Her throat tightened with emotion. She knew Cody was right, that her father would have wanted her to take care of the ranch, to make sure it was sold to someone who would love it as much as he had.
“Okay,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I’ll stay. For a little while, at least. Until the work is done.”
Cody’s smile was blinding, his eyes sparkling with a joy that made Emma’s heart skip a beat. “That’s my girl,” he said softly, and the words echoed through her mind.My girl. “We’ll get this place fixed up in no time, Emma. You’ll see.”
Emma nodded, feeling a sudden rush of determination. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, that there would be long days and hard work ahead of her. But with Cody helping, it might just be possible.
They started with the barn, spending long hours clearing out the debris and repairing the crumbling walls. Emma was clumsy at first, her hands unused to the rough wood and heavy tools. But Cody was patient, showing her how to hold a hammer and drive a nail, how to measure and cut and sand until the wood was smooth and straight.
As they worked, Emma found herself watching Cody, marveling at the easy way he moved, the strength and grace in his hands. He seemed to know instinctively what needed to be done, his eyes always scanning, searching for the next task.
She asked him about it as they took a break in the afternoon heat, sitting on the porch steps, sharing a thermos of iced tea. “How do you do it?” she asked, her voice filled with wonder. “How do you always know what needs to be done, and how to do it?”
Cody smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’ve been working this land—here, and my own ranch—my whole life, Emma,” he said softly, his voice filled with a quiet reverence. “It’s in my blood, I guess. I can feel it, in a way. The pulse of theearth, the rhythm of the seasons. It’s like the land speaks to me, telling me what it needs.”
Emma felt a sudden rush of envy, mixed with a deep longing. She had never felt that kind of connection to the land, that sense of belonging that Cody seemed to carry with him like a second skin.
And then he laughed. “That, and a whole lot of learning things the hard way. Like if we don’t fix that fence over there soon, you’re going to have some ornery cattle breaking their way into the barn, looking for food. Ghost won’t take too kindly to that.”
“No, I imagine not,” she said with a wry smile.
Emma drained the last of the iced tea, the cool liquid soothing her parched throat. She stood up, brushing the dust from her jeans. “Well, I guess we’d better get to that fence then,” she said, holding out a hand to help Cody up.
He grinned, his calloused palm warm against hers as he levered himself to his feet. “Lead the way, boss.”
Emma laughed, shaking her head. “I’m hardly the boss, Cody. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing out here.”
“You’re learning fast,” he said, his tone sincere. “And you’ve got good instincts. You’ll get there.”
They grabbed the tools they needed from the barn and headed out to the pasture, the sun beating down on their backs. The fence was in worse shape than Emma had realized, the posts leaning drunkenly and the wire sagging in places.
“This is going to be a big job,” she said, her heart sinking.
Cody just shrugged, that easy smile still on his face. “We’ll take it one post at a time. Here, I’ll show you how to set a new one.”
He walked her through the process, demonstrating how to dig the hole, secure the post, and attach the wire. Emma watched carefully, trying to commit each step to memory.
When it was her turn, she took the post hole digger from Cody, the weight of it unfamiliar in her hands. She positioned it where Cody indicated and pushed down, grunting with effort as the blades bit into the hard-packed earth.
It was slow going, and before long, Emma’s muscles were screaming in protest. She paused to wipe the sweat from her brow, feeling a sudden rush of frustration.
“I don’t know how you do this every day,” she said, her voice strained. “I feel like I’ve barely made a dent.”
Cody’s hand landed on her shoulder, his touch gentle. “You’re doing great, Emma. Take a break if you need to. This isn’t a race.”
But Emma shook her head, determined. “No, I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”
They worked steadily, the sun moving across the sky as they made their way along the fence line. Emma felt herself falling into a rhythm, her body learning the motions even as her mind wandered.
She thought about her father, about the love and care he had poured into this land. She thought about the sacrifice Cody was making, giving up his time to help her.
A sudden realization hit her, and she turned to Cody, her eyes wide. “Oh, Cody! Your ranch. I’ve kept you here all day, and you have your own work to do. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think...”
But Cody just waved a hand, cutting her off. “Don’t worry about it, Emma. I took care of what I needed to do at my place before I came over.”
“Wow,” she said, blinking. “I guess I’d forgotten how early life starts in the country.”
“You know us country folks, we start our day before the sun’s even up.”
