Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Seen Branding Cattle, Living the Ranch Life Amid War Over Montana Property

Kelly Clarkson may have lost a husband with the breakup of Brandon Blackstock, but she gained a ranchhand as he continues to take care of the Montana ranch which was recently declared the owner of by a judge in the divorce case.

44-year-old Blackstock, who is the stepson of country legend, Reba McEntire, has been seen handling daily operations at Vintage Valley Ranch, a property in Montana originally purchased as a family ranch for Kelly, Brandon, and their two children.

In one photo, Blackstock can be seen standing over a calf while pressing a scalding hot iron into it's body for a "Vintage Valley" brand.

"Another year of branding in the books!" a message on the ranch's Instagram page read as the team worked to brand the new cattle on the property. Another photo showed Blackstock, wearing the full cowboy getup with chaps and a sweet belt buckle, having a conversation with a pretty cowgirl.

As The Blast first reported, the divorce with Kelly Clarkson revealed Blackstock's intention to leave his post as a music manager in Hollywood and commit full-time to being a rancher.

"The evidence, in this case, shows that after the date of Separation, [Blackstock] made a very deliberate choice to change his life and become a rancher full-time,” the judge wrote in court documents, filed earlier this month.

The judge continued, "[Blackstock] testified that he is not devoting any effort toward expanding his client list and music management business. [Blackstock] has made a very deliberate choice, that he testified he planned for a long time, to significantly change his lifestyle from primarily working in the music and entertainment industry to working in an agriculture community and lifestyle involved in full-time ranch and cattle work."

Holding true to his word, Blackstock has been living the cowboy life and was seen this week on social media operating heavy machinery during some daily work on the farm.

The rustic Montana ranch, purchased by Kelly Clarkson back in 2018, was meant to be a family getaway and vacation spot. Both coming from rural areas, Clarkson and Blackstock felt very at home on the property and even used it as a place to hang out during the majority of the COVID pandemic.

"We literally work almost seven days a week, if not seven days a week, so when we have time off we really like to check out," Clarkson told PEOPLE in an interview last year.

She added, "It's nice to get into nature . . . it's nice to just come out here and sit by the stream and hear the water flowing and be around all the trees."

These days there is a dark cloud that hangs over Vintage Valley Ranch after Kelly Clarkson made it clear she wants to sell the property, as it has become a financial burden with operating costs towering over $80,000 per month.

Clarkson was just awarded a huge win in court, as a judge upheld the couple's prenuptial agreement and declared that property accumulated during the marriage would remain separate. The move made it clear the talk show host was the sole owner of the ranch, however she was not able to simply boot Blackstock and his crew, as they currently live and work on the property.

For now, it seems the ranch will continue to stay in operation, as long as Blackstock continues to cover the expenses. However, if he fails to make payments Clarkson could be given the green light to send the cowboy riding off into the sunset.