Sam left the barn and made his way back to the lodge. He thought a long morning ride with Majesty would lift whatever dark cloud that was messing with his mood, but it didn’t work. He’d finished up all his post-Oscar interviews, had a few meetings, then pretty much fled back to his family’s ranch to get some much-needed rest. He was happy to be back home with his brothers, his soon-to-be sister-in-law, and his cousins, not to mention his horse. After a good forty-eight hours of rest and his grandmother’s amazing cooking, he still felt off.

He walked through the grounds, trying to appreciate the perfect February weather. The sun was shining in a cloudless sky, but there was just enough of a breeze coming off the mountains to keep things comfortable. Preparations for Helene’s wedding had begun months ago, but now the staff was buzzing around getting everything ready for the weekend’s festivities, starting with tonight’s rehearsal dinner and square dance. Sam had about three hours to fix his face and his mood so he could be a good friend and host when Helene and Ignacio’s other friends and family arrived.

He came up to the lodge and made his way around back, and toward the stairs that led up to Zach and Jesse’s office. He stepped back just as the door swung open and Zach stepped out.

“Oh, hey. You heading up?”

“Yeah. Can I borrow your truck? I need to head back to the house and change.”

“Yeah, sure.” Zach pulled his keys to his pickup out of his pocket and handed them over.

“Thanks,” Sam said. For some reason he sounded like one of their dogs had just died. He really needed to snap out of it.

“Man, you alright? Walk with me,” Zach said as he headed toward his new white pickup. “I won’t say you’ve been moping, but you should see your face right now.”

Sam turned the keys over in his hands, then looked up at his older brother. Nothing bothered Zach. As long as the ranch was up and running and his fiancée Evie was happy, the man didn’t have a bad day. He also didn’t have Sam’s artistic spirit. He knew he could talk to his brother, but he wasn’t sure he would understand.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“What’s going on? Talk to me.”

“I don’t know! That’s the problem. I made the movie. I won the award. John has a ton of scripts for me to look at, directors want to talk to me. Majesty is in great health.”

“Hey, we always look after her when you’re gone. Evie takes her out every day she’s here.”