Wayne Gray

Yes. You were correct that Taggert now owns key portions of Yoder Ranch. Bill Yoder was both disappointed and determined, and I think that's now plain to see. The brand reveal was something Taggert was ready to go through. It still wasn't easy. But Ash made it as gentle as he could have. I really don't think Ash could have done a better job. But he loves Taggert. And now, being trusted with something like the brand, he loves Taggert even more. Yes. Branford knew. He knew instantly. As soon as he saw it. And now, Branford has moved from a certain amount of respect for Zane to despising him. I don't write anything concerning the reveal of the brand to the rest of the crew. But... Taggert stops protecting the brand from this moment on. And yes... the crew all quietly understand, and they close ranks around him. Because that's what they do. We will certainly see Zane again. That'll be soon. So... hold on to your cowboy hat. Thanks for the comment and for the read. Chapter 17 lands on Monday.

The leverage created by the trust serves one purpose: To make it extremely painful for Yoder Ranch if Taggert dies. That's really it. Could Taggert liquidate all of his parts of Yoder? Sure. Would there then be a reason for Zane to want to keep him alive? Nope.

Now we really know who Zane is and what he's willing to do to hold on to "his" empire. I think people may underestimate what is at risk for him and why he'd go to such lengths. He owns a chunk of land bigger than some counties and a multi-million-dollar operation, too. Bert does too. But... Bert has yet to brand anybody trying to protect his. Bill did his best to protect his grandson. And I think his best was pretty damn good. There's a simple question to ask, though. "Why not just leave Taggert the whole ranch?" He could have done that. And that question will get answered in the next chapter, because there's certainly a reason. Again, one tied to his deep understanding of Zane, and his realization of who it is Zane had become. Taggert is lifted up by Nasser and Ash. He has found his place. His home. And there's nothing he won't do to protect that now. Thanks for reading and for the comment. I appreciate it.

Eric has certainly suffered a lot. He watched his dad waste away and die, in spite of bankrupting the ranch to save him. He struggled to save their ancestral home and failed. And now, he's watching as the vultures circle his memories and legacy, ready to tear them apart. All of the Nasser crew feel deeply for the man. They know all of this. But what can they do? All I can say is, we'll see. Your remarks concerning Taggert are spot on. He was in survival mode. Then Nasser and Ash have let him unclench the fist around his pain. They didn't force it. Just... allowed him enough safety to do it on his own. And that is such a gift. Thanks for the great compliment. I've written the whole story now (even though I tinker on the remaining chapters obsessively), and I know how it ends. I hope it's satisfying and sensible for readers. It is to me. But I want readers to feel that the time, emotion, and thought spent on the tale were all worth it. I've really been working hard on description. I'm glad it's showing through! Thanks, Dave. There's more to come.

I understand what you mean. And I consider it a compliment. Thank you for taking the time to leave the comment and for reading. There's more coming.

Thank you for the nice comment. I know this one started off pretty slow, and as a pure romance. Gradually, the plot gathered complexity, and it has become something of a drama. When writing, the author promises a certain story after a few chapters. The reader assumes they know where things are going based on the chapters before. My hope is that I have left enough clues for the reader to know the story won't remain simple. That's the goal. Otherwise, the reader can feel robbed of the story they committed to read. Does that make sense? Well, it does to me. But that doesn't mean a lot. LOL

Hehe. I'll admit, I wondered if this chapter was just too much. There's a LOT here. But it all needed to happen. And it needed to happen in the order it did. I toyed with that, but the way the scenes are arranged now is the best I could do. I think it works, but... yeah, it's a lot. Bill was clever and necessarily ruthless. He learned how Zane worked and what he was capable of doing in his quest for power. And he prepared for what he knew Zane would probably do. Ah, that quote. I was hoping people would call it out, because I was so proud of it. LOL DRAMA! So, thanks for highlighting it. I wondered if the scene between Ash and Taggert would get lost among all of the rest. It was a bit quiet by comparison. But... it's important. Now we know Zane has no reason to hunt Taggert down. Not yet. So he's still safe. And it's all because a "simple" cowboy asked a question. Yeah. Taggert is beginning to trust those around him. First, Ash. And that gave him enough strength to let his guard down with Branford. It's all building on itself, and he was in dire need of that reassurance. Thanks for the great comment and for the read. I appreciate it.

