Chapter 4
Quint
Why do all my shirts have holes in them?
And why do I care? This isn’t a date. But the nerves ripping through me suggest otherwise.
There’s a stunning Hollywood actress showing up at our ranch in—I glance at the digital clock on my bedside table—forty-five minutes.
And she’s coming to see me. I suppose I should get used to this sort of thing, given it’s going to become a reality at the ranch pretty darn soon, but it’s going to take some getting used to for sure.
I finally find a clean button-up shirt in the closet and slip it over my arms. My back protests the stretch.
Having only been home for two weeks, I’m still getting back into the routine of daily life on the ranch.
Mucking stalls, scooping the field, and exercising a handful of horses every day is a lot after spending a good chunk of my time sitting at a desk doing research and writing papers for the last four years.
But it’s good. It feels amazing to be back here. Home.
After closing the last button, I snatch the NDA off the dresser and head out.
“What the hell is going on?” Caleb yells as I rip down the stairs, taking them two at a time. It’s like he slipped right into Dad’s place, trying to keep us in order. But he’s not our father, and we’re all grown adults by now, so we mostly ignore him.
I skid into the kitchen, skipping over his question. “Where’s Shayla?”
One of his thick eyebrows stretches toward his hairline. “How should I know? None of you tell me anything anymore.”
He winces when I land a punch on his shoulder. “Excuse me? Aren’t you the one who neglected to tell the rest of us what was going on at the ranch? You can’t expect us to fall in line when you were the one keeping secrets.”
It still hurts. That he didn’t trust us, that he didn’t let us help. I kinda get it. He’s the oldest. He’s always been the responsible one. But we could have helped sooner if he’d let us.
Instead of an answer, he just gives me a few slow blinks, and then I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. Much more sedate ones than mine. I spin around, waiting for my sister to appear.
She walks into the kitchen with a frown, brushing a strand of strawberry blonde hair that escaped the tight confines of her ponytail off her face. Shayla resembles Mom so much, sometimes it hurts to look at her, but I keep my smile bright.
She’s struggling enough right now. Doesn’t need my grief piled on top of it.
“Things were much quieter before you got home, Quint. Why do you have to stomp around the house like you’re trying to wake the neighbors?”
“Shay-Shay, our closest neighbors live miles away. I couldn’t wake them if I put on a live concert. And it’s going to get a hell of a lot noisier once the film crew arrives.”
She wrinkles her freckled nose. “Don’t remind me.”
“Listen. I need your help. Both of you. Preston too, if he’s not glued to his computer.”
Shayla rolls her eyes. “I can’t help you before I’ve had coffee. Maybe not even after.”
Caleb goes back to typing away on the laptop that seems to be a permanent fixture on the dining room table these days. It’s like he’s forgotten all about our family meals and Mom’s rules about working at the table.
“Caleb, get your laptop off the table.” There’s a bite to Shayla’s tone, but to be honest, she’s been all sharp edges for the last year. She was never the sunny one in the family, but the bitterness and depression weighing her down since the accident has been visible.
He snorts. “I’m working. Something some of the rest of you could learn from.”
His judgment feels like a punch to the gut. He’s the one who insisted I stay in school, even after everything we lost. I know he doesn’t mean it, but it’s still tough to hear.
“I’m off to do some of that myself, but I really do need to talk to you guys, like, now. I’ll make you coffee, but then you’re going to sit down and listen to me. Both of you.” I shoot my sister a look.
She sighs, but nods. “Getting feisty, little brother. Make sure to put some cinnamon powder on mine.”
“Of course.”
The sound of the coffee grinder is accompanied by the smell of fresh coffee beans, and I drag in a deep inhale of it before dumping it into the filter.
Caleb is still typing away, and Shayla is sitting at the table, hands folded in front of her, when I finally get the good stuff poured.
My first sip is sweet, rich, and creamy.
Just the way I like it. But the ones I place down in front of my siblings are black as our old stud, Coal.
Pain twists my heart at the memory of him.
Losing him was such a blow to the ranch.
He was a special horse, but he meant way more to me than a means to pay the bills.
“Caleb!” I finally snap at him, and he shuts the computer.
There are creases between his eyes that look permanent, like he spends too much time worrying. But that makes me a little angry too, because if he’d trusted us, we could have lifted some of the burden off his shoulders.
