Page 24 of A Lot Like Forever

Nate ripped at the label on the beer bottle, trying to push Faith out of his mind and failing badly. “Women aside, I need to talk to you both about Granddad.”

The atmosphere immediately turned somber. This was why Nate had wanted to see them.

“What’s happened?” Chase asked, eyebrows drawn tightly together.

“Nothing, but he called me in this morning and I don’t think we have long. He’s been seeing his attorney, has everything in order. He’s preparing to say good-bye.”

“Anything we need to be concerned about?” Ryder asked.

“No,” Nate replied, turning the bottle around in his hand, not sure whether to tell them everything or not. “Unless you guys have a problem with me amping up our oil drilling. Nothing will change with anything else on the ranches, you have my word, but I have to honor the promises I’ve made him.” Oil excited Nate, made him feel alive and amped about earning their family empire more money, but his brothers never had the same burning desire like he did. It wasn’t that they weren’t supportive; they just had other interests.

“He wants you as his successor, Nate. We’ve always known he would, so you don’t have to sugarcoat it.” Chase shrugged. “You’re already CEO, so it’s not like anything’s going to change.”

“Let’s face it,” Ryder said. “You’ve been running the business alongside him for years now. I never saw that changing, and it’s only logical that you’d be heading the family and the businesses. The last thing we need is too many chiefs, right? Just don’t cut our share of the profits and you won’t hear any complaints from me.”

Nate studied his brothers, looking at first Chase, then Ryder. “So we’re good?”

“I’m not gonna argue with anything Granddad wants. It’s his legacy, and that makes it his decision. So long as you don’t try to start interfering with how I run this place or oversee the other ranches.”

“All the ranches are yours to run, except for the oil-drilling component,” Nate confirmed. “I’d never step on your toes when it comes to the day-to-day running.”

“Just let me do my thing with the bulls,” Ryder said. “And the horses, too. I’m not giving up running our bloodstock program, okay?” He chuckled. “Besides, it’s not like our head horse trainer will want to work with you, anyway. And our horses would be nothing without Sam’s help. So all that shit I said before about just going for it with Faith? Forget it.”

Nate grimaced at the reference to Sam. He just needed to keep his hands off Faith and he wouldn’t have a problem.

“How about we toast Granddad?” Nate suggested, holding his beer bottle up in the air. “To the man we owe everything to.”

His brothers held their beers up, too. Nate blinked away tears, refusing to break down. He never cried, and he sure as hell wasn’t about to give in to his emotions before his granddad was even cold. Nate owed it to him to stay strong, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

And then he had to decide what to do with Faith. Asking her to head out with them the following night might not have been his best ever idea.