“Forgot your lead?” Shane asked as a grin finally spread across his face.

  “I, uh, I wasn’t expecting to get to work right away,” she stuttered.

  “Welcome to ranch life.” He laughed as he disappeared into the barn. “You’re a natural.”

  Score one for you, grumpy cowboy. But I’ll take my victory tomorrow at the courthouse.

  2

  Willie, the farm dog, barked a hello at Shane as he stormed into the main barn on Radford Ranch.

  “Better late than never,” his brother Jett muttered as he lifted a horse’s front leg and grasped it between his thighs.

  “Look who decided to show up,” Chad said, clapping his hands at Shane in the obnoxious way only a younger brother could get away with. “Don’t fret, we didn’t need your help with shoeing today or anything. We got this.”

  “Shit. Sorry, guys.” Shane stopped in his tracks when he realized that his brothers were tackling the work without him. He bumped back the brim of his hat and rubbed his face in frustration. “I’ll help but I need a beer first. You’re never going to believe what happened.”

  “On Radford Ranch you have to earn your beer, and I’m not sure you deserve one,” Jett answered, ever the bossy big brother. He pointed to the nearby worktable. “Hand me that rasp, please.”

  Shane walked over and grabbed the oversized file and gave it to Jett. He watched as Jett slid the tool back and forth over the horse’s hoof in a rhythmic motion. It was Shane’s favorite part of the process, evening out the ridges until they were smooth and uniform and ready for the new shoe—taking something messy and making it orderly again.

  “Well?” Chad demanded as he led another horse into a stall. “Are you going to tell us what happened?”

  Shane groaned. “There’s some woman who thinks she owns the Brisby land! My land! She showed up all high and mighty, like I was the one trespassing. Said she’s setting up a rehab facility. Yeah, that ain’t happening. Amos and I made an agreement.”

  Chad walked to the bulletin board and pulled down a piece of paper. “This her?” He squinted and read the title. “’Sano Rehabilitation Center for Equine Wellness?’” He paused. “Damn, she’s cute. You could have worse problems than that blonde doc on your land.”

  Shane stomped across the barn and ripped the flyer from Chad’s hand. “Who put this up in here? She’s the enemy!”

  “Whoa, bro,” Jett said, looking up from his work. “That’s a public board. Maybe one of the hands posted it?” He went back to filing. “If you think about it, what she’s trying to do actually makes sense. We need a good rehabilitation option around here. The closest one is in Trailheart, and that’s over an hour away.”

  “Sure, fine,” Shane shot back at his brother. “But not on my land. I’ve got big plans. Expanding our breeding business to the Brisby Ranch makes sense for the Radfords. It’s close enough that we can share resources. It’s not like the Clarke Ranch next door is going anywhere, so this was my only option.”

  Shane didn’t have to say it, but all three brothers knew the opportunity for expansion wasn’t the only reason he was so keen on the property. He was ready for a fresh start for himself and his son, Drew. After the upheaval of the divorce and Drew’s accident, it was time to finally settle down and start to make a real life for themselves.

  Jett continued filing the hoof for a moment before he answered. “I guess you’re right. So what are you going to do? You can’t just throw her off the land, especially if she thinks she has a claim to it. And it sure as hell wouldn’t look good, kicking sick horses out.”

  “We’re meeting at the courthouse tomorrow. She says she has the loan paperwork and that she delivered payment, but I’ve got Brisby’s word and our signatures. Whose documentation carries more weight?”

  Chad snorted from across the barn. “Amos Brisby has always been a nut. Is he showing up tomorrow too to referee y’all?”

  “Nope, just me and that miniature vet.”

  The three brothers turned to the sound of a squall in the doorway.

  “Hi guys,” Jett’s wife, Noelle, said as she stepped into the barn with their baby, Lucy, in her arms, her dark hair twisted up in the usual messy bun. “What’s this about a vet? Are any of the animals sick?”

  “Hey, Sugar,” Jett said, finally putting the horse’s foot down and stretching out his back. “No, no one’s sick, but Shane’s all tore up over a problem at his new property. Tell her.”

  “You’re a good person to bounce this off of, actually,” Shane replied. He walked the flyer over to Noelle and held it up in front of her. “This … person … was on my land today. Claims she’s the rightful owner and is going to open up an equine rehab center. Impossible, right?”

  Noelle took the flyer from Shane and quickly read through it as baby Lucy tried to pull it out of her hands. “Wow, she’s legit. I’m impressed.”

  “That’s not what I mean!” Shane exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Sure, she’s qualified.”

  “And cute,” Chad added.

  Shane shot him a look. “But I’m the rightful owner of the Brisby land.”

  Noelle shifted Lucy to her other hip. “But Shane … what if she does have a claim to it? Paperwork gets screwed up all the time. My landlord at the bakery lost our original lease. It happens. Especially in a small town like Kingsley.” She frowned, not looking at all sure that he was in the right.

  Shane felt his face go red. “No way.” He paced in a circle. “I’ve got too much planned, and I’m not letting anything get me off course.”

  Jett seemed to be able to tell that Shane was amping up for another rant, so he changed the subject. “Noelle, what’s going on? Do you need me?”

