Page 76 of His Secret Wish

“Something wrong?” Owen glanced at the hands, and then at the herd, and then back at Sam.

“No, just some idiots who don’t know how to follow directions. Nothing I can’t handle.” Sam titled his head. “You’re not wearing a hat.”

Owen pushed his hand through his hair. He hadn’t taken it to Truckee because he knew he was going to be inside most of the time. And if there was one thing Mama had drilled into them all their lives, it was no hats or boots in the house. That sort of stuff was liable to get you whacked with her wooden spoon. Even as an adult. “Yeah, I came straight out here. Didn’t stop at the house yet.”

Sam nodded. “Well, it’s good to have you back, boss.”

“Thanks.” Owen turned Ranger toward the herd. They were doing health checks today, making sure there was nothing wrong with any of the heifers. They were about to go into a breeding cycle, so they needed to make sure the heifers were in good health and they got their proper vaccines. “Let’s get to work.” He didn’t wait for a response, just urged Ranger forward.

“Yes, sir.” Sam caught up with him, and the two of them headed into the fray.

By the time they were done, it was early evening. The hands headed to the big stable, where they would put up their horses for the night. Unlike the family stable, where Ranger and the other family member’s horses were housed, this one was huge, with enough room for twenty horses. The men would then head to the chow house, a massive building filled with long trestle tables lined with benches. There was also a professional kitchen, and a couple of chefs who made sure the cowboys were well fed.

Sam said his goodbyes and peeled off toward the big stable. He would most likely put up his horse and then head home. Before he met Cassie, he used to live in one of the cabins they had on the property, after he’d graduated out of the bunkhouse.

“Evening, sir.” Drew rode by, tipping his hat. Owen had told him plenty of times he didn’t need to refer to him as sir, but it seemed old habits died hard.

Drew had been a soldier in the army under Owen’s brother, Mason. Once Drew was discharged, he’d had trouble finding his footing in the world. Mason had reached out to him, just to see how he was doing, and when he realized Drew was struggling, had invited him to come and see if being a cowboy was his thing. He was a hard worker and listened and took direction well. A really great asset to the ranch.

In fact, there had been a couple of ex-soldiers that had made their way here to the Triple C. It was turning out to be a great pipeline for hands. The guys and gals got to come and try something new, seeing if it was a fit, and the ranch got some of the best hands it had ever had. Hard workers that took direction well. Sometimes it didn’t work out, which was fine because there were no obligations.

“Hey, Drew, you got a second?” Owen’s stomach did a stop, drop and, roll like it was trying to put out a fire, but he ignored it. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans.

Drew wheeled his horse around. “Sure, boss.”

“How are things with you and Lea going?” Owen tried to keep his voice even, sound casual. For the most part he pulled it off.

Drew grinned at the mention of his girlfriend, his face lighting up. “Really good, sir. Really good.” He pulled off his cowboy hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. It had been a warm one out there in the sun. Beads of sweat still clung to his dark skin up by his temples.

“Glad to hear it.” Ranger shifted underneath him, blowing out a breath. The horse was definitely picking up on Owen’s mood. He patted the horse, trying to soothe the beast. “I overheard someone say you and Lea might be looking for a house to buy. Is that true?”

Drew nodded. “Yes, sir, that is true. We haven’t had any luck yet, but we’ll keep looking.” He tilted his head, stared at Owen. Made Owen want to squirm, but he held back. Wasn’t about to humiliate himself. “Is there something else, sir?”

Owen thought about telling him no, saying goodnight, and heading toward the family stable. The idea of giving up the house, accepting his marriage was really over, that he would have no choice but to move on, overwhelmed him. But he pushed it all aside, somewhere deep, where he wouldn’t have to deal with it.

“Yeah,” he said, giving his head a quick shake to dislodge the thoughts. “I’ve got a house on the property, the first right off the driveway, a ways back on the south side. Two stories, state-of-the-art kitchen, five bedrooms. The lot is private and secluded, but close enough that if anything happened, help would be available.”

“Wow.” Drew’s horse took a few steps, clearly feeling restless. Drew soothed the mare like a pro. Very impressive. “That sounds amazing, although I think it might be a bit out of our price range.”

Suddenly, the idea of selling the house, letting someone else live there, raise a family there, became the perfect solution. He’d been holding on to it, to the past, hoping things would change, go back to how they used to be. But he now knew that was never going to happen.

Once he sold the house, it would no longer be he and Izzy’s place, it would be Lea and Drew’s. He would be cutting ties with his past, setting a course for the future. Even though, at the moment, that future looked bleak and lonely. At least it would be moving on, moving forward.

“I’d give you guys a great price.” An ache rose in his chest, spread to his arms and back. Ranger shifted beneath him again, feeling Owen’s emotional upheaval. He soothed the horse again, but could feel Drew’s gaze on him. Owen blew out a breath. “Tell you what? Why don’t you and Lea come by on Friday night? I can show you the place, give you a tour, and if you guys like it and are interested, then we could talk specifics. How does that sound?”

“That sounds great, sir. I’ll talk to Lea and let you know if that works for her.”

“Sounds good. Have a good night.” Owen lifted his chin and urged Ranger forward, heading for the family stable. The pain inside him shifted, changed, to become a numbness he couldn’t shake. It spread through him, making his toes and fingers tingle. He didn’t know what was happening, but he couldn’t lie and say he didn’t welcome it.

Numb was better than the pain.

He rode into the stable and dismounted. The motion of removing the tack and rubbing Ranger down was so ingrained in him, he did it automatically, like a robot. He gave Ranger some feed and closed the stall door. And then he stood there, staring at nothing, not sure what to do next.

“Hey.”

He spun at the sound of Mason’s voice. His brother stood in the doorway to the stable, his arms crossed over his chest. The light was low, casting shadows, so he couldn’t see Mason’s expression. Not that it mattered. Owen wasn’t in the mood for whatever bullshit his brother was about to spout.

They had a tenuous relationship, only having reconciled a couple of years ago, after a fifteen-year rift. Until Mason moved back to the ranch after getting medically discharged from the army, Owen hadn’t spoken to him since the day of Mason’s high school graduation, when he’d packed up and moved across the country to attend West Point.