Chapter Fourteen
The alarm goes off at four a.m. sharp, bringing an abrupt stop to the dream I was enjoying. A steer. A gold buckle. Crowd cheering.
I groan and roll onto my back, fumbling for my phone on the nightstand.
I pound the screen and silence it with more force than necessary.
My body screams at me as I stretch my back.
I conveniently forgot how early everything starts on a ranch.
It doesn’t care if you’re tired. Cows don’t wait. Neither does daylight.
Beside me, the reason for my achy limbs stirs. Ruby is a combative bedmate. She starts the night sweetly cuddled into my side, but once she’s asleep, it’s like wrestling an alligator. She twists and turns, landing sideways with a foot in my rib cage.
But, man, she’s the cutest little alligator.
Her eyes blink open once, maybe twice, unfocused and heavy with sleep. For half a second, I panic, thinking I’ve woken her for the day, but then she rolls onto her side, curls into herself, and is out again.
I stay still for a moment, watching her breathe.
This—this—is the part that makes it all worth it.
The quiet seconds when I can appreciate where this path has led me before responsibility slams back into place.
Before I panic at the fact that I’m a single dad who has no fucking clue what he’s doing.
A single dad who has no business being responsible for the care and safety of this tiny human.
I tuck the blanket up around her shoulders and ease myself out of bed, careful not to let the floor creak beneath my weight.
I dress in the bathroom across the hall, pulling on jeans and a thermal, taking my boots in hand and carrying them downstairs instead of putting them on up here. The house smells like coffee by the time I reach the kitchen.
Momma stands at the stove, flipping eggs in a skillet. Her hair done, robe exchanged for jeans and a sweater, she looks fresh as a damn daisy.
“Morning,” I mumble.
She turns and smiles, like she’s been waiting for me. “Good morning, sweetheart,” she chirps cheerfully.
I kiss her cheek and grab a mug, pouring myself coffee before my brain has time to catch up. She loads a plate with eggs, bacon, and toast and slides it toward me as I sit at the island.
“Thank you,” I say.
I eat fast. Barely taking the time to appreciate the food. A habit from years of grabbing meals between shifts where jobs don’t wait. When I’m halfway through, guilt creeps in.
“You sure you don’t mind keeping Ruby today?” I ask.
It’s not her responsibility to keep my kid for free. I add check into child care options in town to the mental list of things I need to take care of as soon as I’m on my feet.
She waves a hand dismissively. “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got plans.”
I arch a brow. “Plans?”
She smiles knowingly. “Pancakes. Coloring books. A little gardening. And I thought we’d bake something for dessert tonight.”
She sounds genuinely excited to spend the day with her granddaughter.
“She’ll love all of that.”
I finish my coffee and stand, pulling on my jacket and boots. “Thank you,” I say again. “I’ll come fetch her as soon as I can.”
She reaches out and squeezes my arm. “Go. And don’t worry about us.”
I grab my hat from the hook as I make my way to the front door.
Outside, the air is cold enough to snap me fully awake. The sky is still dark and quiet, stars hanging heavy overhead. The kind of silence that exists just before a ranch comes alive.
Darby is already waiting near the barn, clipboard tucked under one arm, a coffee in the other.
He nods when he sees me. “Morning, Waylon.”
“Morning,” I answer.
He walks me through it all like he’s reading off a new-hire checklist—daily care of livestock, feeding, watering, health checks.
Herding cattle when needed. Fence mending.
Equipment upkeep. Helping the other hands wherever needed.
A jack-of-all-trades role that’s meant to keep the entire operation running smoothly.
“Muck stalls. Assist with calving when it’s that season. Manage pastures. Prep animals for market,” he adds. “Depends on the time of year.”
“I worked for my dad when I was a teenager,” I tell him. “I know the drill.”
Darby studies me for a second, then nods. “Yeah,” he says. “You look like you’ve slung a hay bale or two.”
Before I can reply, Caison approaches, hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
“Mind if I steal him for a few?” he asks Darby.
“Already?”
Caison nods. “Yep. Carla has paperwork for him.”
“Carla?” I repeat.
“She’s the real boss around here,” Darby says. “Keeps Caison here in line.”
