Wayne Gray

Yep. It's a brand. A few readers had guessed this, and they're not wrong. Taggert is very careful to keep it out of sight, even if it means awkward positioning and behavior in the shower. Rebecca knows Tagger fled for a reason. She doesn't necessarily know why, but she realizes Nasser Ranch has sheltered him, and she is trying to allay fears that she's dangerous to him. Is that true? It seems to be. Rebecca seems to believe she's working in Taggert's best interest. But... Taggert knows her as utterly loyal to Yoder Ranch and his Grandfather. So... will he be able to trust her? Should he? As for the schedule, who the hell knows. I'd not planned for this to go live till Sunday, but here we are. Thanks for the comment and for reading. More to come, at some point.

Rebecca re-evaluated what she thought she knew once she realized Taggert didn't know about the trust. And now, that evaluation means she doesn't hold Zane in a favorable light when it comes to Taggert's safety. And there's a reason. And we'll get to that. Thanks for the comment. More to come.

Thanks for the comment. Yep. Depending on how much the trust contains, there are many ways this could go. But... really, things hinge on a couple of things. First, the liquid amount in the trust. That's important. Second... Her eyes drifted again toward the thick file on her desk. Inside it sat documents Taggert likely didn’t even know existed. Trust structures. Asset schedules. Land holdings. Investment accounts. The oil found decades ago had long run out. But the fortune it had brought Bill Yoder had not. That bolded bit. Those two words. And that's all I'm gonna say.

THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIVE YET... Damn it!

Chapter 14: Found Morning came warm and gold across the ranch. Fence posts baked slowly beneath the sun. Somewhere out east, cattle bawled impatiently for feed while birds chattered from the cottonwoods near the creek. The ranch was alive. Ash stepped into the kitchen, still tugging his flannel shirt straight. The smell of coffee hit him first, followed by bacon and something sweet Terry had probably made before dawn. The dining room was already half full. James sat

Thanks for reading and for the comments. It's a great theory, and I like that it landed here in the comments. It's sneaky, and something that wicked ole Wayne might think to do. The bastard. We'll see if you and others are right about that. I can promise that some interesting reveals are ahead. What is coming won't be out of left field, though. More like... a line drive, straight over second base.

We do get a glimpse of who Zane really is. And... it's rather revealing. Nasser is going to try. They don't have much of a choice, even if it looks impossible. Otherwise, the ranch will incur more expenses every single year. And... Eric will be completely cut off from ever seeing his home again. Taggert and Ash are doing all right. I think they're progressing at the pace they should, considering Taggert's past. Ash is more than willing, and we know that, but he's waiting on Taggert. And that paid off. Yeah, I think they're doing all right. Thanks for commenting and for the read. More to come on Sunday.

*“Suspicious Minds” begins playing in the background.*

I can't say a lot more than I have without giving things away. So... I'll just say... See you Sunday. 😛

They had insurance. But there's a ceiling, particularly when you go the self-insured route. Once you pass it, everything after that is 100% yours to deal with. And stage-4 cancer treatment is not cheap. So... yeah. They were cleaned out of all liquid funds and began borrowing against their ranch. And we saw how that ended. Thanks for the comment and for reading. More is coming Sunday.

When I was in San Diego years back, there was a huge fire to the south of us. So much that ash rained on everything for days. Soot and particulates were so bad that people with asthma were being hospitalized, and even those without respiratory conditions were if they spent too long outside. While inside our apartment, one of my roommates remarked, "Hey. We don't have a filter, and the air in here seems a lot better than it is outside. How come?" I looked at him. "Because we're the filters. The stuff that was in the air is stuck in our lungs. At least for now. We're healthy, so we'll cough it up later - probably in the shower." His face was something. Be careful, guys. I'm glad you've got a filtration system.

Hehe. Yeah. The bank pushed for auction harder and sooner than they should have. That's also part of the reason for the long lead time before the auction actually happens. They can always cancel it if all parties can't be wrangled. But this way, it gives all interested parties a while to get their finances in order to make a big purchase. We'll have to see how it plays out, and we will. Thanks for commenting and for the read. More soon.

Well... wouldn't THAT change the game? I suppose it'd depend on the particulars, but yeah, that'd be an interesting twist. I swear... sometimes I wish I could see reader comments before I start writing. LOL Thanks for the comments and for reading. More to come on Sunday.

Thanks for giving it a shot. It was a fun story to write. All just to spite a current political figure for saying, "Empathy is the problem with society." On a side note... during the Nuremberg trials, the chief psychologist said the reason the Holocaust happened was that those carrying it out had a "profound lack of empathy." So. You can decide where the problem is.

It's funny. You found this story, then the cowboys at the same time. It wasn't until later that I realized I had reused a very uncommon name, just spelled slightly differently. General Taggart, and Taggert in Oklahoma's Son. Weird how brains work. And... well. You may be right about Taggart being played. But the following chapters will tell.

That's a really funny way to put it. LOL Glad you found this one. It was fun.

Yep. It’s what James chose, too. He wanted to experience what the men he will eventually oversee did. And now, Taggert is getting the same thing. He’s not a rookie, but he’d always been someone who didn’t have to be a cowboy. Now that’s different. Thanks for the comment and for reading.

