by Liz Isaacson
He said nothing, just continued to hold her, breathe with her. Milo nosed her knee, and she backed up a half-step. “Should we go find you a dog?”
He bent to pick up his cowboy hat, which had fallen to the floor during the emotional exchange, and straightened. “I want a German shepherd.”
“So you’ve said.” She threw him a flirtatious smile and picked up her purse. “Well, c’mon, cowboy. Let’s go see what they’ve got.”
He drove them to the animal shelter, the country music on the radio filling the silence. Hazel wished she had more to say to comfort him, help him understand that his hope wasn’t a bad thing. When they got out and went inside, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed.
“Thanks for comin’ with,” he said.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t miss this.”
They bypassed the cages with the cats and started looking at the dogs. It was easy to see there were no German shepherds. A worker came over and introduced herself as Marian. She asked them if they needed help, and Dylan shook his head.
His disappointment pierced her and she said, “He wants a German shepherd. Do you ever get them in?”
Marian shook her head, her chin-length curls bobbing back and forth. “Very rarely. If you want one, I suggest you try Shayleigh Hatch. She’s got several German shepherds, and she breeds them.” Marian pulled a pink Post-It note off the pad and wrote down a name and number.
“Hatch?” Dylan repeated. “She’s out at Triple Towers?”
“That’s right.” Marian smiled. “She’s your best bet. Though I’ll always advocate for people to rescue a dog from here, if you’re set on a German shepherd, she’d the one you need to talk to.”
They left, and Hazel turned toward him. “So? Are you going to call her?”
“We’re going out there tomorrow.” Dylan stuffed the Post-It note in his back pocket. “Maybe I’ll just ask her then.”
Hazel quickened her step and moved in front of him, blocking his way. “Give me the number. I’ll call her.”
His blue eyes stormed and she held out her hand, palm up. “C’mon. Give it to me.”
He reluctantly complied, and she pulled out her phone and made a call. “We’re interested in getting a German shepherd,” she said when a woman answered. “Marian at the animal shelter gave us your name and number.”
“Oh, Marian, right.” Shayleigh sounded friendly enough, but she didn’t offer for them to come out and see any of her dogs.
“So….” Hazel wiped the sweat off her forehead and rounded the truck so she could get in and get the air conditioning going. “Do you have any shepherds my friend and I could come look at?”
When she said nothing, Hazel looked at the phone to make sure the call was still connected. It was. “Shayleigh?”
“What? Oh, uh, yes. I have two left from a litter that someone just forfeited on this afternoon.” She seemed incredibly distracted, and a blip of sympathy stole through Hazel. She wondered if she should suggest they come at a different time, but one look at Dylan’s hopeful face, and she plowed on.
“We’re about twenty-five minutes away. Can we come right now?”
“I guess that would be okay.”
Hazel smiled, said, “Fantastic,” and hung up. “We’re a go,” she told Dylan and he put the truck in drive.
Half an hour later, they turned onto the lane that led to Triple Towers Ranch. Dylan flexed his fingers. “I wasn’t expecting to be here today. I feel…it feels wrong to be here without my brothers.”
“We’re just looking at the dogs,” she said.
He parked and a woman came out of the house. She was tall and lithe, wore a cowgirl hat, and a hard look on her delicate features.
“Hello,” Hazel said, taking charge when Dylan lingered beside his door. “We called about the German shepherds?”
Shayleigh watched them approach, her blue-green eyes missing nothing. Had she been crying? Hazel wasn’t sure, as she’d never met this woman before, but her eyes were a little red around the edges and she kept her arms clenched tightly across her stomach.
“They’re in the garage,” she said, hooking her chin to the right, where a three-car garage sat attached to the homestead.
Hazel tucked her arm through Dylan’s and tugged him away from the front steps. He couldn’t seem to stop staring at the house, and Hazel realized that he was sizing it up. Deciding if he could perhaps buy this place and live here.
“C’mon,” she whispered. “Dogs today.”
