Chapter Eleven

Was there anything better than waking up to a beautiful woman in your arms? Gus’s long blond hair spilled between them.

He pressed his face against her hair, taking a deep breath of her vanilla scent. This was something he could keep doing—waking up next to Gus, working by her side, making her laugh, and just appreciating every moment with her.

He worked his way from her shoulder to where her neck met her jaw, and he nipped playfully at her.

“I like where this is going,” Gus said, her voice heavy with sleep. She rolled over, her dark eyes soft yet molten as she straddled him. Placing a hand on his chest, she leaned over him and met his lips.

His dick hardened instantly, and she giggled softly as he rocked his hips against hers.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he growled at her.

“Morning, cowboy,” she said with that low, throaty voice that always got him going.

Gus was already warm and wet, and ready to go, and he slipped into her, filling her until he reached the root of his cock.

“My favorite way to wake up,” Gus said afterward as she cuddled against his chest. “I’m going to get used to this too quick.”

He pulled her closer, letting the scent of her skin and soap surround him, breathing her in, trying to memorize exactly how she felt against him, and the way her touch felt against his skin.

“That’s part of my evil plan,” he joked. “Anything to convince you to stick with me as long as possible.”

All joking aside, he was serious. He would do anything to have her stick by him. The question was how did he solve this mess where his life and his business were back in California, but Gus was firmly rooted in Montana?

An hour later, Colton stared at the numbers in front of him, until they began to dance across his blurry vision. Gus had left to prepare for her presentation for the park project tomorrow, and he was determined to figure out how to make his life work in two locations.

Something wasn’t adding up. Either his math skills were off, or there was money missing. He dropped his face in his hands and groaned out loud.

He had hoped—rather too optimistically it turned out—that he would be able to find a way to expand Farm to You.

However, despite Jordan’s assertion that everything was good this month, it still didn’t add up.

“Everything okay?” Jace asked as he strolled out of the office, a pencil stuck behind his ear and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had been working on a building design since Colton walked in.

“No. I don’t know. I’m going through the accounting statements for Farm to You, and either Jordan didn’t send me everything or I still suck at math,” he grumbled. “Or, someone’s taking money from me.”

Which didn’t make sense. The only other person with access to his accounts was Jordan. And he trusted Jordan wholeheartedly.

“Math isn’t your strong suit?” Jace asked incredulously. “I love math.”

“Go ahead and brag,” Colton muttered to his brother. “This is why I hired Jordan, so he could crunch the numbers.” He scrolled through the files, his head pounding at the thought of figuring out where each item went. “We aren’t a very big business, so the numbers should be straightforward, but for some reason something isn’t adding up.”

Jace leaned over to look at the screen. “I could look at the numbers. Or ask my accountant to.”

Colton turned to look at the other man. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.” Jace cleared his throat and straightened. “You helped me learn the ropes of this place. I don’t want your company to get screwed over. It’s a fair trade.”

He tapped his thumb against the counter. Passing over the books felt like admitting defeat. His company was out of his control, he was struggling to fix whatever the problem was himself, and he was driving himself up the wall trying to pinpoint the problem.

Biting his cheek, he glanced over at Jace.

It was crazy to think that only a few months ago, Colton wasn’t even aware that this brother existed. Now, not only did he have an older brother, but he had an older brother who wanted to help. But in order for Jace to help, Colton needed to let go of the reins. Even for a moment.

“Handing over the books doesn’t mean that you did anything wrong,” Jace said sagely. “It means you are doing what’s best for Farm to You.”

Jace was right. It didn’t mean he was a failure. Or unworthy. Or that he did something wrong. And maybe it was time to make peace with that.

“I’d appreciate it.” He pulled the laptop closer. “How do you want me to send the files?”

One hour later, Jace had the documents, and Colton knew it was the right decision. His father had always wanted him to stand on his own two feet and figure things out for himself. That didn’t mean pushing away every bit of help that was offered. He didn’t want to end up like his father.

But it didn’t mean he couldn’t make peace with his father.

It was with that thought in mind that he looked around the room. His brothers were out, and he needed to head out soon to work the horses.

But first things first.

He headed down the hall to his father’s room. As far as he was aware, none of them had been back in since that night. The large black trash bag that he had dragged in at that time still sat in the middle of the room. The dust that had been unsettled was now being covered with another layer. Otherwise nothing had changed.

Kneeling at the trunk, he quietly eased the lid open, knowing exactly what he was looking for. He barely pulled the blanket aside, and immediately spotted the worn ball of paper.

The last note that he wrote his father. The very last time he ever communicated with his dad.

He stared down at the page. The worn paper was so soft it didn’t even crinkle as he smoothed it out. The writing had faded over the years, and the edges of the paper had become tattered. The anger he had felt at the time, so sharp and biting a decade ago, now felt just as worn.

What had possessed his father to keep it?

To remind himself of where he failed? To remember why his son left? To what?

It made his father seem…human. More real now that he was gone.

His throat grew tight, and he swallowed hard.

