gently, tenderly.
“I had no idea that you and Rand had been together for two years already. No one tells us anything.”
“That’s because when my mother got remarried, your father, along with Glenn’s, stopped speaking to her,” Rand reminded Ginger. “Maybe if your dad, good old Uncle Cyrus, wasn’t such a prick, you would know more about my life.”
“Rand,” I scolded him.
“Whatever,” he grumbled. “I’m going for Zach, not for you or Glenn or anybody else. And you better tell your girlfriend that she’s shit outta luck about marrying this rancher, all right?”
She gasped as he leaned in, kissed my temple, and turned around, walking toward the kitchen, yelling.
“Oh my God, he’s so mad,” she said, her voice tiny.
“He’s just upset because he doesn’t like to leave his ranch or me,” I said gently. “And tomorrow he has to do both.”
She nodded as I saw tears fill her eyes.
“He’s just loud.”
“He’s been scary as long as I’ve known him.”
“Really?” I chuckled. “You think Rand’s scary?”
“You don’t?”
“No,” I assured her. “Never.”
She nodded.
“Tell me how you guys are related.”
She wiped under her eyes. “Well, Well, my father, and Brent’s and Brandon’s, is Cyrus Holloway, and he and Rand and Charlotte’s daddy, James, are brothers along with Rayland, Glenn and Zach’s father, and Tyler, who lives here with you all.”
Rand’s Uncle Tyler and I were very good friends, had been for longer than Rand and I had been together. I used to see him when his niece Charlotte, my best friend and Rand’s sister, and I came to visit.
“Hey.”
I looked over my shoulder, and Glenn was there with Brent.
“Stefan?”
“Yes?”
He shoved his hands down deep into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m real sorry I didn’t put it together who you were. I should’ve asked.”
“And I should have just told you,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Rand and his family and my dad and ours, we’re having us a little problem with Rand’s mama gettin’ remarried as she still owns a portion of the grazing land in King, and my daddy thinks she should just sign it over to him since she ain’t a Holloway no more.”
“But Rand is.”
“Yeah, but Rand has his ranch, and even though it don’t do as well as mine or Zach’s, it’s still enough to take care of him and provide for his family.”
I scowled at him. “How is the Red Diamond not doing well?”
He gave me a patronizing smile. “I know you don’t know much about ranching, but there should be a lot of traffic around here if you’re doing well.”
“Rand sells his beef over the Internet mostly,” I told him, trying not to look at him like he was stupid. “He has a company in Lubbock that deals with distribution and a PR company in Amarillo that does his marketing. Did he tell you about his contract with Grillmaster or did he fail to mention that?”
He looked like I’d hit him.
I waited.
“He—”
“Rand just bought and sold four non-working ranches here in Winston to the developer Mitchell Powell who plans to create a huge resort that will bring in millions of dollars in revenue to this county and the next. He’s building a school in Hillman in the fall. How does any of that say that his ranch is not doing well?”
“I… my father said his ranch was failing.”
“Twelve years ago.” I was indignant. “But I assure you that the Red Diamond is much better off than yours or your brother Zach’s.”
We were all standing there silently as Rand yelled for everyone to come eat. As silent minutes ticked by, he suddenly appeared beside me.
“What are we doing?”
Glenn turned to look at him. “Stef tells us that you’re the one who got the Grillmaster account, Rand. Is that true?”
He glared at his cousin. “So you’re the guy who didn’t have distribution rights before you bid on the contract?”
“Yes.”
Rand nodded and then shrugged. “I ship my beef all
“I had no idea that you and Rand had been together for two years already. No one tells us anything.”
“That’s because when my mother got remarried, your father, along with Glenn’s, stopped speaking to her,” Rand reminded Ginger. “Maybe if your dad, good old Uncle Cyrus, wasn’t such a prick, you would know more about my life.”
“Rand,” I scolded him.
“Whatever,” he grumbled. “I’m going for Zach, not for you or Glenn or anybody else. And you better tell your girlfriend that she’s shit outta luck about marrying this rancher, all right?”
She gasped as he leaned in, kissed my temple, and turned around, walking toward the kitchen, yelling.
“Oh my God, he’s so mad,” she said, her voice tiny.
“He’s just upset because he doesn’t like to leave his ranch or me,” I said gently. “And tomorrow he has to do both.”
She nodded as I saw tears fill her eyes.
“He’s just loud.”
“He’s been scary as long as I’ve known him.”
“Really?” I chuckled. “You think Rand’s scary?”
“You don’t?”
“No,” I assured her. “Never.”
She nodded.
“Tell me how you guys are related.”
She wiped under her eyes. “Well, Well, my father, and Brent’s and Brandon’s, is Cyrus Holloway, and he and Rand and Charlotte’s daddy, James, are brothers along with Rayland, Glenn and Zach’s father, and Tyler, who lives here with you all.”
Rand’s Uncle Tyler and I were very good friends, had been for longer than Rand and I had been together. I used to see him when his niece Charlotte, my best friend and Rand’s sister, and I came to visit.
“Hey.”
I looked over my shoulder, and Glenn was there with Brent.
“Stefan?”
“Yes?”
He shoved his hands down deep into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m real sorry I didn’t put it together who you were. I should’ve asked.”
“And I should have just told you,” I said. “I’m sorry.”
“Rand and his family and my dad and ours, we’re having us a little problem with Rand’s mama gettin’ remarried as she still owns a portion of the grazing land in King, and my daddy thinks she should just sign it over to him since she ain’t a Holloway no more.”
“But Rand is.”
“Yeah, but Rand has his ranch, and even though it don’t do as well as mine or Zach’s, it’s still enough to take care of him and provide for his family.”
I scowled at him. “How is the Red Diamond not doing well?”
He gave me a patronizing smile. “I know you don’t know much about ranching, but there should be a lot of traffic around here if you’re doing well.”
“Rand sells his beef over the Internet mostly,” I told him, trying not to look at him like he was stupid. “He has a company in Lubbock that deals with distribution and a PR company in Amarillo that does his marketing. Did he tell you about his contract with Grillmaster or did he fail to mention that?”
He looked like I’d hit him.
I waited.
“He—”
“Rand just bought and sold four non-working ranches here in Winston to the developer Mitchell Powell who plans to create a huge resort that will bring in millions of dollars in revenue to this county and the next. He’s building a school in Hillman in the fall. How does any of that say that his ranch is not doing well?”
“I… my father said his ranch was failing.”
“Twelve years ago.” I was indignant. “But I assure you that the Red Diamond is much better off than yours or your brother Zach’s.”
We were all standing there silently as Rand yelled for everyone to come eat. As silent minutes ticked by, he suddenly appeared beside me.
“What are we doing?”
Glenn turned to look at him. “Stef tells us that you’re the one who got the Grillmaster account, Rand. Is that true?”
He glared at his cousin. “So you’re the guy who didn’t have distribution rights before you bid on the contract?”
“Yes.”
Rand nodded and then shrugged. “I ship my beef all
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