Mountain Needs a Boss (Men of Cooper Ranch #1)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Sometimes life doesn't just surprise you.

It gives you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

It can just take some time to realize that.

Will

4 months ago

"Great, you're all here," our grandfather's attorney says as he walks into the boardroom of his Anchorage law office.

One by one, he shakes hands with my three brothers before reaching me at the end of the line.

"Sorry for your loss," he says, almost perfunctory but I know it's not because he has been—or I guess was—looking after Gramps's interests for decades. He's doing the same for us now too.

Gramps passed away last month in what was a surprise to all of us. I'd only just spoken to him a few weeks earlier and he sounded as bright, healthy, and positive as I'd ever heard him. Thinking back on it now, I know he was covering up his failing health because had any of us known the truth, any one of us would've gone straight to the ranch to check on him.

I've always looked up to the man our Gramps aka Ridley 'Riddles' Cooper. He'd seen and done so many things in his long life and had lived to tell the tale. Born and bred at Cooper Ranch on the Ridge of the same name, in the small Alaskan mountain town of Timber Falls, he tried living in the Lower 48 with us as he got older. But the call back home was too strong in the end and five years ago, he returned to his hometown and the ranch he loved.

That's where he spent the rest of his days, living a simple life, prepping for what he'd say was the end of society as we know it, and condemning the advancement of technology. He was sure that something bad was coming and that everyone should be prepared for it when it did, he just never told any of us exactly what that thing was.

That brings us to now, with us four Cooper grandsons traveling from our scattered parts of the country—Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco—to meet with John Worthington and hear the reading of Gramps's will.

After taking our seats, John moves to the head of the table, spreading several documents out in front of him before sitting down and linking his hands on top of the desk.

"Before we dive into everythin', I'd like to say a few words about your grandfather." My brothers and I look at each other before nodding at the lawyer. "Good, thanks for that."

He takes a deep breath, closing his eyes slowly as if he's composing himself. When he exhales again, his gaze is steady and strong, and going by his squared shoulders, I know he's ready for whatever he's about to say.

"Ridley Cooper was not just a client to me. Your grandfather was one of the most astute, worldly, and wise men I've ever known and I'm not a young man, so I've met a lot in my time." A wry smile appears. "But it was more than that. It didn't matter how many months or years went by between visits, Riddles would always greet me like I was a brother, and it was like it had only been days since we'd seen each other."

"Gramps was good like that," I say, earning nods from my brothers.

John's lips tip up on one side. "He was. Whatever you uncover, hear, or decide about him, I want you to always remember the man he was, what he believed in, and those words I just used to describe him. It'll go some way to help you understand why his last wishes have been done this way."

My youngest brother, Jude, jerks his head back. He slowly arches a brow John's way. "You're bein' as cryptic as Gramps was. You know that, right?"

The lawyer chuckles. "There might've been a few things we had in common."

"C'mon, John. You goin’ to put us out of our misery? Why'd you call us here for this meetin'?" my other brother Cayson asks.

His identical twin, Sutton straightens. "And why aren't our parents here? It's Cap's father . There's no way Gramps would've left him out."

John shifts his head to the side, taking in the twins. "You're right. He wouldn't, and he didn't. But part of Riddles's last wishes was to get you four boys here alone for this meetin'. I met with your parents and sister last week before Cap set off on his latest trip. They were all taken care of, don't you worry about that."

My wide eyes meet Jude's. "Why didn't they say anythin'?" I ask.

"Cause their meetin' with me was for them. This one here is for you four." John lets that sit in the air between us before speaking again. "How 'bout we get started so that I can assuage your curiosities and put your concerns to rest. Yeah?"

I nod. "Sorry, John. This has all come as a shock to us."

Our grandfather's best friend's eyes soften. "I hear you, Will, and I promise you, Ridley's wishes may be a little… different , but knowin' the man he was, and his motivations behind this, I know that he has—had— nothin' but the best of intentions."

Sutton, Jude, Case, and I look between one another before turning our eyes back to the front. "Go ahead, John," I say, speaking for all of us. "Tell us what he wanted us to do."

And for the next forty minutes, I'm not sure there was a moment when my mouth wasn't agape or my eyes weren't popping out of my head, or my mind wasn't left racing a million miles an hour.

Because all too soon, it was obviously why John felt the need to warn us.

We walk out of the law office and straight through the doors of the dive bar next door. We make a beeline to the bar and all four of us lift an arm to signal the bartender. That should tell you exactly how the rest of the meeting went.

I hand over my credit card and ask for a tab to be opened. He nods and soon enough–or maybe not –four shots of whisky are spread out on the wooden bar top in front of us.

I turn to my side, Jude at the other end mirroring my stance, with the twins sandwiched between us. Claiming a glass, we all lock eyes before throwing back our shots at the same time.

A double knock on the bar from Case sees the barman return, curiosity written all over his face as he dutifully refills the shot glasses again.

"Anyone goin' to speak?" I rasp relishing the burn of the second shot in as many minutes.

"Not sure I'm ready to say anythin' just yet," Case mutters, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before waving a hand over the glasses to stop them from being refilled again. "Think we better switch to beer if we're goin' to have a coherent conversation."

"Good plan," Sutton says with a disbelieving laugh.

All their expressions match the exact way I'm feeling right now.

Through his last will and testament, Gramps proved he wasn't just astute, worldly, and wise like John described, he was sneaky too. Well-meaning? absolutely. Underhanded? definitely. Somewhat of a crystal ball gazer? Didn't see that one coming.

What John told us at our meeting is that we're all the soon-to-be owners of not just Cooper's Ridge, but the ranch and everything from there down to the town proper. Yes… a mountain ridge. It's a place we know well, where we spent every Summer from age six until I was nineteen.

