Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Maddox
I shouldn’t have gone inside the Rodeo Roundup on Monday night.
What I should’ve done was send someone else to collect the trucks my men left behind, but I’m a fucking fool.
I used keeping my distance from my sister as an excuse, but that wasn’t entirely true.
Yeah, I was avoiding Della like the fucking plague, but I didn’t hate the idea of seeing Amelia again either, and I figured I could use a distraction from all the heavy shit I was dealing with.
Things didn’t play out that way, though.
The moment Amelia placed that first drink in front of me and disappeared to serve her customers, my mind started spiraling. It turns out there is no escaping my troubles. I can push them to the back of my head, but they don’t stay there for long.
I drank too much that night and spilled way too many of my secrets.
By the time I realized my mistake, it was too late.
I couldn’t stop the shit from coming out of my mouth, so when Amelia sauntered over and announced her ex-husband had arrived with her kid in tow, I took that as my opportunity to shift gears.
The plan was to take the heat off me and divert the conversation I was having with Shadow to Amelia’s situation.
The fact he openly called me out for the way I carry myself around his cousin must’ve loosened my inhibitions because I found myself asking him questions I had no business asking.
Questions like, why hasn’t he put a bullet in the back of Russell’s head yet.
I took things even further when Shadow announced he was going to take a piss, and I made my way outside.
In my drunken haze, I convinced myself Amelia had been gone for too long, and that checking on her was something any noble man would do.
Fucking lies.
If there is one thing I’m sure of in this life, it’s that Amelia is tough as nails. She survived over twelve years with that motherfucker, six of which she was married to him. She didn’t need a fucking hero, especially not one the likes of me.
Something she made very clear the moment I intervened.
The only thing I managed to do was to shift her wrath of fury from Russell to me, which seemed crazy to me.
There she was, handing me my ass when he was the one who had disrespected her.
The things he said were vulgar and vile, and to say them in front of his son—there must be a special spot in Hell waiting for Russell Cain.
I never wanted to hurt someone as badly as I wanted to at that moment, and I would’ve had Amelia’s son not been standing right there.
Since he was born, I worked hard not to pay him any mind. Looking at him hurt like hell, especially when he was younger. The times I saw him and Amelia together flayed me, and I won’t get into how I felt whenever I saw them with Russell.
Dylan represented everything I lost.
Everything I wanted.
And a guy like Russell Cain never deserved him or Amelia.
Not then and certainly not fucking now.
There wasn’t a single part of me that wanted to be the guy who shielded him from his parents’ argument, and yet that’s what I became.
What I wanted was to send Amelia inside with her son and take all my aggression out on her ex-husband.
Hell, if I get my balls good and twisted, I still might do that.
The motherfucker deserves a beating. Maybe if I’m the one to deliver it, I can finally clear my head of them. This week was hard enough; I didn’t need to be preoccupied with thoughts of Amelia and Dylan, wondering if Russell had caused any more drama for either of them.
My gaze swings across the yard to where Shadow stands with Dylan. I never thought the day would come that I’d see Amelia’s son standing on my ranch, his eyes wide and curious.
When I took him inside the bar, Shadow had returned from the bathroom, and instead of cutting out of there like I should’ve, I stayed behind, keeping one eye on the door as I waited for Amelia to come back.
It took longer than I liked, and in that time, Shadow decided to introduce me formally to Dylan as his buddy—the guy who owns the ranch.
Apparently I had come up in one of their previous conversations, and something Shadow said must’ve stuck with Dylan because he suddenly forgot all about the disappointing visit with his father in that moment.
He started firing question after question at me, asking about all the animals.
He was most excited to hear about the horses and asked if I had an extra horse for him to learn how to ride.
My response came too quick, and before I could think better of it, I told him I had the perfect horse for him to learn how to ride and promised I would speak to his mom about getting him those lessons.
That earned me an amused look from Shadow, and later that night, when I was finally home, I told myself it would never happen. That the kid would forget about my offer.
I don’t know if that’s the case, but seeing him here now, I hope he hasn’t. Hell, I’d take him to the stables right now if I could. Anything for a reprieve from this day and all these goddamn people.
I pull at the bolo tie around my neck, loosening it a bit.
I don’t know why I bothered with it in the first place.
Granddaddy wasn’t a fan of them either. Even when he wore his Sunday best, he always left the tie on his bed.
Back in the day my grandmother would chastise him for it, and he always had the same response.
I ain’t putting no noose around my neck, Della.
I’d give anything to hear him say that one more time. Fuck, I’d cut my heart out if it meant I could hear his voice at all. It’s all I could wish for as I laid him to rest and shoveled that dirt over his casket.
I tear my gaze away from Dylan and scan the wide span of land in front of the house.
I didn’t expect this many people to stick around after the burial, and the sight of them is making me anxious.
Just the idea of standing beside my sister while we accept their condolences has me sweating, or maybe it’s the fact that our grandfather’s attorney is waiting in my office, ready to read us his will, something I’ve been dreading.
But it can’t be put off any longer. Mr. Cohen asked Della and me to meet with him before he left town. Since he was already attending the funeral, it made sense to have the meeting here, but I didn’t factor in there would be so many people around.
I turn my head, scoping out my sister, and find her at the edge of the yard talking to Amelia.
