In Bed With My Ex's Brother-in-Law novel · Chapter 27 of 32

Chapter 27: Last Word

"Tell him no," Rance said behind me.

I looked over my shoulder at him.

He held up both hands.

"I'm sorry. That's yours. I heard it come out of my mouth."

"It did."

"I'll go put the coffee on."

I turned back to the foreman.

"Tuesday," I said. "Noon. In the horse barn, not the bunkhouse. With your riders there."

The foreman nodded slowly.

On Tuesday the Jessup horse barn smelled like it always had.

Sweet feed and leather and the same leak over the third stall.

The old Alpha's nurse was back.

I saw her pushing his wheelchair along the porch of the big house in the sun.

He had a new letter board strapped to his tray.

He lifted his good hand at me.

I lifted mine.

Inside the barn, a dozen Jessup riders were saddling for the day.

Since the circle, horses stood for them.

Not the way they stood for me. But the foreman had them practicing every morning, wolves down, the way I'd taught them on Owl Creek.

Tonka nickered from his stall and banged the door with his knee.

Coy was in the north pen with a manure fork.

He wore borrowed coveralls with somebody else's name torn off the pocket.

No hat. A healing rip along one ear where Rance had taken him by the scruff.

He saw me and leaned the fork on the fence.

The riders went quiet. They kept saddling, slow.

"Shi," he said.

"Coy."

He came to the gate.

Up close he looked younger. He'd been crying, or not sleeping, or both.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For all of it. For the hall. For the mares. For five years."

"Okay."

"I mean it."

"I believe you mean it this morning."

He wiped his face with the back of his wrist.

"I've got nothing now," he said. "No house. No name. Dad won't let me in the door. Mother's going to Billings." He swallowed. "But I could start over. We could. You and me. Go up to Montana, start a horse outfit. I'd mark you the first night. I swear it."

← Chapter 26 · All chapters · Chapter 28 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend