over the US, Glenn. You should think about that side of the business. Only selling to local businesses will not keep you in the black and allows no room for growth. I diversified before I met Stef, but went further with it afterward so that no amount of stupid-ass redneck prejudice would keep me from providing for my family and the families of my men. Unlike your ranch, you won’t see any people driving down the road to the house, but my server is clogged with orders.”
Glenn was ashen, and I wondered why.
“I could buy you and your father’s ranch and Zach’s if I wanted. Tell that to your ignorant cracker father.”
There was some really bad blood between the two families that I was only right that second hearing about.
Glenn was suddenly in Rand’s face, finger poking into his collarbone. His face was red and he was close to snarling. “My father wants that land up in King, Rand, and so do I. Your mother has no right to—”
“You want the land?” Rand asked icily, stepping back, sideways, so that I was suddenly behind him, shielded. “Buy me out.”
“I knew it!” he crowed. “Your mother signed it over to you!”
“The minute she remarried, the rights reverted to me, asshole. The land is mine now, Glenn, so you can tell your father that a Holloway owns it.”
“You—”
“If he wants it, like I said, he can buy me out. I can graze my cattle other places.”
“Got lots of other land, do you.?”
“Yessir, I do.”
“You know we don’t have that kind of—”
“Then fuck you, Glenn,” he snarled at him, trembling when I put my hands on his hips, willing him to calm down. “That land was my father’s, and I have as much right to it as any of you.”
“It’s family land, and you’ve got no right to it!”
“I’ve got the same rights as you!”
“You’re not welcome there,” he voice was cold, leveling his gaze on Rand, “and neither is your boyfriend.”
“The land is just as much mine as yours, Glenn, and there ain’t shit you can do about it.”
He balled up his fists, and Rand did the same, twisting into a defensive stance, prepared to fight.
“No!” I yelled, and both men turned to me. “Not in my house.”
“Fuck you,” Glenn barked at me.
“Don’t speak to him,” Rand warned his cousin. “Don’t even look at him.”
The world swirled around us. Profanity flew between the two men, Ginger was crying, her friends were clueless about what was going on, and in the middle of everything, Brent told Glenn to calm down because he was frightening Emily.
“Fuck you,” Glenn yelled at him. “You’re such a pussy-whipped piece of—”
At which point, Brent, who I’d thought was quiet and subdued and sort of dorky, ended up hurling himself at Glenn. It was chaos then until I heard Rand’s Uncle Tyler, Glenn and Ginger’s Uncle Tyler too, come in and yell.
“What in the blue blazes is goin’ on in here?”
No one said blue blazes in real life, and that was funny. What was not, was the rifle he was holding in his hand.
Everyone froze because of it.
“I thought it was some kind of home invasion thing,” he announced to us.
“You’re watching too much TV,” I told him.
He shrugged in agreement. “Now what in Sam Hill is goin’ on?”
Really, the man’s expressions were hysterical.
As Rand threw up his hands; I realized that no one was going anywhere now that Tyler was there to mediate.
“Here, honey.” He gestured over to Lisa. “Come stand by me.”
I rolled my eyes at the twinkle in his eye as she walked over to him.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Rand groaned.
I rounded on him and leaped, and he had to scramble to grab me. As I wrapped arms and legs around him, I heard the deep contented sigh that came up out of the man. He brushed the hair back from my face and looked into my eyes.
“Now you see there,” Tyler mumbled. “If Stefan weren’t home, you’d all be dead now.”
And I smiled as Rand nodded.
Chapter 3
I HAD
Glenn was ashen, and I wondered why.
“I could buy you and your father’s ranch and Zach’s if I wanted. Tell that to your ignorant cracker father.”
There was some really bad blood between the two families that I was only right that second hearing about.
Glenn was suddenly in Rand’s face, finger poking into his collarbone. His face was red and he was close to snarling. “My father wants that land up in King, Rand, and so do I. Your mother has no right to—”
“You want the land?” Rand asked icily, stepping back, sideways, so that I was suddenly behind him, shielded. “Buy me out.”
“I knew it!” he crowed. “Your mother signed it over to you!”
“The minute she remarried, the rights reverted to me, asshole. The land is mine now, Glenn, so you can tell your father that a Holloway owns it.”
“You—”
“If he wants it, like I said, he can buy me out. I can graze my cattle other places.”
“Got lots of other land, do you.?”
“Yessir, I do.”
“You know we don’t have that kind of—”
“Then fuck you, Glenn,” he snarled at him, trembling when I put my hands on his hips, willing him to calm down. “That land was my father’s, and I have as much right to it as any of you.”
“It’s family land, and you’ve got no right to it!”
“I’ve got the same rights as you!”
“You’re not welcome there,” he voice was cold, leveling his gaze on Rand, “and neither is your boyfriend.”
“The land is just as much mine as yours, Glenn, and there ain’t shit you can do about it.”
He balled up his fists, and Rand did the same, twisting into a defensive stance, prepared to fight.
“No!” I yelled, and both men turned to me. “Not in my house.”
“Fuck you,” Glenn barked at me.
“Don’t speak to him,” Rand warned his cousin. “Don’t even look at him.”
The world swirled around us. Profanity flew between the two men, Ginger was crying, her friends were clueless about what was going on, and in the middle of everything, Brent told Glenn to calm down because he was frightening Emily.
“Fuck you,” Glenn yelled at him. “You’re such a pussy-whipped piece of—”
At which point, Brent, who I’d thought was quiet and subdued and sort of dorky, ended up hurling himself at Glenn. It was chaos then until I heard Rand’s Uncle Tyler, Glenn and Ginger’s Uncle Tyler too, come in and yell.
“What in the blue blazes is goin’ on in here?”
No one said blue blazes in real life, and that was funny. What was not, was the rifle he was holding in his hand.
Everyone froze because of it.
“I thought it was some kind of home invasion thing,” he announced to us.
“You’re watching too much TV,” I told him.
He shrugged in agreement. “Now what in Sam Hill is goin’ on?”
Really, the man’s expressions were hysterical.
As Rand threw up his hands; I realized that no one was going anywhere now that Tyler was there to mediate.
“Here, honey.” He gestured over to Lisa. “Come stand by me.”
I rolled my eyes at the twinkle in his eye as she walked over to him.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Rand groaned.
I rounded on him and leaped, and he had to scramble to grab me. As I wrapped arms and legs around him, I heard the deep contented sigh that came up out of the man. He brushed the hair back from my face and looked into my eyes.
“Now you see there,” Tyler mumbled. “If Stefan weren’t home, you’d all be dead now.”
And I smiled as Rand nodded.
Chapter 3
I HAD
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