Lyla called up, “I finished with your horses, Jake. Mom isn’t back yet.”
He looked at his watch. “It’s only been thirty minutes,” he said, standing on the edge of the loft. “If the animals are secure, go on inside.”
“I want to help.”
“You have. Go get your lunch, then come back and you can go through the hay that we might be able to salvage. Okay?”
“Fine. But you need to eat, too. Mom made me promise to get you to eat.”
“We’ll be in in a few minutes,” he said.
Reluctantly, his sister left.
Jake checked his work and made sure no more water was coming in. “Seems to be good,” he said. “Let’s get a quick bite, then I need to inspect the creek and the drains.”
“I’m not going to object to eating,” Mateo said and followed Jake down the ladder. “But Penny asked me to go over to the Pritchards’ place, they’re having some trouble with their generator. I’ll get back as soon as I can.”
“Eat, then go. And you have your own house to worry about.”
“Miriam has things under control.”
“We’re okay here, now that I have the holes plugged,” Jake said. “If I need you, I’ll call.”
“If you’re sure,” Mateo said, sounding skeptical.
“I’m sure,” Jake said, a little irritated. He wasn’t his father, he didn’t have the experience and there were some things Jake was still learning, but he was capable of taking care of this land. Mateo sometimes made it seem like everything Jake did was wrong, without actually saying it.
Or maybe that was Jake projecting his own doubts on Whisper Creek Ranch’s longtime employee.
He opened the door and Mateo put a hand on his shoulder. Jake tensed. He didn’t want any more criticism.
Instead, Mateo said, “Jake, you have a lot on your shoulders and you’re handling it well. But it’s never a sin to ask for help.”
“I know,” he said. “I appreciate it. But I think we have it under control here.”
“You do. But if something else happens, call me. My loyalty will always be to the McKenna family.”
When they stepped out of the barn, Lyla was standing on the porch watching a white truck bounce over the increasingly rough road, heading toward the house. Penny stepped out and stood next to her.
Jake glared at the white Verdacorp truck.
He strode over to the vehicle before Clive Robinson could get out. When Clive tried to open the door, Jake pushed it closed. He didn’t care about the rain or wind; he wanted Clive gone.
Clive rolled down his window. “Jake, please. It’s just me. I need to talk to your mom. I have an offer I think she’ll agree to, something that will satisfy everyone.”
“We’re not selling. We’ve told you and Mitchell that over and over.”
“But you want to expand your farm?”
Jake knew there was a catch, there had to be.
“Come back after the storm and talk to my mom.”
“The offer is only good this weekend.”
“Then the answer is no.”
“You don’t even know what it is.”
