Free Her Lucky Cowboy by Jennifer Ryan Page B

bringing him out of his tumultuous thoughts. “Not to worry, I’ve got all three of them and your truck downstairs.”
    “What?”
    “I’ll drive them back to Montana.”
    “Shit. I didn’t even think about it.”
    “Mind’s in a haze with all those painkillers,” Gillian said. “Don’t worry, Blake and Gabe made all the arrangements necessary for you to go home.”
    “What do I owe you for the plane ticket?” Dane asked Gabe.
    “Nothing. Ella took care of it. She chartered a flight for us.”
    “Ella, no. I’ll take care of it.”
    “It’s already done. No way could you sit on a commercial flight with your leg like that.” Ella pointed to the black brace.
    He wiggled his tingling toes. The circulation coming and going with the swelling worried him. Dr. Bell assured him it would get better. Ice and time. The ice he didn’t mind. The length of time it would take him to get back to his old self did. He hated sitting around doing nothing. He felt useless. He needed to do something. Too much time to think had gotten him nowhere but stir-crazy.
    “So, are you taking me back to Wolf Ranch to recover?”
    “No. You’re going to your place,” Gabe said.
    “My place? Mom and Dad’s place, you mean?”
    “No, your place. Mom and Dad bought a three-bedroom house on a couple of acres on the outskirts of Crystal Creek. They moved into it this past week.”
    “Wait. What? That’s not what we had planned.”
    “Do you really want to live with your parents?” Gillian asked. “They planned to buy something in a couple of years but moved it up when the perfect property came up for sale.”
    “Why?”
    Gabe grabbed his shoulder. “Because, my whiny little brother, you were so reluctant to come home and run the place. Now that your options are limited, they wanted you to have the place to do what you want to do.”
    “I don’t get it. I thought Dad wanted to make some of the improvements we talked about and do it together.”
    “You don’t need Dad’s help with the ranch. He’s happy to turn it over to you,” Blake said.
    “But what about you guys and Caleb? We’re supposed to split the land.”
    “Why? Caleb is happy in Colorado with Summer and Lily. I’ve got Wolf Ranch,” Gabe said. “Blake has his place with Gillian and Justin at Three Peaks. We’re good, man. We’re happy. Of course, you’ll have to settle up with Mom and Dad on some of the expenses. They’re not letting you totally off the hook, but the ranch is yours. It’s what they want. It’s what Caleb, Blake, and I want for you. We want you home, man. Safe and sound with a fridge full of beer when we stop by.”
    “Often,” Ella said.
    “You’re the first on the babysitting list,” Gillian said, smoothing her hand over her still flat belly. “Justin wants to hang with his brother, too.”
    Dane shook his head. He loved that kid. It made him smile every time the little guy told people they were brothers. He missed his family when he was out on the road. He both liked and hated hearing all the fun they had when they got together. He missed them. He missed being a part of their everyday lives. The last few times he’d taken over for Gabe at Wolf Ranch, he’d felt at home, satisfied with the work, but he’d wanted it to be his, not one of his brother’s. Not his parents’. He wanted his own. He never expected his parents to make it permanent and move out and buy another house, leaving him everything.
    The thought made him pause and rethink his plans again. He wouldn’t be going back to living in his old room under his parents’ roof. The house was his. The business was his. Shit. That put a whole new spin on things. It’s what he wanted, but not what he’d originally thought—and fought against—for the last few years. This was the real deal. He’d be responsible. For everything.
    His father and brothers no longer saw him as the kid they had to protect and help. Sometime in the last few years, they’d finally seen