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I so badly wanted to tell my brothers that it wasn’t the ranch that had me so stressed out. It was Dad, our dad. But I couldn’t break my word to Mom, and I understood why she didn’t want them to know. They’d be upset and they’d all be anxious. Dad was the stalwart. He was the glue of the family; the one who kept everything under control. We’d be devastated if we lost him.
“I got it, guys. Thank you. I will ensure that I do not do all the work myself,” I said.
“Okay. And then what are you going to do about Olivia?” Austin said.
“What?”
“Come on now, Beau.” Chet rolled his eyes. He looked over at the other. “So, guys, let me catch you up. Olivia is Lucy’s best friend. And you guys know Lucy. Well, Olivia came to visit Lucy, and guess who has a crush on her?”
I shook my head vehemently. “I do not have a crush on her.”
“You have more than a crush,” Austin said with a laugh. “I heard that they . . .” He made a sexual sound, and I glared at him.
“Really, Austin? How old are you?”
“Really, Beau? Why are you pretending like it didn’t happen?”
“Because that’s all it was, and I don’t want to make this a bigger deal than it should be. It was a one-time thing.”
“You don’t want to be with Olivia? Is that what you’re saying? And how am I supposed to tell my fiancée that you banged her best friend and now want nothing to do with her?”
“It’s not like that. I didn’t bang her. It’s not that I don’t want anything to do with her. This just isn’t the right time.”
“Really?” Austin said. “Why?”
“Because of the ranch.”
“We’re here to help you with the ranch,” Chet said. “You know that. I agree with Austin, Beau. You’ve been really stressing out about this whole thing. I know Dad put you in charge, and I know there’s a lot going on here, but we’re a family and we’ll get through this together, through thick and thin. We’re all here to help you out in any way that we can.”
“Yeah,” Wyatt said. “I may be the youngest, but I can work.”
“Okay,” I said. “Thanks, guys.” I stood up and we all put our arms around each other. It’d been a long time since we were all together. We’d grown up as a tight-knit group, and we all tried to make it for Sunday lunch, but recently, that hadn’t been able to happen with Flint, Knox, and Huck traveling around. But now they were home.
“It’s good to see everyone in the same room,” I said with a smile.
“We should have a big lunch tomorrow,” Austin said thoughtfully. “Sort of a welcome home lunch for everyone.”
“But Mom and Dad aren’t here,” I said.
“That’s okay,” Austin said. “Mom and Dad are in Seattle having fun.”
“Oh, they are?” Knox said. “I was wondering why I didn’t see Mom in the kitchen this morning. What are they doing in Seattle?”
“I think they’re on a second honeymoon or something.” Austin shrugged. “Do you know why they went, Beau?”
“Yeah, I think it was just to get away and have a fun trip,” I said quickly, not wanting them to suspect it was something more serious. “And that sounds like a good time. Let’s do a family brunch tomorrow. The women can cook and—”
“Don’t let Lucy hear you say that,” Austin said. “She’ll say, ‘What, are women the only ones that are meant to be in the kitchen?’”
“And I’d say yes,” Chet said, and we all groaned.
“And that is why you’re gonna be single forever,” Austin replied. “Okay, guys. Let’s leave Beau to get to work.” He looked over at me. “And it looks like some of you guys want to go back to bed.”
“I know I do,” Knox said with a yawn.
“Thanks,” I told them. “And maybe next week we can all have a big family meeting, and I can split up some of the duties and things that need to be done?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Wyatt said.
