Page 140 of The Mountain Echoes

I stay through every lot.

I send her updates, which she doesn’t read.

It’s fine. She’ll hear the good news when she’s ready.

When it’s over, Zane hands me the paperwork, numbers circled.

“Eighteen above average,” he says.

I smile. “We cleared enough to pay the IRS and keep the ranch running another season.”

“We?” he queries.

“We,” I assert, and then add, “Earl would’ve been proud.”

Any other day, we’d have hung around—grabbed a greasy lunch from the concession stand, parked ourselves by the back rail with beer in hand, and shot the shit with the other ranchers while the lots rolled through.

We’d trade jokes, place mock bets on which steerwould go highest, and maybe even walk the pens and check the stock ourselves.

Zane would poke around looking for a sleeper lot, and I’d listen for the latest gossip—who’s breeding to whom, whose kid just landed a scholarship, which neighbor’s planning to sell before winter hits.

Auctions aren’t just business—they’re half-reunion, half-barometer for the whole damn state.

But today, I’ve got no stomach for small talk or handshakes.

I just want to get back to Aria. Back to Longhorn.

I want to make sure she’s okay. To hold the line like I promised Earl I would.

So, we load up and go home.

We pull into Wildflower Canyon after dark.

We first go to Kincaid Farms to drop off the rig and trailers.

“Why don’t you come and hang out at the bunkhouse at Kincaid Farms,” Zane suggests to Tomas. “We can go together to drop the trailer off at Del Rio’s place tomorrow.”

The young man looks at me, and I nod. “Don’t want you to be alone tonight, son.”

“Come on.” Zane slaps Tomas’s back. “We’ll drink some beer and tell stories about Earl.”

Tomas nods.

As I walk to my truck, he comes running. I turn to look at him.

“Thanks, Mav.”

“You did good today.”

Tomas smiles sadly. “Everythin’ I know, Earl taught me.”

“He did a good job with you. Now, you’re the ranch foreman at Longhorn, yeah? Aria’s gonna need you.”

He swallows. “You think I can do it?”

With help, yeah. But I don’t say that ‘cause he’ll have all the help and mentorship he needs from Zane and me. After all, Longhorn and Kincaid Farms were going to be one, just as their owners were.

“Absolutely.”