Page 70 of Shattered Melodies

He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I appreciate that, Liam. I really do. But for now, just focus on learning the ropes, okay? One step at a time.”

I nodded, but my mind was already racing. There had to be something I could do, some way I could use my skills, my resources, to help the ranch weather this storm.

I just had to figure out what that was.

By the time I finally made it back to my own house, my head was spinning with numbers and possibilities, my heart full to bursting.

As I stepped inside, Peanut weaving between my legs, I felt a sudden rush of exhaustion. It had been a long day, a rollercoaster of emotions and revelations.

But even as my body cried out for rest, my mind was alive with inspiration. I wandered over to my newly renovated music space, my fingers itching to create.

And as I sat down at the piano, as I let my hands drift over the keys the music began to flow, pouring out of me like water from a spring. Melodies and harmonies, lyrics and rhythms, all tangling together in a glorious tapestry of sound.

CHAPTER 20

A Good Place to Start

CALEB

Being knee-deep in a pile of dusty old equipment wasn’t fun at all. Sweat was dripping down my back as I rummaged through the ranch’s storage shed. We needed money, and we needed it fast. But so far, all I’d found was a bunch of rusty tools and broken-down machinery.

“Come on,” I muttered, tossing aside a coil of frayed rope. “There’s gotta be something in here worth selling.”

But deep down, I knew it was a long shot. We’d already sold off most of our valuables, pawned everything that wasn’t nailed down just to keep the lights on and the animals fed.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that the ranch I’d grown up on, the land that had been in my family for generations, was slipping through our fingers like sand through a sieve.

I sighed, leaning back on my heels and wiping the sweat from my brow. This was supposed to be our legacy, our future. But now…now it felt like a weight around my neck, dragging me down into an abyss of debt and desperation.

“Caleb!” Hank’s voice jolted me out of my dark thoughts. I looked up to see him standing in the doorway, his weathered face creased with concern.

“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light. No sense in burdening him with my worries, not when he had enough of his own to deal with.

“I need you to train the new hire today,” he said, his eyes flickering to the pile of junk at my feet. “Think you can handle it?”

I nodded, forcing a grin. “Sure thing, boss. I’ll whip ‘em into shape in no time.”

Hank’s mouth twitched, like he was trying to hold back a smile. “I don’t doubt it. Just try not to scare this one off like the last one, alright?”

I clutched my chest in mock offense. “Moi? Scare someone off? Never.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah. Just get out there and find him, will ya? He’s probably lost in the cornfields by now.”

“Shit, is it that late already? I better get moving.”

I brushed past Hank, my mind already racing ahead to the task at hand. A new hire, huh? I wondered what kind of city slicker we’d gotten this time, some soft-handed pretty boy who’d never seen a cow up close before. Well, whoever he was, he was about to get a crash course in ranch life, Caleb Winchester style.

The sun beat down on my back, hot and heavy, but I barely felt it. I was used to the heat, used to the sweat and the grime and the endless, backbreaking work. It was in my blood, this life. As much a part of me as the air in my lungs and the beat of my heart.

I was just rounding the corner of the barn when I ran smack into Dean, nearly knocking him off his feet.

“Whoa, easy there, cowboy,” he said, steadying himself with a hand on my arm. “Where’s the fire?”

I grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. “No fire, just looking for the new guy. You seen him around?”

Dean’s brow furrowed, his green eyes narrowing in thought. “Last I saw, he was headed towards the chicken coop. But that was a while ago.”

I nodded, already moving past him. “Thanks, man. I’ll check there first.”

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