2. Jasper
JASPER
I drew in a breath as I walked through what remained of my family’s pecan orchard.
The twister that blew through last month had skipped over our neighbor’s cattle ranch but unleashed its wrath on Taylor Grove.
Less than a quarter of the trees from our hundred-year-old orchard remained, not nearly enough to fulfill the orders we’d already committed to from this year’s harvest.
“We’re doomed.” My dad, Frank, hung his head. “I shouldn’t have taken out a loan against the farm. We’re going to lose it all.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek and tried to come up with a reassuring word. Truth was, we were doomed. Unless I could find a way to conjure pecans out of thin air, we weren’t going to be able to dig ourselves out this time.
“Your poor mama. She’s going to skin me alive when she finds out what I’ve done.” Dad ran a calloused hand behind his neck. “If only Colin were around. It’s about time you two made up, don’t you think?”
According to my parents, the absence of my older brother was the reason everything had gone to shit.
I had been tempted to tell them the truth on more than one occasion, but it would break their hearts.
So instead I let them go on believing what they would while I tried to hold things together on my own.
“I might have an idea.” I hadn’t wanted to bring it up yet.
I’d been shot down too many times in the past for trying to buck tradition and expand beyond the family trade.
But look where doing things the same had gotten us—wiped out by a fickle late-summer storm.
If I didn’t figure out a way to literally save the family farm, there wouldn’t be any traditions left to buck, because we’d be forced to sell our land and figure out a new way of life.
“Don’t start spoutin’ off about that woman’s crazy wedding ideas again,” Dad warned.
“Do you want to have to tell Mom you’re moving the family into town?”
“She’d leave me.” Dad sighed.
“She’d never leave you. But she might not talk to you for the rest of your lives.” I had seen my mama hold a grudge and it wasn’t pretty. She still had trouble looking me in the eye, since she blamed me for Colin’s departure.
“Tell me what you have in mind. I suppose it’s worth a listen.”
“Mayor Cherish said she’s looking for complementary businesses to help expand Ido’s hold on the wedding market. I told you years ago that people pay big bucks to rent out barns for wedding receptions. And we’ve got the oldest barn in the state of Texas, that ought to be good for—”
“You can’t tell me some hoity-toity bride all dressed in white is going to want to say her vows while standing in a pile of horse shit.” Dad shook his head.
“You’re missing the point.” My dad had almost run our business into the ground thanks to his narrow-minded ways. If he didn’t come around to trying something new, we’d all suffer.
“What’s the point then? Enlighten me.” We’d stopped at the edge of the ring, where my twelve-year-old sister, Abby, was putting her favorite mare through her paces. Dad hooked the heel of his boot on the lowest fence board.
“We move the horses to the smaller barn and renovate the big one. You’re right, no bride is going to want to use it like it is now. But with the insurance money we have coming in, we could use that to—”
“Have you lost your mind? That insurance money’s got to buy trees to replace the ones we lost. What good is a pecan farm without pecan trees?”
I tried to keep my cool. “You know it’s going to take at least five years, probably seven or eight, to get those trees back to producing something we can sell. But if we revamp the barn, we could be making money hand over fist by next spring.”
Dad shook his head. “That’s crazy talk. Your mama would never go for such a crackpot idea.”
My chest tightened. Now was my shot. “She thinks it might work.”
“What?” Dad’s eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open.
“I talked to Mayor Cherish about it last week, just to gauge her reaction. She thinks it’s a great idea. Then I mentioned it to Mom.”
“You went behind my back.” Dad’s voice dropped into a growl. “You talked to your mama, you visited with the mayor, all without saying a word to me?”
I let out a long sigh. “Because I knew you wouldn’t even consider it. But we’ve got to do something to make some money over the next few years. Even if we replant half the trees we lost, can’t you try something else to supplement in the meantime?”
Dad rested his hands on the top rail of the fence and let his head drop between his shoulders. “Over a hundred years. This farm’s been operating under the Taylor name for four generations. I can’t lose it.”
“Then let me help you save it.” I clapped a hand on my dad’s shoulder. “I only want what’s best for all of us.”
“If that’s true, you’d best go find your brother and convince him to come back.”
“Dad . . .” I closed my eyes for a long beat, trying to battle away the tension in my jaw at the mention of my brother. I wished I had it in me to come clean, but it would make things so much worse. It was easier to let them believe what they wanted to.
“Whatever happened between the two of you, you’re family.” Dad squinted. “You can’t avoid him forever.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“I’m going to have to talk to your mama about this.” Dad adjusted his hat and squared his shoulders.
“I understand.” The phone in my back pocket vibrated. I reached for it and saw Mayor Cherish’s number light up my screen. “Hey, it’s the mayor. I ought to take this.”
My dad didn’t respond, so I took several long strides toward the shade of one of the oldest pecan trees we had on the property and answered the call. “Hello?”
