AllFreeNovel
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Brock laughed. “I would assume, cowboy, that means you know how to ride a horse.”
“Of course I do, but you were serious about riding them in the snow?” I glanced out and saw the snow lightly falling.
Brock looked me over and shook his head. “You probably don’t have the proper gear to ride outside in the winter,” he said thoughtfully.
“No, sir, I do not.”
He frowned and pulled out his phone, hitting a number. “Tanner, Pretty Boy Junior doesn’t have winter riding clothes.”
I looked at Stella and Ty. “Pretty Boy Junior?”
Stella’s eyes filled with tears as she laughed. “They called Beck ‘Pretty Boy’ all the time.”
Smiling, I looked back at Brock.
“Yeah, we’ll get that taken care of today. We should be there soon, but we’ll have to take the truck.” He shot me another look and rolled his eyes.
Of course, he was kidding with me, and I absolutely loved the banter with this family. If this was what it was like to have siblings, I’d missed out. Laughing, I was about to excuse myself from the table when Brock hung up.
“You got off for today, but tomorrow we ride, regardless of if you have winter clothes or not. We need to see how our nephew rides. Can’t be having Beck’s son lookin’ like a pansy on top of a horse, Texas born and raised be damned.”
Stella sighed and rolled her eyes. “When did you start taking drama classes, son?”
Brock laughed.
“Stella, Ty, did y’all need me to do anything before I take off with Brock?”
Stella shook her head. “No, you go have fun with the boys. And, Brock Shaw, do not keep that boy out in the cold. He isn’t used to this kind of weather.”
Brock folded his arms over his chest. “Mom, Beck would want us to make sure the kid’s tough.”
She stood and glared at him.
Holding up his hands, he said, “He’s a Shaw. It’s in his blood. Don’t worry. It’s not like we’re gonna put him on a bull.”
I smiled and stood. “I’ll go get changed.”
As I walked out of the kitchen, I heard Brock say, “Yet. We won’t put him on a bull yet.”
“Brock Shaw!” Stella warned, as I paused and glanced at the front door. The sudden urge to flee the house was strong, but I ignored it and quickly changed into some warmer clothes before heading back downstairs.
As we walked out to Brock’s truck, he said, “Tanner will make a list of things you need to keep from freezing your ass off while you’re here.”
“Thanks,” I replied, climbing up into the truck.
As we pulled out, Brock started to tell me about the ranch. He ran it after his father retired. Ty Junior also helped, but he had a busy career raising bulls for competition riding in the PBR, from which he’d recently announced his retirement. Blayze, Brock’s oldest son, had taken over most of the daily operations, with Brock’s younger son, Hunter, recently joining the family business.
“And Josh and Nathan?” I asked. “Will they be joining the ranks as ranch hands?”
Brock smiled. “Josh wants to be a firefighter. Has no interest in running the ranch.”
“Does he ride bulls?” I asked.
“He does, but only for the fun of it. He has no desire to follow in his daddy’s or his uncle’s footsteps. Which is fine with Ty. He just wants his kids to be happy.”
“It’s nice that he doesn’t feel that pressure to do something simply because it’s a family business.”
I felt his eyes on me. “And you’re not so lucky.”
A bitter laugh slipped free. “I’m not. My grandfather’s been grooming me since I was little to take over for him. He never got over the fact my mother refused to marry and produce more ‘heirs to the fortune,’ as he called it.”
Brock laughed, then stopped when I didn’t join in. “Wait…he really said that?”
I nodded. “He did.”
“Wow. As a father of three, I can tell you that no matter what my kids do, I’m proud of them. Blayze started off bull riding and then decided the ranch meant more to him. I wasn’t going to pressure him either way. And Bradly…hell, he was the best bull rider out of the bunch. He very recently decided it no longer brought him joy. He’s back home now, working alongside Dirk on the ranch. Dirk’s happy to have him home, and of course, Merit is as well. But they never pressured him one way or another.”
“Did he give up bull riding because of Mackenzie?” I asked.
He shook his head. “According to Dirk, Bradly was already planning on walking away very soon. I think she might have sped that decision up for him, or maybe solidified it. Women will make you do crazy things. Trust me, I know!”
I smiled as I thought about Avery.
“What about you, son? Ever been in love?”
