Page 1 of Final Ride

Chapter One

Sunday, July 21st.

Harlan and Virgil’s Birthdays.

Wild Stallion Ranch. Montana.

I woke up early and it was barely light. Not time to get up for chores yet. Looking across the room at my brother Virgil sleeping, I remembered what day it was. Today was his birthday and he was turning seventeen.

He had grown a lot in the past year and was almost as big as me. I outweighed him by a few pounds but not much. The way he ate, he’d pass me in a month.

We were two years apart and shared the same birthday. I was born two years ahead of him—not that I remember—and I’m gonna be nineteen today.

Our mother couldn’t take care of us, and she gave us up when we were little. Neither one of us remembered what she looked like. Didn’t matter now. We had a new home. Not a new mother, but a new father.

We both grew up in the foster system and survived it—barely. Both served time in juvenile detention and survived it. Then Travis Bristol, Sheriff of Coyote Creek, Montana, former Marine, former biker and a real tough guy, took us to his ranch and adopted us as his own boys. Why he wanted to take a chance on two bad boys like us I haven’t figured out. Maybe I never will.

Me and Virge got new lives and a fresh start.

Today we had a choice to make.

“Happy birthday, boys,” said Billy, when we walked into thekitchen after chores. “You both have done a lot of growing up in the past year and you done good. Didn’t know what to get you for a present, so I got you a new set of tires for your Jeep. God knows you need them.”

I laughed. “Thanks, Billy. You’re the best. We do need those tires so fuckin bad. That’s a great present. Thanks.”

“Thanks Billy,” said Virge. “I kept putting Harlan off because I didn’t want to come up with my half. Make too big a hole in my bank account.”

“Virgie is so cheap,” I started in with one of my cheap jokes and Dad pointed at the table for us to sit down.

“I made y’all pancakes for your birthday. There might be enough syrup if y’all don’t let Virgil have it first.”

I made a grab for the syrup and Billy beat me to it. “No way I’m going second after Virgil.”

“This is Sunday, so we don’t have to go to the station,” said Travis. “You boys want to go for a ride this morning?”

“Yeah, I was thinking about doing that, Dad,” said Virge. “You coming with us?”

“Yeah, I’ll go. I’ve been neglecting Outlaw something awful. When I try to saddle him today I wouldn’t be surprised if he kicked me in the nuts.”

We laughed at Dad. He could be funny without trying.

Loaded up with too many carbs after all those breakfast pancakes we ate, we saddled the horses and took off through the evergreen windbreak surrounding our ranch house.

We galloped across the first field of our thousand-acre ranch and when Dad got to Uncle Carson’s grave marker, he reined Outlaw in and dismounted.

Me and Virge did the same figuring that’s why Dad wanted to ride back here. He wanted to have the big birthday talk to us out in the open.

We sat down on the grass and Dad started talking about selling the ranch. “What’s gonna happen is more of a swap out. Sell this one and buy one in Texas. Land might cost more in Texas, but I don’t know that for sure until we start looking for another ranch. That’ll be the eye-opener.”

“We love this ranch, Dad,” I said, “but you want to retire in Texas, and we totally get that. You’re from Texas and that’s where you want to live.”

“You boys have had a decent amount of time to think about it and this is the day y’all are gonna give me y’all’s decision. You can stay in Montana where y’all were born. Stay with Billy—maybe not here, but I’ll get y’all a place—and work at the station, or you can come with me, and we’ll all make the change to living in Texas.”

“We’re going with you, Dad,” said Virge.

“Yeah, I didn’t have to think about that for even a minute, Dad. Me and Virgie go where you go. Simple as that.”

“Thanks, boys. I want y’all with me more than anything, but y’all will soon be adults and you should have the chance to make your own decisions.”

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