Page 5 of The Rancher's Code

“Or because you remind her of Dad.” Levi laughed. “That’s probably it, isn’t it? Same reason you’re Dad’s favorite.”

“Why does everybody keep saying that today?” I murmured, finally stepping onto the porch with Levi. “Is Dad still meeting us here or what?”

Levi gave me a playful look, the same way he’d done over a million times by now. Levi had always been that way, like he was either about to play a prank on all of us or tell the best jokewe’d ever heard. I didn’t know where he’d gotten that side of him from, since our dad was more severe than anything else. Still, I’d been grateful for it, his ability to break the tension of a difficult moment unmatched to this day.

“What would you even do? If Dad went nuts and just gave Amber the whole thing instead?”

“Amber has no interest in running the farm.”

“Oh, I’d help her. We’d have to cut you out though. Can’t have too many cooks in the kitchen. Or too many farmhands on the farm.”

“In that case, I’d just wait on standby.”

“For what?”

“For you two to file for bankruptcy.” I grinned. “Because you’d have no clue what you were doing.”

“Hey! I’m telling Amber you said that!” Levi laughed.

“Great, then maybe you can be on meet-the-wedding-planner duty.” I sighed. “All right. Time to face whatever music Dad is playing today.”

My dad walkedinto the office about twenty minutes later, with our cousin, Shane, by his side. Shane wasn’t fond of speaking too much, and he quietly took a seat beside me as my father headed to the front of the room. Levi offered him a playful wink and Shane returned the gesture with a small smile.

“Sorry about running late,” my dad started. “I needed to get Shane from the other end of the ranch. I figured he should be here for this too.”

“Here for what, exactly?” Levi chimed in. “Is this about you making Cole the next CEO? Because that could’ve just been an email?—”

“Power isn’t given. It’s taken. It’s earned.” My dad held up a hand, cutting Levi off. “If I was interested in handing over my hard-earned empire to the child who just happened to be bornfirst, I wouldn’t have wasted my time preparing each of you for this.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m giving each of you an opportunity,” he continued. “There’s a potential land acquisition deal on the table, and whoever closes it first… they’ll get it all.”

“Are you saying that any of us could be the next CEO?” Shane asked, his voice low.

“Yes.” My dad nodded. “But it won’t be easy. It’s the McMillan property, the ones that neighbor us to the left. That land has been in their family for generations, thousands of acres of it. They’re about as likely to sell their land as we are. But… there’s still a small chance.”

“What’s the catch here?” Levi pressed. “You can’t really be saying that all we have to do is get the McMillans to sign on the dotted line and you’ll let us run Stratton Ranch?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, son,” he replied, but his gaze shifted towards me. “I only want the best and brightest in charge of this company. Which means I’m going to need you to prove that you have what it takes… or else the ranch will go to the most capable among you.”

A few moments later and Dad was gone again, after explaining more of the minute details of the potential deal. I’d barely listened to the rest of his talk, already familiar with the details of the McMillan Ranch, including its potential sale. I’d used that time to bury my frustrations even deeper, my father’s disbelief in me eating away at me from the inside out.

Now, he was turning his disbelief in me into a goddamngame?

What outcome was he hoping for? Did he really not want me to be CEO that badly?

“Plot twist!” Levi clapped me on the back, bringing my attention back to the office. “Can you believe this shit? I think Dad might be losing it.”

“Nope. He’s just testing me. Again. For the millionth time.”

“I think it’s fair.” Shane shrugged. “It’s not like Levi and I ever really got a chance to compete with you before. Not seriously, at least.”

“I just don’t understand where his head is at. Not that I ever fucking do.”

“What? Joseph Stratton playingmind games?” Levi pretended to be shocked. “Who could’ve seen this coming?”

“How much do you already know about the potential sale? What’s your strategy?” Shane casually asked. “I know you won’t give me exact details. I just want to know how far ahead you are.”

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