“Family recipe,” Johanna said with a small smile. “The secret is buttermilk and patience.”
Walker pulled his phone from his jeans pocket before he sat. The screen lit up with the date—December 25—and a notification from his email. Nothing from Stella. Not that he’d expected anything; his daughter hadn’t responded to his Christmas text, same as last year and the year before that.
His thumb hovered over her name. He could try again.
He typed out a message:
Hope your Christmas is good. The ranch is growing. We’re adding new cabins in the spring. You’re welcome anytime.
Then he stared at the words, reading and rereading them until they blurred together. Too casual? Too pushy? Not enough? He couldn’t tell anymore. The gulf between them had grown so wide that even simple communication felt impossible.
He deleted it without sending. Maybe next time.
“So,” Jonah said, breaking into Walker’s thoughts, “how many new residents are you adding next year?”
Walker set his phone aside, screen down, and took his seat. “Thinking three or four to start. Keep it manageable. We have a new guy coming in January. Evander Cole.”
“But you’ve got land for more, right?” Jonah pressed, setting down his fork. “You said the property is almost two thousand acres.”
“Most of that’s grazing land and forest,” Walker explained. “The developed area is maybe thirty acres, centered around the house and barn.”
Jonah nodded, his gaze turning thoughtful. “Mind if I ask what the current septic system is rated for?”
Boone nearly choked on his coffee. “Septic system? That what keeps you up at night, Reed?”
“It’s a legitimate question,” Jonah said, not taking the bait. “If you’re adding residents, you need infrastructure to support them. Water, waste, electricity. And if you’re expanding the equine program, you’ll need proper drainage systems for the barn, additional hay storage, possibly a covered arena for year-round work. And if you want to add more dogs, you’ll need kennels, too.” He looked at Walker directly. “Unless you’ve already worked all that out?”
Walker blinked, caught off guard. “We’ve got some rough plans. Nothing detailed.”
Jonah reached for a napkin and pulled a pen from his pocket. He began sketching, quick, efficient lines forming what Walker recognized as a basic site plan of the ranch.
“You’ve got the main house here, bunkhouse here, barn here, all around the circular driveway,” he said, marking each. “Have you ever thought of a community area in the center of the driveway? Fire pit, grill, a place for the men to hang out after work…” He waved that away. “We can discuss that later. So you got Dr. Perrin’s office?—”
“Please,” she interrupted. “Call me Johanna or Jo.”
“Oh.” He flushed a little. “Oh, okay. Well, Johanna’s office is in the converted pole barn, which has room for other things like a gym or a workshop. The guest cabins are mostly scattered along the left side of the road here.” He looked up. “Where were you thinking of putting the new cabins?”
“Here,” Walker answered, leaning forward to point it out on the rough map. “The main road runs between the east and west entrances, but there is a road that breaks off south just past the barn and loops back around to the north, coming out by the east entrance. This land between the roads is all empty.”
Jonah nodded and marked the area. “That makes sense. So you’d want to extend utilities from the main line here…” His pen moved confidently as he spoke, mapping out infrastructure.
Walker stared at the rapidly expanding plan, impressed. “You’ve given this some thought for a guy who was ready to leave last night.”
“Just… basic logistics.” Color crept up Jonah’s neck into his cheeks. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Johanna gently elbowed Walker’s side, and her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. They’d both seen this happen before, with Boone and Bishop. A perfect match, a mission that fit like a key in a lock.
Jonah had found his purpose.
“Jesus,” Boone said, stabbing a bite of pancake. “You’re a full-on nerd, aren’t you?” But there was no bite to the words, just Boone’s particular brand of gruff humor.
Jonah’s shoulders tensed, but then he caught the slight upward quirk at the corner of Boone’s mouth.
“Yeah,” he admitted. He turned the napkin around so everyone could see. “If you’re serious about expanding, you need systems in place before you start building. Supply chains, operational protocols, proper staffing ratios.” He hesitated, then added, “I could help with that.”
“Not if you plan to leave,” Walker said, trying to keep his expression neutral but not quite succeeding. A smile twitched on his lips.
“Okay, look.” His eyes met Walker’s. “Yesterday, I didn’t know what I could contribute here, but this, this is something I can do. Logistics. Planning. Managing growth. I was the guy who made everything work in the Marines, and I was good at it.”
