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“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Daddy will shoot first and ask questions later.”
He studied her, his brown eyes sad and heartbreaking. “And you’d care?”
She wished she could lie, but her aching heart wouldn’t let her. “I’d care.”
She waited for him to return the sentiments, but he didn’t. “Regardless of your daddy filling my hide with buckshot, I need to talk to your family.” He hesitated. “Then we need to talk.”
The way he said it didn’t sound promising. It sounded like he was dreading whatever he had to say. Which could only mean one thing. He was going to tell her he was leaving.
Why she felt so hurt, she didn’t know. Especially when she had already ended things with him. But she did feel hurt. Her heart felt like an egg that’s fragile shell was slowly cracking. All the way back to the ranch, every time she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw him sitting behind the wheel of his ridiculous vehicle, those cracks got bigger and wider.
Like she had predicted, as soon as they pulled up in front of the house, her daddy came striding out of the barn looking fit to kill. He didn’t have his shotgun, but he did have a pitchfork that he was pointing at Jesse.
“Get off my property, Jesse Cates! This ain’t your ranch yet.”
Jesse came around the front of the truck with his hands held high. “You’re right, sir. But I’m not here to claim the ranch. I’m here to try and make sure it stays yours.”
Hank lowered the pitchfork, as surprised as Liberty was. “So you’re going against your own brother?”
“No, sir. I can’t do that. When I invested in Corbin’s business, I promised him that I wouldn’t interfere and he’d always have free rein to run it the way he saw fit. Even if I disagree with his decisions, I won’t go back on my word.”
“Then how are you going to make sure my family keeps the ranch?” Liberty asked.
He flashed his cocky smile. A smile she had missed way too much. “By giving Corbin exactly what he thinks he wants. Holiday Ranch. But my plan includes you being willing to allow him and our sister to move in here so you can show my greenhorn brother exactly how tough ranching is. Depending on how difficult you make it, I figure he’ll be out of here within a month. Two, tops.” He glanced at Liberty. “Then everything can go back to normal.”
Normal. Why did she suddenly hate that word so much? Probably because she knew what normal was for Jesse. Traveling around and not having a care in the world.
The screen door flew open and Mimi stepped out to the porch with Mama right behind her. Both women had to be eavesdropping because they were smiling. When they came down the porch steps, they each gave Jesse a big hug.
Mimi sent Liberty a smug smile. “I told you our Jesse would fix things.” She hooked an arm through Jesse’s. “Now you come inside and I’ll open that bottle of elderberry wine so we can celebrate.”
Jesse shook his head. “We can’t celebrate yet, Ms. Mimi. First, we have to get Corbin to agree to let y’all live here. And it has to be his idea.”
“And how do you think we do that?” Daddy asked. Liberty was wondering the same thing. But it appeared Jesse had thought his plan through because he answered quickly.
“You invite Corbin to dinner before the eviction date and show him around, making sure you give him a long list of everything he needs to do to keep up the house and the gardens and the stock.”
“But we don’t have any stock,” Mama said.
“I figure Rome can help you out with that.” He grinned. “My job will be to put a bug in Corbin’s ear about needing someone to show him the ropes of his new ranch.”
Everyone stood there mulling over the plan for a few minutes before Daddy laughed. Liberty couldn’t remember the last time she’d heard her daddy’s big barrel-chested laugh. “Well, son, it sounds like you got things all figured out.”
“I don’t think we should count our chickens before they’re hatched, sir. Corbin might not go for it. And even if he does, he could take to ranching better than I think.”
“Well, at least we’ll have tried,” Mimi said. “That’s all we can do. And I don’t see why we can’t go on in and have a glass of my wine just to celebrate a good plan.”
“Can I take a rain check, Ms. Mimi?” Jesse glanced at Liberty. “I need to talk to Libby.”
A big smile spread over Mimi’s face and she patted his arm. “Of course you can. Libby Lou, why don’t you take Jesse up to the hayloft where it’s nice and cool and quiet.”
Liberty knew what Jesse wanted to talk about. He was breaking things off with her. She knew he cared for her and her family, which was why he’d come up with the plan to save the ranch. But she also remembered too clearly the scared look on his face when she’d mentioned love.
This was confirmed when they got up into the hayloft and he acted so nervous. He pulled off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, then put it back on before taking it off again and rolling the brim through his hands as he looked around.
“Nice loft.”
“Is that what you want to talk to me about? How great my hayloft is?”
