Chapter 2
Quint
That sense of happiness you only get from coming home settles over me as my old pickup kicks up a cloud of dust on the long road leading up to my family ranch.
I spot some familiar faces in the pastures on either side of the driveway.
Maven, Storm, and Layla all trot up closer to the fence line to investigate.
But most of the others are specks of brown, gray, and black in the distance.
Layla follows my truck as I make slow progress, and some broken rails catch my eye.
I’ll have to get out there to repair those.
I’m surprised Caleb hasn’t looked after it already.
He’s usually a stickler for keeping the fences in good repair.
The big ranch house appears as I’m cresting the small hill, and my smile widens until I spot the extra vehicles parked in the little paved area beside the house.
Beside Caleb’s big black truck with the ranch logo on it, there’s a sleek luxury sedan and a silver pickup truck.
Preston and Shayla? I step on the gas to speed up a little—not too much, safety first on the farm.
My curiosity is piqued, but it’s laced through with fear.
It’s been quite a while since all my siblings were in the house at the same time.
My truck’s door creaks as I slam it shut, and I give the vehicle a pat on the hood. She may be a little on the elderly side, but she still gets the job done.
“Honeys, I’m home!” I yell, pushing open the front door.
The sound of paws scrabbling on hardwood echoes through the house as a scruffy brown and white body comes flying at me.
“Blink!”
The dog bounces on her forelegs for a moment, butt wiggling frantically until she gives in to her urges and jumps up, planting her paws on my chest. I’m too happy to see her to chastise her for the misdemeanor.
“So good to see you, girl. I’ve missed you.” I give her soft neck a good scratch and let her lick me before I gently push her off.
Caleb knew I was coming home, but it takes another moment before I get a response.
Finally, I hear his voice coming from the kitchen. “In here.”
I toss my keys and they hit the small table beside the front door with a clatter.
“Hang them on the hook!” Caleb yells.
Of course. I roll my eyes and move the keys to one of the small hooks on the wall above the table.
Everyone’s sitting at the big kitchen table when I walk in, and my heart speeds up. Is something wrong?
“What’s going on?” I lean my hip against the doorframe, hesitant to walk in, dreading whatever bad news has brought my whole family together again. It never used to be this way.
“Hey, Quint, welcome home,” Caleb says in his gravelly voice.
“Hey, little bro,” Shayla says.
“Shay-Shay, Caleb.” I dip my head. “What are you doing here, Preston? Aren’t you supposed to be off buying and selling things or whatever it is you do?”
He shakes his head, glancing at his phone. “Your guess is as good as mine. I was summoned.”
Interesting. Now I’m really worried. My eyes stray to the photo collage on the wall to my right. Seeing the pictures of us all happy with our parents twists my heart. My gaze travels back to where my siblings are gathered around the table. My remaining family.
“What’s going on, Cale?” I turn to my eldest sibling.
“Come on and sit down. We’ve got some things to talk about.”
I take my time walking over, nervous flutters bouncing around in my guts. But as soon as my butt hits the chair, I lean in. “What’s going on? Is someone sick?”
Relief floods me as Caleb shakes his head. “No, nobody is sick.”
“Well then, what is it? I’ve got a meeting in half an hour, why’d you drag me home?” Preston looks more annoyed than worried.
“Look,” Caleb says, ignoring Preston’s irritation. “Things have been tough, since the breeding barn burned down.”
It’s still a gut punch, even though it happened last year. We lost a few of our top studs in the fire, and I still get nightmares about it. And the worst part was, I was away at school and couldn’t even come home because I was in the middle of exams. It’s a miracle I passed them at all.
“But the construction is done, right?” I ask. Insurance covered the cost of our losses, and it was well underway the last time I was home.
“It is. We’ve got the new barn up and running, but insurance didn’t cover the losses from our stud fees.
” If you didn’t know him, you might think he was uncaring, but I see the sadness under the stoic mask.
It was a devastating loss. “Those boys were our top earners, and while we’ve got a few new boys up and coming and we brought in a couple of outside studs, their fees are not bringing in what Coal was.
And we’re almost all out of his frozen straws. ”
Coal was our top stud. Championship barrel horse, prolific breeder. His loss was devastating, and not just financially.
