Austin
The dusty Wyoming plains blur past as we barrel down the highway, the truck's engine growling beneath us. Cortland's knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. Tension crackles between us, an uneasy silence in the wake of our argument.
"Austin..." His deep voice cuts through the stillness. "I know I have a lot to make up for, pushing you away like that."
I keep my gaze fixed on the scrub brush whipping by outside the window. "Why'd you do it, Cort? Think I'd trap you with a kid?"
He exhales sharply. "No, darlin', it wasn't about that at all." A muscle ticks in his stubbled jaw. "After those fights with your grandpa about the water rights, I felt like I was losing my grip."
The water rights. That generations-old thorn plaguing our ranching families. I steal a glance at Cortland's ru