  “Actually, I need him.” She pointed at Shane. “Drew’s having another moment, and I thought you should know. He’s hiding in the hay barn.”

  Shane stopped pacing, heaved a sigh, and hung his head.

  “I tried to get him to come in the house with us, but he’s not budging.”

  “Okay, I got it. Excuse me for a moment, guys,” Shane said as he walked out the door.

  It was another beautiful sunny spring day, but Shane saw nothing but storm clouds. Between the mess on his new property and the demons tormenting his young son, it felt like he was never going to catch a break. Sometimes he felt guilty for longing for the simple days when all that mattered was holding on for eight seconds to win another rodeo prize. That he could train for, prepare for—it wasn’t easy, but he always knew what was coming. Now it felt like everything he touched spiraled out of control.

  Willie joined him on the short walk from the main barn to the smaller barn, wagging his tail and bumping against Shane’s leg.

  “He likes you,” Shane said to the old dog. “You and the barn cats are the only animals that don’t scare him.”

  Shane squinted at the giant rolls of hay as he got closer to the barn, trying to pick out the little boy hiding among them.

  “Drew-bie?” he called. “Where are you, buddy?”

  “Here.”

  Shane followed the sound of the small voice and found his six-year-old son tucked against one of the bales, his light hair almost the same color as the hay, with two small toy cars on the ground beside him. Willie ran over to greet him, and the boy gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Shane held his breath as he tried to assess Drew’s state of mind. Ever since the accident, his son had trouble putting words to how he was feeling, even with the extra therapy he’d gone through.

  His chubby little boy had become lean from the stress of rehabilitation. Drew refused to wear shorts so he wouldn’t have to see the scars on his leg, so the poor kid was wearing jeans even during the heat of midday. His bright blue eyes, the only part of his son’s appearance he could credit to his ex, were huge, with bruise-colored circles beneath them. Anyone else looking at Drew would just see an adorable, fair-haired boy in need of a few extra sandwiches and a good night’s sleep. But Shane knew that his son was weighed down with anxieties no child should have to face.

  “What are you up to, buddy? Playing cars?” Shane forced himself to sound upbeat even though his stomach felt sour. Why did such a sweet kid have to go through so much trauma, between the accident and then the divorce?

  “Yeah,” Drew answered quietly. He watched his father with big, sad eyes.

  “Hey, everybody’s in the big barn. Your uncles are shoeing today, why don’t you come hang out with us? Aunt Noelle has to go into the house to put baby Lucy down for a nap so she can’t watch you out here.”

  Drew shook his head and looked away.

  “Bud, either you go into the house or come to the barn. Those are your choices.”

  One of the therapists had told Shane to be direct with his son, to give him clear options so that Drew felt like he had a say in what was happening in his life after the upheaval of the divorce.

  Drew focused on petting Willie and didn’t answer.

  “Hey, I have an idea! I need some help feeding our new mini horse. Want to meet him?”

  Drew shook his head.

  “He’s so cute and little,” Shane said, still trying to sound upbeat. “He’s barely bigger than Willie! Let’s go give him an apple!”

  Drew didn’t need to know that he’d bought the mini horse in the hopes that Drew might find it less threatening than full-sized horses. Shane hoped that exposing Drew to horses slowly, starting with the adorable mini, would help to chip away at the wall he’d put up. And to be honest, reacclimating his son to horses wasn’t just for Drew’s benefit. Shane himself needed a new visual. He couldn’t stop replaying the image of Drew on the ground as the horse bucked just a few feet away. Seeing his son silent and motionless, not crying or screaming, filled Shane with the terror that every parent prays they never have to feel. Shane ran to Drew and finally breathed when he saw that his son’s eyes were fluttering, but the angle of Drew’s leg could only mean one thing.

  Susanna had screamed at Shane in the ambulance as they sped to the hospital with Drew, calling him stupid and careless—ignoring the fact that she was the one who had been pushing for their son to be bolder in the saddle. She’d been pitching a reality show about their rodeo lifestyle to production companies and she thought that “the optics” of Drew already carrying on the family legacy would play well. Back then, there had been no doubt that Drew would grow up to be a competent rider since Shane had been working with him since he could sit up. He always joked that his son was born with boots on.

  But on the day he was thrown, Susanna had talked him into letting Drew ride a horse he’d never seen before that belonged to a friend of the producer who had come to talk to Susanna. Shane had had a gut feeling about the horse that had made him uneasy, and he still beat himself up for not listening to it. The truth was that he hadn’t had the strength to argue with Susanna yet again. Besides, his plan had been to stay close and keep the horse on a lead rope until he could get a read of the situation.

  Drew had ridden with his usual calm confidence that had left Shane filled with pride at his son’s natural horsemanship. It had to be in the Radford bloodline, as strong of a genetic trait as their handsome profiles, because all three Radford brothers seemed to have almost telepathic connections to the creatures. He’d even had a moment where he’d been thankful that through all of the terrible times as his marriage with Susanna came to a screaming end, both he and his son knew they could always find peace in the saddle.

