Destined to Succeed Read Free

All of the people were already out, except for Colt. Apparently, he decided to take a nap in the back room.”
    “We have to be thankful for that, Larry. We’ll make it. We can fix this. We have to. That ranch is my life and I ain’t losin’ it like this.” I grabbed Larry by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. “We’ll survive this. We’ll succeed in rebuildin’. I ain’t ever gonna give up and neither will you.” He nodded.
    I patted him on the back and turned around to go back to Colt’s room when I saw her - my favorite redhead. She came runnin’ across the room toward me. I swooped her up in a big bear hug. We didn’t speak. We didn’t need to. We just held each other. She was my best friend. She knew what I needed. Suzy Q. Well, I called her that, but her name was Suzanna. She’d been my best friend since the third grade. We’d been through an awful lot together and I didn’t know what the hell I would do without her.
    When I finally put her down, she asked, “Everybody gonna be okay?” Her big brown eyes were filled with tears. I couldn’t stand to see her hurtin’ like that. I caught a tear with my finger as it started down her cheek.
    “Everybody’s gonna be just fine. Colt’s pretty badly burnt, but he’s gonna make it. We lost the barn and a lot of the herd. Hell, we lost most of it, Suzy Q.”
    She reached up and placed her hand on my cheek. “I’m so sorry, Cade. I know how much the ranch means to you. You can build it back. I have faith in you, I know you won’t give up,” she said with a little smile.
    Our moment was interrupted by Branch. Damn, I hated that man. He was nowhere near good enough for my Suzy Q. He was a big guy, not nearly as big as me, I’m sure in more ways than one. He had dark hair and his eyes were crazy blue. I mean they were blue, and always had this crazy look to ‘em. I hated the fact that he was married to my best friend. I would never understand how she settled for him. She was so much better than that.
    “Suzanna, why do we have to be here? Looks like everything’s under control. Let’s get home. Isabella is with my parents. We need to go pick her up,” Branch hissed as he took hold of Suzanna’s arm and pulled her away from me.
    “Just give me a minute, Branch. Go out to the truck, I’ll be right there,” Suzanna said as Branch leaned in and whispered somethin’ in her ear. I couldn’t hear what he said, but he made her cringe. What the hell?
    I grabbed him by the arm. “What’s your fuckin’ problem?” I growled at him.
    “You. You’ve always been my fuckin’ problem. Why the hell can’t you leave my wife alone? My. Wife.”
    He always had to point that out. He felt like he had to remind me every day that she was his wife. Suzy Q and I were just friends. Some stuff had happened when we were younger, and I kinda thought we might be more than friends, but that didn’t pan out.
    “Branch, go outside. I’ll be right there.” Suzanna placed her hand in his. “I promise.”
    Branch shot me a look and headed out the door.
    “I’m sorry,” Suzanna said as she looked down at her feet. My Suzy Q was the strongest woman I’d ever known, but when she was around Branch, she turned into this weak little kitten. She acted like she was scared of him, but if somethin’ was goin’ on, she woulda told me before now. If I ever heard that he laid a hand on her or Izzy B, that man wouldn’t be breathin’ much longer.
    Isabella, or Izzy B, just turned three years old. I nicknamed her before she was even born. She had to be the sweetest little thing I’d ever seen. Bright red hair, just like her momma, and big blue eyes that she got from her daddy. On her they were beautiful, not crazy like they were on Branch. I adored that little girl and her momma. I would lay down my life for them, and that bastard better make damn sure he did everything in his power to deserve them.
    “Not your fault, Suzy Q. Thanks for comin’ down here. Ya