“Yeah, yeah...” Bruce smiled faintly. “Thing is, I’m not getting any younger. My kids keep pointing it out.”
“Okay,” Colt said. “But if I sell to you, I’m making the land next to mine more profitable, and mine less.”
Bruce nodded. “There’s that. I wanted to be clear about it. I don’t want to be taking advantage. I’m offering to buy a strip of land that would be valuable to me. I don’t want to pull the wool over your eyes in any way.”
Everything was changing. Even Bruce Armson, the one who seemed just a mite more blessed than everyone else, was leaving this area.
“Who are you considering selling to?” Colt asked. “Some corporation?”
“Nope, a woman who owns two other ranches in the next county. And she’s looking to expand. She’s not a corporation yet.”
“That’s something.”
“Look, can I give you some advice?” Bruce said after a beat of silence.
“Sure,” Colt replied.
“Things change. If you can accept that, it’s easier. I don’t think Beau dealt with that fact very gracefully. He wanted to hold on to the old ways and keep it consistent. But nothing will stay the same. You’ll buy some fields, sell some. You might even sell the whole outfit and do something else. What do I know? But that’s life. The older you get, the faster the world seems to change around you.”
“Is that meant to encourage me to sell that strip of land to you?” Colt asked with a wry smile.
“Nope,” Bruce said. “I’d like to buy it, if it suits you. If you want to hold on to it, I’m still going to sell, just for a bit less. That’s all.”
If all were even, Colt would rather keep that land. Not only was it valuable for the water rights, but it meant something to him on an emotional level, too. But everything wasn’t even. Colt had to buy back his cattle, and any more debt on his part would seriously threaten his ability to keep this ranch afloat. He sucked in a deep breath.
“I’m willing to sell,” Colt said. “But I’m going to need a higher price.”
Bruce smiled faintly, then nodded. “How much are you asking?”
The men settled down to hammer out a price. And as they went back and forth, Colt realized that he was every inch the owner of this place, and Bruce was right. Everything changed—it couldn’t be stopped—but Colt yearned for something that wouldn’t change. He wished there was something he could latch on to that would stay the same, or at the very least stay.
Hadn’t that been the problem with Beau and Sandra? They’d started out loving each other, and something changed, turning them into two battle-hardened veterans. His own father hadn’t stuck around. Colt had grabbed on to this land, hoping it could be the rock-solid foundation he was looking for but even this ranch would change... Today, it would lose a strip of land and some value along with it.
They came to a price they could both agree on, and Bruce stuck out his hand.
“Is that a deal?” Bruce asked.
“It’s a deal.” Colt grasped his hand and they shook. “I’ll have a word with my lawyer about the paperwork.”
Bruce rose to his feet and sucked in a deep breath, then released it. “I’m glad to have that out of the way, I have to say.”
“I’ll be sad to see you go,” Colt said. And meant that more deeply than the older man probably realized. Bruce Armson was a pillar around here, and nothing would be the same again. Not with Bruce gone. Not with Beau’s death. Not even with the land under his feet.
“I’ll keep you posted on the sale of my ranch,” Bruce said. “I’m sure we’ll get you some decent neighbors.”
“Right.” Colt forced a smile. He was doing what he had to in order to pay off Jane for the herd.
Then she’d be gone, too.
Chapter Thirteen
“So it’s final—you’re selling that strip,” Jane said as she hopped up into the truck next to Colt. The day was already hot, and she could smell the musky scent of his aftershave in the cab of the truck.
“Yeah, I am.” Colt started the vehicle as Jane did up her seat belt. Peg had offered to watch the toddlers while they made this trip into town, and Jane had gratefully accepted. This would be an important appointment and two little live wires would only get in the way.
“I’ve said it before, but I am sorry,” she told him. “I know how much that land means to you.”
“Maybe it will help me to let Josh go,” Colt said. “Everything changes, right?”
Jane fell silent as Colt headed down the gravel drive that led to the main road. He looked grim, and she wondered how much this sale was going to hurt him. Beau had meant well in leaving something to his son’s family after all, but it still came at a cost to Colt.
“You know why Bruce wants to buy it?” Colt said after a moment.
“I don’t.”
“He’s selling and wants his ranch to be worth more,” Colt said.
“That’s crass. What about the value of your ranch?”
“Yeah, well, at least he was up front about it,” Colt replied. “Neither of his kids is interested in taking over the ranch, so he’s splitting it up now—selling and giving them what he can.”
“Oh...” She looked over at Colt. “What Beau tried to do, I suppose.”
“In his own way. And a little too late.”
“So this will be it, then?” Jane said. “We’ll sign papers, and...?”
She wasn’t sure what she was asking. It felt like something was coming to an end for them, and they both knew it. Real life was pressing in and whatever they had been entertaining between them would have to be stopped.
“I’ll have him draw up a sales agreement for Bruce and I, too,” Colt said. “I’m going to talk to the bank about a bridge loan. When I can show them the paperwork for the sale, hopefully they’ll lend me
