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He tried explaining that to the woman he was seeing, and they told him it was fine… until it wasn’t. They couldn’t understand that it was a twenty-four-seven, three hundred sixty-five-day job. He didn’t get holidays or vacations. He worked. It was his job to keep the ranch prospering, and he did.
Liam knew when the time came, he and his sister would inherit the ranch, and he hoped to buy her out. JoJo wanted little to do with it, especially since meeting and falling in love with Brett.
If JoJo wanted to share the ranch, then that’s what they would do. But Liam didn’t care. He just knew that he’d live on it as he did now.
His home was over a mile from the main house. He needed his privacy, and his parents needed theirs.
When his horse shifted under him, he swore when he realized he’d ridden the fence but didn’t check it. With a sigh, he turned the horse around and rode back.
After checking and repairing the fence, he rode back to the barn, cooled the horse down, and strode to his truck. He was tired, hungry, and needed a shower. It was after seven.
His cellphone buzzed when he got into the truck. He took it from his pocket to see his mother’s face.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. Are you just getting in?”
“Yeah. A section of the fence was down, and the sun was setting by the time the men got there with the wire. I didn’t get much else done today.”
“Liam, you know you will get it caught up. Why don’t you come to the house and I’ll make you something to eat? We had meatloaf. I could reheat it for you.”
His stomach growled, thinking about his mother’s meatloaf.
“Do you have mashed potatoes?”
“Of course.”
“I’m dirty, Mom.”
“I’m married to a rancher. I know how it goes. Come to the house.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Liam stepped out of the truck, strode through the barn, and across the yard to the house. He would rather go home, but knew better than to tell his mother no. He wiped his feet on the mat, opened the door, and entered the kitchen.
After removing his flannel shirt and hat, he hung them up, sat on the bench, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
“Rough day, son?”
Liam opened his eyes, raised his head, and looked at his father standing in the doorway to the living room.
“Yeah. About twenty-five feet of fence was down.”
“Did you round up the cattle?”
“They weren’t in that pasture, Dad.”
“So, why was the fence down?”
“I don’t know. I could call MDOL and have them check around it.”
“Yes, do that. If someone is staking out the property, we need to know and watch for it.”
Liam pushed to his feet. “Yes, sir. We did a head count, and no cattle are missing, but that doesn’t mean someone isn’t checking the livestock. I need to wash up.”
“Okay, son.” Joseph Flynn nodded and left the room.
Liam went to the hall bathroom, washed his hands and face, then walked back to the kitchen. His stomach growled when he saw the plate on the bar loaded with meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and corn. He grinned when he saw the glass of milk. His mother was a firm believer in drinking milk. He didn’t mind, but JoJo hated milk, and they would always pour hers into his glass.