“But we’ll get there, right? I’ve got lots of ideas to expand the breeding program and add in some additional streams of revenue.”
My siblings might still think of me as the baby of the family, but I’ve been away at school for just this purpose, to learn more about farm management and to modernize our breeding program. Hollow Hills has been a trusted name on the circuit for decades, but there’s always room for improvement.
I don’t like the frown pulling Caleb’s eyebrows together or the dark circles under his eyes.
Like he’s been dealing with some heavy shit and not sharing it with us.
Of course. I shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since we lost our parents, Caleb has taken on the weight of everything.
And sure, we needed it when we were younger, but not anymore.
We’re adults now. He doesn’t need to shoulder the entire load.
He sighs. “Things have gotten worse than I let on. Even before the barn fire, we were riding the line between the red and the black, but we’ve slipped into the red since then. We’re operating at a consistent loss now.” Caleb squeezes the back of his neck, but maintains eye contact with us.
Shayla slams her palms on the table, half rising. “What? You’ve been keeping this from us? I’ve been here, Caleb.”
He winces, his eyes giving him away when they stray down to her leg. “You already had enough going on. I didn’t want to upset you any further.”
She shakes her head, but slumps back into her seat. “That’s not your decision to make. I’m a grown-ass woman, and this is my ranch just as much as it is yours.”
“She’s right, Caleb,” I say, but where there’s anger flashing in Shayla’s eyes, it’s hurt squeezing my heart in my chest.
Preston finally looks up from his phone. “So, are we going to have to sell? I’ve been telling you for years that’s the right thing to do.”
Shayla refocuses her laser glare on Preston. “Why are you such an asshole? This is our family home, and we are not selling.” She turns back to our eldest brother, a steely edge to her voice when she says, “Right, Caleb?”
Caleb looks up at the ceiling, blowing out a breath. “I got an offer from the Hendersons to buy a portion of our land a couple of months back—”
“We can’t do that.” I lean in, images of all the horses flashing through my head. Mom and Dad. Every inch of this land holds a memory. Selling any part of it is not an option.
Our oldest brother holds up his hands. “No, we’re not going to do that.”
Preston raises an eyebrow, looking thoroughly unimpressed. “Then what’s the plan, big brother? We can’t just bleed money until the place is worthless.”
“Can you just keep your mouth shut for a minute? Where’s your heart?” Caleb says.
“This is business. No room for heart.” Preston folds his hands together, face an emotionless mask.
“We’ve had another offer too.” Our sister looks ready to jump out of her seat again, and Caleb hurries to clarify. “Not to sell. Sort of a lease, you might say.”
“Like a land lease? Is it going to affect our current herds?” I ask.
“If you all would just give me a minute to get this out, I’d explain it all and you wouldn’t have to keep asking questions. So if you could all kindly shut the fuck up, I’ll tell you.”
Silence falls immediately. Caleb rarely raises his voice, so when he does, it’s enough to let us know he’s serious.
“Now, we’ve had an offer from a television production company. Five-month lease with an option to renew if the show goes well.”
Preston finally looks up from his phone, a gleam of interest in his eyes.
Shayla, on the other hand, has deep grooves etched between her eyebrows.
I’m not sure what to think yet. If this is going to save the ranch, then I’m all in.
Plus, it sounds pretty exciting to have a TV show filmed here. “Can we spare the space?”
One of Caleb’s dark brows lifts, and it’s enough of a warning to halt any further questions.
“They’ll be using the small south barn for any filming.
We can shift a few of the horses if we need to.
They’ll be bringing along a handful with their animal handlers but will also use some of ours as needed. ”
My excitement is rising again. “So some of our horses are going to be stars? That’s so cool.”
My sister’s earlier anger is still simmering just under the surface. “It’s not cool, Quint. It’s disruptive. They’re going to be parking trucks and trailers all over the place. Take over the barn. Think of all those Hollywood people. No, no, we can’t do this. There’s gotta be another way.”
I sit back, trying to tamp down my enthusiasm before Shayla punches me. It wouldn’t be the first time. She doesn’t care that I can’t fight back—I would never.