  The surprise streak of black running across the ring had started them all, but Shane had actually laughed when he realized it was one of the barn cats on the prowl. But the horse—unbeknownst to Shane—had poor vision and a jumpy nature. He hadn’t known the difference between a cat and a viper and had spooked, sending Drew to the ground in a fall that shattered his leg.

  “No, Daddy. I don’t want to see that horse.”

  Shane’s heart fell but he played it off. He sat on the hay next to Drew and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “So, what’s it going to be, little man? Inside the house with Auntie Noelle and the baby, or outside with the big boys in the barn?”

  Drew shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Come hang out with us!” Shane coaxed. “I need help bossing your uncles around. After all, you’ve done some shoeing before. Remember? You handed me the tools when I was taking care of Shiloh, back at our old place?” Shane hoped reminding Drew of the good times they’d shared with horses would encourage him to be brave.

  Drew looked at his father with wide eyes and his lower lip trembled a little. “I don’t want to go into the big barn, daddy.”

  Shane pulled his son into a hug and felt his heart crumble. How were they going to get through this? He kissed Drew’s head and sniffled hard to keep the tears from flowing.

  “Okay, bud. You can hang out here with Willie. I’ve got some repairs to do on the Bobcat. I’ll be right over there.” He pointed to the utility vehicle a few feet away.

  Drew gave his father a squeeze then went back to petting Willie. Shane walked into the sunshine as Noelle came out of the main barn, and they met in the middle of the green space.

  “Not budging?” she asked him.

  Shane shook his head.

  “I saw him limping earlier. He’s tired.”

  Shane nodded—he’d also noticed that Drew’s injury was more obvious when he was tired.

  “The docs say he’ll grow out of that,” Shane replied with hope in his voice. “The bone is healed.”

  Baby Lucy made a gurgling noise that filled the silence.

  “Shane … his body is healed, but we all know he’s still recovering. He needs more time.”

  “I know that,” he replied sharply—then instantly regretted it. Noelle had been amazing—the whole family had. Shane softened his tone. “I do. I just miss my brave little cowboy. Riding with him was the highlight of my day. Now he won’t even step into the main barn.”

  Jett joined them, still holding the rasp as if he’d dropped his work to see if his brother needed him. “Everything okay out here?”

  Shane nodded. “Everything’s fine. I was just saying that I want to get my boy back in the saddle soon. It’s gonna happen.”

  “I understand,” Jett replied, though his tone lacked confidence. “But sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to. At least not right away.”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Shane replied. He turned and walked away abruptly.

  There was no more need for discussion. He was going to get Drew back on a horse, and he was going to do it on the land he was sure belonged to him.

  3

  Matilda couldn’t tell if the shivers running through her were anger, nerves or fear. Or all three. The tips of her fingertips felt numb as she clutched the file with her loan paperwork and contract. Even though there were only three of them in the book-lined office, it felt like the Supreme Court was about to hand down a decision.

  Both she and Shane had shown up at the courthouse five minutes early, their nods of acknowledgement the only greetings they exchanged. Well, that and the quick elevator eyes Shane gave Matilda, checking her out from head to toe. She was glad to be in a tailored suit instead of her scrubby clothing, to show him she was a businesswoman and not just a veterinarian.

  Look all you like, mister. I’m about to trounce you.

  Sure, he towered over her despite her three-inch heels. But she wasn’t intimidated by Shane even though he looked every inch the bad guy in a fitted black snap button shirt and dark jeans. She hated herself for peeking at his seat when he stepped close to the judge to hand over his paperwork. Yup, it was as perfect as she remembered from those old “research” pictures.

  Judge McCauley pushed his glasses up his nose and studied the stack of papers, then looked at Shane. “This everything?”

  “Actually, no, Mac. I have a photo of me with Amos Brisby shaking hands with the original agreement,” Shane said as he tapped his phone. “That has to count for something.” He placed the phone on the desk in front of him. “If you zoom in you can see our signatures.”

  “Please call me Judge McCauley in my chambers,” the old man replied as he glanced at the photo.

  Great, he’s close enough with the judge to use a nickname? I don’t stand a chance.

  “Sorry, Judge McCauley.” Shane smirked and shot a look at Matilda.

  “And what about you, Miss Lowell? What documentation do you have to back up your claim?” The old man leaned forward and rested his arms on top of the papers scattered on his desk.

  Matilda took a step forward clutching her file. “Thank you for the opportunity to clear this up, sir. I have dated proof of payment right here, along with copies of my check and a contract. I think this decision is going to come down to the date when everything—”

  “From what I can tell, you both took ownership in your own ways on the exact same day,” the judge replied as he looked through Matilda’s file.

  “How is that even possible?” Shane blurted out, his tone making it clear he was having a hard time remaining calm.

  The judge paused and seemed to chastise Shane with a glance, which caused him to take a step back.

  “As it stands, as far as I’m concerned, this was a legal transaction.” He gestured to the paperwork.

  Matilda’s heartbeat sped up. The judge was about to make his ruling, and she could already taste the sweet victory.

  “So how should Miss Lowell go about getting her refund?” Shane asked.

  “Excuse me?” she sputtered, taking a step closer to him. “I’m not getting a refund because I actually own the land!”