Page 51 of Where We Call Home

“You think that’s funny, Ryk?” I asked, raising a brow. When he didn’t reply fast enough, I added with a smirk, “Fine. You’re with him. Between the two of you, it should take half the time.”

Ryker’s grin faltered. “Yes, sir,” he drawled sarcastically, giving me a lazy salute before turning on his heel. Without further complaint, the two headed off toward the cattle barn.

“Logan, you’re with me,” I said, already moving toward the day’s project.

“Hell yeah,” Logan replied, falling into step beside me.

“Rhodes! Wait up!”

I stopped and turned to see Boone striding toward me. He wore his cowboy hat low, light-washed jeans, and a button-up with an Aztec print. A cleaned-up Boone was never a coincidence. Whatever he had to say, it wasn’t small talk.

“Go on ahead to the stalls. I’ll catch up,” I told Logan.

He tipped his hat and sauntered off, as easy going as always.

Boone reached me, clapping a hand on my shoulder as we pivoted away from any lingering ears. When we were far enough from the others, he stopped and faced me, his expression serious.

“I need to talk to you about something,” Boone said.

His tone set off a ripple of curiosity, maybe even concern. I crossed my arms, mirroring his stance. We definitely spent too much time together.

“What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, more than okay.” Boone’s grin was so wide it threatened to split his face. His excitement radiated off him, impossible to miss. “We got the bid. Cassidy Ranch is expanding.”

A matching grin spread across mine, and I reached out to pull him into a celebratory hug, slapping his back firmly. “That’s incredible, man. You deserve this.”

Boone stepped back, still grinning, but the shift in his tone pulled my full attention. “There’s more.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, a rare tell of nerves from my usually confident friend.

“My dad’s stepping away, fully this time. He wants me to start learning the behind-the-scenes stuff.”

I nodded, already knowing where this was headed. If anyone was ready to step into those boots, it was Boone.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Boone continued, his eyes locked on mine. “You’re the best damn ranch hand we’ve got, and I trust you. When I start focusing on the business side, I want you to take over.”

The weight of his words hit me, and for a moment, all I could do was stare at him. A year ago, this offer wouldn’t have been possible. Hell, I wouldn’t have trusted myself with it. But now? Now it felt different.

“I’d be honored,” I said, unable to keep the smile from my face.

“Good.” Boone’s grin was back in full force. “We’ve got a lot to discuss, but I know you’ll kill it.”

I nodded toward the barn, reluctant to keep Logan waiting too long. “Logan’s expecting me.”

Boone waved it off. “Just text him. Kid’s probably standing around on his phone anyway.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Laughing, I fell into step with Boone as we made our way toward the main house. He was like the Oprah of job offers—spreading good news like candy, terrible at keeping surprises, and damn near impossible not to like.

Theo

I decided to make dinner tonight. Rhodes was running later than usual, and though it had only been a few days since I moved in, I was already picking up on his routines.

He woke up between 3:30 and 4:00 every morning, showered, and made coffee like clockwork. He probably thought I slept through it, but I was a light sleeper. The sound of his boots on the floorboards and the soft clink of his coffee mug had become familiar, almost comforting.

By the time he got home around five, he was usually tired, never grouchy. I didn’t know much about what his days as a ranch hand entailed, I figured I’d learn soon enough.

Tonight, I wanted to surprise him with dinner. Cooking wasn’t exactly my strong suit. Rhodes was the one with culinary skills but I could manage parmesan-crusted chicken. It was one of the few recipes I knew, something my mom used to make when I was growing up. Simple enough that even I couldn’t mess it up.

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