Chapter 4
Horse of a Different Color
Duke
Putting my truck in gear, I nearly jump out of my skin when Ryder bangs on the passenger side door and looks at me through the open window.
“You headin’ to the Wallaces’?”
“Nah. Just hitched an empty trailer to my truck for shits and giggles.”
Grinning, he yanks open the door and hops inside. “Figured you could use an extra pair of hands.”
“To pick up one horse?” I eye him. “I know what you’re doing.”
He yanks on his seat belt. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re not as dumb as you look.”
“Dude, stop calling yourself dumb. Sawyer’s always telling Ella to be kind to herself, and I think you should too.”
Releasing the brake, I let out a sound that’s half chuckle, half groan. “I made an identical twin joke without meaning to. Ha.”
“Good thing your twin was smart enough to catch it.”
“Hey. I thought I was the smart one.”
Ryder lifts his Stetson off his head and runs a hand through his hair. “Can’t we both be smart?”
“I guess. But I’m smarter.”
He chuckles. “Still jealous I was the favorite, yeah?”
“You were the favorite only when Wyatt wasn’t.”
“Salty.”
I grin. “Honest.”
We bump over the dirt road that leads away from the equipment barn. Digging into his pocket, Ryder pulls out his knife and turns it over in his hands. He doesn’t release the blade; instead he admires the wood grain of the handle. “I was bored. Wanted to go for a little drive.”
The knife belonged to Dad, his initials stamped on the clip-point metal blade.
It was a gift from Mom on their wedding day.
Ryder found it in the plastic bag of our parents’ belongings that the hospital gave us after they died.
He’s had the knife on him ever since. I mean that literally—not once in the past twelve-plus years have I seen him without it.
“You’re hungover and you want to see Billie, even though I keep telling you that Colt’ll rip you a new one if you so much as lay a finger on her.”
His grin stays put as he replies, “Only one of those things is true.” He glances at me. “How’re you feeling today?”
I blow out a breath. How do I tell my brother I tossed and turned all night, beating myself up over what I did—and didn’t—say to Wheeler at the Rattler?
I also woke up hard. Girl was so fucking sexy. Her sense of humor, her intelligence, those legs—
Christ, I’m dying just thinking about it.
I shift my hand on the wheel. The sun glints off the polished handle of Ryder’s pocketknife, making me blink. “Been better. Shouldn’t have had that last beer.”
“What the hell happened? Seemed like you and Wheeler were really hitting it off. Then poof, she just disappeared. Mollie said she slept in her room at the New House, which means she didn’t sleep in yours.”
Wheeler’s car was parked there when I headed that way for breakfast at half past four this morning. She didn’t come out to eat with us. But when Wyatt stopped by the New House to chat with Patsy an hour or so ago, he said the car was gone.
My lungs burn. Wheeler and I have chemistry. We were definitely having fun. I’m not making any of that up. Clearly she was looking for a good time. But the second I hinted that I’d be interested in more, she bolted.
Huh.
Makes me think that underneath her flirty exterior lies some kind of wound.
I’d know, because I got one too. Only mine seeks comfort, whereas hers seeks solitude.
“I don’t know what happened,” I say. “But I’m gonna find out.”
“You should. Ain’t seen you corner someone that way in an age.”
“We don’t get much fresh blood in these parts.”
He tilts his head. “Don’t pretend like it’s blood you’re after. Seems like she’s your equal. Y’all are smart and curious about the world, and you both like to pretend you suck at darts when in reality, y’all are scary good at it.”
“Awful observant for a guy who was ripping shots all night.”
“Hey. We had a lot to celebrate. And I was just trying to keep up with Billie.” He lets out a low whistle as he lifts his hips and tucks the knife back into his pocket.
“Girl can drink anyone under the table. Colt says she came out of the womb that way—reins in one hand, bottle of tequila in the other.”
Billie is one of the Wallaces’ six children. Growing up with five brothers, she learned early to hold her own.
She also learned early that Ryder was the favorite in our family for a reason. He’s the baby for starters, a whole ten minutes younger than me. He’s got a big heart, although that means he’s easily hurt. He’s also smarter than he gives himself credit for.
Billie hides it well, but she’s been in love with my brother for as long as I can remember. Ryder likes the attention. Who wouldn’t? And I think he could fall in love with her too, real easy.
But because he’s so smart, he knows that’d just end in disaster.