Hmm. I replied to @Daddydavek, and the comment just vanished. 😕 Okay. Trying again. Oh, you're right about the liquid assets. A typical ranch of that size wouldn't have that much sitting in cash. But this isn't a typical ranch. It was built on money from oil discovered on the original property Bill Yoder owned, and it made him an enormous fortune. Bill was also a savvy investor. He didn't just sit on that money. He bought more land, reinvested the profits, and over decades built it into a financial empire alongside the ranch itself. Now... Zane isn't Bill. So the amount Taggert remembers from nearly two years ago may no longer be completely accurate. We'll find out soon enough. 🙂 Oh, and good callout, by the way. Mister Taggert certainly seemed to enjoy riding a cowboy, didn't he? To be fair, Ash enjoyed being ridden, so... maybe that'll work out okay. That whole "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" thing. 😈

Branford and James noticed Zane. It's a biiiiig building. And they're the only two of the crew who saw him. That's what he noticed. Flemming took loans from multiple lenders. All banking institutions. So, the one holding the most debt is the one heading up the auction. All of these guys want their cut (the amounts they're owed), and... it's not mentioned, but Yoder Ranch also banks with the one initiating the auction. Which does lend just a little bit of motive for the foreclosure. Again, background that I know but don't specifically call out. And pressure from Yoder is partly why the auction announcement happened so early - before the bank had wrangled agreement from all parties. So... there's a reason behind what seems like an idiotic move (frankly, most people wouldn't have even caught what James did this early - but the man is good). Eric has lots of support. He has it in everyone at Nasser, from Bert to Dale. He has it from the ranching community who knew his father and respected him. But you're right. He's still watching his home get served on a silver platter to the highest bidder. And that is devastating in its own way. Bert did have that talk with Taggert. And they both came away with information they didn't have before. The best kind of conversation, really. Taggert's full story is coming. And when it does, my hope is that everything falls into place. That's the goal. Thanks for commenting and reading. It means a lot to me.

Perhaps you're onto something. All I can say is that we will find out if that's true. If so... well, then that'd change things quite a bit, eh? And yeah. Poor Taggert. He has been through something awful. But Ash has been patient, kind, and sweet. Yes, he'll wait for Tag to tell him. That auction will indeed be interesting. I'll tell you now, it's in the last chapter of the book. So it'll be a bit before we get there. But we shall. Thanks for reading and commenting, Chris. More is on the way.

Oh, these are men who plan three moves ahead. But... let's take the conversation they had and follow it one step at a time, instead of Taggert leaping forward to what Bert really wanted to know. Bert glanced sideways at him. “So I’m gonna ask you something important.” Here it comes. Taggert felt himself settle deeper into stillness. “Can you go back to Yoder,” Bert asked quietly, “if you wanted?” No hesitation. No softening. Straight to the heart of it. Because the answer was critical to the rest of the conversation. And Taggert understood immediately what the question really meant. Not: Do they miss you? Are you welcome there? But: Can I trust you to give me the information I need? He could’ve answered emotionally. Could’ve said: I don’t want to go back. Or, there’s nothing for me there anymore. But emotional answers didn’t mean much on a walk where millions of dollars moved across paper. So instead, Taggert answered as plainly as possible. “No. I can't return.” Taggert kept his voice level only through a massive effort. Bert nodded, then shifted from foot to foot as he thought. "If you were Zane, how much could you throw at Flemming?" He shook his head once. "Don't feel obligated to answer. Your place here doesn't depend on that." Swallowing, Taggert nodded once. "Thank you." He wet lips that had gone dry. "Last I knew, Yoder had a ceiling of about $85 million. That includes liquid assets and lines of credit." See? That's where it was going. But Taggert knew this already. So he jumped straight to the real question Bert was asking. And he ended up answering the first one in the process, too. We're not dealing with simple people here. And I hope that's coming across. Thanks for reading and for the comment. I appreciate it.

Bill Yoder sent Taggert to school and trained him. It's safe to assume that, yes, Bill loved and valued Taggert. You'll come to know that this was the one bright spot in Taggert's time on Yoder Ranch.

What a nice compliment. Thank you! Ash felt something. And it was big, both physically and mentally, for Taggert. The ranch is a decent place. I attribute that to the examples the men and Cara are given. Branford and Bert are both stand-up guys. Masculine, yes. Hardworking, yes. But protective of their people. They care about those who make the ranch work. And they're not afraid to show it. People notice that. People emulate it. They benefit from it. And empathy means they want to give that back to others, too. James noticed something odd. Not entirely without precedent, but odd. It does mean something. It means the bank is struggling to consolidate all of the debt holders into a single purchase. It doesn't necessarily mean the auction won't happen. It means the bank is having to really work to ensure it does. Which means... they will be incredibly motivated to ensure it goes through. They want their money. Period. Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come.

Hehe. You're right. Ash has fallen so hard. But... Taggert isn't immune to that pull either. And he's terrified of it. Time will tell a bit more of the why, and I hope it makes sense when that time comes. In Eric, Taggert is watching Nasser Ranch, sheltering and supporting one of their own. It's a lesson. That Nasser is not like Yoder. Ranching doesn't have to be what he grew up knowing it to be. But a lifetime around his father has meant unlearning a lot. And he's trying... That scene between Bert and Taggert is one of my favorites. They understand one another by the end of it. And both have more respect for the other as a result. And yes - Taggert gets something from Bert he never got from his own father. And that's really sad. Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come! 🤠

By now, we know Ash is a patient guy. We know he's careful. And I love that this part of his character comes through so clearly. Those two words are written on my character spreadsheet describing him. lol. So, yeah. Success. But yes - he will wait until Taggert is ready. He won't push. He'll just trust Tag to tell him when he's able to do so. Bert is more than experienced. He's clever. He'd absolutely have to be to run a ranch as large as Nasser. One of his abilities is recognizing talent in others. And he can see it in Taggert. He doesn't quite know what happened to push Tag out of Yoder Ranch, but he knows it was bad. And he knows a young man's entire life was torn apart as a result. And now that Taggert has made himself a part of Nasser's crew, it's Bert's responsibility to make sure his cowboy is going to be okay. And he takes that very seriously. Thanks for commenting and reading. Appreciate it.