Shayleigh lifted the single garage door and the yipping of puppies met Hazel’s ears. “Oh, they’re so cute,” she exclaimed, moving forward to see the brown, golden, and black pups. “Dylan, look at them.”
“This one’s available,” Shayleigh said, bending to pick up a pup at the back of the pack. “He’s a male. I call him Tantor, but you can rename him, obviously.” She handed him to Hazel, who immediately passed him to Dylan.
“And this one.” Shayleigh picked up another dog. “Her name’s Maple.”
Hazel cradled Maple the German shepherd, instantly falling in love with her. “How old are they?”
“Seven weeks. You can take them home next week.”
“Next week, Dylan.” Hazel beamed at him.
“How much?” he managed to ask.
“They’re pure bred, American Kennel Club dogs,” she said. “They’re six hundred each.” She pushed the louder, yappier puppies away from the barrier. “I’d need a deposit to hold them.”
Dylan stroked the puppy in his hands, obviously in love with it. “Do I have to take them both?”
“No,” Shayleigh said.
Hazel caught the glare she gave Dylan before she switched it to Hazel. Discomfort spread through her. This woman was clearly unhappy about something, and Hazel sensed it had nothing to do with the German shepherds.
“I want this one,” Dylan said, glancing at Hazel and the puppy she held.
“I’ll take two hundred now, and four when you come back for him.” Shayleigh stepped out of the pen and took the puppy from Hazel.
He handed his wallet to her, and surprised, Hazel opened it to find a thick fold of bills. She counted out two hundred and waited for Shayleigh to write a receipt, all while watching Dylan come back to himself as he scrubbed and cooed at the German shepherd.
By the time they were ready to go, his smile had returned. And she had her boyfriend back, courtesy of a puppy.
Chapter Seventeen
Dylan could barely sleep. He’d spent an hour talking with Shane about the new German shepherd he’d just put a deposit on. Shane had been brilliant with Cinna, the dog he’d gotten last year, and Dylan wanted to train his dog up right so it would be just as good as the sheltie his brother owned.
They’d tossed names back and forth, but Dylan still couldn’t decide. And he didn’t need to right away. He couldn’t bring the pup home for another week anyway.
Home.
What a strange word. He stared at the ceiling in the loft, the soft snores of his brother soothing him. At least Austin could sleep. He’d always been able to snooze like the dead, while Dylan woke at the slightest sound. Wasn’t he nervous about touring the new ranch tomorrow? Didn’t his thoughts crowd out his exhaustion and keep him awake?
As Dylan thought about what life might be like with a ranch he could call home, a sense of peace finally slipped through the cracks in the blinds, the same way the bright moonlight did. Everything in the country was so silent, and Dylan took comfort in knowing that even if things didn’t work out with Triple Towers, he still had this ranch, this community Dwayne’s father had built, to come home to.
Finally, his rumbling thoughts quieted, and he slept.
Morning came early, as it always did, and they had a quick family meeting over toast and eggs, courtesy of Shane.
“We’re meeting here to head over there at four o’clock,” Shane said. “Robin will be here at lunchtime.” He lifted his orange juice glass and drank. “Dwayne said he could send his
dad over to talk to us, if we wanted. He came down here to look at this ranch when he was much younger than us. Might have something good to tell us.” He surveyed his brothers. “Should we have him come out?”
“Sure,” Dylan said. “Or we can go into town, if it’s easier for Chase.” They’d been hired by Dwayne’s father almost four years ago, as Dwayne had just taken over the management and ownership of the ranch a couple of years ago.
Dylan knew that Chase and Maggie Carver had come to Texas Hill Country from Amarillo, where her family was from. They’d taken on Grape Seed Ranch when it was failing, and they’d built it from the ground up. Any advice Chase could give, Dylan thought they should at least consider.
“I’ll text Dwayne and find out what’s easiest.” he tapped on his phone and glanced up when he was done. “We still feel good about it?”
“We haven’t seen it yet,” Dylan said at the same time Austin blurted, “Yeah, of course.”
