by Liz Isaacson
Jeremiah didn’t know what to do with the message. Respond? Delete? Invite her out?
He paused and listening, hoping the Lord would nudge him in one direction more than another. But Jeremiah couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t feel much.
He sighed and looked around the empty kitchen, hating the silence and the fact that he’d just cooked a meal, but he didn’t have anyone to share it with.
But Whitney had texted.
“So that’s good, right?” he asked. He honestly didn’t know, and his brain hurt from trying to figure things out.
Another message came in, this one from Callie. Want to help me with the beehives next week?
Yes, he sent back quickly. Name the day. At this point, he’d do anything to be able to spend his evenings with someone he knew cared about him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Callie fell into a new routine, and she didn’t much like it. Well, she liked waking up next to Liam, but that was about all she saw of him. He made coffee and disappeared into his office. He kept that new barn door open, but he wore headphones and seemed to have a singular focus on his screens while he was in there.
Callie couldn’t blame him. He had work to do. The problem was…she didn’t. Cayden had quickly emerged as the cowboy designated to come ask her questions, but she had no idea what to tell him.
She didn’t know how to run a ranch, and while she’d known it before, the truth of it stared her in the face every morning now.
Monday dawned after a week of Liam’s insane work schedule. He’d still managed to find time to go horseback riding with his brothers, and Callie had asked Miah for his help with the beehives. Maybe if she had something to do every day, she wouldn’t feel so useless. So neglected. So humiliated that she couldn’t even answer simple questions.
“Mornin’, ma’am,” Cayden said as he came in the back door. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, reaching for another mug. “How would you like to be the foreman here at the Shining Star?” She didn’t need to beat around the bush. Maybe if Cayden was the one giving orders, the ranch wouldn’t fall into disrepair again.
“Ma’am?”
She poured him a cup of coffee and set it on the counter. “Cream? Sugar?” They had plenty of both now that Liam was bankrolling everything in Callie’s life. She expected the annoyance she’d experienced in the past to flood her. Only a tiny pinch started in her lungs, and it disappeared quickly.
Pushing the sugar bowl closer to his coffee mug, Callie said, “I think it’s pretty obvious I don’t know how to take care of a ranch this size.” She poured a healthy splash of cream into her own coffee. “And you do.”
“I’m flattered,” he said, scooping sugar into his cup. “And yeah, I can do that.”
Relief filled Callie from top to bottom. “Great,” she said. “I’m meeting with Jeremiah Walker this week to find out what to do here.” She swallowed, and she knew how hard it was to get that pride to go back down her throat. “But what are you thinking?”
“Honestly?”
“I think you’d better be honest with me,” she said. “My husband went to a lot of trouble to get this ranch back on its feet, and I don’t want to disappoint him.” Or herself. Her father. Her mother. Her sisters. Or God.
She’d been given a huge gift, and she needed to make sure she did the right thing with it.
“Well, you have a ton of land here,” he said. “And twelve cowboys. I’d make teams of people and get their tasks solidified. That way, every morning, everyone knows what to do without any wasted time.”
“Solid plan,” Callie said, her mind racing. “What kind of teams? Like agriculture, livestock, feeding…?” She let her words hang there, because she honestly wasn’t sure what else there was to do. Those were the things she did, but she could only do so much. She’d been able to work about one-tenth of the ranch, and she couldn’t even imagine what this place would be at full capacity.
“Sure,” Cayden said. “Maintenance, for now, would be huge. So would agriculture. We cleaned up a lot, but your land isn’t ready to be planted. Not really. So we could have a large team on that right now. If we’re going to be working out in the fields on the edge of the property, we need cabins.”
“I have a cabin out there,” she said. “But it might have been blown over by now.” She gave him a smile, though she felt like crying.
Cayden smiled right on back. “See? Maintenance. And we need to go through the equipment shed and make sure we have what we need to plant, fertilize, and harvest all the land that’s been wild for while. I know Jarrod’s a decent mechanic, and he’d be a great maintenance manager.”
“Oh, sure,” Callie said, taking a long moment to sip her coffee again. “So…do we have managers over those things?”
“Yep,” Cayden said. “And you might consider investing in more cattle. You have plenty of room for them here, and that can be a huge source of income. With all the fields being planted, you’d have enough to feed them right here, without having to outsource that, which is so expensive.”
Callie knew how expensive. She just nodded, because she knew she needed more cattle. More fields planted. Better equipment.
“So I’d have a maintenance manager. Jarrod would be that. And an agriculture manager. I think Soren would be good for that. She has a great eye for details, and land rotation has to be managed right. She could be over groundskeepers too.”
Callie must’ve worn a blank look on her face, because Cayden continued with, “You know, someone to make sure the paths are clean and clear and in good repair. Someone to dispatch maintenance to fences if they’re breaking down. That kind of stuff.”
“Soren,” Callie said. “Sure.” She didn’t know the woman well, but Liam had hired two cowgirls to work the ranch.
Cayden lifted his cowboy hat and pushed his hair back. “Maintenance and agriculture. You’d need a livestock manager. And a sales manager.”