You're not wrong about revealing the terms of the trust to Zane. That does need to happen. It will become a critical point if Zane ever discovers where Taggert is. Until then, he's relatively safe, but at that point, it'd be absolutely imperative. Nice thinking. Thanks for reading and for the comment. More is coming.

In an earlier chapter, James said that Bill was "a legend." And now we're beginning to see why that sentiment exists. Yeah. Taggert's only now beginning to unpack what happened to him. Almost two years later, he's just now coming to terms with it. And now, I hope it makes sense why Taggert was so guarded and prickly at first. He had the right to be. Randy was a coward. He was sent to implicate Taggert, and he went along with it. He didn't know what his father and Zane planned to do after, just that he was told to "get the man in bed". He did what he was told. And in the process, he betrayed a friend. Then... he realized afterward, after Taggert had been exiled, what had happened. And realized his part in it. I don't know if I should call him a victim too, but he was certainly used. Ash and Branford both were so critical to Taggert's eventual recovery. That isn't done yet, but these two men have been instrumental in that process. Ash through love. Branford through his sense of justice. Thanks for the great comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.

Thanks for the great and insightful comment. You're right. It was never about being gay. That was the reason used. And Randy was used as an unwilling weapon against someone he actually liked as a person. They grew up together. They were close. Friends. But you just don't say no to Zane Yoder. Yes. Bill knew what kind of man his son was. He watched his interactions with Taggert carefully, and he knew. So he did what he felt would keep Taggert safe, even in the face of Zane's ambition. Both Ash and Branford felt appalled and angry FOR Taggert. Empathy. Not sympathy. And there's a key difference there. Which, I believe, you reflect in your observation. Sympathy for a survivor vs a victim is about on par with empathy for someone who has suffered. That last line, though. Yeah. You nailed it. Taggert survived something horrible. He didn't turn into a monster because of it. And both Ash and Branford's respect increased for him after they found out. And... Zane earned himself two cowboys who would happily beat him to within an inch of his life if they ever got the chance.

Chapter 16: Dead Man’s Switch By five in the evening, the ranch smelled like sweat, dust, hot metal, and cattle. Which, honestly, made everything feel a little more normal. The day had been brutally warm for early Summer. Fence repairs continued along the western pasture lines, and Ash felt sunbaked straight through his shirt by the time Branford finally called everyone in. Taggert had worked hard enough to concern him a little. Not recklessly. Not trying to punish hims

Oh, man. I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck to you.

Good observations concerning mister Taggert. And good call out for Ash as well. He is certainly observant. And he is watching Taggert with more than a little interest. Thanks for the comment and the read.

What a great compliment; thank you. I've worked hard on my description game. The things I do best are dialogue and characterization. That has been the case, and it still is. But I've really tried working on description. Smell, sight, touch, sound, even taste - I try to use it all. And I think it helps immerse the reader. Thanks for reassuring me that's the case. I hope you enjoy the rest of the work. There are quite a few chapters ahead, and a new one posts tomorrow. Thanks again.

More for @centexhairysubto snarf down.

I think you'll end up enjoying the next chapter quite a bit. Because... exactly what Bill Yoder did will be revealed. And I genuinely don't know how I wrote a character that's just THAT smart. You'll see what I mean.

