Page 82 of Burned & Bound

“I’ll be sure to put on a show just for you, Beau,” he said. “Just let me know if you need more.”

With that, he strode right over to the half fence wrapping around the patio and swung one long leg over it.

“Where the fuck are you going?” I demanded.

“Please,” Jackson scoffed, swinging his other leg over the low fence. “I’m a grown-ass man. I can jump a goddamn fence any time I want.”

“It’s a wonder your ass hasn’t been arrested yet,” I retorted, shaking my head. Nonetheless, I jumped over the fence after him, grateful to avoid the bar—a fact I had a feeling he was all too aware of.

We found a restaurant across town to stop for lunch. The place was tropical-themed with so many fucking colors it should’ve been illegal, but they had a quiet rooftop section. We sat under a ridiculous pink pineapple umbrella with two plates of burgers and fries.

“So, how bad is it?” I finally gained the courage to ask.

“The burger ain’t bad.” Jackson shrugged. “Fries are a little dry though.”

“You know I ain’t asking about the food,” I said as I pinned him with a glare. He sighed, wiping his hands and sinking back in his chair. “How bad is the ranch doing? Really.”

“When I offered up the forty-seven million for the ranch, that was pretty much everything I have and then some,” he admitted quietly. “I took out a hefty loan to be able to pay you that. The truth is, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to the end of the year without going bankrupt.”

“What the hell happened?” I asked.

“Well, it started when Harrison made a few poor fucking choices with our business money,” he told me. “He never recovered the money and didn’t have the money to put back into the ranch. That left me covering up for his mistakes. But he kept making stupid ass decisions and left me doing nothing but bailing his ass out so the business didn’t tank.

“Then the virus hit the herd and that just continued the spiral. Between vet bills, canceled contracts, employees I couldn’t pay… I’ve been floundering for a while. When Harrison died, I had fucking hoped to pay you off and then downsize the ranch. If I sell off three-fourths of the land, I can recoup my losses enough to at least break even on everything I owe everyone. Without that… well, I’m not moving cattle, the animals all cost money, the employees all cost money, the ranch costs fucking money, and my mom’s retirement facility costs money. I’m bleeding through my savings from bull riding to cover the differences on everything right now.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“How much did Harrison fucking lose?”

“Harrison gambled away everything he had and kept taking out of business money to pay off loan sharks.”

My chest burned hot, and my temper spiked.Fucking Harrison.He couldn’t get by without screwing anyone over, could he?

“How much is the ranch worth right now?” I sat back in my seat, suddenly not very hungry.

“Nothing,” Jackson said, crossing his arms. “No one wants the cattle—not after the virus shit, which I can’t blame them. The horses aren’t worth shit. Sorry, but they’re more pets than anything else at this point. The only valuable thing I got is the land, but it’s all tied up until the next nine months of Harrison’s trust terms are over. I even asked if I could sell off what I have, but the division of land is tricky. It’s collective land tied up between both our families, which means I need your approval—”

“Tell me where to fucking sign and I’ll sign,” I interrupted.

“—and that can’t happen until the whole situation with the trust is done,” he finished over me. “So, I can’t do shit until everything is officially signed over to me. The sale with Beau should hold me over long enough until bull riding season is over and I’m back in town. After that… I don’t fucking know.”

“Fucking hell,” I muttered. “How much did Harrison gamble away?”

Maybe there was some way I could get him the money back.

“Don’t go down that road, West,” he replied. “There’s no way in hell you or me will ever recoup those losses. Once the next nine months are over, I’ll take the money you didn’t want and pay off the loan I took out. And then I’ll move fast on selling the land. Between that and letting a few people go, I’ll be good. I just have to start over.”

“Pay the loan off now instead of eating the fucking interest,” I said.That much seemed like common sense.He didn’t need the extra debt.

“And what if you decide you want the money you’re owed for the sale?” he countered.

“I already signed the paperwork that says I don’t.”

“I know, but that’s a lot of fucking money. If you change your mind, I don’t have that kind of money sitting around and I don’t know that I could get another loan to cover paying you off.”

“I don’t want the money, Jackson.”I wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of money.Not really. In theory, the thought of it had been nice but actually having it? I couldn’t fathom it.

“And I like to have my bases covered where I can—”

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