LITMIR.BIZ

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a stake, that’s why he felt so damn guilty. Because the responsibility to make the place profitable was his alone.

      Trace fidgeted, loosening the collar of his blue Western-cut shirt. What the hell was he looking guilty about? This wasn’t his fault. Not just because he was still young. Maybe he was feeling sheepish for not understanding the depth of their problem. But the failure of the ranch was on Cole, always had been. He didn’t deny it.

      He shifted to find Jesse staring grimly at him. “Jesus, you think you’re to blame?” Jesse shook his head in disbelief. “You arrogant bastard.”

      “Screw you. You know Dad left—”

      “Stop it.” Rachel stared at them in equal measure. “What’s wrong with you two?”

      Cole just smiled. This was his and Jesse’s way of keeping each other in check. They didn’t mean anything. Rachel must’ve forgotten. She didn’t relax her clenched fists until Jesse grunted out a laugh.

      Rachel rolled her eyes. “Okay, you two Neanderthals, here’s the thing. I understand the economy sucks, but I don’t buy that there’s no solution.” She paused, and no one seemed eager to end the silence. Hunching her shoulders, she seemed to crawl into herself. “Oh, God, I spent all that money on graduate school … You should’ve told me.”

      “Come on,” Cole said. “Knock that off.”

      Jesse elbowed her. “I used money for school, too.”

      “Those were the old days when we could afford it.”

      “Old days, huh?” Jesse looped an arm around her neck and mussed her hair. “You little squirt.”

      “You know what I mean.” She shoved him until he released her from the headlock.

      Cole wouldn’t argue the age issue. At thirty-two he felt older than dirt. Jesse was only a year younger, but Cole suspected his brother had already seen more than most men saw in a lifetime.

      Rachel set her sights on Trace. “Was the lack of money the reason you chose not to go to college?” she asked, her voice soft and miserable.

      “No.” He made a face. “I hate classrooms and staying indoors all day. You know that.” He plowed a hand through his longish dark hair. “I’m sorry, Cole, I knew we were postponing repairs and holding on to equipment, but I guess I didn’t want to see how bad it was. Bet you wanted to kick me to next Sunday when I asked for a new truck a few months back.”

      Cole shook his head. “You’re twenty-six. ‘Course you want a new truck.”

      “Okay …” Rachel straightened. “So let’s talk about what we need to do to get back on our feet.”

      Cole smiled patiently at the family optimist. “It’s not that simple. Too many factors are out of our control.”

      “Such as?”

      “High diesel-fuel costs, consumers’ shrinking grocery budgets. Corn has gone way up because so much of the crop is going for ethanol …” He continued while she listened intently, nodding occasionally and not once interrupting.

      His speech went on longer than he’d intended, maybe because it felt good to release some of the pressure, but he cut himself off when he saw the depressed expression on Trace’s face. Jesse had slumped deeper into the couch and stared at his boots. Only Rachel looked unbowed. She sat forward, her green eyes sparkling and ready to do battle.

      “I have an idea—” she said thoughtfully “—that just might solve our problems … at least in the short term … and who knows, maybe for the long term, as well.”

      Cole tamped down his amusement. Although he was all for her participation, she was about to learn there was no easy answer. “What’s that?”

      “Don’t say anything until I’m finished because it won’t cost much to get started—”

      “Rachel, wait, stop. We don’t have any money. I don’t know how to say it more plainly.”

      She put up her hands. “Hear me out.”

      “All right,” Cole said, his jaw clenched. Jesus, he’d thought it was a kindness to spare the women useless worry. Obviously he was wrong. Rachel couldn’t seem to process the ugly truth.

      “I’ve had this thought for a while, a couple of years really—ever since my sorority sisters went all gaga over the pictures of the Sundance on my screen saver slide show.” A big smile stretched across her flushed face. “What would you think about starting a dude ranch?”

      Thunderstruck, Cole and Jesse stared at her.

      Trace snorted. “A what?”

      “A dude ranch. You know … kind of like a big bed-and-breakfast where people come for vacation and go on trail rides and watch rodeos, have cookouts, go white-water rafting and—”

      “I understand what a dude ranch is,” Trace said with disgust. “I’m trying to figure out if you’ve gone loco.”

      Rachel pressed her lips together, and then calmly said, “I’m not surprised at your reaction.” She looked from Trace to Cole to Jesse. “But we have plenty of extra room we don’t even use, a whole separate wing of the house, in fact, and there won’t be much start-up cost because we already have everything right here.”

      “This is a cattle ranch,” Cole said quietly, even though he was with Trace; their sister was nuts. “We don’t know the first thing about catering to folks used to living with conveniences, and we can’t afford the extra help.”

      “Mom, Hilda and I can take care of the rooms and meals. Trace and the hands can take turns providing the outings,” she said, and Trace groaned, then muttered an oath. Without missing a beat, Rachel continued, “I’ll do all the advertising and bookings online, which will cost next to nothing, and I’ll design the website. I’m very good at it. We might even be able to attract sponsors to help cover costs.”

      Cole shook his head. “The place needs painting, we’ll need insurance and trying to sidestep kids running around will only—”

      Trace grunted. “I like kids well enough, but city folk don’t seem to get it—they’ll be underfoot while we’re trying to work….”

      “How about we don’t accept kids?” Rachel said. “Maybe later we’ll expand to families, but for now I’m thinking we should cater to single women. They’d be much simpler to accommodate. Plus I know how to push all the right buttons to have them lining up to make a reservation.”

      “Shit, you’re out of your mind,” Jesse murmured, and Cole couldn’t even speak he was so flabbergasted.

      “Hey, wait a minute.” Trace’s eyes sharpened with new interest. “Let Rachel finish.”

      Her lips lifted in a triumphant smile. “I figured that way the hands wouldn’t balk too much, either.”

      “No,” Cole said flatly.

      His sister’s flash of disappointment transformed into a glare of pure challenge. “You have a better idea?”

      Cole cleared his throat. He sure hadn’t expected this confrontation so soon. “I have one, but I figured we could do some brainstorming.”

      Rachel folded her arms across her chest. “Yet you’re quick to shoot me down.”

      “Your suggestion isn’t practical,” Cole said irritably. “And you know that.”

      Trace shrugged. “I kind of like Rachel’s way of thinking.”

      Cole and Jesse both gave him a long, blistering look.

      “Well, big brother, what’s your idea?” Rachel caught and held Cole’s gaze. “We’re all listening.”

      Cole breathed in deeply. “There’s a couple of hundred acres running south

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