Let's dig into these one at a time. Taggert's trust includes only liquid assets. That means none of that $63 million is tied to land interests within Yoder Ranch. Also... the OPENING bid for Flemming Ranch is $40 million. And Flemming is 1/8th the size of Yoder Ranch. If completely liquidated, Yoder Ranch is worth hundreds of millions. There wouldn't be a Yoder Ranch anymore if that happened, but... Its raw value is immense. Same with Nasser, just not as obscene as Yoder. However, we still don't know the non-liquid (land and mineral rights) Taggert owns. It could be a lot. It could be a little. And we'll find out soon. Yep. If Zane is borrowing against land and assets he doesn't control, he and the lending institution he uses are both in a lot of trouble. Though he would have to be borrowing against specific parcels he doesn't own for this trouble to occur. Did it? We may see. Zane is a powerful man. But would he threaten the lives of those he deems obstacles? Hmm. That third black hat is a man named Randy. James recognized him as belonging to Yoder Ranch in chapter 13. I'm not sure if it's spelled out in that chapter who, exactly, Randy is, but James recognized him. However, his identity is coming too. And... the branding. More on that is coming too. Thanks for the comments and for the read. Thursday... a lot of this will be answered.

Well, we know she was hired by Taggert's grandfather to both administer the trust and to help Yoder Ranch with other financial issues. It's entirely possible that due to Zane's knowledge of Rebecca's role as an administrator for Taggert's trust, he is slowly turning over accounting and Yoder trust management to another office. Essentially, slowly pulling that from Rebecca and using someone his father had never leaned on before. In fact, that IS happening. Just in the background. But until it's accomplished, she still needs to work with Yoder in various capacities. However, you'll notice: she never once reveals anything about Yoder finances to Taggert or to the Nasser crew. If her clients do well, so does she. And she doesn't want Yoder destroyed. But... she also wants Taggert to get what he is owed.

Yep. It's working now. Thanks!

I'm on Firefox. No dice. 😕

This issue has started recurring and isn't going away even after giving it some time. I now keep getting a 500 error, no matter how long I wait after trying to load stories. I've tried from multiple devices now, and I keep getting the error. I realized this was happening because I had attempted to upload (and set it to post on Thursday) the next chapter of my latest story, but I can't get to my work to do so. Is anyone else seeing this? Or am I super lucky and it's just me? Keep in mind, you'll need to give it time, but after the first attempt, it should work after a minute or so.

Thanks for reading and for the great comment. So... the trust doesn't magically solve all of Taggert's problems. In fact, it creates a few. Namely, it puts a target on Tag's back with Zane's name on it. So yes, Ash needed to be there for him. And after some processing, Taggert needed to do the same for Ash. And I think they did a pretty good job of taking care of each other. There's more to come. See you Thursday!

I believe it'd be an incredibly odd person who wouldn't feel as Ash did in this situation. No, I think most people would wonder what they bring to the table if their lover suddenly became rich. I know I would be! Yes, it'd be wonderful. But... scary too! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. It was a fun one to write, and the remaining ones slowly ramp things up until the conclusion in chapter 18. Thank you so much for commenting and taking it for a read. More to come soon.

Indeed. Rebecca did mention something about a protection against Taggert not getting the trust. Meaning… there’s a reflexive event should something happen to Taggert before he could claim the trust. That’s has a specific name, but I won’t say it here. Since… it’s the title of the next chapter. 😏 I liked the conversation between Ash and Tag at the chapter’s end. And you really distilled that chat very well in your comment. Thanks for reading. More coming soon.

Taggert tried to help Ash understand his place and importance to Tag. I think he did pretty well, considering he was still reeling from the trust reveal himself. Though there may still be work to do in that respect down the line, I think Tag is up for it. Taggert seems to enjoy the life of a cowboy, a lot like James does. Though, now, he has the option (just like James) to stretch into management and operations should he take on his own ranch. He has yet to do that, but... he could. We'll find out how things fall in three chapters. We're approaching the end of this one already, and it has been a fun ride for me. I'm glad folks seem to like it. Thanks for the comment and for reading. More is coming soon.