Page 17 of His Country

She was never the same after selling them.

“Did she teach you?”

Aiden nodded. “Yeah. She used to say that no son of hers was going to slouch in the saddle.”

Ethan laughed and it was nice. He was so used to wallowing in his memories alone, sick with the bitterness of loss. It was easy to forget that it wasn’t always bad.

“Maybe you could give me a few pointers some time?”

Aiden found his lips curving up in a smile as he huffed. “Nah.” He pushed off the fence, whistling for Sugar.

“Why not?”

Aiden started walking towards the barn. He glanced back over his shoulder. “’Cause I like horses better than you.”

Leaning against the side of the barn, Aiden worried at a splinter in his palm. Beside him, Sugar was basking in the afternoon sun. Her dark coat was warm where it pressed against his thigh. It was almost too warm, but he knew long days of cold and dark were coming, so he tried to soak in what he could.

The splinter wasn’t deep, which made his inability to get it out all the more irritating. He scraped a blunt nail across the little sliver of wood lodged just beneath the crease of his palm. It hurt, but not enough to make him stop.

He was so focused on the splinter he didn’t notice the voices until they were nearly on top of him. Across the yard, Frank and Ethan were walking back from the big house. Aiden watched them from between his splayed fingers.

Of course Ethan was here. He wasalwayshere. Aiden was beginning to wonder if the bastard even worked. Surely they were not the only farm in need of his services.

Although this visit looked to be more social. Ethan wasn’t dressed like he usually did when he was working. He waswearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a grey Henley. His hair wasn’t mushed down from a hat or headlamp, and it even looked like he shaved.

“The Mulligans were too prideful,” Frank said, crossing his arms as he stared off into the distance. “Refused to diversify.”

“They shouldn’t have had to,” Ethan argued. His voice was raised, lips pressed into a thin line. If Aiden didn’t know better, he’d think that he was angry. “They were doing fine, but losing that land was the final nail in the coffin.

That made Aiden perk up. He didn’t know the Mulligans personally, but he knewofthem. They had a smaller farm just south of the Rolling J. Unlike the Taylors, who owned their grazing land, the Mulligans relied on grants from the government to allow their cattle to graze on public land during the summer months. If they lost that grant, they wouldn’t have anywhere to graze the cattle.

“Mike never recovered after that outbreak a few years ago,” Frank agreed. “They’ll have to sell.”

Ethan’s eyebrows drew together. “The developers are probably already circling, the vultures. Buy their farm for pennies so they can put up a fucking storage building.”

Aiden didn’t think he’d ever heard Ethan cuss. Not that he could blame him. He knew all too well just how quickly family farms were buckling. Mass produced meat from feed lots were undercutting their prices. Aiden was no academic, but even he knew the feedlots were not only unhealthy for the cattle, but they created heavy amounts of methane. Besides that, the lots used so much water, they dropped the water tables.

But they didn’t require the same amount of land. Land that could be sold to developers to build bullshit no one really needed. Land like the Mulligans.

Like his family’s farm.

He forced himself to focus on the splinter, ignoring the uncomfortable bubble of anxiety about to burst in his stomach. Frank and Ethan’s voices faded as he worked on the little swollen tag of skin. It was turning pink and angry.

So focused, he almost didn’t hear the kick drag of Ethan’s work boots. He refused to look up, even when the dusty shoes stopped just beside his knee and Sugar woke up, whole body wriggling in excitement as Ethan greeted her with her customary scratches.

“I know you were listening.”

Aiden scowled, head down so he could use the brim of his hat to block Ethan out. “I was here first.”

“The county is trying to sell the land the Mulligan’s use to graze their cattle to a developer. They want to put up a resort.”

Aiden didn’t answer. He’d surmised that much before he tuned out. It didn’t surprise him. These developers have the means to outbid any individual. They’d build some ugly cookie cutter looking resort with cheap materials. The county would sell it to the locals as a economic boom—they’d need contractors, wouldn’t they? Not to mention any hokey tourist trap they put up will bring in thousands of people eager to pay for the chance to experience Big Sky Country.

He continued to pick at his splinter.

As usual, Ethan was not deterred. “There’s a town hall meeting. If we get enough people on our side, we can put a stop to it.”

That made Aiden pause. “You’re joking, right?”