Chapter 2
Cole
Istill couldn’t bring myself to sleep in the main house.
Not since my father had died. To me, it was still his house, his domain, and a place I couldn’t lay claim to.
Then again, I wouldn’t know until the will reading whether or not I had any claim to it.
But I didn’t put much stock in those doubts.
After all, I was the one who had been running the ranch all these years.
If anyone deserved to inherit it, it was me.
But as I lay in bed, watching the first pinks of dawn crawl across the horizon, I couldn’t help thinking that inheriting the ranch felt like a gilded cage.
I loved the land and the work, that was true enough, but I couldn’t deny that there was part of me that despised the Nelson Ranch.
I was far too young when I was forced to carry it all on my own shoulders.
While my friends spent their youth at colleges and traveling abroad, having the time of their lives, I was up at five every morning, driving cattle, caring for horses, and making sure the bills got paid.
The unfairness of it all felt so cruel back then.
But now it was just a familiar dull ache in my chest, something I’d learned to ignore.
I sat up on the edge of the bed, not bothering to enjoy a nice stretch or feel the first rays of sun dance across my skin.
I was too run down, too busy, and too sad to take in the little joyful things in life.
I had a ranch to run, ranch hands that needed orders for the day, and a mountain of chores to finish before I went downtown for the will reading.
The ranch didn’t care that Dad wasn’t cold in the ground yet.
Someone had to keep it running, and that someone was always me.
I pulled on my jeans and a worn flannel shirt, my muscles aching in protest as I tugged my boots on.
The mirror showed me a man I barely recognized anymore—dark circles under my eyes, stubble that was more neglect than style, and a hardness that hadn’t been there when I was younger.
Before Jesse left. Before everything went to shit.
The bunkhouse was quiet as I made my way outside.
Most of the hands wouldn’t be up for another half hour, but I liked getting a head start, surveying the property before anyone else was awake.
The land looked different in the early morning light—softer somehow, less demanding.
It was the only time of day I could almost feel at peace here.
I didn’t have much time to spend on it this morning, though.
I had a long day ahead of me, and we were already behind thanks to the funeral.
Still, I took a moment out at the fence, one leg propped on the lower rail as I leaned against the top.
Tipping my cowboy hat back, I stared up at the eastern sky framed by the pine-covered mountains.
Mist rolled down the hills and into the pastures while cattle lowed in the distance.
Sometimes, even for the briefest moment, all of this turmoil felt almost worth it.
This land had been in my family for generations.
It was in my blood. There was no way I was letting it go now, no matter what that will said.
The screen door slammed up at the main house, pulling me out of my thoughts. Evelyn, the hired matriarch of the ranch, was up already, starting breakfast for the ranch hands. Even in the still morning air, I could already smell her coffee. If I let it get cold, she’d never forgive me.
I pushed away from the fence and headed toward the house, drawn by that rich aroma.
Evelyn had been cooking for the ranch since I was a little kid, stepping in to fill the void my mother had left.
After my stepmother died and Jesse took off, she became even more important, the closest thing to family I had besides Dad.
“Mornin’,” I called as I stepped into the kitchen, stomping my boots on the mat before putting my hat on the hook next to the door.
Evelyn turned, gray hair pinned back in a neat bun, her hands already busy with biscuit dough. “You look like hell warmed over, Cole Nelson.”
“Thanks. You always know how to make a man feel special.”
She snorted, turning back to her work. “Your father’s lawyer called. Said to make sure you’re on time today.”
I grunted, pouring myself a mug of coffee. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“He also mentioned...” She hesitated, her hands stilling. “He mentioned Jesse was in town for it.”
“I know.” The coffee scalded my tongue, but I welcomed the pain. “Saw him at The Trough last night.”
“And?” Her eyes searched my face.
“And nothin’. He’s still the same selfish prick he always was.” I leaned against the counter, the memory of Jesse’s smug smile making my blood simmer. “Says he doesn’t want anythin’ to do with the ranch.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up. “And you believe him?”
I stared into my coffee. “Not for a second.”
The truth was, Jesse had always been good at lying, especially to himself.
He’d spent years pretending he didn’t belong here, that he was too good for ranch life.
But I remembered how he used to ride, how he’d work the cattle with an instinct that couldn’t be taught.
Even though he was only here by marriage, this land was in his blood too, whether he admitted it or not.
“Your father had his reasons for whatever’s in that will,” Evelyn said carefully. “He wasn’t a man who did anything without thinking it through.”
“Yeah, well, his thinking got cloudy toward the end.” The words came out harsher than I intended.
She gave me a sharp look. “Don’t you talk about Jack that way, young man. That man loved you boys more than anything in this world.”
I set my mug down hard, my emotions bubbling to the surface before I could help it. “Then why would he even consider giving Jesse anything? He abandoned us, Evelyn. Left Dad with a broken nose and me to pick up all the pieces.”
She let out a long sigh, shaking her head. Despite Jesse’s betrayal, she’d always had a soft spot where he was concerned. “There are always two sides to a story, Cole.”