If it was just ownership, we wouldn't be as shell-shocked as we are. Gramps also included a caveat that not only has the power to turn our lives upside down but also change them forever.

Hence the shots.

I sit on one of the seen-better-days barstools and scrub my hands over my face as I struggle to wrap my head around it all.

"Hey, it's not that bad, is it?" Case asks from beside me, bumping my shoulder with his.

I lift my head and stare at him dumbfoundedly. Was he not just there in that law office with us? "No. But it is a total mind f–"

"Here are your drinks," the barman says. "Let me know if you need somethin' else. Food? A bible? Anythin'." He laughs. "Cause y'all look like you've just lost everythin', or somethin' at least."

"Not everythin'," Sutton says, laughing sardonically under his breath.

"Definitely somethin'," Jude adds.

"Yeah. A whole mountain of somethin's," Case mutters.

The man looks between the four of us, shaking his head before walking to the end of the bar, muttering under his breath about cutting us off.

"In all seriousness," Jude says, "are we really doin' this? Like seriously? We haven't lived together in years ."

"I can't just walk away from my life back home. I have responsibilities," Case says. The words don't match his body language though. He seems curious and more than a little invested.

Cayson's moods have always been up and down. Something we initially thought was a 'him' thing. That was until he went to visit Sutton about five years ago during a particularly bad low period in his life. Something that the long hours at his high-stress tech job in the Silicon Valley probably wouldn't be helping either.

Thankfully, with our brother's help, he was diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder. Now, he has an online therapist and is medicated, which helps regulate his lows.

"Do you though?" Sutton asks his twin. "Because you've been tellin' me for months that you feel stuck and need a change."

Cayson opens his mouth to argue but slams it shut just as quick. He turns to Jude. "What about you? You've just started that new job, haven't you?"

Our youngest brother stares at Case, running his hand through his hair, playing with the strands before putting his arm back on the bar and twirling a cardboard placemat between his fingers. Jude is known for being a bundle of energy. He's always doing something. Then again, Mom and Dad caught on to his ADHD and dyslexia very early and were able to get him all the help and resources he needed. Now, he works as a landscape architect in Atlanta, his passion for plants and anything green cultivated during his visits with Gramps having turned into a seemingly successful and fulfilling career.

"You mean the job I started six months ago? Jeez, have we all drifted that far apart?"

He's right. We have. And that's not just on Case, it's on all of us. Our lives are so busy and we're so spread out that we only get together three times a year now; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and our parent's wedding anniversary. That's it.

And if anyone knows what it's like to need a break from the world–from life–right now, it's me. The only thing stopping me from making a decision right now is the logistics of it all.

"What are we supposed to do? Just pack up our lives and move to Timber Falls?" I think out loud.

My words hang in the air between us for a good long while as we slowly drink our beer in somewhat of a comfortable silence.

"Will?" Sutton says, leaning forward so he can look at me. "Are you happy?" It's my turn to look like a gaping fish this time. But before I can answer, he continues. "Because I don't think I am. Not truly. Not in a 'look back at my life and feel fulfilled' kind of way."

Cayson tilts his head. "Is that therapist talk?

"No. Just bein' honest, I guess. That's not to say that I'm not nervous as all get out about what could happen if we do this," Sutton explains.

He works as a therapist just outside of Boston. He's always been in touch with his emotions. I've always admired the way he owns his feelings and intuitively picks up on things without us telling him. Out of all four of us, he's the one we know will always keep in touch and not let life get in the way of doing that. He was diagnosed with anxiety when he was fifteen but has learned how to manage it so effectively now that it's easy to forget he has it. He's smart, life and book smart, and makes sure not to let his anxiety rule his life like it used to.

In many ways, Sutton's the glue that keeps us all together just because of the man he is. "OK. Do you think we might be able to find whatever fulfillment we're all looking for at Cooper Ranch, even if it's in the middle of nowhere?" Cayson asks.

"Don't know," Sutton replies honestly. "But we won't know unless we try. And what's two years? I've lived thirty-three so far and it still feels like somethin's missin' and has been for my entire life."

"If Gramps found his on the mountain, then maybe he thinks— thought— we might too," Jude says, thinking out loud. Damn, I never thought of it like that. "What do you think, Will?"

He's right. They all are. I've been ignoring the 'something's not quite right' feeling for a long time now. Years even. Decades.

It doesn't even all go back to the fact I've been burning the candles at both ends for a long time now. Exhaustion with life in general is now my day-to-day vibe. Not that I've admitted that to myself until this very moment.

I look each of my brothers in the eye. "You all feel that too?"

Case looks to Sutton who looks at Jude, who looks back over at Case before all three heads swivel to me and nod. And just like that, the decision is made.

"We're really doin' this?" I press, needing to hear them say it out loud. "We're goin' to pack up and move to Alaska?"

Jude holds up his beer bottle out, the twins soon following his lead as they look at me expectantly. I don't know why, but I hesitate for a moment. Sue me, this is a big decision.

"Come on, Will. We're not doin' it unless we drink to it," he says.

"Not sure that's a healthy tradition to start," I mutter.

"OK, then we can at least clink to it. How about that? Then it doesn't have to be alcohol. It could be coffee, sweet tea, root beer–"

" Or good ol' fashioned liquor," Case replies, nodding my way. "C'mon, big brother. We can't do it without you. Like literally , Gramps said it's all of us or bust and we all know you're not just the oldest, you're a born leader. So, what say you? Are we doin' this crazy thing?"

I lift my arm and tap my bottle against theirs. "Timber Falls, hold your hats. Cause the Coopers are coming back."