Her mind and heart were too jumbled to think how to put her request. Words spun away from her like dry leaves in a wind. All she wanted to say was, “Everything is horrible, and I can’t do it anymore.”
His truck sat in front of the barn. White and sturdy with dirt rimming the bottom. She parked next to it and went to find Landon. Before she reached the door, he came out. When he caught sight of her, his eyes grew concerned. “What’s wrong?”
And still her words tumbled uselessly in her mind, unable to string themselves into sentences. She didn’t know where to start. So many things were wrong.
He stepped closer. “What’s happened? Who’s injured?”
I am,she wanted to say. All of the work she’d put into the ranch, the time, the love, it seemed to be laid out bare in front of her like an open wound. “I’ve got forty bottle calves, and I don’t know how to take care of them. I know you said you wouldn’t help with my cattle, but this isn’t about inheriting the ranch anymore. This is about a lot of calves dying if I don’t get help.”
“Wait.” Landon cocked his head. “Why do you have so many bottle calves?”
Kate told him, in a semicoherent manner, how she’d threatened to turn Gary over to the police unless he retrieved her cattle or bought more. “A truck delivered them a couple hours ago. I figured they were older calves, weaned ones. I was so focused on making sure I wasn’t being charged, I didn’t look at them before I signed.”
Landon listened to the story with only a flex of his jaw muscle to show he was angry. Most likely because she’d come to him with cattle problems despite knowing it put him in a bad position.
Instead of mentioning that, he said, “I bet Gary still found a way to pass the charge onto you. A zero balance just means you didn’t have to pay anything on delivery. Check your credit cards and any other accounts Gary had access to.”
And the day just kept getting worse. Landon was right. She might end up with a four-thousand-dollar bill.
He still hadn’t said whether he’d help her. Maybe he hadn’t decided.
“I’ve probably already lost the ranch,” she said. “I realize that, but I don’t want these calves to die. They’re so young and vulnerable.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and it was all she could do to hold them back. “Can you please help me?”
Without a word, he pulled her into his arms and held her as though he could give her some of his strength that way. She hadn’t realized she was shaking until she felt his chest, strong and unmovable, against her own trembling one.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s going to be okay.”
Did that mean he would help her, or was he just telling her she shouldn’t be upset if most of the calves died? That had been the driver’s attitude: losing a bunch of bottle calves wasn’t an excessive business expense. This wasn’t about the money, though.
“They’re so frightened,” she said.
“I know.” Landon’s voice was slow and soothing. He kept his arms around her. “Take some deep breaths.”
“They don’t have anyone else.”
“I know.”
“They need you.” She wasn’t talking about the calves anymore.
“I know.” He murmured the words into her hair. Maybe he realized she wasn’t referring to the calves. She stopped herself before adding, “They miss you.”
She lifted her head to see his expression. “Will you help me? I have vaccines and antibiotics in the truck, but I’ve never given them before. I don’t even know where to put all the calves or how much to feed them.”
Landon placed his hands on her shoulders. “Move your horses into a pasture and use their stalls until we work something out. I’ll come over to help you get the calves sorted, fed, and vaccinated.”
Relief swept through Kate. She wouldn’t have to do everything alone. “Thank you.”
He dropped his hands from her shoulders. “You’ll need to hire a replacement for Gary as soon as possible. Do you want some leads, or are you relying on your dad to come up with someone again?” Landon’s tone made it clear he thought the latter was a mistake.
She lowered her eyes.
He let out a cough of disbelief. “You’re still going to trust your dad’s judgment over mine?”
“No.” She met his eyes but found she couldn’t hold the gaze. Admitting the truth was too humiliating. “I don’t have the funds to hire a new foreman.”
Landon didn’t speak for a moment. “It’s that bad?”
She wasn’t sure if his surprise was a compliment or an indictment. He was either surprised because he’d thought she was more than capable of running a ranch successfully or he was surprised that she’d run through Coyote Glen’s assets so quickly.