14. Priya
CHAPTER 14
PRIYA
“How’s that look, sweetheart?” Bowen’s voice drifts down to me from atop the scaffolding, where he and Callum are hoisting the massive wooden sign into place. Sunlight filters through the morning haze, catching the sheen of sweat on their foreheads as they balance the weight between them.
I step back, tilting my head, and narrow my eyes at the front of the stables. Something’s off. The sign isn’t as straight as it could be—not drastically crooked, but enough to nag at me. And of course, not a single level exists in any of the toolsheds on this entire property. Once this sign is up, it’s permanent, and details matter.
“I think it’s too high. Can you bring it down? Just a hint,” I call up to them.
“A hint?” Callum grunts, shifting his grip. “How the hell far is a hint?”
The old, weather-beaten Buck and Whinny Horse Stables sign is finally getting the upgrade it deserves. Now that it’s been taken down, a modern, sleek replacement is ready to take its place— Kingridge Stables. The ranch’s logo is centered in bold relief, crisp and professional, and just thinking about the final result sends a thrill through me.
“Take your time, darlin’,” Bowen says, his patience as steady as ever.
“No, fuck that. Don’t take your time,” Callum huffs, struggling to hold his corner steady. “This thing is heavy, and let me tell you, it is not funny. Kingridge Stables . Come on.” He shoots me a scowl, but there’s no real heat behind it.
I can’t help but laugh.
“Hey, watch your tone,” Bowen barks, but there’s a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“We’re good,” I laugh, holding my hands up in surrender. “It looks amazing.”
Callum exhales sharply, rolling his shoulders as he steps back from the scaffolding and shakes his arms. “At least I won’t have to cringe every time I hear a parent awkwardly explain the old name to their kid before a trail ride. Small victories I guess.” He swipes his hat off, raking a hand through his hair before popping it back onto his head. “I’ve gotta head out.”
“Looks great,” Bowen says, his voice warm and sure. He looks at me like I’m his favorite person. “You love it, then I love it.” He winks before running a hand across the back of my jeans. It’s a lazy, possessive touch that sends heat curling low in my stomach.
I can’t help the way my lips pull into a smile as I look up at him. Bowen was easy to fall for and somehow, he’s even easier to love. Steady. Certain. Home.
“Damn, dude,” Callum snorts, shaking his head as he watches Bowen with a mix of amusement and exasperation. He lowers his voice, but not enough to stop me from catching it. “Pussy whipped much?”
“Fucking jealous much?” Bowen fires back without missing a beat.
The two fall into a familiar rhythm of muttered jabs. Their words are low and indecipherable, but the energy is unmistakable. It’s the kind of brotherly banter I’ve gotten used to, even if I’ll never quite understand it.
A part of me wonders if all the back-and-forth between Callum and Bowen could be solved by Callum meeting the right woman. Callum wears the wild-and-free act like a second skin. The dude is all swagger and sharp edges. But in the last few weeks, I’ve come to know better.
Beneath that easy charm and reckless grin, there’s a man who would fall hard— impossibly hard—if the right person came along. Truth be told, we could use some more women on this ranch. I love Cassidy, but she’s in a totally different place in her life than I am. She, Alex, and Connor are a perfectly established family. It’s like they’ve been together for a lifetime.
For all of Pa’s shortcomings when he was raising his kids, one thing is undeniable. All of the Kingridge brothers are loyal to a fault. There’s an unwavering devotion that doesn’t budge once they give their hearts away.
Underneath all that bravado, Callum is a tidal wave of emotion and intensity. It simmers just beneath the surface, waiting for the right person to pull him under. And when Callum finally does fall, whoever captures his heart will be damn lucky, just like I am to have Bowen in my life.
Bowen’s voice raises, puncturing my thoughts. “Fuck right off dude.”
“Yeah, you gonna make me?” Callum snaps back. “You choose. Here or outside. Let’s see you hurt yourself. You’re soft.”
“Let’s fucking go then!” Bowen’s voice has an edge to it that I’ve come to recognize as a push-and-shove dynamic reserved only for his brothers.
I step away with a chuckle and let the two of them have their moment. Two grown men are ready to roll around tackling each other over a comment. My sister Zara and I never fought like this. She and I have disagreed over the years of course, but I’ve never yelled at her let alone asked her to take things outside. But then again, we aren’t cowboys.
When I first walked away from my old life, there was a stretch of silence between us. For the first time ever, months passed when we didn’t talk. It wasn’t for lack of trying on her part, I just wasn’t ready. But in the last few weeks, we’ve started catching up, and it’s as if no time has passed.
She might even come out to the ranch for the Fourth of July celebration this summer. The thought of my little sister parading around the ranch with her ring light and short shorts makes me laugh. I don’t know if these guys are ready.
Truth is, I don’t know what life on the ranch will look like a year from now. Hell, I don’t even know what next month will bring. But I do know where my life will be and that’s here, with Bowen.