Boone opened his mouth, shut it. “Come again?”
“Silas needs a heart transplant,” Wade said each word slowly. “Rhett and Macy will be living at a hotel near the hospital for as long as he’s there. That could be weeks, months. Possibly longer. No one knows when or if a heart will become available. But we know for sure they’re going to miss the entire summer here. Beyond the health crisis our nephew is facing, you understand the significance of them not being here, don’t you?”
Of course Boone did. Rhett and Macy were codirectors of the ranch. They ran...everything. And with it being summer, Camp Firefly, the summer camp the ranch hosted at no cost for kids in the foster care system, would already be in full swing.
Boone blew out a long puff of air. “What are you going to do?”
“Actually, the real question is, what are you going to do?” Wade pushed his pointer finger into Boone’s chest. He continued before Boone could react. “I know you’re already facing a lot, but we need you, Boone. This family needs you to step up and run the camp and financial side of the ranch while Rhett is gone.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Boone shook his head. He wanted to help his family, but running the ranch? That was out of his wheelhouse. He had intended to come back to heal around his family, to have time with Hailey and to be away from Maine where they had so many recent memories with June. Boone was supposed to use the summer to decide if he was going to finish seminary. Running the ranch would not help him solve anything. Besides, when their father died, the will had specified that the ranch was to be left to Rhett in full and if the eldest Jarrett didn’t want his inheritance then it could pass to Boone or be sold with the proceeds being donated. Boone hadn’t wanted to run the ranch then any more than he wanted to do so now. While he loved Red Dog Ranch as his home, his ambitions had always lain elsewhere, which was why he had been attending seminary the last few years. Boone wasn’t and never would be a rancher.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a good idea,” Wade said. “You’re all we’ve got, so you’re going to run the show. Case closed.”
Boone worked his jaw back and forth. Why did Shannon have to be gone? She would have been perfect for the role. “What about you?”
“I’m already head of maintenance. Do you know how much work it is to maintain over one hundred acres of land and all the machinery and buildings it takes to run this property?” Wade stretched his arms to encompass the expanse of land they owned. “Not just that, I’ve been running the cattle side of the ranch for the last four months and on top of those things, I’ve taken over managing all the ranch hands. I also happen to have a pregnant wife and a fairly new marriage I’m trying to keep healthy.” He put his hands up in an act of surrender. “My hands are full, buddy. I honestly can’t handle anything else.”
Boone hadn’t comprehended how much his younger brother was already shouldering and felt foolish for having suggested he take on more. He linked his fingers behind his neck and looked out across the pastures. He wanted Red Dog Ranch to be successful because he loved his family and believed in their mission to help foster kids. What kind of minister-in-training would Boone be if he turned his back on his family when they were in need?
Boone sucked in a long breath. “You’re right. You have way too much on your plate already.” He held up a hand. “Now, I don’t know if I know how to do everything. I’ve been away from the ranch for years. But with some help, I’m willing to try.”
Wade smiled. “Like I said before, Violet will help you.”
“Violet?” With the amount of information Wade had tossed his way in the last few minutes, Boone hadn’t caught that tidbit. “I thought she was working with the horses.”
Wade’s laugh was rich and a welcome change, given the heavy topics they’d been discussing. “Violet was in a leg cast for seven weeks. She only just got it off. No, she hasn’t been working with the horses, not until just this week. But the second they brought her back from the hospital after she was first injured she crutched her way into the office and told Macy to teach her everything because she wanted to be useful and knew Macy was going to have to go on leave soon.” Wade gestured to where the ranch office sat at the front of their property, near the driveway. “We had assumed Shannon would fill in at the office while Macy was on maternity leave so after she eloped, we were left scrambling. Macy was only too happy to teach Violet, and Violet’s been running the show ever since. Thankfully she seems to have a knack for it.”
“You’re telling me Violet’s been running our family’s ranch these last few weeks?”
Wade moved his hand in the universal kinda-sorta motion. “Remember, she spent a good ten or so summers here as a camper so she knows how that part of things goes. And up until today, Rhett’s been here. He was tired from having a newborn at home, of course, but he was still around to do most of it with her helping.” He thumped Boone’s chest. “And now it’s all you, bud.”
Boone scrubbed his hand over his jaw and faced the barn. “Which means it’s olive branch time.”
Wade squeezed his shoulder and gave it a little shake. “Sounds about right.” He let go. “Send the girls up to the mess hall. Cassidy and I will be in there prepping for tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? Right, campers arrived on Sunday afternoons. Apparently his new position started right this minute.
Boone swallowed hard and headed