“Not this one.” I pushed away from the counter, not wanting to talk about it anymore. “I need to check on that heifer in the south pasture before the hands get their assignments. Save me some of those biscuits.”
Evelyn just watched me go, silent as the grave.
Outside, the day was brightening, but my mood had darkened.
The thought of sitting across from Jesse in that lawyer’s office made my stomach turn.
Fifteen years of building something, of sacrificing everything, and now he could just waltz back in and take a piece?
And what the fuck was up with Evelyn defending him?
He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve anything from anyone in Hell Creek.
He was a stranger, plain and simple. And in these parts, we didn’t trust strangers.
The morning progressed in a blur of tasks and orders.
I set the hands to fixing the fence line in the west pasture while I tended to the pregnant heifer myself.
She was close to calving, and with the cold snap coming, I couldn’t risk losing either of them.
By the time I finished, my hands were numb, and my clothes were smeared with mud and worse.
I’d need to clean up before heading into town.
Back at my little cabin, I stripped down and stood under the hot spray of the shower, trying to wash away more than just the dirt.
The anger that had been simmering since I saw Jesse at the funeral threatened to boil over.
Fifteen years. Fifteen fucking years without so much as a phone call, and now he thought he could claim anything?
Dad must have lost his fucking mind in those final months to even consider it.
But there was something else there too, something below the anger. There was a deep, aching pain in my chest that had been left behind when Jesse drove away that day. And I hated myself for feeling it.
Standing there in the shower, I felt my body start to react, old thoughts attempting to bubble to the surface.
I reached out, turning the water ice-cold with a flick of my wrist. The shock tore my thoughts away from those old feelings, those heated thoughts I shouldn’t have ever started having about my stepbrother.
Good thing I had a lot of practice bottling my emotions.
Out of the shower, I pulled on my only decent pair of jeans and a clean button-down, avoiding the suit I’d worn to the funeral. This wasn’t a formal occasion. It was business. Ranch business. My business. My future.
“You eat something before you go,” Evelyn commanded when I stopped by the main house again to tell her I was leaving.
“Not hungry.” But I grabbed a biscuit anyway, knowing she’d fuss if I didn’t.
“Your father would want you two to make peace,” she said, her voice gentle but firm.
I stared at her, feeling betrayed all over again. “Don’t. Just... don’t.”
She pressed her lips together into a tight line, clearly wanting to say more. But she stayed silent, respecting my wishes. For now. However, when I stopped at the door to grab my hat, she was right there behind me.
“Cole,” she said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Evelyn…” I replied, shaking my head. “Please.”
“I won’t lecture you,” she continued, turning me to face her. “I just want you to know that your father… well, he was a good man. And this will is his attempt to do right by you boys.” She paused, giving me a good once over. “Just… Just try to remember that, alright?”
“Right,” I said, emotionless as always. My stomach twisted as I remembered the coffin lowered into the ground the day before. For one blissful second, I’d forgotten he was dead, that my life had changed forever. “I… I’ll… try.”
“You’re a good boy,” she smiled, patting me on the cheek. “Now get out of here or you’ll be late.”
I placed my hat on my head. “Yes, ma’am.”
The drive into Hell Creek was short but tense, my knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Main Street looked the same as it always had.
There were three blocks of brick storefronts that hadn’t changed much since I was a kid.
I parked in front of Whitaker’s law office, a narrow brick building wedged between the Hollister Hardware store and the old barbershop.
I was early, but Jesse’s rental car was already there. Perfect. Just what I needed… to be trapped in a room with him longer than necessary.
When I walked in, Whitaker’s secretary, old Mrs. Dobson, who’d been working there since the dawn of time, nodded toward the conference room. “They’re waiting for you, Cole.”
They. Like Jesse and Whitaker were a team now, conspiring with my late father to ruin my life. Fuck, I just wanted this over with so I could get things back to normal.
I squared my shoulders and pushed through the door, finding Jesse slouched in a chair opposite Whitaker’s desk.
He looked different in the daylight. Definitely less drunk now and more put-together in a way that screamed city life.
His jeans probably cost more than I made in a week, and that watch on his wrist definitely wasn’t bought at the Hell Creek general store.
Despite my irritation, I couldn’t help noticing how handsome he’d become.
He was well-groomed, stylishly scruffy, and had a jaw that could cut glass.
It seemed life had treated him well, keeping him lithe and functionally fit.
And those eyes of his… those hazel eyes that caught my attention far more than they should have. Well… they were looking at me now.
God, I wanted to fucking punch him.
“Cole,” Whitaker stood, extending his hand. “Thank you for coming.”
I shook it briefly, taking the seat furthest from Jesse without acknowledging him. “Let’s get this over with.”
Whitaker cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses. He was a small man with thinning hair and a perpetual smile, which was odd for a lawyer. Then again, working in a small town with ranchers wasn’t exactly Law and Order, so he didn’t lead a very stressful life.
In front of him was a manila envelope with a stack of papers inside. He placed his laced hands on it, looking between the two of us. As he glanced down at it, I saw his perpetual smile fade a bit and his brows furrow.
That was probably not a good sign.