I drop the NDA on the table. Aurelia was reluctant to let me tell the rest of the family at first, but I explained to her how impossible it would be for me to sneak her in and out of here without anyone else knowing, and she finally gave in.
There are still a couple of ranch hands to contend with, but we can figure it out.
I’ll make sure I do. I really want to make this happen.
I’m not even sure why, but there was something about her that made me want to help.
Something in her eyes or the way she looked at me.
And it’s not just her unreal beauty. I can’t even define it.
Shayla clutches her pink flowered mug like it’s a life preserver and takes a long sip, leaning back in her chair. “So, what is it you need from us, Quint? What is so important it couldn’t wait until after breakfast?”
I tap the papers.
“Not helpful. What’s that?” she asks, throwing her hands up in the air.
I make direct eye contact with her. “So, we all know now that they’re going to start filming here at the ranch in a couple of weeks.”
Shayla heaves out a disgruntled sigh and Caleb glances at his hands.
I rub my hands on my jeans, denim rough under my damp palms. I have no idea how these two are going to take it.
Preston won’t care unless he can figure out some way to make it lucrative for the ranch, but there’s no way he’s going there.
He may come off as a big asshole sometimes, but I know deep down he’s still got some integrity buried under that slick suit.
But these two? They could make or break the whole thing.
Finally, Shayla cuts through the silence. “Yes, we know. Spit it out, Quint. We don’t have all day. I have to get to the office.”
“Right. We’re about to have a visitor. Someone from the show.”
Caleb narrows his eyes glancing down at the papers I dropped on the table. “Who?”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard of Aurelia Lane?”
That gets their attention. Shayla’s mouth drops open and she leans forward. “From Paisley Creek?”
“No, the other Aurelia Lane. Works over at the general store.” I wince as her fist connects with my arm. “Ouch! What the fuck, Shayla?”
“Stop being a smartass.”
I rub my arm where she hit me. My sister packs a mean punch in her small frame. “She just got into town, and she asked me to help her learn to ride.”
My brother leans back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest. “She doesn’t know how to ride? What’s she doing on the show then? I don’t know much about Hollywood, but seems kind of important for the kind of show they’re filming here.”
“It is. And it’s kind of complicated, but she asked me to help her.”
Now Shayla is straight up laughing. “You? Why you? And wait, have you met her? When?” She’s trying and failing to hide the excitement in her voice.
“Yesterday. And maybe she asked me because I’m good with horses. I don’t know, sis. But she did.”
“No way. You’re fucking with us.”
“Hold up, Shayla, I don’t think he would do that. Is the film going to be paying you for these lessons?” Caleb asks.
I wince, hoping they’re not opposed to keeping a tiny secret. “Here’s the thing, they don’t know she can’t ride. That’s why she came to me, and she asked me not to tell anyone. Hence the NDAs.”
Shayla’s shaking her head. “NDAs? No way, little brother, that sounds shady, and I don’t want to get involved.”
My heart skips. My sister has her difficult moments, but I didn’t anticipate her flat-out refusing. I glance at the door. Aurelia is going to be here any minute, and I need to get these two on board before she arrives or this whole thing could blow up. And I don’t want that.
“Please, Shay-Shay, read it before you say no. All it says is we can’t talk about Aurelia being here and we definitely can’t talk about the whole not-knowing-how-to-ride thing.
She’s going to pay me herself.” As reluctant as I was to agree to that part, it might be the thing that gets these two on board.
“And of course I’ll be putting that money back into the ranch. ” That should help seal the deal.
Caleb shakes his head and runs a hand through his short brown hair. “I’m not against this. I’ll read the agreement. Maybe get Preston’s ass down here to go over it. He knows more about this sort of thing than I do. But if she’s paying you, you should keep the money for yourself.”
I drop my hands onto the table, leaning closer to my brother.
“Not happening. I know you all still think of me as the baby. But I’m not.
I’m not a child. And this goddamn ranch is more important to me than anything else in the world, other than you guys.
So I’ll be putting the money back into the ranch and that’s it. ”
“Ooh, little brother grew a backbone in school.” Shayla smirks.
“Anyway. She’s coming over soon, can we please all get on board with this?”
My brother gives a slow nod. “Go get Preston. We’ll take a look and if it seems like everything is on the up and up, we’ll sign them.” He turns to our sister.