“I have an idea.”
I look up, moving my head only slightly, to see Lake standing at the entrance to the stall. His hands are on his hips, his eyes bright for the first time in a while.
“Yeah?” I reply flatly.
He nods, taking a few steps forward until he’s in the stall.
“I’ve been doing some research and some asking around. I was looking at your dad’s car a few days ago,” he says this, looking slightly uncomfortable, like he’s pretty sure I’m not going to like whatever he’s about to say. “A Shelby like that is one of the most sought after classic cars out there. I know it doesn’t look like much, but people put a lot of time and money into finding cars like that one.”
I slowly sit up, straddling Radio. “Are you suggesting we put it up for sale? We only have twenty-four hours. That’s never going to be enough time.”
Lake shakes his head, his eyes brightening cautiously. “I’m saying I’ve already got a buyer. And he’s willing to pay $40,000 for it. Is that enough to save the ranch?”
My heart picks up, thundering in my ears.
I will feel guilty doing this. That was Dad’s pride, having such a rare gem. That was his goal, to get it restored. But then he died. He’d never see it restored to full glory. I had always planned to get it fixed up to honor him. But that never happened.
This could be our chance. Dad would have sold it if it meant saving our home.
I nod my head as moisture pools in my eyes. “Yeah,” I whisper. “It is. And then some.”
“I’ve got an idea for that extra,” he says, the smallest of a smile pulling on that right side of his mouth.
“I’m listening,” I breathe back.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
By that evening, Lake has taken Dad’s car to the buyer and brings home the check. Friday morning, Mom and I both take it into the bank. We get settled with our mortgage. I turn my face away while she’s on the phone so she won’t see the tears that are slowly running down my face.
They’re happy tears.
We aren’t out of the woods. We’ll need to come up with a way to make more money to stay afloat. But we’ve bought ourselves some more time.
And I make Mom promise me that she’ll never give Travis another dime.
On Monday, Lake sits down with me and Mom. I’m surprised that he’s come with a notebook. The pages are filled with scribbles I can barely read, but it’s obvious he’s put a lot of thought into this.
“I’ve been doing some research,” he says as we sit at the dining table. “And I’ve never run a ranch before, so maybe I’m just way off the marker. So feel free to tell me to just shut up.”
He meets my eyes, and a smile starts pulling on my face.
“But I’ve come up with three ideas about how you might start making some more money,” he says as his eyes drop down to his notebook. “I know you don’t love doing it,” Lake says, directing the statement at me. “But I’ve looked and called around, and there’s hardly anyone who teaches riding lessons around here. Seems like there’s a demand for it. What if you started teaching riding lessons twice a week or something? Private lessons aren’t cheap.”
I chew on my lower lip, my eyes fixed on the notebook. There’s two words I can decipher. Riley in?
I don’t particularly love being around people. I get frustrated with people who are idiots around horses. I’m not a great teacher.
But…
“Yeah,” I finally say, nodding my head. “I can do that. If it means keeping us afloat.”
Mom looks over at me with a smile. She places a hand on my knee and gives it a little wiggle-shake.
“Yeah?” Lake says with a little breathy chuckle. “I mean, I know you’re pressed for time with the training, but I figure if I start helping with the part where you make the horses run in a circle, that will help. And I’ll pick up anything else I can.”
“The lunging?” I ask, a smile in my voice.
“Yeah,” he chuckles. “That’s it. And I can get the tack and put it away and everything.”
I press my lips into a thin line, containing the smile that’s threatening to spread. I just nod.
“’K,” he continues. “My next idea will take some money to get it rolling. What about building another barn and boarding horses? People would just keep them here, and you could rent out time in the arena or the pasture. No time effort on your part. Just let them use the facilities.”
“How much would that cost?” Mom asks, caution in her voice. “We don’t exactly have much extra. That’s kind of why we’re in this mess in the first place.”
Lake nods and turns his eyes back to the pages. He flips one and I can see numbers and materials written out. “I had Kent help me price it all out, if we just built it basic, but functional. If we can get people to donate the labor, it would only take a weekend and about $15,000.”
Once we paid off the last few months’ mortgage and paid next to give us a little bit of breathing room, we only have $18,000 left over. It’s an uncomfortably big part of our leftovers.
“Do you think we could get people to help out?” Lake asks. “I mean, I’m certainly going to work on it every minute you don’t need me elsewhere, and I know I could get Drake and my dad to come help. And I think Kale’s going to be home this weekend. Julian might even be willing to swing a hammer.” He says this last part with a little smile.
It’s hard to picture, Julian with a hammer.
But I appreciate it nonetheless.
“You know Jesse will be over here in a heartbeat,” Mom pipes up. “Sheriff Akins would probably come over. I could probably wrangle up some people from church. I’m sure even Kyle would come help.”
Lake nods as Mom starts listing off people who might be willing to lend a hand. Both their eyes shift over to me.
“Yeah,” I say with a nod. Something lifts inside of me as we discuss all this. Something that was heavy and dreadful. These are good ideas. There’s no guarantee, but they’re good. “Yeah, I think we could make this work.”