Dylan looked at his younger brother. Really looked. Though he was only three years younger, and about to turn thirty-three, Austin wore a youthful vibe in his face. His trademark Royal family blue eyes always seemed to harbor a secret, and a laugh was always just a moment or two away.
But in those few moments, Dylan saw and felt the same longing for home that had plagued him for years. Austin was just better at hiding it. Or maybe he hadn’t realized the need for somewhere to call home until very recently.
“John’s not going to list the ranch,” Shane said. “We can afford to take the time we need.” He finished eating and stood to collect his plate. His phone buzzed on the table where he left it, and Dylan took a quick look at it.
“Dwayne said his dad can come for lunch. Felicity will make something at the homestead.” He read the words again, the reality of them sinking in. Were they really about to buy a two-hundred-acre ranch? The money they’d be spending, the debt they’d be accruing, the responsibility they’d be shouldering….
Dylan took a deep breath. This was what men did. This was what his father should’ve been able to hold together and provide for them. Buying the ranch had felt right yesterday at the bank, with all the numbers spread before them.
It was still right this morning, despite his fears, his anxieties, and his worries.
“Is Hazel coming?” Shane asked, just a hint more curiosity in his voice than Dylan liked.
“Yep,” he said. “She said she could. Let me make sure she can come at four.”
“Here at four,” Shane clarified. “We’ll go over to Triple Towers together at four-thirty. That’s when the tour starts.”
“Is Dwayne going to come?” Austin asked.
“I wouldn’t think so,” Shane said. “Do we want him to come?”
Dylan took his dishes into the kitchen too. “I think we should ask Chase to come, if he can. He’s the one who’s done this before.”
“Let’s see what he says at lunch.” Shane blew out his breath, the concern in his eyes a comfort to Dylan. At least they weren’t going into this without covering all of their bases. “C’mon, Cinna. Time to get to work.” With that, Shane left through the front door, his dog right at his heels.
Dylan arrived at the homestead first, thirty minutes early for their scheduled lunch with Chase Carver. He found Felicity in the kitchen, the scent of browned beef hanging in the air and making his mouth water.
“Hey, Felicity.”
She gave him a wide smile as she twisted to look over her shoulder without moving from the spot in front of the stove. “Dylan. Grab me that chili sauce, would you?”
He picked up the bulbous bottle and moved to stand beside her. “Sloppy Joes?”
“That’s right. It’s one of the only things I’m good at.” She tapped the pan with her wooden spoon. “Dump that in here.”
He scoffed and twisted the lid on the chili sauce. “That’s not true. I’ve eaten a lot of your food. It’s all good.”
She stirred in the chili sauce, the pan hissing when the colder liquid hit the hot surface. “That’s because May’s been teaching me.”
He watched the mixture come together before turning away. “Well, I can barely boil water,” he said. “So I think you’re doin’ just fine.” He rounded the counter and sat at the bar. “How are things with the adoption? My letter was okay?”
He’d written it over the weekend, with Hazel’s help, out at the cabin. While he wasn’t normally overly sentimental, Felicity felt like the maternal influence in his life, and he wanted her to be happy.
“Your letter was great,” she said. “I turned it in yesterday. We don’t know anything yet. We’re still putting all the paperwork together.” She flashed him a smile and added, “If you’re here, make yourself useful. Those rolls need to be cut, and there’s fruit in the fridge that needs to be washed.”
Dylan got to work, answering her questions about Hazel with ease. He liked that he could talk about her freely, without embarrassment, and he wondered when he’d gotten brave enough to do that.
Her parents arrived, and Dylan shook Chase’s hand and hugged Maggie, grinning all the while. They were the ones who’d breathed life into this place, and he suddenly saw them in a new light.
Dwayne and Shane came through the back door, already engaged in conversation about one of the horses. They pulled out water bottles and washed their hands, and things in the kitchen started heating up.
