Page 16 of Careless Hope
“Damn, that’s awesome, cuz,” Damon replied around a bite of pork.
Damon ran a cattle ranch on the other side of town. Hisgrandfather had bought the land in the sixties and built it up from there. It was much smaller than Red Downs, but a lucrative business in its own right. Sutton inherited half of the ranch, too, but had no interest in working it as she was busy with her bakery. That was all too well with Damon because those two butted heads almost as much as Gray and me.
“Eryn, I heard you met our new doctor. How is Caroline doing?” Mama asked, changing the subject. The mention of Caroline’s name had my pulse quickening as I thought about our breakfast the other day.
“Oh, she’s great. I really like her, which is good because I’d already scheduled an appointment with her for next week.”
“They became fast friends,” Sutton said with a smile.
“It’s true, she’s so sweet.”
“She is,” I said before I could stop myself. Everyone looked at me, but I shrugged. “I always thought so.”
Gray chuckled. “Don’t lie, now. You never gave her one minute of thought in high school. Too busy chasing cheerleaders, then fending them off when they got too close.”
I don’t know why, but that made me want to punch him in the nose. It wasn’t untrue. At least not mostly. I did notice Caroline insomuch as to know she was smart as hell and certainly not the type of girl to give me a minute of thought. And as a seventeen year old dipshit, that was enough to know to stay away from her.
Now, she was back. We were older, but she was still the smart, kind person she’d been back then. And I was a little bit less of a dipshit. We could be friends.
Mama cleared her throat. “Well, I for one am glad she’s back and took over her father’s practice. We need some new blood in town. And a female doctor in Whittier has been a long time coming.”
“Hear, hear!” Gran said with a shimmy and a raised glass. Mama toasted her and the conversation turned to other changes in town, like Eryn’s wellness retreat Sunshine Acres, and the new cafe that opened up on the river.
Despite the joy filling the room and the savory scent wafting from the dishes, there was an underlying tension between Gray and me. I couldn’t sit here and pretend everything was fine when I knew all he had was skepticism about my plans for the ranch. I replayed his words in my head as I absentmindedly ate. The clinking of cutlery and chatter around me became a distant hum as I delved into my own thoughts.
“Earth to Walker.” Eryn’s voice broke through my reverie, her gaze fixed on me with concern. “You look like you’re a million miles away. Everything okay?”
I blinked, refocusing on her curious face. “Yeah, just thinking. Speaking of change . . . ”
Gray shot me a knowing look from across the table, a silent challenge in his eyes. I couldn’t help but bristle at the unspoken judgment laced in his gaze.
Mom must have sensed the growing tension because she paled. Gran got up from the table and left down the hall, probably pretending to use the restroom to get out of our way.
“I think Red Downs needs to be a part of this new and improved Whittier Falls. We’ve been talkin’ about it a long time.”
“Yeah, and we just talked about it the other day. I’m not doin’ this now.”
“Gray,” I began, my voice steady despite the thrum of anticipation racing through me. “You’re stuck in the past, and all these changes in town are just evidence that things evolve.”
“Riding lessons? Tourism? Equine therapy?” His deep voice rumbled with skepticism. “Those things are fine but I’m not convinced they’re for us.”
“Why? Because you don’t trust me?”
“For a start.” Someone dropped a fork and the silence in the room became deafening. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut after all. “Walker, we breed champion horses here, not run a petting zoo.”
“Come on, it’s more than that.” I leaned forward, my hands animated as I outlined my vision. “Imagine families coming out for the day, getting a taste of the cowboy life. We’d be providing a service—and equine therapy’s proven to help folks with all sorts of issues. We’d be doing more than just business, we’d be helping people.”
“And who’s gonna manage all this? You?” His blue eyes, so like mine yet filled with the weight of years running the ranch, pinned me in place. “You think you’re ready to step up and handle the kind of responsibility that keeps you home nights?”
“Damn right, I do.” The words shot out of me, fueled by a mix of pride and something fierce like the kick of a wild mustang. “I’m tired of being the family joke, Gray. I can do this. I want to do this.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, the lines around his eyes tightening. “Responsibility ain’t just a word you can toss around, little brother. It’s showing up every day, rain or shine. It’s making tough calls. It’s putting the ranch above everything else.”
“Isn’t that what I’m trying to tell you I’m ready for?” I challenged, the frustration simmering beneath my calm exterior.
“Come on, Gray,” Damon said beside me, his broad shoulders casting a shadow over the table. “The kid’s got some fire in him. ‘Bout time he put it to good use.”
“Kid?” I muttered under my breath, trying not to bristle at the nickname that stuck to me like burrs to denim.