“I can start hauling the supplies later this week,” Lake says. His voice picks up an octave. He’s excited.
Which surprises me. He’s just an employee. One I thought I let go. He shouldn’t have to be doing research and figuring out how to save us. But he’s going above and way beyond.
“My last idea,” Lake says as he flips the page. “Is hosting events. There’s town hall, but other than that, there really isn’t anywhere in Duvall to host big, outdoor events.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. “What kind of events?”
“Family reunions,” he starts, referring to his pages. “Corporate picnics. Stuff like that.”
“What about weddings?” Mom suggests. “Didn’t you say Dania at the hardware store is getting married next month? What if we suggest it to her?”
I shake my head and shrug. “I guess,” I say. This is a concept that I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around. Would people really want to use our place for fancy parties? “It couldn’t hurt.”
“You wouldn’t have to do stuff like that very often,” Lake says. “But I looked up some comparable places and they rent out for over a thousand a night. Some way, way more if they’re nice enough.”
I don’t know that we’re nice enough. We’re a simple ranch. We’re rustic and functional. But I guess we have a certain measure of charm.
“Let’s do it,” I say with a smile as I nod. “All of it.”
____
The next few days are somewhat organized chaos. Mom makes flyers to advertise the riding lessons. I post them online. In the first twelve hours of all that being up, I get three calls and schedule three lessons.
I teach Lake how to lunge the horses. It isn’t hard. It just takes strong arms and hands, which he is not lacking. He already knows how to brush the horses and pick their hooves. He’s surprisingly natural at it all. Every prep thing he can do for me is minutes I don’t have to spend on it. It’s valuable time
I can be working on training or lessons.
Lake starts picking up supplies from the hardware store. I use the tractor and level out the spot where we will build the new barn, right at the edge of the pasture. Someone comes to do the concrete. Mom goes to work on the flower beds, weeding, edging, planting. Anything she can do to make the place nicer.
We start scouring online ads for old picnic tables, regular outdoor tables, and chairs. Anything cheap or free that we can fix up ourselves to use for outdoor events. We also find a beautiful pergola that would work perfectly for weddings.
Mom turns into a painting, staining, sanding, weeding maniac.
Things must just be going right, because on Thursday morning, I get two referrals from Jesse. People looking for a trainer for their horses. They drop them off Thursday night.
For a few minutes, I panic. I’ve already been working long days before we added all this. That’s why we had to bring Lake on. How will I balance all this?
And then I look out in the yard and see Mom working, her hands quick and skilled. I see Lake stacking lumber.
I don’t have to do it all alone. I have them.
We can do this.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
There is no training or riding Friday. The entire day, Lake and I spend framing the new barn. Jesse comes over for a few hours in the evening, and surprisingly, so does Anita. Together, we get the entire building framed.
It’s straightforward, nothing special to it. But it’ll do the job.
I set my alarm for six-thirty Saturday morning. I change into work clothes and walk downstairs to find Mom cooking up a storm in the kitchen already.
“If they’re going to help out for free, the least I can do is feed them all,” she says as she hands me over a plate. I smile at her and start piling food on it.
A few minutes later, Lake walks in, dressed to work. “Morning,” he says.
“Morning,” Mom says back cheerily. “Eat up. The first shift of troops should be here soon.”
Lake and I sit across the table from one another. I fork some homemade pancakes into my mouth.
“How’d we do on all the lumber and materials?” I ask.
He takes a second to finish chewing his bite. “Everything came in at just under thirteen thousand. I’m sure I’m going to have to run back for a few things today, but we should come in a thousand, at least, under budget. And that includes the concrete Rocky poured.”
“That’s great,” I respond.
And just then, there’s a knock at the front door.
“Got it,” I say, stuffing another bite into my mouth and getting up from the chair. I open the door and find Drake, Kyle, Jesse, and someone who must be Lake’s father standing there.
“I hear someone needs extra hands,” he says. He smiles, lopsided as all his sons.
“Good morning,” I say to everyone as I open the door wide and let everyone in. “Mom’s got breakfast for a small army made, so go eat up.”
“At least if she’s summoning her minions she’s feeding us,” Kyle says as he heads for the kitchen. Jesse follows him, giving me a small smile as he passes by. I turn to see Lake standing behind me, watching us all. I hear Mom greet Kyle warmly. She’s moved past our damaged past, too. She also has a hug for Jesse.
“I’m Robert McCain, by the way,” the man who had to be the sire of such wonderful boys says. He smiles as he extends his hand. I take it, giving him a firm shake.
“It’s really nice to meet you,” I say. “It’s very generous of you and your family to help us out so much.”
“I’m just happy to be of some use,” Robert says, putting an arm across my shoulders and pulling me to his side like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “All these kids of mine seem to think I’m old and frail. Won’t let me do anything these days.”
“You are old and frail,” Lake teases, that lopsided smile of his on his lips.
“I could still do one handed push-ups up until about two years ago,” he says, a gleam in his eyes. “I might have to use both hands now, but I am nowhere near frail.”
“Come on, Grandpa,” Drake says, placing a hand on his father’s shoulder and leading him toward the kitchen. “Let’s get you some food before you get cranky.”
