you know what was coming?” Colt asked as he pulled the door shut behind them. He was a handsome man, but not in the same way her husband had been. Josh had been full of laughter and jokes, while Colt looked more serious. Josh’s hair had been the same bright red as his daughters’.
“No, I had no idea,” she replied, tearing her gaze away from him. “Although, I think you expected to get the ranch.”
Colt didn’t say anything, but those dark eyes drilled into hers. She sighed. What was she going to do—pick up her late husband’s fight with his family? Beau could leave that land to anyone he chose, and he hadn’t chosen Josh.
“Your uncle was an interesting man, wasn’t he?” she said after a moment.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Colt growled.
“Losing the cattle isn’t good for you, is it?” she asked.
“No,” he admitted. “I know your husband was cut from the will, but I worked my tail off on that land. I don’t have much else, either. So cutting the herd out from under me isn’t good for me at all.”
“I’m sorry about that.” And she was. “I suppose you could sell, too, if you needed to.”
“Not a chance,” he retorted. “I’ve worked that land with Beau for twenty years. I’ve invested too much into the ranch, and I’m finding a way to hold on to it. Beau wanted that land in family hands.”
“Yes, Josh told me about that.” She could sense some bitterness there when Colt mentioned Josh. She’d known there had been a lot of family tension, but she hadn’t been sure what she’d walk into, exactly.
“It was Beau’s choice, not mine,” Colt said.
“I know...” She sighed. “What do we do? I’m serious. I have no idea how to even start. I mean—”
“We wait,” he interrupted. “We have to get everything in our names first.”
“Yes, but then what?” she pressed. “I assume you’ll want your cattle back.”
“Yeah, that would be good,” he said, and a wry smile turned up one corner of his lips. “I’ll have to talk to the bank and see if I can get a loan...and buy you out.”
“How much are four hundred and eighty head of cattle worth?” she asked.
“A fair bit.”
“Oh...” Jane’s gaze moved over to where her daughters were playing, their sippy cups on the floor next to them. It was a relief to know that her daughters would be provided for. She felt guilty enough using the death benefits to pay off all the debt. There was nothing left to put aside for them. Josh would have wanted them to have something.
“Where are you staying?” Colt asked.
“I don’t know yet,” she replied, and she felt her chin tremble and tears well in her eyes. She looked away, trying to hide the rise of emotion.
“Are you okay?” Colt asked, his tone dropping.
“I’m—” She swallowed hard. “I’ll figure it out.”
“I saw a car out the window—packed full of everything but the kitchen sink,” he said. “That yours?”
Jane managed to blink back the tears and she nodded. “That’s mine.”
“Are you moving out to Montana? Is this just a short trip? I’m just wondering how things stand.”
“I’m not sure yet,” she said honestly. “It’s been really hard since Josh died. We’d just bought a house that needed a lot of work, and I couldn’t make the payments alone. Josh’s death benefits helped me to get out of debt, but I had to sell the house. So... I haven’t decided where is best to land right now. I know that the way your uncle split this isn’t good for you, but him remembering my girls—it’s going to help a lot.”
“Hmm.” Colt nodded slowly. “Look, I’m not thrilled that my uncle did it this way, but this doesn’t have to be the end of the world for me. We’ll just have to iron it out. Are you willing to let me buy the herd back from you?”
“Yes, definitely. I have no use for cattle.”
“I’d really like to get this taken care of as quickly as possible. I have some cows ready for market, and keeping this ranch afloat relies on that income. So the sooner I can get this sorted out with you, the better. Can you afford to stay in town for a couple of weeks?”
Jane sighed and looked away. “Not comfortably.”
“Do you need to get back?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Because I have an idea. I don’t want to overstep, but if you want a place to stay until it’s resolved, you are welcome to stay at the ranch.”
“Are you sure you want us underfoot?” she asked. “We’re strangers.”
“I want to buy back my cattle,” he replied. “And if having you underfoot makes that happen faster, I’m happy with it.” He shot her a wry smile. “I don’t bite. Technically, I’m family.”
Family—Josh’s family, at least. She’d never met these people in her three years of marriage to Josh, or in the three years since his death. They were just a jumble of stories she’d heard. Beau might have wanted some sort of family reconciliation, but that didn’t mean the rest of the Marshalls did.
“I don’t want to stay for free,” she countered.
“If you really wanted to pitch in, we need to clean out Beau’s house. If you’d help me with that, I’d be grateful. Beau’s sister is staying with me for a few weeks while we clean it out, but she has a few health issues, and I’m not sure how much she can get done on her own...”
“That might be a bit personal. I didn’t know Beau,” she said. “Are you comfortable with me going through his things? Would his sister be okay with that?”
“She’ll be fine with it. She wasn’t really eager to do the job, either. She and Beau had a falling out some years ago. She’s willing to help me, personally, but...” He sighed. “Look, maybe you’ll find some stuff that pertains to Josh. As for me, I don’t have time to do it all myself, and as Peg can tell you, Beau wasn’t real close to that many people. Everyone who wanted a keepsake from Beau has already taken something. The rest just needs to be boxed up for Goodwill.”
“Well...” She paused for a moment to consider. Maybe there would be some hints about Josh’s childhood, or pictures that might be nice to keep for the girls. Who knew? This was her chance to connect with her late husband’s family, for better or for worse. And with Peg on the scene, she wouldn’t be alone on a ranch with this uncomfortably handsome Colt.
“Where would I stay?” she asked.
“There’s an in-law suite in the basement of the house,” he said. “It’s got a whole separate entrance and everything, and that’s where I live. So you and the girls can stay with Peg upstairs in Beau’s place. What do you say?” he asked, fixing her with his dark gaze.
What choice did she have?
“I’d be happy to.”
Colt led the way back to the Marshall ranch, Jane driving in her little silver sedan behind his red Chevy. Maybe it would be known as the Hardin ranch from now on, and he could take down the sign and put up a new one. He wasn’t ready for that yet, though. This still felt like Beau’s land, and he still felt like the nephew who should be grateful. And he was—he always had been. Maybe a little guilty, too, because he’d known all along that his uncle was making a mistake in his fight with his son. Both Beau and Josh had been stubborn idiots. And