“Jasper, it’s Lacey Cherish. Something’s come up. Are you still interested in trying to make a go of it with your idea on using your barn for weddings?”
“I’m not quite sure yet.” My chest tightened. “I mentioned it to Dad, and he needs some time to get used to the idea.”
“Well, I’m in a bind. I just got word that the state tourism board gave us a spot to compete for the most romantic small town in Texas.”
“That’s great. But what does that have to do with turning the barn into a wedding venue?”
“I need someone to represent Ido as our hospitality host . . . be the point of contact for the judge while she’s here in town. Is that something you’d be able to do?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to do around here. We still haven’t cleaned everything up from the storm, and—”
“I’m in a real jam. We weren’t supposed to be competing in this contest, but Swynton got disqualified and we got their spot.
I don’t have time to come up with another plan.
If we can claim the title of the most romantic small town in Texas, we could increase the wedding business we’ve already got.
It would give you a chance to really make a go of it with the barn idea. ”
I sensed a golden opportunity within my grasp.
Mayor Cherish was right. If Ido claimed the title, there would be a huge influx of tourists.
Not only weddings, but we could do anniversary parties, maybe even corporate outings with trail rides.
If I could turn things around and save our land, how could I refuse?
“What would you need me to do?”
“They’re sending Miss Lovin’ Texas over to judge.
From what I understand, she’ll live here in town for a month, and then they’ll hold a big shindig in Houston in November where they’ll announce the winner.
We’re the last stop. She’s already been to Hartwood and East. What do you say? Will you be Ido’s hospitality host?”
“You want me to entertain a beauty queen for a month?” My gut rolled. “There’s got to be someone else better qualified for the job.”
“I wish,” Lacey muttered.
“What’s that?”
“I wish we had time to find someone, but there’s no one else. Believe me, I’ve tried to come up with ideas on who might be best to fill this role. You’ve got incentive. If Ido wins, you win. Plus, you can’t argue that right now you’ve got the time.”
No, I couldn’t argue with that. Harvesttime was coming up and with 75 percent fewer trees to pick, not even the busiest time of year would keep me all that occupied.
“What would I have to do?”
“Easy peasy. Just shuttle her around and introduce her to the folks in town. Make sure she sees the best of Ido and gets to all the events on time. Should be a piece of cake.”
A piece of cake. In my experience, most things folks thought would be a piece of cake ended up being more like a cake fight.
I clenched my jaw, trying to think of another solution.
But I’d spent the past month running through every scenario I could come up with to save the orchard.
Turning the barn into some sort of event venue and taking advantage of the town’s strategy to become the most romantic small town in Texas might be the best option.
Maybe even the only option. But what did I know about romance?
“I’d be happy to pitch in, but I don’t think I’m the right man for the job.”
Lacey sighed. “Some help is better than none. Can you swing by my office this afternoon? We need to get started right away.”
“Sure thing. I thought you said you were pretty busy this week with that big wedding coming up. Maybe we should wait until next week?” That would give my dad a chance to further warm up to the idea.
“We don’t have time to spare. She’ll be here Friday.”
“Friday? As in the day after tomorrow?” My stomach flipped.
“Yes, Friday. We’ve got to put together some sort of kickoff event in less than forty-eight hours.”
“Wow.” Dammit. How was I going to convince my dad to get on board that fast?
Dad was deliberate in his decisions. He took time to weigh the options and examine his moves from every angle before he committed to taking any kind of action.
He’d never get behind an idea this wild in such a short time frame.
“Can I count on you?”
I took in a deep breath. Helping the town would be the best way to help my family, even if Dad didn’t see it that way yet.
“Let me get cleaned up, and I’ll be over in a bit.”
“Thanks, Jasper. I’ll see you soon.”
I ended the call and rejoined my dad by the fence.
“What did the mayor want?” Dad asked.
I hooked my fingers over the top rail. “She asked if I wanted a job.”
“What kind of job?”
“Seems Ido is in the running for most romantic small town in Texas and she needs a hospitality host.”
Dad let out a deep laugh. “No offense, son, but I hope you turned her down. You don’t really know much about either, do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“When’s the last time you went on a date? Shouldn’t someone who’s in charge of romance and hospitality know something about one or the other?”
“I did turn her down but told her I’d be willing to help. If Ido wins that title, it would mean a bunch of publicity for something like a wedding barn.”
“Tell you what.” Dad turned and faced me. The humor had faded from his eyes. “You and Lacey get that title for Ido, and I’ll let you try that wedding idea with the barn.”
I grinned. “You sure you want to make that deal?”
My dad thrust out his hand. “I’m sure, but how about you?
If you fail, we’re going to have to make some difficult decisions around here.
” He glanced to where Abby had slowed the mare to a walk.
“Some of those horses we’ve got are worth quite a bit.
I’m not afraid to make some hard decisions to do whatever it takes to save this place. ”
I wrapped my hand around my dad’s. “If all goes well, you won’t have to.”