His priorities.
And his dreams.
Dallas had always wanted to be a successful restaurateur. Working the ranch alongside his dad and brothers wasn’t a bad way to earn a living, but he’d always longed for more. He knew owning his own business would take a lot of blood, sweat, and money. But being a husband and father would demand something far more valuable—time.
It would be grossly unfair for him to tie the knot, plant his seed, then be gone working to make his restaurant a success day in and day out. Not only would he miss the chance to get to actually know his bride but he’d never see his children. He wouldn’t be there to hear his baby’s first word, watch them take their first step, or soothe them when they were sick.
Though his dad had worked hard on the ranch, Duke Carson had never been an absent father. He’d never missed a single milestone in his son’s lives. No, he’d been an exemplary role model, one Dallas had always envisioned himself being one day.
Still trying to figure out how to juggle a wife and a baby while achieving his dreams, Dallas turned onto the long gravel drive of the ranch. As he pulled to a stop and killed the engine he realized that Austin’s truck was…gone.
His heart sputtered as warning bells and alarms clanged in his head.
Fearing something horrible had happened to Rumor, Dallas bolted from his truck and sprinted to the barn, trying to steel himself for the worst. Blood pounding in his ears, he skidded to a halt beside the mare’s stall to find her lazily munching on oats.
“Oh, thank god,” he murmured. Bending over, he gripped his knees and struggled to catch his breath and slow his heart rate.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Austin bellowed from the entrance of the barn as he hauled ass toward Rumor’s stall.
“Nothing, man. Nothing at all,” Dallas assured, hating the look of panic etching his brother’s face. “Where’ve you been?”
“I took a short drive to clear my head,” he answered, skimming a still worried glance over every inch of the mare. “Where’ve you been? Did you find a wife yet?”
“Why?” Dallas asked defensively. “You change your mind about trying to win the money now?
“Fuck no. I don’t have a dog in that bullshit race.”
“No, I don’t suppose you do. I mean, all this,” Dallas said waving his arm, “will be yours one day.”
“That’s not a given. Dad might decide you, Houston, or Beau can run the ranch better than me.”
“Don’t count on it,” Dallas scoffed.
“Why not? This ranch is as much y’all’s legacy as it is mine. The land should be split equally among us whenever Dad has to leave this world.”
“I’m flattered to hear you say that, but that’s not how it works, and you know it.”
“Maybe it’s time for a change.”
Dallas blinked. “You want to break tradition?”
“Not break it…change it. What happens if I never marry and have a son? Who’s gonna take it over then?”
“I don’t know,” Dallas murmured, studying his brother and wondering why he’d choose to stay a bachelor forever. “You honestly don’t want to get married and raise a family here?”
“Not today,” Austin answered, brushing his fingers over the downy hair on Rumor’s nose. “You settled down now, girl?”
“What do you mean, now? What happened?”
Austin scowled as if perturbed by his question. “Someone was raising hell and shooting off a shotgun. It was working her into a frenzy.”
“So that’s why you left her.”
“Yep.”
“Did you find out who was doing the shooting?”
“Nope.”
“It was probably Old Man Nelson,” Dallas said, whispering the forbidden name.
Austin tensed as a flash of something that looked a lot like guilt skipped over his face.
“What makes you say that?”
Why are you so nervous all the sudden?
Dallas bit back the question and gave a nonchalant shrug. “I know it didn’t come from the Maddox place. I just ran into Colton at Toots. Oh, and get this…he was with a girl. A pretty little spitfire from Denton named Jade.”
“A girl…as in a date?”
“Yep.”
“You telling me he’s not gay?”
“Yep.”
“Then why was everybody whispering that he was?”