Page 62 of Johnathan
John laughed. “Well, when you come back to this one, I’m hoping you’ll go away with me.”
“What does that mean? Away where?”
His fingers stroked her arm. “I have a hunting cabin a few hours north. I go for the long weekend every year. I want you to come with me.”
“It’s really fast, isn’t it? What if you change your mind about me?”
“Baby, now that I’ve had a taste of you, there’s no chance I’d change my mind. Will you think about it?”
She nodded, snuggling down even more against him.
“I don’t want to have my heart broken, John.”
“I don’t plan on doing that, baby.”
“I won’t be able to survive falling in love with you and Katy, only to have it taken away.”
Abby yawned. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, just as sleep was taking her away, she heard his reply.
“Good thing I plan on keeping you forever.”
Eighteen
The office at Red River Ranch was an absolute mess. It had been over a year since their large barn burned down, and construction on the new building had been completed over the summer. The new structure was absolutely stunning, and Abby knew that her brother had seen to every detail being done with exacting precision. So why the hell did it look like a tornado went through the office? Boxes of medications for the cattle were being stored next to a couch with invoice receipts and the random marketing fliers she’d worked on in college.
“Sam, why haven’t you hired a new office manager yet? This place is a mess.” If high cholesterol and stress hadn’t taken him out, her father surely would have had a heart attack if he could see the current state of the office. Sam was in over his head, and she felt terrible she hadn’t truly seen it until right then.
“You see people chomping at the bit to come out to a sleepy little town and live on a cattle ranch?”
“Yeah, I imagine there are people out there who would want to do it. Start posting online. There have to be forums for this type of stuff. I’m sure there will be someone out there who will want to.”
“Eh. We’re doing okay just how we are.”
She shook her head and sighed. “You’re going to end up just like him, Sam. Except you’ll never have a wife, you’ll never get to be a dad yourself. I know it’s got to be killing you. All your friends are getting married. Having babies. You’d be the best dad ever and you’re too focused on the ranch to see that it’s all slipping by right now.”
“I do want that, Abs. But who the hell is going to keep Dad’s legacy going?”
“You didn’t even want this, Sam! You know how much it kills me that I watched my brother grow up always talking about how he was going to be a Texas Ranger? Protect people. Serve the community. And you never got the chance, because dad wrote some stupid shit in his will about you taking over and being the one to carry on the Red River Ranch tradition. It’s bullshit.”
“I can’t let him down. His memory, this legacy. It’s important to Mom.”
“Then let her be the one to carry all this on for a while. I’d love to see her try for one day. Because this isn’t what she loves. She loves the memory of Dad, but maybe it’s time to let it go.”
“No. It’s not. I’m not ready to throw in the towel.”
“Then you need some help out here.”
“Don’t you think I’d love some help? I can barely afford to pay Derrick and Zeke their paychecks at the end of the week. We’re not rolling in cash here. I’ll be surprised if we even make it to next year without having to file for bankruptcy or shut the ranch down all together.” Sam pressed his hand into his chest, and panic pierced Abby’s stomach.
“What’s wrong? Do you need to sit down?”
“Just some acid reflux. I need a damn antacid. You’re pissing me off.”
She felt the color draining from her face. “Dad used to say that, Sam.”
His head snapped up, and although his hand kept rubbing his chest, he gave her a soft smile.
“I’m perfectly fine. A little stressed, sure. But I’m fine.”