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“Can I watch?” Ivan asked, waggling his brows to imitate Rory.
Catching on, Rory screwed his expression into the fiercest scowl. “No.”
“Ah, come on,” Ivan pleaded as he rose to his feet. “I could stand outside the door and you could narrate the activity.”
Rory groaned and shook his head. “God, I was such a brat.”
“You were, but I adored every second.”
Rory stood at the head of the dining room table a few hours later and scanned the faces watching him with rapt attention. He’d made pitches to Snyder Global Industries’ marketing execs several times before he left the company, but none of those presentations meant as much to him as this one did. He might share a name with the conglomerate’s CEO, but the people on the ranch were his family just the same.
“For the first time since its inception, there will be no poker night on the ranch,” Rory said. Tyler and Owen shared a confused look before giving him their attention again. “That’s because we’re facing a situation with much higher stakes than five-card stud.” He let the words settle before he continued. “Salvation Anew’s reign of terror stops today.”
“Hell yeah,” Dylan called out while a few others clapped.
Cash smiled encouragingly. “I’m excited to hear your new ideas.”
“I admit I was ready to tuck tail and run as soon as we got back to the ranch. My instincts were to pull the media’s focus away from all of you like a decoy. I still think I can pull it off and save you guys from a bunch of undeserved scrutiny.” The vultures were already circling near the gates when the last of the crew had returned from the adoption day festivities.
“Boooo,” Kieran called out. “We want what’s behind door number two.”
Rory snickered and shook his head. “Seriously, just give me a moment to be real with you and explain what we can expect if I stick around.”
They quietly listened as Rory repeated what he’d said during the truck ride home. The guys had a right to know that the journalists would dig up their history and air it out to anyone watching the news or reading online. As for Ivan, he crossed his arms over his chest and glared from one person to the next, making his position crystal clear.
“If you want me to go, I’ll go,” Rory told them when he finished. “I will set myself up someplace accessible and pull their attention away from the ranch while we implement a second phase.” Several people glanced over to take Ivan’s measure but said nothing. “This decision isn’t up to Ivan,” Rory said. “Everyone gets a vote.”
“All in favor of keeping Rory right here with us while we stick it to Salvation Anew say aye,” Ivan said, sounding every bit the conqueror.
A raucous chorus of ayes echoed around the dining room, and every hand went up. Their support meant the world to Rory, and he felt the telltale sting in the back of his nose that warned of tears if he didn’t get a grip on his emotions.
“Okay, then,” Rory said. “The ayes have it.” After another round of cheers, Rory strategically laid out his plan. “The only way to get rid of Salvation Anew is for the citizens of Last Chance Creek to run them out of here. Cut the head off the snake and the rest of it dies. The best way to do that is to take away that Samuel guy’s power. If we can steal his thunder and expose the group’s true character, he’ll pull up stakes and seek attention elsewhere. We saw evidence that the community has grown tired of the group’s nonsense, and we need to keep striking while the momentum is with us. People love a redemption story, so let’s give it to them.”
“Do you suggest more community events?” Cash asked.
“You could, but this kind of story has the potential to gain national attention. I say we take a broader approach.” Encouraged by several nods from the group, Rory continued. “It’s not enough to just tell people about our mission. We need to show them too. We start with an overhaul to the ranch’s website. Then we could upload weekly webisodes or vlog posts or even create a YouTube channel and upload them there. I have a lot of experience doing this, so we can handle filming, editing, and content management in-house. The YouTube option is a way to monetize the videos, which would bring in additional funds for the ranch. You could even set up a nonprofit foundation to help the surrounding community with a portion of the proceeds.”
“I like that idea a lot,” Cash said.
Harry’s eyes looked suspiciously moist as she smiled at him. “I think this is going to be fabulous.”
“I’m glad you think so because you’d make a darling star in many of the vlog posts,” Rory replied.
Harry placed her hand on her chest. “Me?”
“Absolutely. You could provide tips on gardening, composting, cooking, and cleaning. You could share recipes or advice for setting up a household schedule.”
“You’d kill it,” Rueben told her.
Harry reached over and squeezed his arm. “I’m flattered, and I’ll do anything I can to help my guys.”
“You’re not the only one who is both easy on the eyes and brimming with talent. And the emphasis of these webisodes should be on the guys, their redemption stories, and the ranch’s primary mission. You guys are the ones Salvation Anew is attacking, and you’re the ones who will need to fight back.” He went around the room and listed all the things he’d observed and admired from everyone around the table. The crew all downplayed their talents, but it didn’t sway Rory. “We’ll have videos on working with horses, dogs, and bees. You raise your own eggs, vegetables, and fruits. Rueben is wickedly talented with metalwork. And that’s just scratching the surface. A wise man said it’s time to go on the offense and stop letting Salvation Anew dictate the conversation about us.”
Murmurs of agreement echoed around the table.
“I don’t need everyone to commit right now. It’s fine if you want to hang back and see how things go. I have a few videos of Ivan in Honeyland I could start with, and Harry and I could record some content in no time at all. I want to be clear that no one should feel pressured to do something that makes them uncomfortable. We want this to be fun and natural. Something forced will be seen as fake, and we don’t want that. I’m only looking for volunteers. Who is interested, and what’s the topic you’d like to cover for your first video?”
Every hand went up, and they all started talking at once. Ivan crooked his finger, and Rory leaned toward him. “You’re about to get very, very busy.”