Colt, Billie’s brother, hasn’t had it easy—like Sawyer, he’s a single dad—so we’ve all made sure not to rock his boat any more than it’s already been rocked.
Especially since Ryder and I have a bit of a reputation.
We’re not playboys by any means, but we’re also no angels.
I’m too restless to sit still and behave, and Ryder’s just got too much to offer the world to stay put or stay small.
I clear my throat. “I say this with love—”
“Oh, Jesus, what?”
“You’re too smart to torture yourself and Billie, yeah? So don’t do it. Not when we just got handed our dreams for the ranch on a silver platter. Combining Rivers Ranch with Lucky Ranch? That’s a huge win for us. Let’s not fuck it up before it even happens.”
Ryder’s grin fades. He raises his forearm so that his fingers brush the top of the doorframe and taps it. Once, twice. “Think you can stay away from Wheeler?”
I scoff. “I might not have much choice in the matter.”
“You do. And you won’t. Stay away from her, I mean. She isn’t gonna make it easy for you, but you’ll find a way to win her over.”
I take the turn onto the long stretch of country road that links our ranch with the Wallaces’. “Since when can you read the future?”
“I can read you. And I’ve been doing that since you and I were womb mates.”
“Ha.” It’s an old joke, one Dad used to make all the time.
A hollow feeling spreads through my center. Same sensation you get after being sucker punched. The grief—it’ll hit you out of nowhere like that.
“You think they’d want this for us?” I ask.
“Want what?”
“The life we got. All this.” I lift the fingers I have on the wheel and spread them, gesturing toward the pastures we pass.
“Yes and no. They’d be thrilled that we’re joining forces with the Lucks. But at the end of the day, I think they’d just want us to be happy. We’re all different, so happiness is gonna look different for each of us. For you, this”—he gestures out the window—“it definitely ain’t enough.”
“Ain’t enough for you either.”
His grin is back. “Not sure anything’ll ever be enough for me.”
That’s what I’m worried about.
Ryder and I are alike in so many ways. We both liked school.
We’re both dreamers. In others, we’re different.
Ryder is obsessed with music. I like it just fine, but I’ve never played an instrument, whereas Ryder plays several.
He’s a picky eater, but I love food and will eat anything you put in front of me.
I’m able to roll with the punches pretty easily, and I’m good at being spontaneous.
Ryder thrives in the structure routine provides.
Problem is everyone sees how alike we look on the outside and thinks we’re alike on the inside too. It was always a struggle in school to get people to understand we were two different people with different personalities. I used to get bent out of shape about it.
Hard to feel special when you’re always lumped together with your brother. Really, with all four of my brothers. I lived in Cash’s and Wyatt’s and Sawyer’s shadows for most of my life. I think that’s part of the reason I want to get out of Hartsville so badly.
If I’m somewhere else, I can be somebody else. Someone other than Ryder’s twin or Cash’s kid brother. Maybe then I’ll finally be able to figure out what I want to do with my life.
“Give Wheeler space,” Ryder continues. “But not too much space. She likes what she sees in you. Just gotta give her time to learn to trust you and trust herself that she’s picking the right twin.”
I laugh. “Of course she’s picking the right twin. And that sounds an awful lot like threading the needle there.”
“I got faith in you.”
I turn my head to look at him. “I know. Appreciate that, brother.”
Ryder’s faith in me is what got me through losing my parents.
He always checked in on me. Always made sure I ate, got rest, got home safe.
Most of all, he didn’t make me feel like a pain in the ass for wanting something different out of life.
For being curious about the world and how it worked.
When we weren’t in the saddle, we were poring over the Rick Steves travel guides I got from the library or asking Garrett Luck how he managed the ranch’s finances.
Ryder encouraged me to take computer classes in high school, which is how I became a whiz at Excel.
I now do the lion’s share of the ranch’s accounting.
He also enthusiastically agreed to spend a weekend with me in Mexico City when we graduated.
Ryder’s always been my partner in crime. But while my twin is curious about the world, he doesn’t share my burning desire to explore every inch of it. He’s content to do his cowboy thing.
No shame in that, considering he’s probably the best at it out of all of us. He’s just got a special touch with animals. With the land too.
“Now get off my ass about Billie,” Ryder says, interrupting my thoughts.
Problem is he’s gonna get himself into trouble with that girl. The second we arrive at the fancy new arena old man Wallace built on his property, Ryder’s out the door and smiling at Billie like she hung the goddamn moon.
