Cowgirls Don't Cry(29)

But this was different. This was a losing situation all around.

She saw Brandt climbing out of his truck when she pulled into her driveway. She motioned him over and rolled down the window.

He said, “What’s up?”


“Get in. Fast. Landon’s asleep and I don’t wanna wake the little beast up.”


“That bad, huh?”


“You have no idea.”


Brandt climbed in the passenger side. “Look, Jess, I’m sorry—”


She held up her hand. “I just want to enjoy the silence for a little while longer.”


He nodded and relaxed in the seat.

But Jessie could feel him looking at her. And for the first time, maybe ever, she didn’t mind.

After about ten minutes, Brandt asked, “What happened today?”


“Landon melted down. Completely. Skylar has suggested I only take him to daycare in the morning until he gets used to it. She even suggested we skip taking him to your mom this week until he’s more settled.” Her hands tightened on the wheel. “I’m gonna let you handle that with Joan. And I want you to make sure she knows I’m not trying to keep Landon away from her.”


“Hey, Jess, I’d never do that to you.”


She expected him to say “I’m not like Luke” but he didn’t.

Brandt stretched his arm along the back of the seat. “So if Landon’s only gonna be there part time this week, where do I come in?”


“You’ll have to pick him up at noon, because I can’t afford to take every afternoon off.”


“Understood. It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll let Tell and Dalton know it’ll be a short work week for me.”


“So Casper won’t chew your ass for not being around?”


“Probably. But nothin’ I ever do makes him happy anyway, so he’ll just pile on more shit work for when I am there. Threatening to…”


“Threatening to what?”


“Same old tune, him reminding’ me I gotta ‘prove’ to him that I’m dedicated enough to take over the ranch. He’s been hangin’ that over my head since Luke died.”


If that irked her, Jessie couldn’t imagine how Brandt felt. “Would Casper really do that?”


“What? Cut me out of ownership of our part of the ranch? If he decided he had a good enough reason, absolutely.”


When Ethel gobbled the carrot chunk from Landon’s hand, he shrieked with happiness.

Both he and Jessie winced. “We’ve gotta find a better way for him to communicate.”


“Agreed. I’m almost finished.”


“With all the animals?”


“No, just the llamas. See? Here come the horses.”


The six horses trotted in from the pasture, tossing their manes, as if eating the hay Jessie had spread out was of no consequence. That if they truly wanted something better, they could’ve gotten it themselves.

Temperamental damn things. He preferred cows. They ate. They bred. They calved. They either went through the cycle again or went away. Simple.

You used to like horses. You used to want to implement a breeding program.

But it’d become just another thing Casper McKay had ridiculed and Brandt let that idea go.

Landon squirmed to be let down. Brandt crouched beside him next to the fence and gave him a play by play of what Jessie was doing. The kid actually seemed to be listening.