18. Logan
Chapter 18
Logan
I called Lucas the moment I woke up, telling him I had an emergency, and we needed to meet for a late breakfast. He agreed quickly, telling me he’d bring Beau along and meet us at the diner. Thanks to Dakota, my headache was lessened, but as we stepped into the diner, the usual rumble of conversations that filled the room seemed to pierce right through my skull. I needed some coffee stat or I was liable to murder someone due to the overstimulation.
“Hey there, sugar!” Dolly called from behind the bar. “Take a seat wherever you like. We’re busy this mornin’, but I’ll be over to get your order soon!”
“Coffee first, please,” I said, my voice gravelly and low.
“You got it, sugar.”
Dakota and I chose a corner booth out of the way where things were a little quieter. I wanted to keep the conversation private. The last thing I needed was the entire town of Sagebrush spreading rumors about my daddy’s ranch. Dolly came right over with coffee, bless her heart, and some menus, not that we needed them.
No sooner had she stepped away from the table, I heard the bell over the door jingle again and in stepped Lucas and Beau. They waved and headed over fast, worry etched into their expressions.
“Everything alright?” Lucas asked, sitting down next to me without ceremony. “Your dad okay?”
“He’s fine,” I nodded. “Caroline texted me this morning. He’s recovering, but still really tired. Her and mama decided to get a hotel room in Amarillo for the next couple of days. It seems Caroline decided to put her business on hold for a moment so she could be there for them both.”
“That’s good of her to do,” Beau nodded.
“It’s stupid of her to do,” I shot back. “Her business might be the only thing she has left after all this.” Dakota’s hand landed on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze and I forced myself to take a breath. “Sorry Beau. I’m just… there’s a lot going on.”
Beau started, surprised by the abrupt apology. “It’s alright.”
“No… it’s not,” I sighed, meeting his gaze at last. “I’ve been such a dick to you for so long. And you didn’t deserve it. We all have our battles to fight and expecting you to come out before you were ready just to stand up for me is stupid. I should’ve been standing up for myself. I’m sorry for holding that against you. It wasn’t fair.”
“I understand,” he replied, his drawl thick as he ran his fingers through his blond hair. “I’m sorry for not helpin’ ya back then.”
I held my hand out to shake. “Friends?”
He took it with a smile. “Friends.”
“This is adorable,” Lucas said, grinning from ear to ear. “But I don’t think it’s why you called us here.”
“No. Unfortunately it’s not,” I said, shaking my head. “Daddy’s fine for now, but the ranch… well, it might not be there by the time he gets back.”
Lucas and Beau both leaned in as I started telling them the story from top to bottom. I told them about the mess of papers in the office, the bank, the empty accounts, and the call on the loan for the ranch. By the time I was done, both of them were nearly speechless. Beau especially looked disturbed. Out of everyone in the group, he knew what a generations-old ranch meant to a family and what losing it could mean.
Dakota cleared his throat, his deep voice cutting through the heavy silence. “We’ve been brainstormin’ ideas all mornin’, but we’re comin’ up empty. Figured more heads might help.”
Lucas nodded, his green eyes sharp with concentration. “How much time do we have before the bank forecloses?”
“Fourteen days,” I replied, my stomach churning at the thought. “Not nearly enough time to come up with that kind of money.”
Beau leaned back, his brow furrowed. “What about sellin’ off some of the cattle? Might not cover everythin’, but it could buy y’all some time.”
I shook my head. “Already thought of that. Problem is, most of the herd was purchased with a loan. We’d need to pay that back before we turned any profit. I doubt we’d break even on that loan in the first place.
“What about investors?” Lucas offered.
“That’s why we called you here,” I said, treading carefully. “I don’t want to overstep, but I know you and Beau were talking to people to help with turning your ranch into a tourist thing.” I glanced over at Dakota. “It’s not ideal, but if it saves the ranch, I’m open to trying it.”
Lucas’s eyes widened, and he exchanged a quick glance with Beau. “You’re right, we have been talking to some folks,” he said slowly. “But Logan, are you sure? I know how you feel about turning ranches into tourist traps. And that’s what these people want to do. We actually turned the first couple down because they wanted to make it too much of a sideshow.”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I’m not thrilled about it, but if it’s a choice between that and losing the ranch entirely... well, I guess I’d rather have tourists than nothing at all, sideshow or not. Hell, Caroline wants to do rodeo stuff anyway, so maybe that’s what we need is bleachers and an arena.”
Dakota shifted beside me, his presence a steady comfort. “We’ve been thinkin’ on it all morning,” he said, his voice low. “It might be our best shot.” He paused. “Well, our only shot.”
Beau leaned forward, his blue eyes intense. “I get it, Logan. It ain’t easy to change somethin’ that’s been in your family for generations. But sometimes, adaptin’ is the only way to survive. My dad warmed up to the idea and I know yours will too. Cattle ranchin’ just ain’t what it used to be. The world’s changed.”
I nodded slowly, letting Beau’s words sink in. As much as it pained me to admit it, he was right. The world had changed, and we needed to change with it if we wanted to keep the ranch alive. Being an ex-marketing assistant, I knew that all too well. If we didn’t keep up with the times, we’d be left behind.
