“But it’s 4 p.m. in Germany, soooo.”
“Git to it, Topper,” Rusty shouts as he strokes Goose’s forehead.
“I am!” Topper barks. “A team from the magazine—a writer, production manager, and cameraman—are staying here …”
My eyes widen.
“For the summer …” Topper continues.
I clench my teeth.
“To embed themselves in our lives and decide if we’re worthy of the prize.”
I scoff. “So they’ll bedisruptingour lives for the entire summer and there’s a chance they won’t think we should win?”
“Well … yeah, but?—”
“Call this off.” I throw a glare over my shoulder to Rusty, who remains unfazed as he feeds Goose a slice of apple he had in his pocket.
“Can’t do that, D,” Rusty says.
“We can’t have people with cameras here,” I say. “We’re a refuge for vets, not a reality TV show.”
Rusty nears and puts his arm around me. “We’ve had an NDA and all the other pertinent agreements drafted. They’ll all sign it before they even start. They’ll know where they can film and who they can talk to.”
“And if they don’t respect it? What if some vet opens up and then regrets it? What if these World Explorers ask questions that make one of our people uncomfortable?”
Rusty drops his head while Topper glances away. They both know who I’m referring to.
“We set the rules, we set the boundaries, and we’ll have the paperwork to make sure these people stay in line.” Rusty offers. “Son, you’ve been putting your heart and soul into Firebird for too long at the sacrifice of your own well-being. Let someone else do the heavy lifting for once.”
“I’m fine.”
“Says the man who never sleeps,” Topper says.
Rusty adjusts his hat. “The financial situation of the ranch is more dire than we realized, and you can’t keep writing checks and eating through your savings to help keep it afloat.”
“I’ve got enough to get us by,” I add.
“And you’ve already done that,” Rusty says. “Now, I’m done arguing with you, son. These people want to help us. Let’s let them do it.”
“I want no part of this, and I’m still going to work on another way to get funding.”
“Probably best if they avoid you anyway,” Rusty says, giving Goose another apple slice.
“How much time do I have before this all starts?” I ask.
“I guess since you’re already boilin’ mad, I might as well tell you the even worser news,” Topper says. “Yes, I know worser is not a real word, no, I don’t care.”
I put my hands on my hips. “All right, how does this all getworser?”
“This team from World Explorer will be arriving later today from New York. They’re already in the air.”
My throat feels like the dirt road leading back to the main lodge. “You’re fired.”
Topper folds his hands across his chest. “You know, when you tell me that every day, it loses allsignificance.”
“Fine, but after this is over, I get to punch you in the face,” I say, pointing my finger at Topper. Jameson barks in solidarity, causing Goose to whinny.
