not have been so forthcoming, but Nate didn’t give a damn.
“Here,” he said, unscrewing the lid and raising it to his granddad’s lips for him to take a sip. “Just a little.”
“Good boy.” The words were strained, his grandfather breathless even on oxygen.
“The others would kill me, but who the hell am I to deny you, huh?” Nate couldn’t see the point in not letting the old man have a little of his favorite drink. He had weeks or less to live now that the cancer had spread like wildfire through his body—what would a few sips do now?
“Glad you’re here, son.” Clay reached for Nate’s hand, his movements slow, but Nate clasped it and held on tight. A lump formed in his throat, one he was unfortunately getting used to, and he swallowed it away.
“You’re getting ready to leave us, aren’t you, Granddad?” His voice sounded deeper, huskier, than usual, the emotion almost choking him as he tried to stay strong.
“I haven’t got long now, son, and I…” He stopped talking, breathing heavy. “I want you to see my will. I went over it one last time with our attorney today.”
Nate glanced over his shoulder when his granddad inclined his head, seeing a wad of papers stacked on the low table. “This it here?”
Nate reached for them, took a cursory glance over the top copy. “You don’t need to show me this. Whatever you’ve decided, it’s up to you, Granddad. We’ll all respect your wishes.”
“I’m proud of you, Nate. Proud of all of you…” Nate cringed as he listened to his grandfather’s struggle with his breath again. “But you’re the one I want in charge. You’re the one, Nate. Always have been.”
Nate frowned. It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud as hell that his grandfather put so much trust in him, but he didn’t want to cause a rift with his brothers. Blood ran thicker than water, and he wasn’t going to jeopardize their relationships for anything. He was already taking over as CEO of the company that owned all their landholdings.
“We’ve all inherited our thirds of the ranch already, Granddad. You don’t want to change that, do you?” Chase had already built his new house, was happy with Hope and running the ranch on a day-to-day basis, and Ryder had finally settled down. He was married and he’d transitioned from superstar rodeo rider to producing some of the nation’s top rodeo bulls faster than any of them had imagined. They were all happy with their own success and what they were achieving, and Nate didn’t want to ruin that.
“There’s a reason you got the main house and more land than the others, Nate.”
“Because I’m the eldest. You always said you wanted the eldest to inherit the main homestead.”
“I wanted you to have it so you could keep drilling for oil, son. You’re going to make this family even wealthier than I have, Nate; I know it.”
That made Nate chuckle. “Impossible. I’ll work damn hard to make sure we keep growing the business, but I’ll never accomplish what you have. I’ve stepped in at just the right time, so all I have to do is make careful decisions to keep growing what we have.”
Clay squeezed his hand, his fingers around Nate’s weaker than they’d ever been, but the meaning in his touch crystal clear.
“You make smart decisions. You’re impulsive but not hotheaded. You know what you’re doing because it’s in your blood.”
“Because I’ve learned from the best,” Nate murmured, wishing they weren’t having this conversation, wishing he had another decade before he had to be faced with losing the old man.
“You’re my heir, Nate. You will run the business, you will have the homestead, you will…”—he coughed and wheezed—“drill for oil, and you will have the final say regarding all of our property and businesses.”
Tears welled in Nate’s eyes, spilling over onto his cheeks as he stared into dark eyes the exact same shade as his own. It was like looking into a mirror, only one that
“Here,” he said, unscrewing the lid and raising it to his granddad’s lips for him to take a sip. “Just a little.”
“Good boy.” The words were strained, his grandfather breathless even on oxygen.
“The others would kill me, but who the hell am I to deny you, huh?” Nate couldn’t see the point in not letting the old man have a little of his favorite drink. He had weeks or less to live now that the cancer had spread like wildfire through his body—what would a few sips do now?
“Glad you’re here, son.” Clay reached for Nate’s hand, his movements slow, but Nate clasped it and held on tight. A lump formed in his throat, one he was unfortunately getting used to, and he swallowed it away.
“You’re getting ready to leave us, aren’t you, Granddad?” His voice sounded deeper, huskier, than usual, the emotion almost choking him as he tried to stay strong.
“I haven’t got long now, son, and I…” He stopped talking, breathing heavy. “I want you to see my will. I went over it one last time with our attorney today.”
Nate glanced over his shoulder when his granddad inclined his head, seeing a wad of papers stacked on the low table. “This it here?”
Nate reached for them, took a cursory glance over the top copy. “You don’t need to show me this. Whatever you’ve decided, it’s up to you, Granddad. We’ll all respect your wishes.”
“I’m proud of you, Nate. Proud of all of you…” Nate cringed as he listened to his grandfather’s struggle with his breath again. “But you’re the one I want in charge. You’re the one, Nate. Always have been.”
Nate frowned. It wasn’t that he wasn’t proud as hell that his grandfather put so much trust in him, but he didn’t want to cause a rift with his brothers. Blood ran thicker than water, and he wasn’t going to jeopardize their relationships for anything. He was already taking over as CEO of the company that owned all their landholdings.
“We’ve all inherited our thirds of the ranch already, Granddad. You don’t want to change that, do you?” Chase had already built his new house, was happy with Hope and running the ranch on a day-to-day basis, and Ryder had finally settled down. He was married and he’d transitioned from superstar rodeo rider to producing some of the nation’s top rodeo bulls faster than any of them had imagined. They were all happy with their own success and what they were achieving, and Nate didn’t want to ruin that.
“There’s a reason you got the main house and more land than the others, Nate.”
“Because I’m the eldest. You always said you wanted the eldest to inherit the main homestead.”
“I wanted you to have it so you could keep drilling for oil, son. You’re going to make this family even wealthier than I have, Nate; I know it.”
That made Nate chuckle. “Impossible. I’ll work damn hard to make sure we keep growing the business, but I’ll never accomplish what you have. I’ve stepped in at just the right time, so all I have to do is make careful decisions to keep growing what we have.”
Clay squeezed his hand, his fingers around Nate’s weaker than they’d ever been, but the meaning in his touch crystal clear.
“You make smart decisions. You’re impulsive but not hotheaded. You know what you’re doing because it’s in your blood.”
“Because I’ve learned from the best,” Nate murmured, wishing they weren’t having this conversation, wishing he had another decade before he had to be faced with losing the old man.
“You’re my heir, Nate. You will run the business, you will have the homestead, you will…”—he coughed and wheezed—“drill for oil, and you will have the final say regarding all of our property and businesses.”
Tears welled in Nate’s eyes, spilling over onto his cheeks as he stared into dark eyes the exact same shade as his own. It was like looking into a mirror, only one that
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