True Love at Silver Creek Ranch(83)

“That’s two students you’ve taken on,” Sandy pointed out, seating herself with a sigh beside her daughter. “You just . . . glow when you talk about your work with them. What about taking on more students?”

Brooke chuckled, linking her arm with her mom’s. “You think Dad would approve of turning our ranch into a probation-department resource?”

Sandy laughed, too. “No, we’re too small an operation, spread too thin, to do much of that. You’ve taught Steph to barrel race because she asked, but what if you advertise yourself as a riding instructor? You’ve been teaching Tyler to ride already. You could take on other students.”

Brooke stared at her mother in surprise, feeling the revelation wash over her.

Sandy continued, “Yes, part of the year the weather will inhibit you, but you’ll manage.”

“Mom, Josh and I are the ranch foremen. I think it might take too much away from my job.”

“Josh has something he loves, sweetie. So does Nate. Do you begrudge them that?”

“No, of course not!”

“Why would they begrudge you? I think you can all work it out together. It wouldn’t be full-time, after all. And maybe Adam wants to stay on. That would really help.”

“I don’t know about that,” Brooke warned her. “When his grandma is better, he’ll probably leave. I don’t think he feels like he fits in here anymore.” She forced herself to act casually as she stood up to reach the recipe box.

“Do you think there’s something troubling him?” Sandy asked.

Brooke hesitated even as she sat back down, looking into her mom’s concerned face. “You should have seen how he reacted when people called him a hero the other night. He told me a few things about what happened to him in Afghanistan. It was . . . pretty terrible, and he blames himself when he shouldn’t.”

“They say time heals—and they wouldn’t say it so much if it wasn’t true. He seems like a strong man who’ll be able to figure things out. I don’t think you need to worry.”

But I do worry, Brooke thought bleakly, knowing she probably worried too much. She was getting more and more involved with Adam, and not just in bed.

“As for you,” Sandy continued, “give the idea of becoming an instructor some thought. It will be a challenge—but you’re good at challenges.”

Brooke leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”

They were elbow deep in flour, making chocolate-chip-cookie batter and sugar-cookie dough, when Josh came in.

“I’m calling a family meeting,” he said.

As Doug and Nate strolled in after him, Brooke asked sharply, “There wasn’t a problem with Tyler, was there?”

“Nope, nothing to do with him,” Josh said. “Although if I say so myself, he took to my riding instruction well.”

Brooke rolled her eyes, then tapped Nate’s hand as he tried to take a fingerful of dough. “Get a spoon! And Josh, I taught that kid everything he knows, and don’t forget it.”

While Brooke and Sandy worked on the cookie dough, and Doug prepared a salad to start off dinner, Josh took a seat at the breakfast counter and gave them all a serious look.

Nate, who’d grabbed his ringing cell phone, sent it to voice mail. “What’s up?”

“You know this Aspen boutique who wants to buy some of my work?” Josh began.

Everyone nodded, and Doug added, “That’s impressive, son.”

Josh gave a half smile. “Thanks. Well, it’s getting even bigger than that. Whitney, the owner of Leather and Lace, contacted me through Brooke, and she’s interested, too—in my work.”

Nate chuckled.

“It’s not like that,” Josh said, shaking his head. “I haven’t met with her yet, and don’t know if I’d do it—I’d have to feel comfortable, after all—but, this is just getting too big for me to make decisions on my own, a bigger time commitment than I ever thought I’d make to something that was always a hobby for me.”

“You’re training Adam to prepare the leather, right?” Brooke asked, licking her finger. “That’ll help.”

“Get a spoon!” Nate commanded.

She stuck out her tongue.

“But that’s not the point.” Josh sighed. “We’re a small ranch, and we all have to work. I don’t want to make any of you work harder because I’m off doing something that will only benefit me.”

“Nobody ever said you had to devote every wakin’ moment to this ranch,” Doug said as he dumped sliced carrots into the main salad bowl. “We’ve got Adam now—and if we have to hire someone else, I think we can, right, Nate?”