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“I put an ad in the paper a few days ago, Jo. I know you’re getting fed up but I’ve got a couple of guys coming in this afternoon. Give me a few days and I’ll have it sorted.”

“I’ll give you two days and then I’m gone. I can’t be left alone with that idiot Bo. I’m ten minutes away from ringing his neck every moment it’s just the two of us trying to work on something. We need a goddamn buffer.” She turned and stomped back out, leaving the three of us in even deeper shit.

“You posted an ad?” Mills’ quiet voice told me that he was annoyed. “You didn’t mention it.”

“I didn’t think we had the time to wait around for you to make up your mind to do it.” I knew I was pushing his buttons but it’d been more than a long fucking week; it’d been a long fucking year, closing in on a long fucking decade.

“We run this place together. That means we make decisions together.” Mills walked back to the table and slammed his hands down on it. “I’m fucking serious, West. We’ve been doing this shit for too long. We each make calls like we’re solo owners and it’s fucking up the ranch.”

I stood up and glared at him.

“So, it’s my fucking fault now that the ranch is failing?”

“I didn’t say that!” He swore and then his face twisted in fury as he looked towards the front door. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

Standing in the open doorway to our house was Reagan. She looked like she’d been standing there for long enough to have heard us fighting. Well. At least she knew she really wasn’t going to get shit out of us if that’s what she’d really shown up for.

Reagan’s shoulders slumped and she turned around to leave. Tate moved fast, though, and he was at the door, reaching for her before she got very far. She jerked away from him.

“Don’t. The ad didn’t say the job was for y’all or we never would’ve come here.”

I stepped out on the porch and saw her little brother standing at the bottom of the steps, arms crossed as he frowned.

“Which of you is looking for work?”

“Neither of us now that we know it’s here, with you.” She turned back to me and I saw that she had Lucky strapped to her chest in a piece of cloth that didn’t look very secure. She followed my gaze and gave me a look that could’ve frozen hell. “I spent nearly an entire paycheck to buy the best and most secure sling to carry him in. He’s perfectly safe.”

“Do you have any experience working on a ranch?” Mills addressed Mason directly. “I’m assuming you’re looking for work, too, if you’re here. Or are you just backup?”

“Don’t bother—”

Mason cut his sister off and stood up straighter.

“I’m going to college to become a large animal vet. I’ve done a few classes and I’ve read a lot. I’ve never worked on a ranch but I’m a fast learner.”

Reagan spun around to face him.

“Mason, no. You don’t need to work here. It’s not—”

“You didn’t give me the choice when you decided how you were going to pay for my college.” It was clear there was tension between the two siblings that hadn’t been there before. “What’s the pay?”

I told him while Reagan tried to kill me with her eyes.

“We need the help but it’s not easy labor. The pay’s good for these parts but we’ve had a few hands quit lately because apparently, we’re assholes to work for. Or so we’ve been told. You want the job, you have it. Hands are welcome to stay in the bunkhouse. If you don’t have a way of getting here at five in the morning, every morning, I suggest you stay here. Three meals a day are provided here in the main house.”

Reagan gently bounced Lucky but I could see her panicking.

“No. Mason, come on. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I wasn’t going to let you miss out on college because we were broke. You deserve to go to school without worrying about the cost. Let’s go. Please.”

“You’re not paying, Reagan!” Mason shouted but when he saw his sister’s crestfallen face, he lowered his voice. “I’m sorry, Rea, but I’m not going to college for free because you did…what you did to pay for it. I’ll take care of it myself.”

“I’ve already sent the money in, Mason.” She moved closer to him. “Please, come back to the motel with me. Please.”

“Do I have the job, or not?”

Mills had his eyes on Reagan when he answered.

“You have the job.”