Page 43 of Before You Can Blink
I followed her command, though it did nothing to loosen the tightness in my chest.
“And another.”
She placed a hand directly over my heart, which seemed to do the trick. The tension seeped out of me, almost as if on command.
“That’s better.” She pecked my cheek before pulling back. “Now get dressed so you can hold down the fort until I get back.” Daisy landed a swat on my ass, and then she was out the door.
Great. Of the two of us, my wife was the social butterfly, and without her by my side, there would be no hiding my discomfort over the generosity being bestowed upon us.
There were more people milling around this field than ants at a picnic. A good chunk of them were from the Livingston Ranch, Murph and Wade among them, but there were also folks from town whom I’d known my whole life, eager to pitch in and lend a hand where needed, even though they had zero construction experience.
My eye caught on a trio of dark-haired boys trailing Tanner Winfield, owner of the cattle ranch on the far side of Major County. The older two held opposite ends of a wooden beam, working together to carry it from the flatbed truck to where the adults were creating a frame for the barn’s exterior wall. The littlest one didn’t even reach his Daddy’s knee as hebounced along beside him, eyes wide as he gestured to the crane that had been brought in.
For a moment, I got caught up in what it might be like to have my own son working by my side, teaching him the ropes—if I ever managed to learn them myself—in the hope that someday, he might carry on my legacy.
“You’re either brave or stupid for starting this whole thing from scratch.”
I turned to find Buck Livingston standing beside me.
“Try desperate,” I grunted my response.
Buck let out a hum. “That makes more sense. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why a young man like yourself would shackle himself with the life sentence that is ranch ownership. Especially one who wasn’t brought up with the expectation of taking over one already established, like me and Winfield over there.” His chin jerked toward the man barely able to get much done with three kids underfoot, all of them trying to “help.”
“Is it always like this? People showing up without asking?” I failed to keep the annoyance from my tone.
“No, son.” The relief that flooded my system was short-lived when he clarified, “Usually, we’re not too proud to do the asking.”
All I could do was gawk at the man old enough to be my father.
Chuckling, Buck shot me straight. “You’re a landowner now, and around these parts, that means we work together. Today, we’re out here building you a barn, but tomorrow, Tanner might need help bringing in his herd for vaccinations. It always evens out, and if you’re lucky, someday, you might find yourself in a position to pay it forward.”
Given that I was likely decades away from offering someone a leg up, his words didn’t bring much comfort.
“You given any thought to a foreman?”
“I’m more concerned about making it through the winter without freezing to death,” I muttered.
“Fair.” His head bobbed. “But if you survive that long”—there was a hint of humor in his voice—“you’re going to need someone you can count on, someone you trust.”
“I can barely house me and my wife out here. I can’t bring on help without being able to provide them with room and board.”
“Then I guess we’re building you a bunkhouse in the spring.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to cut me off. “I could see the chip on your shoulder a mile away. I know it’s the last thing you want to hear, but you can’t do this all on your own. It’s impossible.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. The mere idea of accepting this much assistance had my gut churning so violently, I was certain I’d have an ulcer before the day was through.
“As it happens, I’ve got the perfect man for the job,” Buck said.
“Oh yeah? Who?”
When Buck didn’t answer, I tracked his gaze to find it had landed on Wade, who was flirting up a storm with Caroline as she helped Daisy dish out servings of the breakfast spread laid out on someone’s truck bed.
“Wade? Really?” I had my doubts that he could carry out such an important role. I loved the guy—he’d been my best friend since we were kids—but he wasn’t what I’d call responsible.
Yeah, well, neither were you a few months ago.
“Really,” Buck confirmed. “If I didn’t already have a guy, he’d be up for a promotion. Came to me green as hell, but he’s taken to ranching like none I’ve ever seen. He’d be a hell of an asset.” He clapped me on the back before beginning to walk away. “Do me a favor and think it over.”
Before he could make it too far, I called out to his back, “Any other advice?”