She ushers us inside the arena, where Colt is riding the gorgeous palomino quarter horse we just bought for a newly hired ranch hand.
“Dang, she’s pretty,” I say.
Billie nudges me with her elbow. “You know I don’t date cowboys, Duke.”
“You’re funny. And I know.” I meet Ryder’s eyes over her head. “You’re too smart for that.”
She nods at the horse. “Y’all chose well. Seven panel testing, all negative. Measured her again this morning, and she’s fifteen hands high. Gonna throw off big babies.”
Ryder chuckles. “We got enough of those in our family.” He extends a fist bump in her direction. “Thanks for the guidance. We’re gonna need a lot more horses like this beauty in the near future, so let us know if something catches your eye.”
“So I heard.” She looks at me. “Congrats on Lucky River Ranch. Love the name, by the way.”
“Dang.” I let out a low whistle. “Word travels fast around here, don’t it?”
Billie nods. “One of the perks of living in a small town.”
“Or one of the pitfalls,” I reply.
“You’re lucky sons of bitches!” Colt calls as he trots our way. He dismounts and extends his hand to Ryder. “But really, I’m happy for your family. You deserve the good things that are coming your way.”
Ryder pulls him in for a hug. “Thank you kindly. No idea what Mollie sees in Cash, but we’re thrilled to welcome her into the family.”
I’m glad Ryder has a support system outside our family. Really, I’m glad he has someone else to annoy. The fact that we have our own lives now and hang out with our own friends is a good thing. It’s healthy.
Not gonna lie, though, back in the day, I used to get jealous anytime Ryder would hang out with Colt and not invite me.
But again, I came to recognize that while Ryder and I had a lot in common, he had some interests that were different from mine.
He and Colt bonded over shit like animal husbandry and land management and football, stuff I could take or leave.
“Trailer’s ready.” I point my thumb over my shoulder. “Will y’all do us a favor and let us know of any horses you’re selling going forward? I know y’all are popular these days, but we really would appreciate you remembering the little people on occasion.”
Colt’s shoulders shake on a chuckle. The Wallaces are famous for the superb horses they breed and train here in Texas.
For years, rumors swirled that they were going to start a barrel racing training program.
Those rumors were confirmed when they broke ground on the arena we’re currently standing in a year ago.
“You know y’all are always first in line. Well, after Kevin Costner and heads of state.”
Billie clucks her tongue. “If Kevin Costner actually bought horses from us, I’d’ve run away with him a long time ago.”
“Wait.” Ryder scrunches his brow. “Since when do you like old dudes?”
“Since I began dating young ones,” she shoots back.
He adjusts his belt. “We ain’t all alike, you know. Us young ones. Except that we got the kinda stamina to ride—”
“Please don’t finish that sentence,” I say.
His lips twitch. “I was gonna say we got the stamina to ride horses all day long.”
“Sure you were,” Colt says, still laughing.
Does he know my brother isn’t joking? Well, Ryder is joking that the sentence included the word horses.
He’s definitely not joking about offering his stamina-related services to Billie.
Lord above.
“We should get goin’.” I grab Ryder’s arm. “Cash already paid you, correct?”
Colt nods. “Correct. Thank y’all for your business.”
“Business,” I hiss to my brother as we head back out into the sunshine. “We’re gonna be giving the Wallaces a lot more of that this year, because we’ll be hiring a lot more cowboys, which means we’ll need a lot more horses. Don’t mess that up, ya hear?”
Ryder doesn’t answer. He can’t, because Billie is hot on our heels, telling us she’ll help load up the horse.
“You got an awful lot of energy for someone who drank a fifth of tequila last night,” Ryder tosses at her over his shoulder.
I can hear the grin in her voice when she says, “How many times I gotta tell you to stop trying to keep up with me? Admit that you’re a lightweight. It’s not a crime.”
“I’m not a lightweight.”
“Aw, but you are. It’s kind of adorable, actually.”
“Adorable?” He groans. “I don’t like that adjective.”
“What would you prefer?”
“Oh, you know what I’d prefer.”
My turn to roll my eyes. Part of me wants to tell them to just bone already. Another part knows that would lead to a hell of a lot of trouble.
I should be focusing on my own love life instead. Mollie’s sticking around the ranch, which means Wheeler is too. I got time. I also got patience.
That woman ain’t the only one who can play the long game.