Maybe in retrospect, he should have left and cooled down rather than hightail it out of the state. But what was done was done. His father was gone, and he would never know if they could have started over.

Straightening, he carefully covered the rest of the photos and papers with the blanket, and gently closed the lid of the trunk.

Closing the door of the room behind him, he headed back to the living room to the wood-burning stove that was used to heat the home during the winter. Opening the little glass door on the front, he set the ball of paper inside.

He stared at it a long time. His father had won. He did return to Montana. It was probably dumb to think that a stupid note was what stopped his father from reaching out. Or him from making amends.

But he wanted it gone. They could never start over, but he could make peace with the situation.

Then grabbing a box of matches, he struck one. With a steady hand, he lit the edge of the page on fire, and watched it burn.

A few days later, Colton drove the ranch truck down the haystack.

He had spent the early morning with Gus, making her breakfast while she nervously prepared for her presentation for the park project. By the time he got back, Jace was already in a meeting, and Ty asked him to feed the animals so he could head to a neighboring ranch to look at a horse with colic.

The day had ended up beautiful. He didn’t need a jacket, even in the late morning. The scent of sweet alfalfa and dry dirt roads filled the air. The field to the north had grown to knee-high, and was due to be cut and baled soon. He was going to have to speak with his brothers about whether they wanted to do it, or if they should hire someone.

Parking at the stack so the back of the truck was aligned with the haystack, Colton pulled on his new pair of gloves, and gripped his hands into fists. The hard seams along the fingers and wrists rubbed abrasively against his hands. In a couple of days the gloves would be broken in, but the first couple wears were always the hardest.

The old cow dog jumped out excitedly as Colton lowered the tailgate. Climbing into the bed of the truck, he grabbed a set of hay hooks and dragged the first couple bales in. The work was far easier when there was someone else to help but it wasn’t unmanageable with one person.

He was just about to finish loading the truck, when he caught Jace heading down the road to him.

The look on Jace’s face was grave, and his movements were stiff as he hurried over, stretching his stride to the limit.

“Colton,” Jace greeted, his voice gruff.

His body tensed as he took in Jace’s dark expression. It was that same silent, simmering anger that his father also used to have.

He knew instantly that whatever Jace was going to share, it was bad news. His heart pounded in his chest.

Maybe he really did run his company into the ground.

“You spoke with your accountant.” It wasn’t a question.

Jace nodded. “Your gut was right. It looks like someone is skimming off the top. And, from what my guy says, it looks like a fairly significant amount.”

His stomach dropped. “No.”

Jace nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

The grim satisfaction of knowing that something really was off grappled with the sinking sensation that his friend and business partner had been lying to him for months. Years. Secretly taking more than his fair share.

Who knew if it was even salvageable? What if they were in a rut that he couldn’t dig Farm to You out of? He had built that company from scratch. Started it from nothing and grew it into a small business with a handful of employees. His heart, and sweat, and hours were in the company.

His dad was one of the reasons he had even started it—to prove Beau wrong. He thought of the delicate ashy remains of the note that sat in the wood stove.

Jace cleared his throat and pressed his hands against the tailgate of the truck, leaning his weight onto his arms. “I mean, it was hard to spot at first. There are a lot of unnecessary expenses, but there’s either unexplained missing money, or someone is skimming.” He pushed away.

“Jordan insisted we run the company like a start-up with every benefit on this planet.” His response sounded numb, even to his ears. He had trusted Jordan. His family had taken him in, helped him get a job so he could get on his feet when he had no one else to turn to.

His mouth felt dry, his saliva too thick to even swallow. The air around him felt thin and useless, as he stared through Jace. It honestly made too much sense.

“I’m going to confront that bastard,” Colton growled under his breath.

Jace’s straightened. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”

“I’m going to San Francisco specifically to fire his ass,” he snapped. With a quick move, he slammed the tail bed of the truck closed. “Can you drive me to Bozeman?”

Jace’s jaw dropped. “Now?”

“Now. Let’s toss these bales, and then I’m out of here. I’ll need you to get me the contact information for your accountant.”

Colton leapt into the truck, and Jace followed suit. “What about Ty?”

“I’ll deal with him later. Right now Farm to You is more important. I can’t just lose everything I worked so hard to achieve.”

Jace seem to understand that because his jaw tightened, and he didn’t say anything more. He helped push the bales slowly out of the bed of the truck to the herd of cows that followed them excitedly around the pasture.

Half an hour later, the cows were fed, and his bag was packed. Jace was sitting in the truck, ready to take him to Bozeman.

“How long do you think you’ll be gone for?” Jace asked as they headed down the dirt road.

“However long it takes. If my business fails, I fail,” Colton said. The rich scenery was a blur as they started the hour drive to the city. His mind was focused entirely on the task at hand. He would need to talk with Jace’s accountant, hire a lawyer, and then confront Jordan. Then, somehow, he had to get the company back on track.

“What about the ranch?” Jace asked after another moment.

For a second, he looked up, and then around, taking in the familiar landmarks that pulled at his heart. “I’ll figure it out later. First, I have a company to save.”