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“I’d love to go see it with you,” she said. “Everyone’s already gone up to check it out. Are you done for the day? Would you like to go for a walk up to the ranch?”
He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to go up there again. Ever.
“You know, I’m not feeling very well right now, I think I just had a stressful day and need to rest.”
“Wow.You, rest?” she teased, but he could hear a hint of concern. “Can I bring you anything?”
Her graciousness and thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze him. He didn’t deserve her. He couldn’t even get his life together. How could he provide for her?
“I’m good.” He paused, then he said, “Maybe just a short walk, later?”
“I’d like that.”
After an hour of just staring out at the pasture, his phone rang again.
He looked down, and his heart sank.
“Mr. Wilson,” he said into the phone.
“Jake!” The man’s voice was upbeat. “We’ve booked a flight out this week, and we’d like to sit down and discuss the house.”
“Really, this week?” He thought he’d have more time. A few weeks, not days.
“We know how hard you’ve been working, and well, we didn’t want to make you wait any longer.” He paused for dramatic effect, and Jake thought for sure his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “We’ve decided to sell!”
* * *
Hannah knew something was wrong, but Jake wasn’t talking. Whatever it was, she hoped he could work it out on his own, since he certainly didn’t want to discuss it. He refused any explanation other than being “just tired”, and they didn’t really talk.
He still invited them to dinner, but even Emma noticed something was off.
“Maybe he’s tired?” Emma said, when he excused himself for a moment.
“But something seems off, right?”
Emma shrugged. She was no help.
After dinner, as they headed out to the barn, Emma chattered on to Jake like usual, and he seemed to relax a bit.
“I can see why you love this place,” she said, when Jake brought her out a cup of tea.
“Hmm.” He gazed off into the distance, leaning his arms on the fence. Millie scrounged around the ground by their feet, not willing to leave his side.
“You sure you don’t want to talk about what’s going on?”
“I’m sorry.” He let out a long exhale. “I lost my job today.”
“What?” she sputtered. “Your stepdad fired you? But I thought the project was a huge success?”
He shook his head. “He never really hired me. He just kind of let me work when there was extra work, and now that the barn’s done…”
“Why not work at the ranch? I’m sure your construction skills would be a real asset.”
He shook his head. “Look, Hannah, I think I messed up. This ranch, the horse, even Millie. I messed everything up. I thought I could handle it all. The time, the expenses, the responsibility. But I was just dreaming. The reality is that I’m in way over my head, and my life raft just sank.”
Somehow, he’d held onto that tiny sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, Ted would actually appreciate his hard work, admire his accomplishments, be proud to have him as his stepson.
“Jake, your stepdad is a jerk.”
