Chapter 12
Tate
“Whew, I’m in need of a beer,” Jack says, leaning back in his chair and propping his legs up on the coffee table in Levi’s office.
Levi gives him a dirty look, to which Jack simply grins.
The three of us have been holed up in here all afternoon ironing out the details of the Thatcher Ranch expansion.
And aside from the headache and stress of it all, I’m feeling pretty excited.
Not only is it exciting financially, but it feels like we’re getting to make Dad’s dreams come true.
Our dreams come true. And we get to do it as brothers. What’s better than that?
“Levi, you got any beer in your fridge?” Jack asks.
“Yeah, for those who respect my home, maybe,” he quips.
Jack snorts, pulling his feet off the coffee table and standing. “I’ll investigate,” he says simply, walking out of the room. He comes back a few minutes later with three IPAs he managed to pilfer from the fridge. We each crack one open and lean in for a toast.
“To Thatcher Ranch,” Levi states simply, to which Jack and I echo.
“So, Willow tells me you and the nanny are an official thing,” Jack says after a moment, shooting me a side eye.
I nearly choke on my beer. God damn it. Between Mom and Willow, I can’t keep anything a secret around here.
Levi laughs. “Tate’s being weird and secretive about it,” he fills Jack in.
Jack raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, and how’s that going for you?”
I glare at them both, taking another deliberate sip of my beer. “Okay, so we’re dating. What about it?”
Jack rolls his eyes. “You say that like we just caught you stealing or some shit.” He reaches over to slap my arm. “Come on, man!”
I sigh. He’s right, I suppose. I have a wall up when it comes to Lucy.
To dating in general. A massive wall. But I have good reason for it.
Dating isn’t as simple when you’re a single parent, and keeping it on the down low feels like the only ounce of control I have.
The only way to potentially keep Fern—and Lucy—as safe as possible.
But these are my brothers. If I can’t trust them, who can I?
I stare down at the cold beer in my hand. “Fern loves her,” I finally say, shaking my head.
“Fuck, the man’s smitten,” Levi says, exchanging a glance with Jack, who nods.
“Yeah, and by Fern, you mean you,” Jack says.
I shoot him a look.
“Okay, maybe Fern and you?” he tries again.
I laugh. I can’t help it. And I’m not about to admit it out loud, but Jack’s closer to the truth than he thinks. “I just still worry about the whole thing. I mean, a life with me means she has to be okay with Fern. With being a mom right away. That’s not for everyone,” I admit.
Levi nods, but Jack is already shaking his head. “She’s a nanny, Tate. She loves kids. Obviously. And she loves your kid, like you said. That doesn’t make it a shoe-in, but I think you’re making a mountain out of a mole hill here.”
I bite my lip. Maybe he’s right. I mean, what did Lucy say the other day? That she liked Fern way before she liked me? It makes me smile just thinking about it. And then I wipe that smile off my face when I see the guys smirking at me.
“I know we’re giving you shit, but congratulations, man,” Jack says from beside me. “You deserve to be happy.”
It’s a strangely genuine thing to say. Not that my brothers are assholes or anything, but we spend most of our time ribbing on each other.
Just then, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and I’m silently thankful for the interruption. I pull it out and see an unknown number on the screen.
“Yeah?” I answer.
“Oh, um … is this Thatcher Ranch?” a male voice asks. “I found this number on the website …”
“Yeah, I’m Tate Thatcher,” I say, quickly shifting into a more professional tone. I’m not usually customer-facing. That’s typically my brothers’ jobs. “I’m the ranch foreman,” I say. “What are you calling about? I can get you in touch with the right people.”
“I’m wondering if you have someone employed there named Lucy Adler?”
I frown, caught off guard. Nowhere publicly is Lucy named as one of our employees. In fact, she’s not. She’s employed by me. How did this man get her name? “Um … yes,” I say hesitantly. “Why? Who is this?”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, and then simply, “I’m her husband.”