Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rob sighed as he rolled another round bale off the trailer to give to the cattle in the farthest pasture. The past three weeks had been exhausting, but he’d finally figured out a routine that allowed him to get things done around the ranch and still make it home to spend time with MJ every night. He’d even made it to her mom’s house to have dinner with her family almost every Thursday. He hadn’t missed a date night, although this week, they’d spend Sunday together during the day. She’d been a trooper, helping him at the ranch most weekends.
He enjoyed sharing things with her, and she was more involved in the mundane details of ranching than anyone he’d ever gone out with before. There was a rightness to it. If he had his way, they’d ranch together for the next fifty years.
Jethro had spent most of the last several weeks in the hospital’s cardiac rehab unit, and he was champing at the bit to come home. How much he’d be able to do around the ranch, Rob didn’t know. Probably only time would tell.
His cell rang, and he pulled it from his coat pocket. “Hey, Rob,” Jethro’s raspy voice greeted him.
“Hey, there. How’re you doing?”
“All right, I guess, given that I’m stuck in this hospital. Got a favor to ask.”
“Sure. What?”
“Can you come over this afternoon? I want to talk to you about something.”
Rob agreed, and ended the call, wondering what was up. Well, he’d find out soon enough. He turned back to his chores, doing a mental inventory of the tasks he wanted to accomplish before heading to the hospital.
When he walked into the cardiac rehab unit, he waved at Catherine, who sat in a chair watching her father work through his exercises. Rob took a moment to study Jethro’s progress. His boss had rebuilt some his strength, but it looked like he had a long way to go.
When Jethro and the young physical therapist finished, he gestured at them, and Rob and Catherine followed him to his room. “Thanks for coming,” he said to Rob before taking a deep breath. “I have something I need to discuss with you.”
Rob studied the older man’s face. He looked serious. “Okay…” Rob nodded, urging him to go ahead.
“I’ve been working real hard in rehab, but the doctors think there’s a limit to the progress I’ll make.” He licked his dry lips and looked at his lap. “They don’t think I will come back to ranching completely.”
“What does that mean?”
“I won’t be able to throw hay or do the heavy work. They say I damaged my heart, and there’s a limit to how much it can heal. I plan to get in good condition, but because of my age, I won’t ever get back where I was.” He scowled and took another deep breath.
“Thing is, ranching is all I know. Catherine wants me to come to Atlanta, but I can’t have much of a life in the city. I’m a country boy, born and raised. I know eventually I’ll probably have to sell the ranch, but damn, I’m not ready for that.” He looked at his lap again and fell silent.
Rob stole a peek at Catherine, and she looked as discouraged as her father did. “How can I help?” he asked.
After a long pause, Jethro raised his head and looked him in the eye. “Eventually, I’ll sell the ranch, but in the meantime, I need somebody to run it for me. I know you want a place of your own, so staying on and working for me won’t suit you in the long run, but I hope I can talk you into staying awhile. I’m not sure I’ll be able to pay you the amount you’d deserve for becoming farm manager, but I can give you an extra hundred bucks a week. To make up for how hard I have to work you, I’ll give you a cut of the profits from the sale of the herd. Maybe we can try it for a year and revisit it at the end of next year. I figure by then, we both know if it’s working.”
“You know, Jethro, I might be interested in buying the ranch when you’re ready to sell. I don’t know that for sure yet, but working as your farm manager makes sense to find out if it suits me.” He paused. “I need to talk this over with MJ first. This affects her and our future, so I shouldn’t make this decision without her.”
Jethro looked relieved. “You’ll consider it, then?”
“Yes, I will.”
“I won’t be a total invalid, you know,” Jethro continued. “I’ll be able to do the light stuff—managing the business, getting supplies, gathering eggs, driving the Gator.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure that part out as we see what you’ll be up to doing.”
He caught Catherine wiping a tear from the corner of her eye and turned to her. “Are you all right with this, Catherine?”
Her face softened. “Definitely. I’m limited in how much time I can spend here, so I won’t be much help. This seems like a perfect solution. You have the know-how and the physical ability. If you’re considering buying the ranch, Dad can teach you everything you need to know about making this place pay. It’s been hard work, but Dad has made a thriving enterprise out of it. You’d be learning from one of the best cattle ranchers in Ridgeview County.”
Jethro ducked his head and blushed at his daughter’s words. “That was my paid political endorsement,” he joked.
“Okay. I’ll get out of your way. I’ll talk to MJ and get back to you in the next few days. You have a good night.” He nodded to both Catherine and Jethro and walked to the truck, his
