Page 62 of Pigeon

“She’s pregnant again?” Vex asks with a big smile.

“I hope so but won’t know until she gets back. She keeps saying that birth control is stronger than my wishes, but we’ll see,” Axel explains.

“Why aren’t you with her?” Bella questions.

“Because she’s not in the mood to see my face right now. Her words, not mine,” Axel answers unconcerned. “And with Prissy being so new here, I didn’t want to leave her alone already.”

“Couldn’t Prissy stay at Ava’s for a few hours?” Bella asks.

“Mac! Ick!” Prissy shouts.

“Love you more and more, Prissy!” Axel returns.

“Trouble in bird paradise?” Ivy asks.

“Apparently, Mac has a thing for Prissy. Prissy only has room in her life for one man, though, and that’s me,” Axel says while very nearly preening like Mac does.

I shake my head at how many times strange-ass conversations have taken place in this room. Too numerous to count, but this one’s near the top. Saving us from more weird bird and man relationship talk, the attorney walks in.

Ivy and I greet her while the others step away, taking Prissy with them, so we can talk. Ivy waves at Craig and Luke when they enter the room, then at Ava and Trudy. While listening to the attorney talk about the various conditions of the will, I notice several more members enter and find seats.

“So, in short, there isn’t much I can do to help. Ted may be keeping his distance now, but he does still control the money and the ranch. I’m sorry, Ivy. I wish there was more I could do,” the attorney states before standing, saying her goodbyes, and leaving.

After a long minute of silence, I watch as Ivy’s shoulders droop in defeat.

“Well, that’s that. It was worth a try, but I didn’t really expect to hear anything different than what she just said. I think I’m going to have to find my own place and move off the ranch. Hope for the best, but I know Ted won’t do the ranch any favors. Or me, for that matter,” Ivy says quietly.

“We can keep doing it how we’ve been doing it, Ivy. Work the ranch during the day, come to town when we can. The two jobs are too much for you, though, so maybe think about quitting the rescue,” I say while thinking out loud. “The guys and I can take turns being at the ranch when you are, so you stay safe.”

“I need the income from the rescue. I need—” Ivy starts, but I cut her off.

“No, you don’t. I got us covered on that front,” I say but watch Ivy shaking her head no at the same time.

The others approach and stand by quietly. I know they’re all trying to come up with a solution, but Ivy’s options are limited.

“Would Ted let you buy him out?” Axel asks.

“He doesn’t own the ranch. I do. He manages it and makes the decisions, though,” Ivy answers.

“And probably skims a fuck of a lot of the profits into his own pocket,” Gunner adds.

Ivy nods in agreement, and the room falls silent, the vibe angry.

“Easy way to fix this,” Craig speaks as he stands next to my leg.

“Not sure Ivy’s okay with Ted having a life-ending accident,” I answer while giving him a pat on the head.

Swatting my hand away, Craig glares at me. I watch as his ornery side comes out to play and bite back a grin.

“I’ll say this slow, so you Boomers can keep up. Mar-ry her,” Craig says while dragging out the separate syllables.

Shocked silence hits the room before I turn to look at Ivy’s open-mouthed stare aimed at Craig.

“The lawyer lady said that Ivy has to be married or wait until she’s 25 years old to get the ranch back from her brother, right?” Craig asks when no one speaks. “Simple then. Get married. Boom!”

“How did you hear their conversation when I couldn’t, and I was trying to?” Axel asks in disgust.

“I have bat ears, remember?” Craig retorts while directing his ornery look at Axel.

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