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woman?”
    Cade took a sip of his hot chocolate. “You’re not allowed to comment on my sex life.”
    â€œYou’re standing in the living room drinking a cocoa before bed. I think we can safely assume you currently don’t have one.”
    Cade shifted so that his middle finger was resting on the handle of the mug. A not-so-subtle suggestion for his brother. Who was right. Asshole.
    â€œWe’re not talking about that,” he said. He took a deep breath. “Reconsider the bison, Cole. I think we’ll make money doing it. A lot of restaurants are offering it as an alternative to beef, and I think we could really start something here.”
    Bison had never been his dream. Riding saddle broncs, with the dirt kicking up around him, the crowd cheering and the cameras and lights on him? That was his dream. But it was gone, and he felt desperate to put his mark on something.
    To have something that was his idea. Success he created.
    â€œIt’s too risky,” Cole said. “And it requires changes to fencing, a lot of space . . . I don’t think we’re in the position to do it. We don’t want to diversify too much too early.”
    â€œMaybe you don’t but I do. And last time I checked, you weren’t the be-all and end-all here.”
    â€œMaybe not. But I’m the one who spent his whole life here. This is my dream, Cade. This is what I’ve spent every moment working on. Since before dad died, and especially after. You went off and did the circuit, and that was fine. You’ve supported things financially, and yeah, technically you and I have equal ownership here. But the thing is? I’m the one who’s put in the physical work. I’m the one who knows how to run it. I’m not trying to be a dick, but I am the one who understands the way this place works, inside and out, better than anyone else.”
    Cade tightened his grip on his mug. Sure, Cole knew the ranch. But Cade had known, always, about the truth of their life. About his dad’s debts. About what really needed to be earned to keep the place running.
    Cole knew the ranch. But he’d only known half the story about what was happening beyond that.
    â€œFair enough, I get that, and yeah, I can concede that you know the place better than me,” Cade said. “But not if the end result is just going to be you acting like you’re the boss and I’m the laborer, and not part owner.”
    â€œThe problem is, I don’t think we’re ever going to want to do things the same. Two mules pulling the wagon in a different direction. It doesn’t work.”
    â€œNice analogy,” Cade said. “So that’s it? We can’t have two leaders so by default you call the shots?”
    â€œNot by default. My sweat is in this place.”
    â€œMine too.”
    â€œNot as much.”
    â€œAre we going to measure? Try and see who has the most sweat? Maybe we should hurl logs and see who can throw them the farthest.”
    â€œIt’s late,” Cole said. “And I have more than Dorito crumbs waiting for me in bed, so I’m going to go.”
    â€œAnd then we don’t have to solve the problem. Brilliant. Perfectly like us.”
    â€œWe’ll solve it. I’m sorry I was an insulting prick, okay?”
    â€œIt’s okay. You can’t help it.”
    He shrugged. “The older brother thing dies hard.”
    Cade thought about Lark, all grown up and married. “Yeah, trust me, I know. But that doesn’t make it any more fun for the person on the receiving end of it.”
    â€œLet’s just put the bison on hold,” Cole said. “We’ll discuss it again in a year maybe? After we get through the busy seasons. After we have being a guest ranch down to a more well-oiled system. After we get the horse breeding program a little bit more solidified. That doesn’t seem too authoritarian of