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“She’s not just talking about a strip of pavement and a few hangars.” Kaz was all business now. “Think of what comes with it—hotels, restaurants…how do you think it will work in a place like this?”
“You tell me, Kaz, you’ve lived here longer than I have.”
Kaz laughed, unbothered. “Come on, Duke. You know exactly what she means.”
“That Wilder Ranch is sitting on a goldmine, and I’m holding the deed?”
“Yeah. And if you play this right, you walk away with a legacy that pays dividends instead of sentiment.”
I rose and stood by the large window, looking out at Ben working Copperhead in the paddock. Hands walked in and out of the barn where we stored the feed and equipment. Roy was outside the stable on his phone.
My eyes looked forher. Was she okay? Had she read the letter? Was she crying by the river again?
“I got money, Kaz.”
“Not money like this,” Kaz retorted. “Piper alreadyhas interested parties. Investors who want in before this opportunity gets too big.”
Too big for what? Who?
I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair. “Amos is still running the numbers.”
“Not Elena?”
“Elena manages the horses,” I snapped.
“She manages Wilder Ranch, or at least she used to. Who’s doing it now? Managing on its own, or have you taken over?”
On its ownwas the truth, which meantshewas still running the place, making sure tasks were given out, working before the sun came up and long after it went down. She wasn’t in the ranch house anymore, wasn’t sitting at Nash’s desk, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t pulling the strings.
The horses were her main focus, but she still kept the rest of it moving—checking on the cattle schedules, making sure supplies were ordered, and answering questions the hands didn’t trust anyone else to answer.
The ranch hands went to her or Hunt.
Amos went to her first—shesent him to me.
Itzel went to her.
Anyone else left? Yeah, me when I had questions. I went to Hunt first out of sheer stubbornness, who sent me to her.
I exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of my neck. “What’s it you wanted to talk about, Kaz?”
“Rodeo next week—see you there?”
“I’ll be there. You think your Briony suit can handle the dust?” I mocked.
“Pot calling kettle!” he jibed.
“Right.”
“Gotta embrace the cowboy aesthetic if I’m helping to sell your ranch, don’t I?” Kaz laughed. “I may buy a horse or two…maybe…gonna try and poach Elena.”
I growled but didn’t say anything. She had to make a living, and if she couldn’t make it here, she’d have to make it somewhere. Kaz would be better than fuckin’ Maverick Kincaid.
“She’s with me until the sale is completed,” I warned him.
Kaz laughed. “I’ve got a VIP tent at the rodeo. You should come. Bring Fiona.”
“You sure about me bringing Fiona?”