Chapter Three

      Colt pulled his red ranch truck alongside the for sale sign two miles off Highway 33, turned off the ignition and stepped out onto the packed dirt road that led onto the property. He and his brother Travis were scoping out yet another spread for the potato storage facility his family and two other local growers were planning on building before next year’s crops came in. This was the third property he’d seen so far and he still had one more to go. It had been a huge decision for the Grangers and for the two other farmers, but a necessary one. The facility they now used was outdated, and last year each family had lost a substantial part of their crops due to mold and rot from temperature fluctuation inside the facility. They expected the same would happen this year, and each family was prepared to take the hit, but they couldn’t sustain the loss much after that. They had to break ground on the new building by early spring or it wouldn’t be ready in time for next year’s crops.

      On top of raising his high-spirited boys, running the Granger ranch and managing the yearly potato crop, Colt had also taken up the challenge of finding the appropriate piece of land for the new facility.

      “This looks good,” Travis declared as he slammed the passenger door shut and walked over to Colt. Travis was the wild one in the family who cared more about partying with his many girlfriends rather than working the ranch. Getting him to join Colt on these property excursions was about as easy as pinning down smoke and Colt didn’t want to do or say anything that might make him drift away.

      Colt needed to really look at the property close-up. He’d already scoped it out from the air in his Cessna Skyhawk and now he was looking to make sure he still liked what he saw. He had to be sure there was a good road in, easy access from the highway and several acres of flat land for the buildings.

      “We can’t jump to that conclusion just yet, little brother. There are a lot of factors to consider.” This was Colt’s first real chance to take over the business from his dad, and he didn’t want to mess it up. Dodge had given over all his other duties to Colt, but the business end of the ranch still rested on Dodge’s shoulders. Colt knew it was only a matter of time before Dodge would relinquish that duty as well, and he wanted to be prepared for it.

      Travis had taken over the care of the livestock and the upkeep of the buildings. He was a crackerjack carpenter who could build or rebuild almost anything. Blake would help out with the yearly potato crop, and sometimes help with wrangling up the livestock, but for the most part, the day-to-day challenge of the massive ranch and farm had fallen on Colt’s shoulders.

      Not that he minded. It was the life he’d chosen. He merely needed his brothers and Dodge to trust him with his decisions, and to have his back whenever he needed them to.

      Plus, he needed a good woman by his side, a woman like Helen, when she wasn’t trying to chase after that darn championship. Now that she was going to have a baby with some other dude, he had to rethink his feelings for her. He didn’t know why she agreed to dinner with him or why she wanted to talk to him, but he was sure as heck going to find out.

      Helen was the kind of woman who did things on her own terms in her own time, so this baby was sure causing him a mountain of wonder.

      “You’ve been struggling over this decision for two months now,” Travis countered. “Time is coming up short if we’re going to have this thing up and running for next year’s crops.”

      They walked side by side across the open land. It was good and flat for a nice long stretch before it banked upward. The ground was covered in short wild grass, some rocks and stones. Nothing that couldn’t be cleared for a sizable building.

      But Colt still wasn’t sure.

      “It’s got to be right. I won’t spend everybody’s hard-earned money on something less than perfect. This new place has to last us a lot of years.”

      They strolled along on the wild grass, Colt thinking he needed to wait and see what the surveyor he’d hired had to say about it.

      Travis shook his head. “You think too much. Always have. It’s like you need to walk a mile to find a place to spit.”

      “I’m cautious, is all.”

      “You can’t see through a ladder.” Travis picked up a stone and flung it over the land, as if he was skipping it over water. The stone bounced a couple times before it landed. Colt never could do that, even on water.

      “I’m getting the feeling you’re not talking about this piece of land.”

      “Glad you caught up.”

      Colt turned to his brother. “What are you trying to say?”

      “I’m trying to tell you that Blake and me have been trying to find you a woman now for going on near six months. There’s been some mighty fine ladies willing to take on you and your rowdy boys, but none of them seem to pass the first date.”

      “Lana Thomson wanted to send my boys to a boarding school.”

      “Might do ’em some good.”

      Colt picked up his speed. “Not sending my sons away. Our dad stuck by us when our mom passed, and I’m doing the same.”

      Travis skipped another stone. This time it only served to aggravate Colt, making him wonder why he’d brought Travis on this land run in the first place.

      “What about Helen? She’d be good with them boys of yours.”

      “She’s out of the picture.”

      “She won’t be once she wins that buckle. I imagine it’ll settle her right down.”

      Colt was thinking Travis hadn’t heard the news about Helen’s condition. “There’s something else that’s going on with Helen.”

      “I know all about her being in a family way. What I heard, she’s planning on raising that baby on her own. The baby’s daddy don’t want no part of it. Might be a good time for you to step in and make your case.”

      “Where’d you hear that?”

      “Lana Thompson.”

      Colt laughed. “I’m surprised you’d even listen to her kind of talk.”

      “I’m