The sight gives me pause and takes me back in time.
The two of them used to be thick as thieves.
It’s one of the main reasons I fought my attraction toward Amelia for as long as I did.
I didn’t want to come between their friendship.
Flicking the rim of my hat, I start for them. Amelia’s eyes are the first to connect with mine as I approach, but my sister’s gaze quickly follows.
I clear my throat. “You ready?”
This is the first time I’ve spoken to her since informing her that we needed to meet with the lawyer.
“I’ll catch you later, Della,” Amelia says. I wait for her to acknowledge me, but she doesn’t. I guess that invitation to teach her son how to ride a horse will have to wait until she’s done being mad at me for sticking my nose in her business.
“Sure, I’ll see you soon,” Della replies, giving her a small smile. I don’t allow myself to read too much into that. Della is the queen of empty promises. She probably has no intention of seeing Amelia after today.
We both watch Amelia walk away, then Della’s gaze swings toward me. “Just give me a minute, and I’ll join you.”
An exasperated sigh leaves my lips. She always has to drag shit.
“Mr. Cohen is on a tight schedule. Make it quick, Della.”
“I won’t be long. I just need another minute.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, my eyes flit over her features. The tip of her nose is red, a telltale sign that she’s been crying, and for the briefest moment, guilt stings me. I don’t think our grandfather would be too proud of the way either of us has treated one another since his death.
“I’ll wait out on the front porch for you. Don’t take all day.”
“I, William Meadows, resident of Saddle Ridge, Oklahoma, being of sound mind---”
I cut Mr. Cohen off. “When was this drafted because we both know he wasn’t of sound mind in the last eighteen months?” Perhaps even longer.
“If you’d let me continue, I’d get to that part, but to answer your question, this will was drafted four years ago, and I assure you, William was completely coherent.”
That may be so, but he hadn’t officially handed me the reins to the ranch at that time. That shouldn’t have any bearing on anything, though, so I’m not sure why my knee is bouncing the way that it is.
“Can we let Mr. Cohen continue and ask any questions afterward?” Della asks.
“Yeah,” I mutter. It really grates on my nerves when she’s the voice of reason out of the two of us.
Mr. Cohen eyes me momentarily before diverting his attention back to the document in front of him, picking up where he left off before I interrupted him. He names me the executor of the will, and from my periphery, I notice my sister doesn’t even flinch.
The next paragraph doesn’t read as formally and is in our grandfather’s own words. He leaves me his gun collection, and Della our grandmother’s engagement ring.
“As for Meadows Ranch, my wishes are for my grandson, Maddox, and my granddaughter, Della to share ownership of it in its entirety. My hope is that you both call this place home and grow your families on the land that your grandmother and I grew ours.”
Sure I heard Mr. Cohen wrong, I lean forward, interrupting him yet again. “There’s no way I heard that correctly. Are you saying Granddaddy left the ranch to both of us?”
“Yeah, that can’t be right,” Della chimes in.
“Again, if you’d let me continue.” He shoots me a glare. “May I?”
I’m not sure I want him to, but I manage a nod.
“Maddox will maintain control over the staff and lead the daily operations required to keep Meadows Ranch thriving, but my wish is for Della to take on a more active role. I will leave it to the two of you to decide what that role is, but I hope you’ll work together to build a legacy you can both be proud of.
Maddox and Della, you are the future of this land, and I have every confidence in the world, that together you will succeed in growing what your grandmother and I started. ”
Unable to control myself, I push out of the chair, sending it toppling backward. Startled by my outburst, Della jumps slightly.
“This is fucking bullshit,” I holler. “She hasn’t lived here in years. She deserted this place. She deserted him! Went searching for something better and now she gets half of everything I busted my ass to maintain?”
My jaw clenches, and I shake my head in disbelief.
What a fucking slap in the face.
Mr. Cohen straightens the papers on top of the desk but doesn’t say a word.
“I’m sitting right here, you know,” Della snaps.
I glare at her. “Yeah, and it took him dying for you to be here.”
Tears fill her eyes instantly, but to her credit, she doesn’t let them fall. I can’t stand looking at her for another second. I can’t even breathe the same fucking air as her. Not with the way I’m feeling.
I turn to Mr. Cohen. “There’s gotta be a way around this. Something I can do to keep the ranch as my own.”
He closes the folder with the will on top of the desk and taps his fingers against it before rising to his full height. Meeting my gaze, he sighs. “You can buy her out.”
I let those words sink in. He might as well have told me to rob a bank. The last time the ranch was assessed by the state, it was worth millions of dollars. I don’t got that kind of money.
“Look, Maddox, I can see you are hurting, and I can understand how this comes as a shock to you.” His gaze slides to Della.
“To both of you. But emotions are high, and you’re both grieving.
I think it’s best if you take some time to digest all of this, and then maybe sit down together and have a discussion.
It appears there are a lot of unresolved issues between you, and something tells me, your grandfather sensed as much.
Perhaps this was his way of bridging the gap.
” He rounds the desk, his eyes coming back to find mine.
“I must be going, but I’ll touch base when I return.
Again, I’m truly sorry for your loss. William was a great man.
A wise man. It’d be good to keep that in mind when you find yourself questioning his motives. ”