Page 46 of Wrangling Nash

He had to have said something to change her mind about how she felt and convinced her to leave and give up the ranch.

My dad turned off the TV, sat up and turned to look me straight in the eyes.

“She needed to know, Nash.”

“Needed to know what exactly?”

“We supported your decision to stay and work in the city when you were with Brooke. Your mother and I were proud of you going off to college and beginning your career. And after your mom died, we didn’t ask you to come back and work here. But when Brooke cheated on you, and you moved back home willingly, it was like you weren't even here. We'd lost you. You weren’t made to just live and work on the ranch, Nash, though you keep telling yourself that because you have some sort of misplaced guilt over how things went down after your mom passed away. But it’s easier for you to blame yourself than face the truth. I should have been a better father to Clay when I lost Louisa; it wasn’t your responsibility to be here.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You used Brooke cheating on you as an excuse to leave your old life behind because it was painfully tied to regret and the loss of your mother. You keep telling yourself that what’s between you and Jovie must be temporary, but I’ve seen it in your eyes; you’re in love with her, and I think you're afraid to make a change in your life because you're still living in the past.”

He paused and then took another long sip of his iced tea, “She’s going to leave for Houston in seven months and then what?”

“So, you just told her to end things between us now? That’s still seven months that we can be with each other.”

“I didn't tell her to end things with you. I told her I didn’t want either of you getting hurt, and I had a feeling she’d end things because she’d realize that she’s in too deep, too.”

“So that’s what you wanted?!” I shouted, getting angrier now.

“Not one bit, son. I knew though, that the sooner you realized you had deeper feelings for Jovie, the sooner you could figure out what to do with them. I want you to love again; I want you to realize that being here or not being here couldn’t have stopped your mom’s passing, but you deserve to have a future, and if that takes you away from Lonestar Junction with Jovie, then I support that.”

“I don’t understand.”

My dad sighed and stood up, facing me completely now. “Years ago, I let a woman I loved with my whole soul leave because she was never made to live here in the country. I thought I’d lost the best thing that had ever happened to me the day she left. A few years later, I met your mom. She was the best thing to ever happen to me. I think you think that first woman is like Jovie and you have to let her go, but I think you and Jovie are cut from the same cloth, and you don’t want to admit it, which is why you’re constantly comparing her to Brooke and looking for ways to prove your theory right. Look at the work Jovie’s put into her grandfather’s farm. She wakes up at damn 5 in the morning every day and works herself to the bone every night. She's put up with you boys’ shit for almost five months. You know she’s different, and I’m hoping my talking to her pushes you to do something about it.”

“So, this was never about getting her to leave so you could get her grandfather’s ranch for free?” I asked.

My dad walked towards me, placing his hand on my shoulder firmly. “Son, if that’s what you thought this was about before you tore over here, then I really haven’t raised you right, and I apologize for that. Your mom's death caused me to lose touch with my emotions and I feel like that’s done a disservice for you. I care about her grandfather’s ranch because Clarence Ashwood was like a father to me and someone I always respected. But I will always care more about you and your brothers’ hearts above everything else.” He patted me gently on the back before he headed out the room but stopped in the doorway.

“Just know that when you realize you’re in love with Jovie and don’t want her to leave in seven months, wrangling hearts is a lot more difficult than wrangling cattle. There’s a reason that wrangle means ‘to be done with difficulty.’ If you want to be with Jovie, you gotta find a way that makes sense for both of you.”

I stood still, thinking about my father’s words and how to move forward with Jovie. Hearing she was leaving sooner than anticipated had pushed me. Perhaps my father wasn't wrong. Maybe this was the push that we both needed to stop pretending the end wasn't coming, and instead, look to pave a new future.

One where we were together.

My phone pinged again in my pocket, bringing me back to the reality of the situation.

Clay: Sorry, Nash.

Nash: Were you able to stall her?

Clay: She just left. Probably about to hit Mesquite Pass.

Nash: Let out herd B.

Clay: What?!

Nash: Just do it; I need to block her from making it through that pass.

Chapter 40: Jovie

Fifteen minutes earlier...

Tears streamed down my face as I backed my CRV out of my grandfather’s driveway, bound for Houston. The car was now packed with my life, a heavy reminder of the choices I was making and the people I was leaving behind who had quickly become my family.

It’s the right thing to do, I reminded myself, though my head and heart felt like a metronome that was out of sync.

---