“Livestock over the animals,” Callie said, finding somewhere else to look. “Sales over buying and selling cattle.”
“And crops,” he said. “If you have excess, you get to charge the high prices to other ranchers who don’t have enough.”
Callie had so much to think about, and she couldn’t wait to meet with Miah that afternoon. “Okay,” she said. “Do you have people in mind for those positions?”
“I don’t know them all real well yet,” he said. “Maybe Liam—”
“No,” Callie said, shaking her head. “Liam is very busy with his computer work. You and I will deal with this.”
Surprise darted across Cayden’s face, but he just ducked his head. “All right, ma’am.”
“Do we interview for manager positions?”
“We can.”
“Great,” she said. “Let’s do it right after morning feedings are done.”
Cayden drained the last of his coffee and nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Here?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll make lunch.”
He nodded and left the way he’d come in, and Callie finally had a purpose for that day. She pulled open the fridge to see what she had that could feed twelve people and reached for the ground beef.
Her cheese-stuffed burger bombs would do the trick, and she had the soft, sweet rolls that went with them in the freezer.
Maybe Miah could come for lunch too. She set the hamburger on the counter and reached for her phone. “Heya,” he said after only the first ring. “We’re still on for tonight, right?”
“Yes,” she said, sensing his anxiety that she might cancel. He definitely had something going on he hadn’t told her about. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, heavy doubt in her voice. But Miah didn’t volunteer anything else, and Callie knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t. And if she asked, she could get the growly, grumpy, grouchy version of Miah she’d rather avoid.
“Listen,” she said. “I’m wondering if you coul
d come here for lunch today. I asked Cayden to be the foreman here, and we’re going to start assigning ranch hands to specific tasks.” She turned away from the windows that showed her the expanse of the Shining Star, her feelings of being overwhelmed almost crushing the life from her heart. “And I need your help with that. I—well, I have no idea what I’m doing. I don’t know how to run a ranch. I don’t know how to talk to cowboys. I don’t know what tasks need to be done and—”
“Callie,” Miah interrupted.
She paused, taking a deep breath.
“I can come for lunch,” he said. “It’s all going to be fine. You can figure this out.”
She nodded, a storm swirling inside her. “Okay.”
“Noon?”
“Yes, please.”
“Great, I’ll see you then.”
“Okay.” She hung up, glad she’d made it through the last few words of the conversation without breaking down. And she wasn’t going to break down now either. She believed Miah when he said she could figure this out—and that was exactly what she was going to do.
A few hours later, her burger bombs sizzled in the frying pan. She’d had a bit of an adjustment as she learned how to cook with gas instead of electric heat, but burgers were supposed to have a bit of char on them, weren’t they?
She tore lettuce leaves as the front door opened, and she turned at the sound of Miah’s boots coming into the kitchen. Their eyes met, and while Callie didn’t and had never felt sparks between her and this particular Walker brother, she was glad to see him.
He gave her a hug and held her tight. “You okay?”
“Yes,” she said into his shoulder. “I’m just—” She cleared her throat and stepped back. “Embarrassed.” She picked up the head of lettuce and got back to work.
“Nothin’ to be embarrassed about,” he said.
Callie didn’t argue, though she thought there was plenty to be embarrassed about. “Cayden just texted to say they were on their way in.” Her nerves picked up speed, zinging around inside her chest.
“He’s a good choice for foreman,” Miah said, looking out the windows along the back of the house. Callie got out a serrated knife and started cutting tomatoes. She barely had the ketchup, mayo, and mustard on the counter before the back door opened and all of her hired help entered the house.
“Something smells good,” Soren said, and Callie smiled at the blonde woman.
“Burger bombs,” Callie said. “Oh, and potato chips.” She spun to grab the bags of chips off the counter behind her, placing them next to the toppings for the hamburgers. She realized then that everyone was looking at her, waiting for her to say something.
She wiped her hands on a kitchen towel and faced them, lifting her chin. She’d done hard things before, including showing Liam that foreclosure notice and then marrying him a couple of weeks later.
“Thanks for coming,” she said. “I’m planning to make lunch for you guys a few times a week, and I wanted to start to get some administrative things established.” That sounded professional enough. “I’ve asked Cayden to be the foreman, and he’s accepted the job.” She nodded at him and he came to stand beside her, looking out at the other ranch hands.
“And I’ve asked Jeremiah Walker to come, because he’s been running Seven Sons fairly well these past few years, and I think his expertise will be valuable.”
“Fairly well,” Miah said with a chuckle.
Callie’s face softened into a smile too, as did several others. “But let’s eat first. We can talk while we do that.”
“Can I say something?” Cayden asked.
“Of course.” Callie fell back a step, feeling foolish for not asking him if he had something he’d like to contribute.
“Callie has several managerial positions she’d like to fill, and anyone who wants to be considered should plan to stay after lunch and talk to us both.” He glanced at her. “Right?”
“Right,” she said.
“We talked about maintenance, agriculture, livestock, and sales,” Cayden said, now switching his gaze to Miah. “What else do we need to consider?”
