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She would, too, which was why Lizzie had held off on calling. “Nope, I’m good. Just busy and tired and trying not to mess up.”
“As if.”
Lizzie stayed quiet. She had messed up in the past. A lot. But she’d used her faith, brains and work ethic to move on.
“Should I warn Charlotte?”
“Fill her in as needed. I didn’t want to worry her while she was studying for her certification.” Charlotte had been scheduled to take her veterinary licensing exam the past week. Her goal was to pass the exam and apply to the state of Idaho for a temporary right to practice for the coming year.
“I will. She’s decided to skip the graduation hoopla, Lizzie.”
“Why?” Charlotte had worked for over seven years to earn her veterinary degree. “She’s got to do it, Mel. She deserves to have that moment and get handed her diploma. I’ll talk to her.”
“I wouldn’t, Liz.” Mel paused for several seconds before she went on. “She doesn’t see the point. I told her I’d come up to Cornell for the ceremony, but she said the sooner we get to Idaho, the sooner we get out of Idaho.”
“Idaho isn’t that bad,” she began and Mel snorted.
“Save the sales job for next January, darling, when we’re in the throes of a mountain blizzard. Anyway, Char wants to skip it. It’s not like there’ll be proud parents cheering her on. She’s ready to get on with her professional life. You can annoy her about it if you’d like, but I’m leaving it alone.”
While it seemed wrong to ignore the graduation ceremonies, Lizzie understood her sister’s reticence. “Mega college loans and the urge to move past this year’s craziness would have tipped me the same way. I won’t push. But we’ll celebrate here once you’ve both arrived.”
“Are we wrong to do this?” Mel asked. “To take on this challenge to inherit Uncle Sean’s ranch when we didn’t even know him? Does that seem greedy to you?”
“We weren’t allowed to know him, so that’s not our fault,” answered Lizzie. “Considering the fallout from Daddy’s choices, I’m okay with being out of the limelight for a while. And Shepherd’s Crossing is definitely off the beaten path. I get to work with horses all day and manage the business side of things without too much interference from Heath, mostly because he’s got lambs dropping.”
“I bet they’re the cutest things ever. And maybe we can develop a woolens side business linked to the ranch’s sheep output. Natural fibers are all the rage right now.” The marketer in Mel jumped right on board. “Idaho’s the perfect spot for something like that, don’t you think?”
The thought would never have occurred to Lizzie. “That’s why you’re the decorator and I’m in the stables. Oops, gotta go, my mare app is signaling. I’ll see you in a week or two. I love you, Mel.”
“Love you, too, Liz.”
She hurried to the stable area, but didn’t approach the laboring horse. Commotion could delay the mare’s progress. She slipped into the center stable and crossed to the office just as Heath did the same thing from the opposite end. He held up his phone. “Looks like it’s go time for Clampett’s Girl.”
“I didn’t know you had the app, too.”
“It made sense.” He moved her way. “Are you watching from a distance?”
“As much as I’d love to cheer her on, that would be a stupid move on my part, so yes.” She opened the office door and switched on the lights. She turned on the office monitors while Heath brewed coffee. When he had a cup made, he added cream and sugar and brought it to her. “That smells perfect.” She breathed in the scent. Rich. Full. Real coffee, the kind she loved. “From the looks of her, this might be a while.”
“Lots of coffee pods.” He pulled up a chair once his coffee was made and took a seat.
“Who’s in the lambing barn?”
“Wick. Jace is catching some sleep. He’ll holler if he needs me.”
“Or I can page you if you’re needed here,” she suggested, then paused. Looked at him. “You’re not sure I can handle this.”
He denied that quickly. “That’s not why I’m here. I don’t know anyone more comfortable around horses than you, Liz. It was like you were born to do this kind of thing, but while we’re both good with horses, neither one of us knows a lot about breeding them. Although with other animals it generally goes smooth on its own, so I expect this will, too.”
She pointed to a stack of books and printed articles. “I may have read up on a few things.”
