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“Please excuse her. My sister enjoys getting carried away, doesn’t she?” Cooper said with an eye roll worthy of Ellie. “We were talking about the farm stay proposal, Big Ears.” He poked Ellie in the side before switching his attention back to Lexi. “Which I think has potential, but obviously we can’t rely on that right now.”
“But it will help.”
He nodded, chewing his lip as he considered her thoughtfully, then tilted his head to the office. She shrugged and followed, surprised Jackson wasn’t there.
“He’s out fixing fences,” Cooper replied to her question. “But because he’s there and not here, I figured it’s safe to say this. He told me about your injury. I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” But somehow, the fact he knew didn’t bother her like it once had. “It’s okay.”
“I think you’re pretty remarkable to have gone through something like that, and still have a heart for others.”
“Um, thanks?”
He grinned, and in that moment, she could see his likeness to Jackson. “Anyway, he’s going to the bank tomorrow, and we need to somehow convince him that selling the land is not an option at all.”
“I know he doesn’t want to,” she said. “I think he regards it as a last resort.”
He nodded. “I have savings, and I know Mitchell is willing to put money in as well. Dermott would be doing the same if he hadn’t already invested his in a new business. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it would be really good if you could convince him to accept our help.”
“Me?”
“He listens to you, Lexi. He respects what you say. I think if you were to make the suggestion, he’d pay a lot more attention to you than he would his little brother.”
She smiled. “You’re only a few years younger, right?”
“You wouldn’t know it by the way he speaks about me.”
“What if he doesn’t? Maybe you’d be better off going to the bank with him.”
He sighed, and drew his hand through his hair, another move reminiscent of his brother. “I don’t know if he’ll listen.”
“Maybe you should pray his heart is soft to your suggestion.”
“So you’re a believer as well.”
“I don’t think anyone could go through what I did without believing in God.”
“But you believed before.”
“Yes.” She smiled. “I suppose it was inevitable with parents who run a Bible school. Why?” She suddenly was curious about his family. “Did your parents have faith?”
“We don’t talk about my father, and it’s obvious he didn’t take his marriage vows seriously. Mom took us to church when we were younger, but she got busy and Sundays were often spent working.”
“I bet that’s easy when you live on a ranch, with so many calls on your time. But Jackson and Ellie prioritize church now. How about you?”
He shrugged. “I’ll go. If I have to.”
Looked like another prayer point stood before her now. “Well, it’s a good thing our relationship with God doesn’t depend on how often we go to church.”
He nodded, looking away, and she followed his gaze around the room. “Jackson should clean this place up.”
“I think the ranch has had its overwhelming moments,” she said carefully.
“Looks like he’s been overwhelmed for years,” he muttered.
And maybe that was so. “But he’s getting on top of things again.”
“Yeah? How do you know?”
