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  “You think this is funny?” Dad repeated. “You are fifteen years old, Colt. Fifteen. Way too young to be drinking at all. Much less standing in my driveway drunk as a skunk and laughing about it. Who do you think you are?”

  “I’m Colt Montgomery,” I mumbled. Anger was rising in my chest. I knew who I was. I also knew who I had been fighting. “And I kicked Roy Hayes’s ass tonight for being a jerk.”

  “Oh, you did?” Dad said sarcastically. “You’re a big man now, aren’t you? Going off and drinking and getting into fights with the Hayes boys like your older brothers?”

  “Dad.” Cass tried to get between us, but Dad was having none of it. He shoved Cass away and kept inching closer.

  “Your brother here is the only reason you are home right now,” he said. “If it were up to me, I would have told them to take you to jail. Maybe that would knock some sense into you like it did to Wade. Maybe you’d realize that your old man won’t always bail you out. That your brother can’t always save your hide. You should thank your lucky stars Cassidy is as good a man as he is, and he came to get your sorry ass.”

  “I just did what any of us would do, you included, Dad,” I yelled. “The Hayes family is nothing but punks and they talk trash about us all the time. I just put Roy in his place.”

  “And now I’m putting you in yours,” Dad screamed. “You shut your mouth before I shut it for you!”

  “Dad, come on,” Cassidy said again.

  “Shut up, Cassidy!” Dad turned to me, punching his finger into my chest. “You have two choices right now, young man. You can be better, or you can leave. Be more like Cassidy or get the hell off my property. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. The words came out like bile.

  “Now get the hell out of my sight,” Dad said, turning and stomping past Cassidy. I kept myself upright until he slammed the door behind him and then collapsed. I sobbed for a while after that, but when the tears were dry, I vowed to never let them come again.

  I was sitting in the cab of the truck, the engine still running, as I stared at the patch of driveway I had come home to that night. I could see Cassidy’s old truck so clearly. I had thought it was so fancy then. I was so worried about ruining his carpet.

  Once a screw-up, always a screw-up, I guessed.

  Now instead of worrying about messing up Cassidy’s carpet or his patent-leather seats, I was more worried about screwing up the ranch itself. Cassidy was in Dad’s position now. Head of the table. Patriarch of the Montgomery clan. I was the wayward wanderer. The prodigal son without a father to forgive me. Not that he ever would.

  Dad mapped out a straight line for his boys to walk, and they all seemed to handle it just fine. Garrett cracked and roamed for a bit but had returned. Jesse had joined the military and made a man of himself in the desert, which had its own respectability. But me? I had come and gone to the ranch, mooching off the family name when I was younger, then relying on my winnings rather than the ranch as I got older. I didn’t work the fields or tend to cattle like my brothers. I could. I had. But I didn’t as an adult.

  Not since I found success riding broncs. Not if I could help it.

  All my brothers had grown into ranchers. Cowboys. Men of the fields. I had chosen lights and cameras and glitz and glamour. I chose myself over the Montgomery tradition. I was the black sheep.

  That was how I felt as I stared at that patch of driveway, part of it having grown over with grass and weeds, where I had fallen against Cassidy’s truck and cried over how I would never be what my father wanted me to be. How I knew, right then, that I was going to do what he said I should do. I was going to leave. I could never be Cassidy, nor did I ever want to be.

  I didn’t know how long I had been staring, but it had been a while. A long, slender arm passed over my chest and a soft but strong hand turned the key in the ignition, shutting the truck off. I turned to look at Leah, who smiled warmly and then looked between the house and me.

  “Why don’t you put these keys in your pocket and come around to let a lady out?” she asked.

  I smirked. She always seemed to know how to get to me. Shaking my head, I leaned in and kissed her softly.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  Chapter 24

  Leah

  Getting Colt out of the truck and around to my side closest to the house seemed like a step in the right direction. He wasn’t still sitting in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel and staring through the windshield like at any moment he might just slam on the gas again and shoot back down the driveway. That was a victory.

  But now that we were out and he was looking at the house, reality started settling in. I had been so wrapped up in trying to be supportive and reassuring to Colt, I stopped thinking about the fact that we were actually there now and needed to go inside and see his family.

  That crashed down on me as he reached over and took my hand, and we started the walk up to the front door. I was surprised at how nervous I was, the anxiety and twisting feeling in my stomach increasing with every step closer. But Colt’s hand around mine made me feel a bit more at ease and I was able to tack on what I hoped was a convincing smile.

  It took a few seconds after Colt knocked for the door to open. It struck me as a little bit strange that we were standing on the porch knocking on the door to the house he spent his life in from the day he was born up until he left home. It seemed like he should still have a key, that he should be able to just walk in whenever he wanted to because, in the end, it was still his home.

  But then I remembered how he told me this place never really felt like his home, even when he was living here before leaving to compete in the rodeo, and when he came back for an extended time last summer, he didn’t feel at ease. He wasn’t comfortable, like he was in a place where he belonged.

  Because of that, it might have felt even stranger for him to let himself into the house where he didn’t live but that was home to several of his brothers.

