Chapter 1
JACQUELINE
Izipped the suitcase shut with a soft grunt, my fingers tracing the cool metal of the zipper pull as if that could somehow keep everything from slipping away.
My favorite pair of boots was already inside, given to me by my grandfather after I told him I had enrolled in my veterinary technician program.
They were sturdy, but with just enough pretty stitching around the top to make me smile every time I pulled them on.
He’d been so proud of me for chasing my dream. It really sucked that he wasn’t here to see me achieve it.
My eyes stung, and I blinked hard as I turned away from the suitcase.
My grandfather had been gone for a couple of weeks now, but the ache felt brand new every time something reminded me of him.
At least I’d gotten to spend the past month of his life at his side.
And we’d been able to celebrate my graduation together with a cupcake I smuggled into the nursing facility.
Grandpa had not been happy about leaving his beloved land behind, but moving him up here after his stroke had been the right call.
He’d needed his family around him during his last days.
And we’d needed it just as much, especially since he hadn’t wanted a big funeral, just a quiet cremation and the promise of a celebration of life later in the summer when everyone could make it.
I’d put off my first trip back to Rutledge Ranch without him for two weeks, but now my time was up. Decisions needed to be made, and I couldn’t make them from San Jose.
Picking up my phone, I hovered my thumb over my best friend’s name for a moment before I tapped it.
She answered on the second ring. “Hey. How are you holding up today?”
I sank onto the edge of my bed, a small smile tugging at my lips despite everything. “I guess I’m okay. Better than I have been lately, at least.”
I met Bex the very first summer I spent at Grandpa’s ranch, when I was six and she was four.
We bonded instantly, chasing each other through the tall grass just about every day.
Growing up with older brothers, I had loved hanging out with her.
Fifteen years later, she still felt like the sister I’d never had.
We chatted for a few minutes about how her dad was testing her patience more than ever, and the easy back-and-forth loosened some of the ache in my chest.
Her tone softened as she asked, “Have you decided what you’re going to do with the ranch now that it’s yours?”
I let out a slow breath, staring at the half-packed boxes scattered around my bedroom.
During the will reading, I’d been happily surprised when the lawyer read the part naming me as the sole recipient of Rutledge Ranch.
My brothers had received other assets, and there had been no resentment on their part because they understood why Grandpa had decided to split his estate that way.
I was the only one who loved the land the way he did. It was where I belonged.
“I’m going to figure out how to turn part of the place into the small horse rehabilitation and boarding facility I’ve always dreamed of,” I answered, a little excitement creeping into my voice.
“Nothing too big at first. Just a place where horses recovering from injury, surgery, or tough situations can come to heal. Maybe take a few long-term boarders to help keep things stable. I want to do it right, building slowly. Honor Grandpa’s memory. ”
“Oh my gosh, yes!” Bex let out a delighted squeal that made me pull the phone away from my ear for a moment, laughing softly.
“I was hoping you’d say something like that.
I’m so excited for you. And I’m selfishly thrilled my best friend is finally moving down here for good.
No more counting down the weeks until summer.
Year-round bestie time without the eight-hour drive! ”
Her contagious excitement bubbled through the line and wrapped around my heart like a hug. For the first time since my grandfather’s stroke, the future felt a little less heavy. Even with the hurdles I was bound to face.
“Do me a favor and keep up that positivity because I’m going to need it.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and leaned back against the headboard. “There was an addendum in the will. If I don’t elect to keep the ranch, Grandpa named who gets first right of refusal before the place can be offered to anyone else.”
“Really?”
I shrugged even though she couldn’t see it. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m not selling. The ranch is mine, and I won’t give it up. I’m moving down there permanently.”
“Hopefully soon.”
“I’m driving down tomorrow morning. I’ll take stock of the house and the land, see what kind of shape everything’s in since it’s been weeks since Grandpa was down there, and then come back to finish packing the rest of my stuff.
And my parents are having Daisy sent down, too. She should get there right after me.”
“Let me know if you need help,” Bex offered. “I could always drive back up with you. Unless your brothers are still in town?”
“No, they’ve both headed home already.”
I was the youngest of three and the only girl. John was a real-estate developer in the Bay Area, and Justin was an architect in Vegas.
“Did you get to spend some time with them before they left?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I heaved a deep sigh. “But once I told them about my plans, we spent most of it with them lecturing me.”
She made a sympathetic sound. “They’re giving you a hard time about it?”
I traced a seam on the comforter with my finger. “Yeah, John thinks I’m being too sentimental. He keeps talking about maintenance costs and market value. He’s pretty sure I’m going to regret the decision later.”
Bex snorted. “Then he doesn’t know you as well as he thinks he does.”
“Right?” I shook my head. “I get it, though. He’s so used to viewing land through the lens of how it can be developed, so he doesn’t get why I’d want to stay on the ranch forever.”
“What about Justin?”
I rolled my eyes. “He wasn’t quite as judgmental, but he’s such a city guy. Neither of them can picture me out there alone. They still see me as their sweet little sister who needs protecting.”
“Yeah, I get how it feels to be on the receiving end of that with how my dad is with me.”
Bex’s father was the sheriff down there, so she absolutely understood my frustration. “I get why they’re worried. I’m a little nervous too. But deep down, I know this is the right decision.”
“And your grandfather believed in your dream. He wouldn’t have given you the land if he didn’t.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, filled with sadness yet again that he wouldn’t be here to see what I’d do with it.
“I don’t want to kill your buzz,” she murmured. “But the ranch is basically an island in the middle of Black Crowns territory now. I’m not sure if you’re aware that they’ve bought up everything around it over the past several years. Maybe that’s part of why your big brothers are so worried.”
I’d never interacted with anyone from the club, but my grandfather had mentioned them several times over the years. “I can’t imagine that I need to worry about them. Grandpa always said they’re good men, and he was a great judge of character.”
“Maybe, but everyone around here knows not to cross them because they’re scary dudes,” Bex added. “My dad doesn’t seem to hate them, or to be in a rush to arrest any of them. But he’s always told me to stay clear. And it’s not just him being overprotective. They’re dangerous.”
A flicker of unease stirred in my stomach, but I refused to give in to it. “I’m not going to let them scare me off my grandfather’s land. If the Black Crowns are surrounding the ranch, then I guess we’ll all just have to learn to coexist. I’m not running.”
And the same went for Brogan Rourke. It didn’t matter that my grandfather wanted him to have first right of refusal because Rutledge Ranch was my home now.