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The Wilsons looked tanned and relaxed as they got out of their sedan. They greeted Millie and Jake with hugs.
“It looks like you’ve taken great care of our farm!” Mrs. Wilson clapped her hands together, looking out at the fields.
Emotion filled Mr. Wilson’s eyes. “You’ve done real good, my boy.”
He reached out and gave a hearty handshake, and they continued up the front porch and into the house.
“You should stay here while you’re in town, I can stay somewhere else,” Jake suggested again, but Mrs. Wilson was shaking her head.
“Heavens no, this is your place now.” She looked at her husband. “We’re staying with our daughter and her family.”
“Did you have any trouble growing up your pasture for the cattle?” Mr. Wilson peered out the window.
“I had some luck with it,” Jake said modestly, but he was proud of what he had done.
The small talk continued through coffee, but finally Mr. Wilson said, “Look, son, you know why we’re here. With the market being what it is, we’d really like to put the house up, come the New Year.”
Jake nodded. “I completely understand.” They were retired now. They didn’t want to hang onto the farm until a washed-up Marine could get his act together. “I wish I could afford the place.” But the fact was, he couldn’t. It made the situation awkward for the kindest couple on earth. They were essentially being forced to kick him out.
“You have right of first refusal,” Mrs. Wilson reminded him.
He nodded, but their asking price was way over his budget, even if he had twice the stock of cattle to sell. He just didn’t have enough revenue. And no bank would be willing to lend him the money.
Mrs. Wilson grimaced at her husband and patted his hand. “We were wondering if maybe you could set up something with the bank? Or, have you thought about asking your stepfather to co-sign?”
Even the manager at the bank had suggested this. Everyone knew his stepfather had more money than he knew what to do with. “No, I’m afraid I can’t.” He knew it would not only be easier for the Wilsons to sell to him, but it would give them peace of mind. They knew Jake was just as invested in the place as they had been. He wouldn’t break up the farm into land parcels for developers, like Ted would. “I’m really sorry.”
“No, don’t be.” Mrs. Wilson’s forehead wrinkled. “We just hope you find a place that works for you.”
He nodded. “I’ll be out by the end of the year. I’ll have to sell the cattle.”
That would earn just enough for him to break even, with luck.
“Stay until we find a buyer.”
He didn’t argue. What else could he do?
That night, he got out his laptop and scrolled through properties, but anything remotely in his price range would take years to build up, if he could manage it at all. If this year had done anything for him, it had removed the rose-colored glasses from his eyes. Most ranchers folded before they ever earned enough to go full time, and realistically, it would be years before that would happen for him. The market was unpredictable, the costs high, the financial rewards low. The odds were against him making it. But he had to try to find another way.
Or lose everything.
Chapter 15
Elaine Ryland had never attended the women’s bible study class before, so it was a surprise to see her there. She greeted Hannah and Maggie with hugs and asked if she could sit next to them. Hannah held Mae and tried to pay attention to the conversation, but the whole time she had a burning desire to talk to her alone. Find out if she knew what her husband did to her son.
From what Jake had told Hannah, Elaine had left his real father in the middle of the night, never to look back. Ted had been the guy who “saved” her from the monster, helped her divorce him and get custody of Jake.
“I’d love for you to stop by and have coffee sometime,” Elaine said, as the meeting ended.
“Sure,” she said automatically, not having enough time to think of an excuse.
Now, she stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to Elaine’s house, holding a dish of fresh raspberry crumble. Her plan had been to just casually swing by to say hello, but now she regretted coming. She hadn’t talked to Jake, which made her feel weird about going to see his mother.
“You came!” she heard Elaine calling out from a front window. “Come in, come in!” She whisked open the front door and gestured Hannah inside. “What do you have here?” She plucked the warm dish from Hannah’s hands.
“I made one of Maggie’s favorite recipes.”