  When the door opened, a man several years older than Colt looked out at us. His eyes widened, obviously surprised to see Colt standing on the threshold. His eyes didn’t even move over to me, and I wondered if he even realized I was standing there. He was probably so taken aback by the sudden and unannounced reappearance of his brother that it didn’t even process there was someone else standing there with him.

  I could see the likeness between the two men. The genes were obviously strong in the family, and I imagined both men favored their father. There was strength in both, and looking at the other man showed me how the years would affect many of the features of Colt’s face. I could see where the lines would show up around his eyes and very slight hints of silver streaking through the hair at his temples.

  These clues made me think this must be the oldest of the brothers and the one who ran the ranch in the wake of their father’s death, Cassidy.

  The brothers met eyes and I looked at both of them. That was where the differences between the two men were the most pronounced. While grit and fire burned in Colt’s gaze, I saw depth and wisdom in Cassidy’s.

  They held the stare for a few moments and then a wide smile broke across Cassidy’s face.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” he said. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Come on in here.”

  He stepped back to give us access into the house, but Colt hesitated. I waited, but he didn’t step inside, so I placed my hand in the middle of his back and gave him a push forward. That finally forced him inside and I followed.

  I looked around as we walked through the entryway and followed Cassidy into the kitchen. I could imagine Colt here as a little boy. This was the kind of house that should smell like wonderful food cooking and looked tailor-made for a massive Christmas tree. We headed directly for the kitchen, so I didn’t get a chance to see much of the rest of the house. But I hoped I would. Curiosity had gotten the most of me and I wanted to see everything.

  I suddenly had the compulsion to look in e
very room and try to envision what Colt must have been like at all the different stages of his life. He hadn’t told me much about his mother, other than that she died when he was young, so I didn’t have any details to imagine her. Somehow, though, I could feel her presence. I knew she made so much of an impact in this space and that those touches were still there.

  We got to the kitchen and Cassidy turned around, letting out an incredulous laugh and shaking his head.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home?” he asked.

  “It was a last-minute decision,” Colt said. He had to let go of my hand as we walked through the house, but he gestured toward me. “This is Leah. Leah, this is my brother, Cassidy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Likewise,” he said.

  He had a slight look in his eye like he was trying to place me, like he was going through any conversations he might have had with Colt since the last time he saw him trying to pull out any references to me so he could figure out who I was. Colt didn’t offer him any further details, so Cassidy eventually gave up and turned back to his brother.

  “What are you doing here?” Cassidy asked.

  “I was in the area, so I thought I would come by and see everybody. Say hi and check and make sure everything is going okay.”

  “Well, where have you been? What have you been up to? It seems like you just up and left one day and nobody’s known what you were doing or where you ended up.”

  “I’ve been around,” Colt said. “Traveling. How’s everything going around here? How’s the Dude Ranch thing holding up?”

  “It’s going really well. It actually seems like it just keeps getting more popular. But don’t worry. Jane replaced you out there. Even if you had hung around, she probably would have tried her best to wedge you out of the way anyway.” Cassidy laughed. “I think we probably could have found room for both of you, but she sure is a natural. It’s still hard to believe she came out here from that fancy California life of hers and ended up falling in love with being on a ranch.”

  “I bet Sawyer enjoys it,” Colt said.

  “I’m sure he does,” Cassidy said, nodding in agreement. “Hard to tell, though. I hardly see him now. The pair of them are always out somewhere on the land running circles around each other. Seems they prefer to camp out or stay in the bunkhouse rather than coming back to the big house. You wouldn’t even believe it, though. She was already pretty sassy when you were here, but she has really found her own. Bossing Wade and Boone around whenever she gets the chance. Gives me a good laugh every time she does it. I think they try to seem like they don’t like it, but they definitely have a soft spot for her.”

  Colt nodded and I could tell he was starting to get overwhelmed. I wanted to steer the attention over to myself to give him a breather, so I stepped subtly closer and met eyes with Cassidy.

  “This ranch is absolutely beautiful,” I said. “I bet it’s amazing to see the herd out there.”

  Cassidy nodded. “It’s pretty impressive. When they’re cooperating. When they aren’t, it’s more of a headache than anything. Not a ranch girl, I’m guessing?”

  I shook my head as he walked over to a cabinet and opened it so he could take down glasses for each of us. “No. Far from it actually. But I love the animals I get to work around at the rodeo. Especially my horse, Renegade. Another difference between Colt and me is I’m an only child. I’ve heard that is far from the case with him. He has seven brothers? Is that right?”

  Cassidy grinned and nodded. “That’s right. There are eight of us Montgomery boys.”

  “Wow, that is a lot of sons,” I said. “Your mama must have been a pretty amazing woman.”

  His expression softened. “That, she was. You would have thought each one of us was her only one, the way she loved on us. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “That would be great. Thank you,” I said.

  He reached into the refrigerator and took out what looked like a pitcher of iced tea with slices of lemon floating in it. While he was occupied with filling the glasses, I looked over at Colt. He gave me the hint of a smile, like he was thanking me for taking the focus off of him for a second.

