Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
KASEY
It wasn’t hard to convince Rhett to take my shift tonight, not after I told him why I needed the night off.
I thought he might put up more of a fight, but it seems he’s eager to see how all of this plays out.
Probably just as eager to watch it blow up in my face, but I get it.
Rhett and Brooks saw the worst of the fall out when Ava left.
I’m sure I’d have similar feelings if our roles were reversed.
Wells already finished working the horses on the schedule for today, so after I wrap up all the barn chores I decide to use some of my spare time to visit Brooks.
Now that this plan with Ava’s in motion, I don’t feel right moving forward without talking to him about it.
He’s just as affected by this bullshit with Uncle Huck, and even though it’s not the most important thing going on in his life right now, he still should know I’m working on a solution.
I close up the second barn and trail the path that leads to his house.
There’s a small bike turned over in the front yard, a handful of plastic animal figurines scattered about.
I pick up the bike and carry it to the porch, setting it on its wheels off to the side.
There’s broken pieces of chalk in front of the door, a wiggly drawing of a tree and a sun.
I can hear the boys playing inside, and for a moment I stand still and listen to it, thanking the universe for their resilience.
A smile spreads across my face. Those kids are three of the bravest, strongest humans I know, the way they’re still able to find reasons to play and laugh despite how hard things have been. I swear, we could learn so much from them.
When I finally knock, their little voices get louder, no doubt excited with having a visitor.
It takes a couple minutes, but eventually Brooks opens the door, and I get a good look at my brother for the first time in weeks.
His dark hair is disheveled, a beard growing across his face.
He’s got on a black tee and a pair of pajama pants that have seen better days.
But all things considered, he doesn’t look as bad as I expected.
“Brooks,” I say, my throat thick. I reach out and step into him, wrapping my arms tight around his body. “How you doing, brother?”
Brooks returns the hug. “I’m hanging in there,” he says.
I squeeze his shoulder as I pull away. “Is it okay if I come in for a sec? I have some things I want to talk to you about if you’re up for it.”
He nods, moving back to make space. The house is a disaster: toys are all over the floor, there’s dirty dishes on the coffee table—including a cereal bowl with old milk that looks questionable as fuck—and at least half a dozen empty bottles of beer.
Brooks starts picking things up. “Sorry it’s such a mess. ”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I assure him, just as all three boys come barreling down the hall. Is it possible that Liam’s grown two inches? “Hey, boys,” I say, smiling. “Who wants to make twenty bucks?”
The two little ones jump up and down, but Liam’s smart. “What do we have to do?” he asks, eyeing me.
I nod to the coffee table. “Dishes. And toys.”
Liam considers. And then he looks at his younger brothers. “You guys put all the toys away, and then come meet me in the kitchen.” Just like that, all three are in motion, working around the living room with focused expressions.
“I’ll throw in another twenty if you guys get your rooms cleaned too. I can only imagine what they look like.”
Liam nods. “Deal.”
Brooks shakes his head, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Shoulda known money would talk.”
I laugh. “How about we head out back while these boys get busy?”
Brooks heads for the door and leads us out onto the back half of the wraparound porch, where more bikes and scooters lie in disarray. It looks like a tornado came through. “Guess I should bribe them to cover out here next,” Brooks mutters.
“Nah,” I say, sitting in one of two reclining patio chairs. “Let ’em be wild outside.”
Brooks gruffs and sits down in the seat beside me. “So,” he says. “What’s going on?”
I look at him. “First, I want to see how you’re doing. You need anything?”
He shakes his head. “Mom comes over nearly every day. Takes care of groceries and meals. We’re doing all right.”
“What about mentally?” I ask quietly. “Emotionally?”
“Some days are worse than others. But I think that’s just life now.”
I nod, blowing out a breath. “You know I’m here, right? Say the word, and I’ll drop everything.”
Brooks sighs. “I know, Kasey.”
We let the words settle over us. Eventually, I say, “So, there’s some shit going on with the ranch that I don’t want you to worry about. All you need to know is I’ve got it handled.”
Brooks turns toward me. “I know about the inheritance trust,” he says. “Mom told me.”
Relief spikes through me. I figured he knew about it already, but a part of me worried I’d have to be the one to tell him.
That I’d have to somehow explain how we might lose the ranch because he didn’t file some stupid fucking paperwork while his wife was still alive.
