Page 209 of Tessa and Nash

I write notes down quickly, something I’d been avoiding thinking about, but I know I need to face head-on.

THOMAS LONG’S TERMS *** MAKE HIM THINK HE WON.

Give him the land (but not too much)

Show him we’re being ‘fair’

Reassure him he has some say in how it’s run (without giving him any power)

Make sure there’s no direct access to the main ranch (this one’s a must)

Keep the negotiations friendly (no hardball, no big moves)

It’s not perfect, but it’ll do for now. It’s a delicate balance between showing him he’s won and keeping him from taking over.

I sit back, glance at Tessa, and let the idea sit. “This is going to be tricky, but we can pull it off.”

Tessa studies my list, nodding slowly. “As long as we don’t give him too much. He can’t walk away feeling like he’s gained the upper hand. It’ll only make things worse.”

I jot down one more note → DON’T OVERPROMISE.

“I told you.” My voice comes out a little firmer than I intend. “This isn’t something I’m gonna bail on.”

Tessa taps her pen against the page, her eyes narrowing slightly as she mulls it over. I’m half afraid she’s going to ask the one question that’s been haunting me since I started. The one I’m not ready for.

But instead, she looks up and smiles. I’m still getting used to the warmth in her eyes. “Okay. We’ve got the beginnings of something solid here.”

I smile back. “We do. We really do.”

I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m ready for it. Ready to make this work, for me, for her, for both families.

The McCoy family dinner table is as loud as it always is.

It’s the kind of place where opinions are tossed around fast as footballs, and no one’s afraid to catch or throw a few punches. But tonight? Tonight feels different. The pressure of it is on me, sitting heavy in my chest, and I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t just about the ranch anymore.

“Alright, I’m gonna need another beer before I hear any more of this,” Boone grumbles from the end of the table, rubbing his hand over his face.

“You’ve had three already,” Rose points out, balancing a plate of mashed potatoes in one hand while dishing out green beans with the other. “Maybe wait until you say something useful first.”

“Good thing I’ve got a strong tolerance, huh?” Boone smirks, then turns to Dallas. “You sure about this? You think Tessa’s uncle’s gonna go for it?”

Dallas takes a long pull from his beer, nodding slowly. “It’s the only way to keep him from completely flipping the script. We give him just enough to keep him happy, but not enough to feel like he’s running the show. Exactly as you’ve said.”

Tessa’s quiet next to me, her hands folded in her lap as she watches the scene unfold. It’s clear she’s been here before. Watching this family, all of us, try to figure out how to make a deal with each other and the world. But she’s not just watching anymore. Tonight, she’s part of it.

“Now hold on, we’re not giving him anything without making sure we’re all on the same page first,” I add, leaning forward. “We need to make sure this stays a partnership. This isn’t just about throwing some land his way and hoping he goes away.”

Boone shoots me a look, his brow furrowed. “We’ve been here before, Nash. Feels like we’re always giving people something to get them to back off. I just don’t want it to come back and bite us in the ass.”

“I get that,” I say, glancing around the table. “But I’m telling you, this is the only way forward. If we don’t get Thomas on board, we’re stuck. And I’m not just talking about the land, either. I’m talking about the town. The council. Everything. This could work for all of us if we present it right.”

Tessa catches my eye, and I feel that weird, unspoken understanding between us. It’s in the way she holds my gaze, as if we’ve spent hours running through this in our heads already. We’re on the same side now, and I’m not going to screw this up.

Mom is studying the two of us closely, her eyes flickering between Tessa and me. She leans back in her chair, arms crossed. “You’ve got a plan for making this work with the Longs, right?”

Tessa straightens, and I swear she’s running through her notes in her head. “I think we can make it work. We give Thomas a piece of the land that’ll make him feel like he’s still got control, but we keep the terms clear. We give him just enough to make him feel heard.”

Rose’s eyes flick to Tessa, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I like that idea. But we’re not giving him the whole damn ranch, right?”