  The break didn’t last as long as I might have hoped. Cassidy gave each of us a glass of tea and the conversation was carrying on nicely. He seemed like a gentleman and like he was genuinely happy to have his brother home for a visit. It was only a few minutes later when a door at the back of the house opened and loud voices came toward us.

  I could see Colt’s expression change. He was obviously not overly excited about who was coming our way. A few seconds later, two more men came into the kitchen. As soon as their eyes fell on Colt, they looked just as surprised to see him as Cassidy did.

  “Well, look who it is,” one of them said.

  “Don’t start, Garrett,” Cassidy said with a note of warning in his voice.

  As soon as he said that, I recognized the name. This was the brother Colt liked to refer to as the shit-stirrer of the family. He was the one who caused all sorts of trouble throughout Green Valley when he was younger, then ran off and all but disappeared for a good while, only to turn up in Las Vegas.

  Cassidy had also mentioned Sawyer, who I remembered as the youngest of the brothers. His best friend was the girl who ran into Garrett in Vegas and managed to tame him. Everything was starting to piece together as I got a chance to put some faces to names and make connections.

  “Leah, this is Wade and Garrett,” Colt said.

  Garrett nodded and gave a mischievous smile. “Oh, so that’s what it is. Come to show off the old homestead?”

  He gave Colt a playful punch in the arm, and soon, the brothers were jostling each other in a way that brought a smile to my face. Right up until the horsing around led to an elbow to Colt’s sore ribs. He winced and made his way back to the stool where he had been sitting, favoring his ribs as he went.

  “Colt, are you okay?” Cassidy asked.

  “I’m fine,” Colt said, trying to blow it off.

  “Some of the assholes at the rodeo we are touring with sabotaged him and he had a run-in with a horse,” I said. “Bruised him up pretty good.”

  I meant the explanation to move the conversation along, but instead, it led to Garrett having a good laugh. He shook his head. “Seriously? You’re still running with the rodeos? Aren’t you tired of being a show pony? I really thought you had gotten that out of your system. After you came back the last time, I thought for sure you had finally sorted your life out and were going to do something worthwhile.”

  I grimaced, my eyes sliding over to Colt. I knew that was definitely not the right thing for him to say.

  Chapter 25

  Colt

  “Show pony,” I grumbled.

  “He’s just teasing,” Leah said under her breath. God bless her, she was trying so hard to keep me from exploding, but there was just no use. Garrett wanted to get under my skin for entertainment and I was damn well going to give him all the show-pony entertainment he seemed to want. He just might not like my specific brand of clowning.

  Garrett had been the only other brother besides me that might truly be able to call himself an outcast. After years of acting like an idiot and picking fights every week at the bar, he bolted one day and hadn’t returned for a long time. I was off on the rodeo circuit, so I wasn’t entirely sure how long he was gone, but it was long enough that Cassidy figured he might not come back.

  No one had heard a word from him for a long time. Then suddenly he showed back up like nothing happened. Apparently, he had scuttled off to Las Vegas and took his carousing in Green Valley to a whole other level there—and added gambling to boot. Most of us boys had a savings account with proceeds from the money Dad left us, as well as what we made from the ranch, split evenly. It was how Dad wanted us to do it, and though I always felt guilty taking money that I didn’t work for anymore on the ranch, except when I happened to be home, even I felt bitter about Garrett wa
sting so much of it on his extended Vegas vacation.

  “Gee, I don’t know,” I said, taking a sip of the drink. “Are you still running around Vegas with your head up your ass?”

  My stool immediately skidded across the floor as Garrett jumped to his feet, I jumped to mine, and Wade and Cassidy jumped between us. Both of their arms crisscrossed at our chests, trying to pull us apart, but Garrett’s grinning face and wild eyes were mere inches from mine.

  “Boys, boys,” Cassidy said. “Sit the hell down and stop being dumb. We have a lady present.”

  “Yeah, Colt,” Garrett said. “You have a lady present. You wouldn’t want to ruin your reputation as a tough, roughneck cowboy by getting your ass whipped at the dinner table, now would you?”

  “The only person that’s going to get their ass whupped is you, Garrett,” I growled.

  Cassidy’s face was stone-cold emotionless as he tried to get between us. It was no use. Cass was the patriarch, sure, but both me and Garrett had enough size to us that there was nothing that was going to get between us if we wanted a scrap. If he lifted his hands, I’d lift mine and then there would be blood before supper. Wade wasn’t going to stop us either. Surly as he could be, he was also fiercely independent and tended to be on the side of letting people fight out their differences, so long as they knew when to stop. The only reason he was getting between us was most likely that there was a woman in the room.

  “Colt, it’s nice to see you, but could you please back the hell up?” Wade said. “I really don’t feel like mopping up after the both of you. Nice to meet you, Leah. If you’ll excuse us.”

  It was an attempt at humor, to defuse us both, and on me at least, it worked a little. My fists unclenched some and I slowed my breathing. Garrett seemed to be not as amused though, and his eyes still promised a fight for the ages if he could get at me.