“You see how these kids treat me?” Robert says, winking at me before they all pile into the kitchen.
Lake meets my eyes when everyone’s walked in to be fed and gives a little smile. I can’t help but give one back.
Lake and I head outside while everyone else eats. The new barn is a skeleton right now, just frames and bones. But it’s beautiful. The sun breaks over the mountain, illuminating the morning with brilliance.
“Thank you,” I say, sliding my hands into my back pockets. “You really saved this place. I’ll never be able to repay you for that.”
“Maybe we’re just about even then,” he says, looking over at me.
In a move that is braver than I thought I was, I close the small distance between us, and wrap my arms around his waist. He stiffens for just a moment, caught off guard. And then he relaxes, wrapping his arms around me, one hand on my back, the other on the back of my head.
It’s hard, trying to be tough and strong all the time. It’s hard holding yourself together when everything just keeps trying to tear you down.
So it’s incredibly nice to have someone hold me, for just a moment. Even nicer that it’s Lake, who I trust and know I can rely on. Always.
Lake runs his hand slowly up and down my back, sending goosebumps flashing across my skin. His chest muscles tighten and flex just slightly when he does that. His hand on the back of my head is warm and comforting.
I’m listening to the sound of Lake’s heartbeat, smelling the clean and crisp scent of him that mixes with the smell of the mountain and trees and the ranch.
Home is the word that comes to mind, right here in this moment.
And I feel peace.
“Let’s get this thing erected!”
I step away from Lake and turn to see Kyle walking across the lawn toward us. He’s got a smug smile on his face that says he knows the awkward joke he made while I was wrapped up with another man. I shake my head at him when he gives us a wink.
I look back at Lake and feel my cheeks blush. He looks back at me, and there’s a small, peaceful smile on his face too.
Slowly, everyone comes out, and Lake and Robert take charge.
We finish framing. Walls tall enough for horses. The building will be long enough to house a dozen of them. It’s wide enough that there’s a twelve-foot overhang for an event area. We install posts. Start on the siding.
The sun rises, heading toward noon.
Mom keeps running back and forth, bringing water and lemonade and snacks.
Around eleven-thirty, two more figures start walking out toward us. I shield my eyes from the sun and squint in their direction.
“I was starting to think you softies weren’t going to show,” Lake calls from inside. It’s going up surprisingly fast. We’ll be ninety percent finished, at least, by the end of the day with the additional hands.
“I would have been here sooner, but Kale refused to rise from the dead until about thirty minutes ago,” Julian says with a smile as they walk up. I take my gloves off and walk over with Lake.
“Give me a break,” Kale says. “I just flew in from Japan last night. I didn’t get to their house until about midnight.”
“That’s still nearly eleven hours of sleep,” Julian says, shaking his head with a smile.
“Ever heard of jetlag? And they don’t call it beauty sleep for no reason,” Kale responds as he winks at me. “Morning, beautiful.”
“Morning,” I reply awkwardly with a little smile. It’s hard not to laugh at the two of them. They’re both wearing jeans that look like they cost more than my truck is worth. Kale is wearing this plaid shirt and a white undershirt. But his entire outfit looks brand new.
Julian wears a T-shirt advertising some band named Su
it. His arms are exposed, revealing the endless tattoos that sleeve them both.
It’s kind of hard imagining Sage, who is so put together and sophisticated, falling for this guy that’s covered in tattoos and definitely looks like a bad boy.
I guess some people just find love in unexpected places.
“Well, don’t just stand around, let’s get this done,” Lake says, nodding his head back toward the work.
I go back to helping put up the siding and Lake heads to the roof to help his dad, Jesse, and Drake put down the plywood. Julian and Kale awkwardly try to help me. They don’t have any clue as to what they’re doing, but they’re making a good effort.
It only takes about ten minutes of work before Kale takes his shirt off. It doesn’t seem to faze him, like this is his natural state. His brothers, dad, and brother-in-law don’t even seem to notice.
A half hour later, the group from church shows up, along with Sheriff Akins, his wife, and Anita. Mom brings out lunch, we take a quick break to eat, and then we’re back to work.
With so many hands, it’s all coming together really quick. By two o’clock, we get the siding all up. One of the church guys, an electrician, gets all the wiring run for the lights and power done.
Sweat drips from my brow as the hour stretches toward five o’clock. I took my T-shirt off long ago, wearing a tank top only. Most of the guys now have taken off their shirts. It’s certainly not a bad sight. I keep catching Anita checking Kale and Lake out. I know inwardly, she’s been having a total freak-out at having the Kale McCain here in the flesh. Exposing lots of it.
I look out toward the house when I hear the door close and see Mom walking toward us with others around her. As they get closer, I recognize Kaylee. She’s accompanied by a woman who looks just like an older version of Sage, and a girl and a boy. Mom carries another little girl on her hip, and Lake’s mom carries another.
“Well, look at this!” Lake’s mom calls when they get close. “My boys working as a team, giving service like the little angels they are.”
Everyone chuckles, and I smile at them as I take my gloves off and walk over.