longer able to compete, especially if he wasn’t ready to do so. Considering how he avoided pretty much everything else in his personal life, Ford probably would have turned into a complete hermit in some random corner of the country.
At least Ryan had taken over managing his family ranch, and that was no mean feat. His sister Kellie had brought in additional income to the place by hosting a therapeutic women’s retreat or some such out of the homestead house, applying her psychologist training with her ranch upbringing. Broken Hearts Ranch had become a home away from home for several women who’d come seeking exactly what Kellie offered.
It had become a home away from home for Ford and the other guys as well, but in a much different respect.
He was expected there by the end of the week, in fact, to get some practice in before the next events in the area. But he’d been due to come home and check in, so come home he had.
“Wool gathering, bro?”
Ford smirked and glanced up at his big brother. “A little.”
Darren laughed to himself. “You’re ready to leave, huh?”
He winced. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only if you’re looked in the face.”
“Don’t tell Mom,” Ford begged, shifting in his chair and craning his neck. “She’ll just fuss and imagine there are problems in the family.”
“Well, that’s what happens when you’re the only one who leaves.” Darren shrugged, not seeming particularly concerned by the idea. “Carly and Shay both stayed local, and Tuck’s building his own place on the land. You’re the roamer.”
Ford raised a brow, suddenly feeling tense where he sat. “Is that a problem?”
Darren shook his head, evenly meeting his gaze. “Nope. I get it. You and I both know we’re good, and you know we’re all proud of your success.” He paused, cocking his head. “You do know that, right?”
“Of course,” Ford muttered awkwardly. He ground his teeth a little, shaking his head. “I gotta find where I fit, Darren. You’ve got your plans, and I don’t have any.”
“You’re gonna need to hold still for five minutes if you want plans,” his brother pointed out. “And I’m not talking about a week and a half every four months when you’re up here pretending you’re helping me out.”
Ford grinned, relaxing almost completely now. “That’s obvious, too?”
“Yep.” Darren shared a knowing smile. “You’re biting your tongue after about day four, just dying to tell me how it could be better and what you would do. Or to tell me off for being bossy.”
“That’s nothing special, I’ve been doing that since we were kids.”
“You were born telling me to shut up. I know, I remember.”
Ford only shrugged. He and Darren were close in age, almost exactly a year apart, and it usually worked in their favor, but it also had put them in frequent competition with each other.
Luckily, they rarely fought.
Anymore.
“You’ve got it set here,” Ford told his brother, knocking his knuckles against the top of the desk. “You really do. The moment Dad lets up, you’re ready to step in, and everything is just going to explode into greatness and fall into place. I’ll admit, I’m jealous.”
Darren snorted softly. “Jealous. Of waiting for our dad to decide he’s old before I can actually do my job the way I want?”
“Of knowing what you want,” Ford corrected. “And having it in front of you.”
“You know what you want, too,” Darren reminded him. “You’ve just got to figure out where it is.” He smiled ruefully, his eyes showing their usual mischievous glint. “And you’ve gotta be tired enough of rodeo to do something about it.”
That was a fair point, but it wasn’t about to happen anytime soon.
He’d ride rodeo until he could no longer get on his horse unassisted.
Maybe that should be his plan, then.
Rodeo or die.
“Then I guess I’m not ready,” Ford admitted without shame, folding his arms over his loose flannel and shrugging again. “Rodeo still fills the tank for me.”
“Glad to hear it. I’ve got a hundred bucks riding on you in Lost Creek, so don’t screw it up.”
And that was how things usually went with Darren. His number one fan also drove him crazy. Darren wanted Ford out of his hair as much as he wanted his help. Wanted Ford to help make the ranch part of a family dynasty in the area as much as he wanted him to stay in the rodeo world and make a name for himself.
After all, Ford Hopkins from Montana just had to be related to the ones who ran the Hopkins Family Ranch, and the fans of rodeo who were potential business partners liked the connection.
Maybe sticking to the circuit as long as he was physically able would be the best way to help his family after all.
There was an idea…
“Have you talked to Dad about updating the logo?” Ford asked with a sly smile. “I know you’ve had Carly working up ideas for ages, but have you seriously done anything with that?”
Darren seemed surprised by the question, probably because he and Ford had never discussed this. It was Carly who had let him in on it. Their older sister couldn’t keep a secret to save her life, and she called Ford once a week to blab about whatever came up.
She was a talented graphic designer, working out of her home now, and she’d told Ford more than once that she was dying to actually rebrand the ranch. All she needed was for Darren to give her the green light.
“No,” his brother admitted, grumbling as he looked away. “He’ll just think I’m trying to take over before my time, and we’ll have a fight, which will make Mom cry…”
“When you’re done predicting the future and whining about it,” Ford grunted, “consider suggesting it. Show him whatever Carly’s worked up. Dad’s a sap, he’ll love that it’s work in the family.”
“Okay…” Darren said slowly, eying Ford curiously. “And why the sudden interest in our logo?”
Ford grinned, then gestured at himself. “Because there’s a perfectly good canvas here for some free advertising, and you’re always saying I should pull my weight for the family. How about I pull some cameras and attention instead?”
Purchase Full Rigged to continue reading!
Join us on Facebook: Swoony Sports Romances
Want more Lost Creek Rodeo?
Visit our series page on Amazon!
Check our #NorthbrookHockeyElite Novels:
Visit our series page on Amazon!
Don’t miss our #BellTownSixPack Novels
Visit our series page on Amazon!
Interested in Knox Prosper’s story?
Check out Not Over You, or the entire Prosperity Ranch series here:
Heather B. Moore is a four-time USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore; her latest thrillers include The Killing Curse and Breaking Jess. Under the name Heather B. Moore, she writes romance and women’s fiction. Her newest releases include the historical novels The Paper Daughters of Chinatown and Deborah: Prophetess of God. She’s also one of the coauthors of the USA Today bestselling series: A Timeless Romance Anthology. Heather writes speculative fiction under the pen name Jane Redd; releases include the Solstice series and Mistress Grim. Heather is represented by Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.
For book updates, sign up for Heather’s email list: hbmoore.com/contact
Website: HBMoore.com
Facebook: Fans of H.B. Moore
Blog: MyWritersLair.blogspot.com
Instagram: @authorhbmoore
Pinterest: HeatherBMoore
Twitter: @HeatherBMoore