“Groundskeeping,” he said.
“I thought that could go under agriculture.”
“Not if you’re going to plant two thousand acres of crops,” Miah said. “You need a manager for that, and a co-manager. And at least half of these people for this year.” He surveyed the cowboys and cowgirls who still hovered near the table.
“All right,” Cayden said easily, though Callie’s heartbeat fired in her chest. “Groundskeeping, which includes the homestead and the cabin common areas. Land around the barns, pastures, stables, and all pathways.” He looked at Miah, who nodded.
“That’s five managers,” Callie said. “And Cayden is the foreman, which only leaves six of you for crews.”
“They’re all full-time, paid positions,” Miah said. “Cabins included.” He smiled at them and then Callie. “This is a good set-up.”
“It sure is,” Cayden said. “And I’m grateful for the work, ma’am.”
Callie did not need their gratitude, though several of the others nodded too. She knew it wasn’t because of her that they had jobs. No, that was all Liam’s doing. She was surprised the scent of cooking beef hadn’t brought him out of his cave, but he did have a lot of work to do.
And so did she.
“All right,” she said. “Are we ready to eat now?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Cayden said, and Callie nodded toward the food.
“Come and get it then.” She stood out of the way while her ranch hands—and who she hoped would become her friends—came forward and picked up plates, dressed their burgers, and took chips.
She joined them last, content to listen to them talk to one another. She and Cayden and Miah talked to every one of them individually in the formal living room across the hall from Liam’s office.
He’d closed the door at some point, and Callie felt a bit guilty for disturbing him.
“So, what are you thinking?” Miah asked, and Cayden proceeded to tell him his thoughts on who should be the managers. Callie listened, trying to learn the qualities and attributes of the people they wanted in the leadership roles for the ranch.
“Jarrod at maintenance,” Cayden said. “Soren for agriculture. Blaine for livestock—he has a real way with horses. Shawn for sales. He was the sales manager at an auction a few years ago, and that seems like a good fit.”
Even Callie could’ve put Shawn at sales, and she started to feel a bit more confidence in herself. She simply hadn’t known which questions to ask. But she did now.
“Mm,” Miah said. “I agree with all of those. I think Anita should be on the livestock crew. She has some experience with veterinary medicine.”
“Yes,” Cayden said, making a note on the piece of paper he’d asked for. “Mike and Tanner live together and would be great hands for Jarrod.”
“I agree,” Miah said. “Cal, who are you thinking for groundskeeping?”
“Wilson,” she said. “He has an eye for detail.”
“And he could do it himself,” Cayden said. “I could help him in the heavier months in the spring and fall.”
“So everyone else on Soren’s agriculture team,” Miah said. “That’s Louis, Joel, and Roger.” He looked at the other two. “How are we feeling about that?”
“Where’s Trey?” Cayden asked.
“Oh, I thought he’d do sales with Shawn,” Miah said. “They’re brothers, and they’d work great together. And Callie might not need two men there all the time, but this year, I think she does if she wants to expand her herd.” He looked at her, and all Callie could do was nod.
Cayden studied his paper and nodded. “I like this plan.”
“I do too,” Miah said. “Cal?”
“Fine,” she said. “Great.”
Cayden grinned and said, “I’ll have a meeting at my place tonight, and we’ll get everything sorted.”
“Thank you, Cayden,” Callie sai
d, keeping her perfect smile in place as the cowboy left. She deflated the moment the sound of his footsteps faded. She faced Miah, and she was so tired. She reached for him, and he gathered her into his arms.
“You can do this,” he whispered, stroking her hair.
“Thank you,” she said. “I hate feeling weak.”
“Oh, I know the feeling.”
Callie pulled back. “You do?”
“It’s something I fight every day,” he said. “But it’s not weakness to admit you don’t know something. That’s actually a sign of strength.”
Callie grinned up at him. “I appreciate your help Miah.”
“You’re not alone,” he said. “We all love you, Cal.”
“I love you too, Miah,” she said, hugging him again. Her eyes drifted closed.
“Jeremiah,” Liam barked, and Callie’s eyes shot open again at the same time her pulse ricocheted into the top of her skull. She jumped away from Miah, who turned toward his very angry brother.
“Hey, Liam,” Miah said as if nothing had just happened.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Liam asked.
“Nothing.” Jeremiah’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “I have to take this. See y’all later.” He took a few steps, slipped past Liam, and was out the front door before Callie could blink.
Then she was left to face her husband.
“I think that broke the rules,” he said evenly. “Did you really just tell him you loved him?”
Callie opened her mouth to defend herself, but only a squeak came out.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Liam stood in the hallway between his office and the formal living room, waiting for Callie to say something.
Anything.
“He was just helping me with the ranch,” she said. “I was just…telling him…I appreciated it?”
Yeah, that wasn’t what Liam had heard. He’d distinctly heard I love you too, Miah, and he’d seen Callie gripping his brother in a tight embrace.
Jealousy surged through Liam, and the room spun around him. He shouldn’t have skipped breakfast and lunch, but he’d had a ton of work to finish before his meeting that afternoon.