A Rancher's Love by Vivian Arend

Author:Vivian Arend [Arend, Vivian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arend Publishing Inc

* * *

Operation Prove It now begins!

X, Ginny

Disappointment and exhaustion battled for top billing. Tucker decided to take advantage of the unexpected dose of quiet, made a simple meal and hit the sack early.

The next morning, he found himself swept into a meeting with Ashton and Caleb. Paperwork was signed, and they took a tour around the main ranch buildings. Not even a week ago when Tucker had first arrived, Ashton had showed him around, but the information hit a whole lot harder now.

Caleb rested a booted foot on the bottom railing as they stood by the arena, hands draped casually on the top bar as he, Ashton, and Tucker paused to watch Kelli and Luke work one of the new horses.

“She’s got a gift,” Caleb said.

“She does, and she’s not the only one,” Tucker agreed, casting an experienced eye at some of the other ranch hands. His brain was full to the brim, and in spite of Jack’s help narrowing down where to start, the moment still felt overwhelming.

Ashton folded his arms over his chest and sighed contentedly. “Things are good overall.”

“Even better than I expected,” Tucker confessed. He went for straight-up honest, because working with the man, it would be better to not tiptoe around issues. He met Caleb’s gaze straight on. “The only thing I don’t understand is your lack of focus.”

Caleb blinked. “Explain.”

Tucker shrugged. “You’ve branched out into a lot of areas. That’s not a bad way to put money on the table, but it’s not how Silver Stone becomes established as the best at what she does. You’ve got the breeding program, you train horses for everything from personal rides to rodeo stock. You raise cattle, you had a semi-commercial agricultural arm.”

“Only made sense,” Ashton said, a little more gruffly than usual. “Diversifying brought in money.”

“I’m not saying it’s wrong,” Tucker insisted. “But I am saying that it’s something you need to think about going forward. If you like what you’re doing, then we’ll carry on and find ways to make each part of the operation stronger and more lucrative. Or, if you don’t want to keep that many pots on the fire, you could pick the ones you like best and specialize. Since you’re no longer fighting to keep finances balanced.”

Caleb’s expression seemed stern, but he blinked more than usual, which Tucker recognized as a tell the man was considering brand-new thoughts. “You’re saying I need to take my own advice. The way I told everybody on Christmas Eve to dream about what they’d like to do.”

Tucker dipped his chin. “If you want to bounce ideas around, Ashton and I are more than willing to listen.”

“Huh.” Caleb stared at Luke and Kelli, but his gaze seemed far more distant. “I might take you up on that.”

Conversation shifted to other topics. Eventually Ashton hauled Tucker into the mess hall for lunch, the cook serving up an eclectic mix of classic ranch food and tasty, spicy Indian dishes that created a mouth-watering aroma that set Tucker damn near drooling.

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