“Alright,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Let’s do it. Can you get in touch with those investors, Lucas?”
Lucas nodded, already pulling out his phone. “I’ll give them a call right now. They were pretty interested before, so I’m hoping they’ll still be on board for a different property.”
As Lucas stepped away to make the call, I felt Dakota’s hand slide into mine under the table. I squeezed it gratefully, drawing strength from his silent support.
Beau leaned in, his voice low. “Listen, Logan. I know this ain’t easy for you. But I promise, we’ll do everything we can to keep the spirit of the ranch alive. We won’t let it turn into some tacky tourist trap. I ain’t puttin’ up with that on my land, and I won’t let them do that to you either.”
I nodded, appreciating Beau’s words even if I wasn’t fully convinced. We were in too tight of a position to be picky. We needed money, and we needed it fast. “Thanks, Beau.”
Dakota spoke up, his voice quiet but firm. “We should start plannin’ what we want this place to look like. If we’re gonna do this, we should do it our way as much as possible. Besides, a good plan might get more people interested.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, feeling a small spark of determination. “We need to figure out how to balance authenticity with appeal for tourists. Maybe we can focus on educating people about real ranch life, instead of just giving them a watered-down experience.”
Beau’s eyes lit up. “That’s a great idea. We could do things like cattle drives, showin’ people how to rope and ride. Maybe even have some hands-on experiences with the day-to-day ranch work. People are always lookin’ for that authentic cowboy experience.”
“And we could incorporate Caroline’s rodeo training if she’s open to it,” I added, warming up to the idea. “Maybe have some small-scale exhibitions or lessons for visitors.”
Dakota nodded thoughtfully. “Could even set up some campsites or cabins for folks who want to stay overnight. Give ‘em a taste of sleepin’ under the stars.”
As we brainstormed, I felt a glimmer of hope start to grow. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. We could preserve the heart of the ranch while adapting to survive. Beau already had a good idea how to start thanks to his experience at his own place and within a few minutes, I felt like we were starting to form a real solid plan.
Lucas returned, a cautious smile on his face. “Good news. They’re interested. They want to set up a meeting as soon as possible to see the place and discuss the details if they want to move forward.”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “Alright. Did you tell them about the deadline?”
“I did,” Lucas nodded. “And they don’t seem dissuaded. These were the people who wanted to move on our place so quickly. I guess they’ve got all their capital ready to go, but no place to put it. They sound desperate, which could work in our favor.”
I felt a mix of relief and anxiety wash over me. This was happening fast—maybe too fast—but we didn’t have the luxury of time.
“When do they want to meet?” I asked, my voice tight.
“Two days,” Lucas replied. “They’re flying out from New York first thing in the morning.”
Dakota’s hand tightened around mine under the table. “That soon?”
I nodded, trying to project more confidence than I felt. “Good. The sooner the better. We need to get everything ready.”
Beau leaned forward, his blue eyes intense. “We should get out to the ranch today. Start cleanin’ up, makin’ it look its best. First impressions and all that.”
“Good idea,” I agreed. “We’ll need to round up some extra help though, get them on board with what’s happening. Last thing we need is someone saying the wrong thing to these investors.”
Lucas nodded. “I can get our ranch hands to come out and help. Most of ‘em have been around long enough to understand the situation. They already know how it works at our place, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Alright,” I said, feeling a plan starting to take shape. “Let’s finish up eating here and head out to the ranch. We’ve got a lot of work to do in the next two days.”
Our meal was a quick affair and as we left the diner, the gravity of what we were about to do hit me. We were potentially changing the entire future of my family’s legacy. But as I looked at the determined faces of my friends—and Dakota—I felt a surge of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we could pull this off. I made sure to give Lucas a big hug before we headed back. Without him, we wouldn’t have stood a chance of surviving.
The drive back to the ranch was quiet, Dakota and I lost in our own thoughts. As we pulled up to the main house, I could see the worry etched on Dakota’s face.
“You okay?” I asked, placing my hand on his shoulder. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
He glanced over at me, his brows furrowed. “This… This is really happening, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “I hope so.”
There was a long pause.
“Can I be really honest with you?”
“Of course!”
“I… I don’t want your family to lose this place,” he said slowly. “This is my home too. I love it here.” He paused again, his eyes full of emotion. “But… I don’t know… I kind of hoped we’d find another way out of this.”
“You don’t like the tourist idea?”
He shook his head. “It’s a good idea and it sounds like it’s going to work. But… this place is sacred to me. And seeing it turned into a cowboy bed-and-breakfast… it just feels wrong.”
I reached out, pulling him into a tight hug. “It feels kinda wrong to me too,” I said softly. “But I don’t know what else to do.”
“I know. I think this is our only choice.”
“But,” I added, lifting his chin so our eyes met. “That doesn’t mean it needs to be trashy. We’ll keep this place as authentic and beautiful as we can. A few little cabins and some riding trails won’t hurt that, right?”
Dakota smiled softly, his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Yeah. I… I think you’re right.”
“We can do this, Dakota. Together.”
He nodded, hugging me tightly once more. “Together.”