fruits of his labor, though. I saw the checks he sent to the University of Texas. Heard him negotiating with real estate agents to buy her the condo she wanted in a ritzy part of Dallas.

Red-hot anger sweeps through me. I’d be thrilled just toseemy parents again. But nothing, not even the most extravagant gifts, was ever good enough for Mollie.

I startle at the knock on the door. Quickly wiping my eyes, I gather the photos and carefully place them back in the worn leather bag I used to carry them home from the bank. I have no idea why Garrett gave me these pictures or what he wanted me to do with them. All I know is they were important to him, so they’re important to me.

It’s my job to keep them safe until I figure out what the fuck this all means—him promising me the ranch, but giving me pictures of people I don’t know instead.

Clearing my throat, I glance over my shoulder. “Come in.”

Goody slips through the door. She glances around the office, her eyes flickering for a beat. She’s taking his passing hard too. Goody and Garrett were close, having worked together for decades. She was his legal counsel on all Lucky Ranch Enterprises, Incorporated’s deals, and now she’s a rich woman because of it.

“These were in the safety-deposit box.” Digging into the bag, I pull out a picture of Garrett and Aubrey line-dancing and hold it up. “Not what I was expecting, but?—”

“Garrett was a complicated man, I know.” Goody closes the door behind her. “You all right?”

I nod, swallowing. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll be just fine.”

“How like you to say that.” She offers me a soft smile. “Why don’t I believe you?”

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I love living in a small town. But right now, I fucking hate how well we all know each other. No getting anything past anyone in these parts. Why can’t I brood in peace like a normal person?

“What can I help you with?” I manage.

“I have some news.”