Branded as Trouble (Rough Riders #6)(70)

Chassie snorted. “You two are so whipped. It’s as sweet as it is nauseating.”


Crap. India had forgotten about their guest. She opened her eyes. “Chassie brought caramel rolls.”


“Lucky us.” Colt gestured to Chassie’s coffee cup. “You ain’t supposed to be drinkin’ coffee, Chass.”


“So don’t tell.” At Colt’s continued hard stare, she said, “But I know you will. Fine. Dump it out, meanie. I probably better get home anyway.”


“What are Trevor and Edgard doin’ today?”


“Probably screwing around.” Chassie slid off the barstool.


“Nice seein’ you, India. Nice boxers, Colt. Next time, I’ll knock.”


She shuffled out.


“I like her,” India said.


“She’s ornery and sweet with a big heart. Kinda like you.” He grinned. “Which is probably why she and I have gotten on so well over the years.”


“Is that part of the reason you built out here?”


“Maybe. By the time I got my life back in order, Chassie had married Trevor, Edgard had moved in, and havin’ family close, but bein’ in my own place, appealed to me. I get along great with all of them, sometimes better than with my brothers. Heck, the four of us have even partnered up breedin’ stock.”


“But you still work at the McKay Ranch?”


“Yep.”


“I don’t understand how that works.”


“The ranch is run like a corporation. We’re all shareholders.


We take care of the ranch as a whole, but we’ve divided it into four sections. Each one of my uncles and my dad is an original owner.


But when the main owners started havin’ sons, they divided their individual sections up again. So, we’ve all added separate parcels.


Like Cord and my dad bought the Foster place a few years back.


Colby and my dad bought an acreage north of Colby’s place up in the mountains. That’s where Kade was during Skylar’s pregnancy.”


“I’d wondered about that.”


“It was easier for Kade to take off since there’s only Kade and Buck on my Uncle Cal’s portion and they haven’t expanded.”


India frowned. If Cord and Carson bought land, and Colby and Carson bought land, wouldn’t it make sense…Carson and Colt would’ve bought land? “Did you and your dad buy other acreages together?”


“Nope. I bought land on my own that I kept separate from the McKay Ranch, which pissed them off. Because financially it ended up bein’ a good investment, one that was solely mine.”


One thing India and Colt never talked about was finances.


“Like this place?”


“Technically, we all own the land my house is on. My other McKay cousins take care of their two sections, and they’ve added significantly to their holdings in the last ten years. We help each other out, but mostly we’re responsible for what goes on in our area.


So Colby, Cord, Dad and I run ours. My cousins Kade and Buck theirs. Quinn and Bennett theirs while Chase is off rodeoin’. My other cousins, Dalton, Luke, Brandt and Tell…I ain’t gonna get into the clusterf*ck that is right now.”


India stared at him, too embarrassed to admit she didn’t understand a word he’d just said.