A knock sounded on the front door, and then Robin came through it, causing Shane’s whole face to fill with happiness. Dylan wondered if he looked at Hazel like that, if he could ever sweep his hand casually around her the way Dwayne did as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Felicity’s temple, if this new ranch would provide somewhere for him to have a soft landing when his days were hard.
Did Hazel want it? The ranch life wasn’t for everyone, he knew, and his mom had told him several times over the last fifteen years since their lives had taken a one-eighty turn that she was so much happier in the city.
That could be from a lot of different things, he told himself. Including being in a healthy relationship instead of the one she’d been trapped in with Dad.
He hadn’t heard from his father for a while, something Dylan noted but didn’t know what to do with. And he didn’t have time to stew over it, as Austin arrived and Felicity announced that lunch was served.
They all fit around the big dining room table, and the chatter was pleasant and easy. He was used to being alone in a crowd, but since he’d started dating Hazel, he’d also grown used to being part of a couple. He felt in-between, and when Chase said, “Well, let’s talk about this ranch,” Dylan’s pulse spiked.
He pushed his food away, though he wasn’t quite finished eating.
“Yes, sir.” Shane wiped his mouth with his napkin and said, “Tell us what to look for when we go this afternoon.”
“You’ve already got their financial information, right?” Chase’s once-blond hair was completely white now, but his eyes were still animated, indicating that his mind was still as sharp as a tack.
“Yes, sir,” Shane said again. “They’re not good.”
“When we first came here, Grape Seed wasn’t doing well either.” He gathered Maggie’s hand into his. “But when we got here, and we saw the place, the buildings, the cabins you boys live in, all of it, we just…knew.” He smiled at his wife. “It was a lot of work, I won’t lie. But we felt like the Lord had directed us here, and we were willing to work.”
“We’re willing to work,” Dylan said, knowing he could speak for his brothers in this instance.
“Do all three of you want to live and work the ranch together?” Chase asked.
Thankfully, both Austin and Shane started nodding at the same time Dylan did.
“All right, then. You’ll each need a home to yourselves. If there isn’t what you need, is there land to build it later? That’s what we did with the guest house in the back there.” Chase’s voice took on a reminiscient tone. “It wasn’t there when we bought the ra
nch, but as soon as Maggie had Dwayne, we started discussing when we could build it and where. We knew—well, we hoped—” He smiled at Maggie. “That one of our kids would want to take over the ranch one day, and they’d need somewhere to live until that happened. Turned out Dwayne didn’t really need it, but it was still there. And perhaps his kids will use it one day.”
Felicity pulled in a breath, but she released it just as quickly.
“I got married as quick as I could,” Dwayne deadpanned. “Not all of us find our soul mate at age nineteen.” He gave his mother a pointed look.
She laughed, the sound filling the house with joy. Had Dylan ever had that at the family ranch? He wasn’t sure. It felt like so long ago that he’d been there. Almost like it had happened in a different lifetime.
“It took us ten years to build the house,” Maggie said. “Chase did a lot of the work himself, around the ranch chores and schedule. You just have to do what you can, when you can.”
Dylan nodded. “We’ll look for those things, because I’d like to live at the ranch.” He scanned his brothers. “You guys too, right? I mean Robin has her tiny house….”
“We could live in that, yes,” Shane said. “I’m sure there’s somewhere to park it on the ranch. But we’d probably want something more permanent for down the line, when kids come.” A flush entered his face, and Dylan remembered his surprise when Robin had said they weren’t opposed to babies a few weeks ago.
“I’m not datin’ anyone,” Austin said. “But I’d still like a place of my own. Eventually.”
Maggie patted his hand, and he gave her a warm smile.
“What else?” Shane asked.
“Find out about water rights,” Chase said. “All the neighboring ranches and land. Check the fences. Ask about staff. Dwayne mentioned some are contracted to stay on? You have to keep them?”
“Just three people,” Shane said. “But one of them is John’s daughter.”
Chase’s face crumpled into a frown. “Shayleigh? Why isn’t she taking over the ranch? If she already works there….”