“She’s my office assistant, but Darby’s right. She keeps the ship afloat for sure.”
“Go on. Find me when you’re done,” Darby says, throwing up a hand to flag down another ranch hand who is headed down the drive in a tractor.
I thank him and promise I’ll work hard.
“I’ll try not to be too tough on you,” he says, slapping me on the back. “Figure I’ll be working for you one day.”
I scoff. “Don’t hold your breath.”
Caison snorts as we walk away. “You’re Holland’s son. Of course Ironhorse will be yours one day.”
I shake my head. “He’d sell it off before he left it to me.”
“That’s not true.”
“All right. He’d leave it to you before me,” I add. “You’re the son he wishes he had.”
Caison stops walking and looks at me. “You’re misjudging him.”
“Am I?”
“He’s a good man,” Caison says carefully. “And I think you should give him a chance.”
I don’t respond.
When we reach his office, Pop is already there. He looks up from Caison’s desk.
“Morning,” he says. “How’d it go with Darby?”
“Fine.”
Caison hands me a folder. “This is everything we need filled out so Carla can get your payroll set up.”
I open it, scanning the pages. Tax forms. Insurance.
“Insurance covers Ruby too?” I ask.
“Yes,” Caison says. “As soon as we have the info.”
I freeze.
Because I don’t have it.
I don’t know Ruby’s legal last name.
I don’t know her Social Security number.
I don’t know her exact date of birth. All her mother said when she showed up with her was that she was born in September, the year after our affair. I bought a cake, and we celebrated her turning four, but I just chose a random day.
Holland’s jaw tightens the second he realizes what’s wrong.
“You left Vegas without any of that?” he snaps.
I bristle. “I wasn’t exactly thinking along these lines at the time.”
“You should’ve found her mother,” he continues. “Had her sign custody over to you.”
“I didn’t have that option.”
“You need that information, son,” he says sharply. “What if she needs medical care? How do you plan to sign her up for school?”
“I get it,” I bite out. “I’m new at this. Figuring it out as I go along.”
Pop exhales hard. “Her mother’s name?”
I hesitate. “Candy.”
He stares at me. “Candy?”
“I don’t think it was her real name,” I admit. “I don’t know a last name.”
He rubs his temples. “You said you worked at the same club.”
“The Velvet Den,” I say.
“Time frame?” he asks.
“June. Five years ago.”
“I’ll have her tracked down.”
I don’t like it. Every instinct in me screams against it. But I nod anyway. Because he’s right. I need to do this correctly. Legally.
“All right,” I say. “But when you track her down, I’ll be the one to talk to her.”
“Fine. I’ll make some calls.” He leaves the office, jaw set.
Caison clears his throat. “We’ll get you a paper check cut for the first pay period,” he says. “Until everything’s squared away and Carla can get you set up for automatic bank draft.”
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Oh, and furniture gets delivered on Thursday and the new appliances sometime next week. You and Ruby can move in anytime after.”
“Move in?”
“Yeah. The cabin. Crew went in this weekend to do some minor repairs needed and get it cleaned up. Priscilla had them take out all the old stuff, and she hand-picked the new furniture and decor. So, if you don’t like any of it, too fucking bad.” He grins.
“You can take rent out of my paycheck,” I say.
His eyes come to mine. “No rent. Ranch hands get room and board.”
I shake my head. “Ranch hands get a bunk in the bunkhouse, not a foreman’s cabin.”
“Can’t exactly have a little girl in the bunkhouse.”
“Right. So, I’ll pay rent.”
Caison huffs as he takes a seat behind his desk, and his eyes come to me.
“Waylon, this is your home. Whether you like it or not, you are a Ludlow. Holland and Priscilla’s son.
And Ruby is their granddaughter. Your parents want you to have the cabin so you and Ruby can have your own place.
Your own home. So you don’t feel like a guest here. Accept it or don’t.”
I’m an ass. An ass with too much pride.
“All right. You got the keys?”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “I’ll have them after everything has been completed. I’ll get them to you next week.”
“Okay.”
One step at a time.
“Now get to work. This place doesn’t run itself.”