King's Treasure (Oil Kings Book 3) by Marie Johnston (great novels .TXT) 📗

“Obviously, I want you to be happy.” He adopted another crooked grin, his body swaying with his horse.

I chuckled. “I get it. But the trust wasn’t a huge motivation behind my nuptials.”

Dawson cocked a brow. “Love at first sight?”

“Something like that. It was convenient for both of us, but at the time, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t have done to be with her longer. That doesn’t change that we’re still getting to know each other.”

“Just make sure you don’t fuck up until after you’re thirty.”

“Oh, I plan on spending all my Valentine’s Days with my wife. But you know this means it’s your turn.”

Dawson shuddered. “Don’t start. Grams is already on me.”

That made me grin. Dawson was the baby, destined to be the favored one. He was the youngest, so when Mama had died, while losing her hadn’t hurt him any less just because he’d had less time with her, Dad’s behavior after had bothered him the least. “Less than a year and you don’t even have a girlfriend.”

“I don’t get out of King’s Creek that much. All the single women in town are either married already or single for a reason.”

“There’s dating apps.”

“I use them for sex.”

A cough escaped. What else had I expected? I cleared my throat. “You need to get out of King’s Creek more often.”

“I was kidding about the apps. It’s not worth the hassle.” He gestured to the cows grazing in the next pasture. “These ladies keep me busy. What can I say?”

We reached the edge of the pasture and gazed across the ravine. Our fence ran along the edge. Our land technically extended past it on the other side, but right in the middle of the trees and the small valley that flooded in hard rains was the border of our land and the Cartwrights’. Old Danny never would’ve allowed us to fence on his side.

Dawson squinted into the trees at the lowest point of the ravine. “Aw, hell. He lost a cow in that mess.”

The bloated body of a cow that was long past dead was slumped in the shadows. Danny never fenced off his side of the damn ravine, and it cost him precious cows. Cows equaled money. Cows were profit. No wonder his ranch was tanking in so many ways.

I slid my gaze to my brother as he glowered at the lost cow. It had probably broken a leg slipping down the side to get some water. “You gonna let Bristol know?”

“Gonna let her know to fucking water her herd better. That stock pond is probably nothing but mud and it’s driving them out here.” He pulled out his phone. Why Bristol hadn’t blocked his number, I didn’t know. They probably kept each other’s number just so they could text and rub it in when the other fucked up.

I turned my horse around. Dawson sent off his message. Neither horse needed much guidance to get back home.

As we neared the house, I groaned. A familiar plain black Mercedes sat out front. “Is that Grams’s vehicle?”

“Of course. She can get a two-for-one. Make sure you and the wife are going to get along until after Valentine’s Day, and pester me about who I’m seeing.”

Dawson was never seeing anyone. He had a girlfriend in college but she’d refused to move to rural Montana. After that, he dated, but never anyone for long, claiming it wasn’t easy to find a woman who tolerated rancher’s hours.

I was glad I didn’t have that problem. I just had to hope my wife didn’t mind not having a home.

We rode to the barn and swung down.

Dawson jutted his chin toward the house. “Go on, save your wife. I got this.”

“Thanks, man.” I handed him the lead rope and walked as fast as I could without running. Grams might think something was wrong if I came running up to the house—something wrong between me and Savvy. Grams wasn’t an overly nurturing grandparent. Her motto in life was rub some dirt on it and quit crying.

I didn’t care that I smelled like fresh air and horse sweat. It was as natural to me as breathing, but Savvy might think differently. Maybe I could get her on a horse while we were here.

Savvy was at the dining room table, her hair wild around her shoulders, still blinking sleep out of her eyes. She smiled and nodded at Grams, who sat across from her, but I knew the dazed look well. People often wore it around my grandmother. She was a force and not everyone was ready for her.

“Grams,” I greeted warmly. It was nice to see her—and not have to avoid her for the first time in several years.

“Xander!” Grams’s voice boomed through the main floor and probably bounced off the doors of the upstairs bedrooms. She rose and straightened her suit coat. Her gray bob was sleek, not a single strand would dare be out of place.

She rounded the table and held her arms out. I met her halfway and was encompassed in a hug unlike any I’d ever gotten.

“I’ll be damned, kiddo. Congrats. You did good.”

I smiled and hugged her back, but her compliment fell flat on my ears. I did good? Grams wasn’t the warm, fuzzy kind but she’d never said that to me. Never. To be fair, I’d hadn’t done much to earn a “You did good,” but she’d seen my pictures, murmured something like nice, and moved on to another topic of conversation.

Figuring why it bothered me was easy. “I didn’t think you’d say that until after I turned thirty.”

Grams clapped my shoulder. “The first hurdle is over and Sapphire seems delightful. Gentry’s told me about her father.”

Savvy cupped her hands around her water glass. “She says she’s not going to hold it against me.”

I chuckled and moved toward the kitchen. “You hungry?”

Savvy winced. “I missed breakfast.” She glanced at the clock on the oven. “And lunch.”

“No problem. I’ll make us both something. Dawson’s never short of food. He’d be a chef if he wasn’t a