“I’m going to make sure Uncle Huck doesn’t so much as step foot on this ranch. ”
“How?”
I scratch my jaw. “Ava’s back.”
This gets his attention. “I saw her at the bar after Melody’s funeral. What does she have to do with anything?”
“She’s a lawyer now,” I explain. “And she’s got a plan.”
“What plan? A countersuit?”
I shake my head. “Better. She’s going to torch Huck’s plans to sue us in the first place. One of us needs to be married to gain control of the trust. So she’s offered herself up.”
“Jesus,” Brooks chokes out, sputtering around a cough. “You dumbass motherfucker—you cannot just marry that girl, Kasey.”
I shrug. “It’s the only way. We get married, we get to transition ownership of the ranch.”
“Yeah, okay, and then what?” He sounds pissed. Good, I think. Let him feel something other than his pain.
“And then we end the marriage and move on with our lives like it never happened.”
“It’s gotta be more than that,” he argues. “Does she want ownership too? Her name on the deed? Or does she want money? Not sure if you’ve looked around lately, but we don’t exactly have any. We just emptied the coffers burying my actual wife.”
“Whoa, Brooks,” I say, working to stay calm.
“She doesn’t want money. It’s not like that.
She doesn’t want anything.” But my stomach sours with guilt, because I still don’t actually know why she’s offered to do this, or what’s in it for her.
I guess I’ll know after our date tonight .
. . Maybe I should have waited to tell Brooks about it until I had all the facts.
Still, I can’t imagine Ava actually trying to swindle us out of what’s ours.
She might have been cold-blooded with my heart, but she’s a good person.
“She’s just here to help. It might . . .
it might be a way for her to make amends, or something.
I don’t know. But I’m not going to let her fuck the family over. I promise.”
Brooks looks out into the horizon, staying silent. “What about you?” he finally asks. “How are you going to make sure she doesn’t fuck you over?”
“I’m not going to let that happen,” I say, my tone making it clear that I’ve considered this from all angles.
“This is just about paperwork, nothing else. It isn’t .
. . There’re no feelings in it this time.
We have to give the gossip mill just enough so people think it’s all believable and Huck doesn’t come after us for fraud, but we both know it isn’t real. ”
He shoots me a long, hard look. “Sure, Kasey, you say that now. But I know you. I know how much you loved that girl. This sounds like nothing but a surefire way to get you all twisted up again.”
“It’s not,” I say. “And fuck, even if I get hurt again, it’s worth it to save this ranch.
” I point my thumb back toward the back door.
“If I have to pretend to love my ex-girlfriend to make sure those boys in there get to inherit Bennett Rescue Ranch one day and continue our way of life, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I refuse to let some dickwad like Uncle Huck shove us out so he can build a fucking hundred-room hotel out in that pasture. ”
Brooks scoffs, shaking his head. “Jesus,” he mumbles to himself.
The back door squeaks open, and Noah slinks outside. “Dad?” he asks, his voice a little shy. “I’m hungry.”
Brooks looks at him, forcing a smile. “Okay, buddy, I’ll be in in a minute.”
“I got it,” I say, standing. I turn to look at my brother. “I know what I’m doing,” I promise.
“You shouldn’t have to do this,” Brooks says back.
“I know,” I agree. “But there’s a wolf at the gate, and someone’s gotta take him down.”
He doesn’t respond, his eyes going withdrawn as he looks back toward the distant tree line.
I know he’s carrying the weight of so much right now, and I don’t want this threat to pile on.
Brooks has always been firm and steady in the way he’s led this ranch, but right now he’s not in a position to take the reins.
I turn back to Noah. “Come on, kid,” I say, grabbing his hand. “Let’s go find something to eat.”
Brooks stays outside while I prepare sandwiches and a pot of macaroni and cheese in the kitchen.
Liam scrubs dishes at the sink while his younger brothers clean their shared room.
I realize as I stir the yellow pasta that it doesn’t actually sound like there’s any cleaning being done—there’s a loud thumping against the wall that doesn’t sound too good.
“What the . . .” I mutter to myself, grabbing the kitchen towel to wipe my hands so I can go investigate.
“They’re practicing roping,” Liam says, focused on a particularly dirty plate.
“Roping?” I frown. “In the house?”
He hums. “They practice on stuffed animals.”
I can’t help but laugh. It sounds like something my brothers and I would have done as kids. “Is that allowed?” I ask.