Page 18 of Pitch for You

I set Max down and turned to her. “Of course. Now, tell me everything about what happened.”

As we walked into the house, it hadn’t changed much. I used to spend so much time here when we were growing up. All these memories started flooding my mind, but we had bigger problems to deal with. Roger Adams was a threat, and we needed to figure out how to stop him before he took away everything that mattered to us.

Sofia led me into the kitchen, the same worn wooden table still occupying the center of the room. Max trailed behind us, clutching a toy tractor. She poured us each a cup of coffee, her hands shaking slightly as she handed me mine.

“Max, honey, why don't you go play in your room for a bit?” Sofia suggested. “Brett and I need to talk about some grown-up stuff.”

Max pouted but nodded, trudging off down the hall. Once we heard his bedroom door close, Sofia turned to me, her green eyes filled with worry.

“Roger showed up around noon,” she began, leaning against the counter. “He mentioned how expensive it must be to maintain such a large property on my own.”

My jaw clenched. Classic Roger Adams - find the weak spot and exploit it. “And then?”

“Then he started in on his pitch. How he could offer me more money than I'd ever dreamed of, how I could give Max a better life in the city, how I could finally leave this all behind.”

“He had no right to bring up your past like that.”

Sofia's eyes flashed. “That's what I told him. But he just kept pushing, saying he understood how hard it must be for me as a single mom, trying to run this place on my own.”

I stepped closer, fighting the urge to reach out and comfort her. “You're not alone, Sofia. You've got the whole community behind you.”

She gave me a small smile. “I know. And I told Roger as much. But he just laughed and said that sentiment wouldn't pay the bills or fix the roof.”

“The roof?” I asked, glancing up.

Sofia sighed. “Yeah, it's been leaking in the west wing. I've been patching it up, but it needs a proper fix. And the barn on the far end. There are so many things that need to be updated or fixed. I’m trying my best to get things under control, but i’m only one person.”

I made a mental note to gather some of the guys to help with that. “We'll take care of it. Don't let Roger use that against you.”

“I told him we were managing fine, but he wouldn’t let up. He started talking about the improvements he could make to the land, how he could ‘modernize’ the ranch. As if this place needs changing.”

Sofia’s eyes welled up with tears, and I reached out to cover her hand. She didn’t pull away.

“The worst part was when he brought up my mom,” she continued. “He said she would have wanted me to think about Max’s future, about giving him opportunities that a ranch life couldn’t provide.”

“That’s bullshit. Your mom loved this place more than anything. She would never have wanted you to sell.”

Sofia nodded, wiping away a stray tear. “I know. That’s what I told him. But Brett, the way he looked at me when I refused… it was like he was already planning his next move.”

I squeezed her hand. “We won’t let him win. This ranch has been in your family for generations. It’s not just land - it’s your heritage, your home.”

She met my gaze, a flicker of the old Sofia, fierce and determined - shining through. “You’re right. But what can we do? He’s got money, lawyers, connections.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “We need to be careful. Roger's not above using underhanded tactics to get what he wants.”

Sofia's eyes met mine. “I won't let him take this place, Brett. It's all I have left of my family’s legacy.”

I leaned back, my mind racing. “We fight fire with fire. We’ll need to do some digging on him. And if he keeps showing up here uninvited, get a restraining order.”

Max's laughter from the other room broke the spell. Sofia cleared her throat, pulling her hand away. “Thanks for coming, Brett. I... I'm glad you're here.”

I nodded, pushing down the familiar ache in my chest. “Always.”

Tomorrow was the last day of the fair and Max asked me to take him. He knew Sofia would be busy and I hate for him to miss it. “Listen, I’d like to take Max to the fair tomorrow. Of course, if that’s okay with you. I guess he saw a flyer somewhere and brought it up a couple days ago.” I didn’t want to overstep and she had so much on her plate right now especially with this asshole breathing down her neck.

“Why hadn’t he said anything?” Her palm swiped across her forehead. “I feel like I’m failing him. The ranch takes up so much of my time.”

I didn’t move closer, but I wanted to. She doesn’t realize that Max loved her unconditionally. He might be young but he understood how much the ranch meant to the family. It was the sole reason he was always asking to help and learn the ropes. “Your son is a magnificent boy. And in case you need to hear it… you are not a failure.”

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