He'd had been on your family's ranch for a few months now, helping out where he could with the harder tasks that your father had become too frail to handle and when the old man had gotten sick and passed away John had been the one to call you. He knew from stories your father had told him that the two of you weren't exactly close after and he was surprised when you'd agreed to not only come back but take over running the ranch.

If Price were being honest with himself he had expected you to sell this place, divvy it up to real estate development and send himself and the other hybrids to auction. He was quietly elated when you didn't and he was able to stay with the other bulls he now thought of as his herd. You weren't bad company yourself and he didn't mind one bit helping out around the ranch, making sure everyone was fed and taken care of.

"That makes the last of them, love."

He claps you on the shoulder before stacking the empty feed buckets together. The horses were all put away in their stalls, chickens fed and watered and the other bull hybrids either out to pasture or tucked up in their beds. Overall it has been a good week with you here and Price would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy your company. You seemed so strong, so ready to take care of things around the ranch all by yourself that he really did admire you for it.

"You ready to head in for the night?"

He reaches into his jacket pocket, ears flicking a little as he considers you and pulls out a cigar. He half hopes you'll say no, that you'll perhaps stay up out here a while longer with him under the stars but he knows you must be exhausted from a long day.