1
Prologue
Henry
I watched them lower the casket into the ground. The whole ordeal felt wrong. I’d never been to a funeral before, and I was hoping Johns would be the last. The Texas air was humid, but that didn’t stop a shudder from rocking my shoulders. As the familiar reality of being alone again in the world washed over me, I turned my back on the grave and headed for my truck.
John would be rolling in his fresh new grave if I let the afternoon chores go just because of a funeral. That was the way of life. You came, you worked, you died. Anything beyond that was just an extra to make leaving here harder when your number got called. Just as I reached for the back door of the black car, a man appeared next to me.
His black-rimmed glasses and mouse-like posture instantly reminded me of the public defenders I’d been assigned as a rebellious youth. My heart pounded, wondering what evil an attorney could bring to my already depressed state. I’d just buried the only man I’d been able to call family in a very long time. I dug my fingers into my palm, resisting my instinct to hit the man.
“Henry Smith?” He asked. “I’m Ed Conner, John’s attorney.”
“Well, if you’re looking for money, you’re a few days too late. I don’t think a dead man can play.”
“That’s not why I’m here, son; John had a will. I’d like you to come back to the office and talk if you don’t mind.”
“I do. Whatever you’ve got to say, you can say right here in front of John’s grave.”
He shifted uneasily. “Alright, if that’s the way you want this done. John didn’t have any family; I reckon he took a shining to you over the years. Seems he left you everything he had.”
My heart raced. “The only thing John had was the farm, and I thought the place was damn near run down by the bank.”
“No, sir, it looks like John was sitting on a tidy little fortune. The farm's been paid off for years. When it’s all said and done, you’re looking at a value over sixteen-million dollars. Of course, a little part of that is the land that Hannover Ranch sits on.”
I knew I had to look like a fool, standing there with my mouth hanging open as the man's words started to sink in. Hannover had always struggled. John was a hard-working man who didn’t take crap from anyone, but he’d never put money back into the horse ranch. It had the potential to be something truly remarkable. My mind was racing.
“Now if you want to liquidate the assets, that being the ranch and the few tractors old John had –
“No,” I said. “Send me the paperwork on what’s in the accounts. The ranch isn’t going anywhere. John loved that place, and I plan on making him proud.”
Ed nodded. “I must say, I’m happy to hear it. John and I have known each other for going on fifty years now. He’d be tickled pink to know you’re going to keep the place moving. He always had good things to say about you.”
“I didn’t know John talked to anyone about me,” I muttered.
Ed patted me on the back as he set a briefcase on the car's trunk and fished out paperwork. He handed over a stack of documents to me. I was still standing there like a small child who had just discovered sweets for the first time. I’d have given every last penny to have my mentor and friend back. Still, the money he’d kept hidden all those years was going to carry on not only his dreams for Hannover Ranch but my own.
“He sure did, always said he was lucky to find a good seed like you so late in life. I know he thought of you as a son.” Ed said.
“Thanks, that means a lot. John wasn’t really one for long conversations. Is there anything else he left, or I need to know about?”
“There is one more thing. He gave it to me just a few days before he passed away.”
Ed pulled out a sealed envelope and slid it across the trunk to me. As I picked it up, a warm wind moved through the trees. John's barely legible handwriting greeted me as I quickly opened the letter and started to read over it. John talked about everything within the pages. From the year he spent helping me get my diploma to the first night that we’d gotten drunk and really bonded.
My eyes started to prickle as I read over his final thoughts and wishes for Hannover Ranch. In the last paragraph, he pleaded with me not to make the same mistakes as him. John wanted me to find love and raise a family on the land his father had left him, the same property that his late wife was buried on with their newborn daughter she’d lost in childbirth.
“If you need anything from me, don’t hesitate to reach out,” Ed said.
“Thank you,” I croaked.
I couldn’t find the words to tell him how much the letter meant to me. I’d never get the opportunity to tell John that he’d changed my life forever. It had been ten years ago when he’d taken in a homeless teen from the streets. He’d become my mentor, my role model, my friend, and my family. Now, for the dozenth time in my life, I was all alone once again.
Climbing into the back seat of the car, we started to move away from the men as they covered John's grave with dirt. My life was never going to be the same. There would be no more loss and heartbreak for me. With the money John had left, I could bury myself in my work until the good Lord called me home as well. Hannover Ranch was the only family that I needed now. Everyone else would just leave in the end. Why bother having your heart broken when they did?
2
Henry
Six years later
“I’m an old man, Henry, but my memory is still just as sharp as it used to be. We’ve talked about this a dozen times before. I’m not going to sell the land to you.”
“Come on now, Callus. It’s been six years. You haven’t found a buyer since you listed this place on the market.”
“We sure have gotten our fair share of offers, though.”
“Every one of them you’ve turned down for one reason or another. How long are you going to keep doing this song and dance?”
“I reckon until they put me in the ground. I’m not going to sell Dapple Point. Not to you or anyone else that doesn’t hold my same values.”
“Now Callus, we’ve talked about this. Just because I don’t have a wife yet, doesn’t mean I’m not looking.”
“Family used to matter to people, Henry. Now everyone is just chasing the almighty dollar. How old are you now, son? Thirty-five?”
“Thirty-two,” I muttered.
“The years haven’t been kind to you. That’s what being a rancher means. You should find yourself a nice lady sooner rather than later before your looks start to go.”
“Thanks for the advice. Does that mean you’ll sell your land to me?”
Callus laughed and shrugged. “Maybe.”
“That’s a mean trick, old man,” I joked.
“Well now, maybe that’s just the kind of incentive you need. Find yourself a nice lady, settle on down, then we can talk about you buying this place.”
I let out a sigh. My frustration continued to build with Callus DePoint. At eighty-two, he held the second largest ranch in the area. I felt a little tingle of pride knowing that Hannover now held the title of the largest equine ranch and facility in the county. It had taken me millions of dollars and years to build the facility up to its current state, but it was finally at the top, just like I always knew it could be.