Zoey felt an irresistible urge to huff, slump back on the couch, and fold her arms, but she resisted. If she wanted them to treat her like an adult and not a princess, she had to act like one—even if they didn’t go for her idea.
She lifted her chin. “I haven’t maneuvered, manipulated, sulked, or demanded. I presented you with a business plan—a good one too.” She scooted forward on her seat, dividing her attention between the brother in front of her and the one sitting next to her, their identical light-brown eyes scrutinizing her. “Look, I know the two of you want to purchase more land, that you’ve considered Virginia. And I know what your budget is. You may not keep me in the loop about what’s happening with our family business, but if you recall, I’ve basically been a secretary for them both of you for the last two years. I’ve seen the emails, the numbers, the plans—”
“Then you know that the price of this land is about twenty grand more than the budget we’ve set aside for such a venture,” Rick said.
Zoey nodded. “I’ve negotiated down, but in the event it goes over our budget, I do have a plan for that as well.”
Brandon’s lips ticked up on one side. It was barely noticeable, except that it lit his eyes too. Zoey chose not to worry about that just yet.
Rick ran a hand through his brown locks. “Brandon, help me out here.”
Brandon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I can’t. I’m with Zoey on this one. Our baby sister is one heck of a businesswoman. We’ve just been too blind to see she’s all grown up. Since she’s been here, I’ve seen a change. She helped my brother-in-law broker a deal that saved him thousands of dollars a year with a vendor. She knows what she’s doing—has done all the legwork, even—and I think we should give this a shot.”
Zoey beamed at him. “Really?”
He nodded.
Rick sighed and slumped back in his office chair. He thought for a little longer than Zoey was strictly comfortable with. It felt amazing to have Brandon on her side, but ultimately, Rick would get the final say. He was the CEO, after all. He flipped through her business plan. Even if he said no, she’d prefer the Band-Aid method to this torture.
Finally, he glanced up again. “All right, I’ll go along with it until we get the bid back—”
She bounced in her seat.
He held up a finger. “But if we decided to go through with this and the bid is over, you’ll be responsible for that money. Of course, you’ll also have a larger share of return on that farm.”
She nodded. “I already know what to do.”
“Okay, little sister,” Rick said with a grin. “What’s the plan?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced herself to stay calm. She’d thought and prayed about this, and she knew it was the right decision even though it’d break her heart to do it. It was time to put away childish things. “I have some money saved up, but if that’s not enough, I’ll … I’ll sell Cher Bear.”
Brandon sat tall, and Rick’s jaw dropped. “Zoey,” both men said at the same time.
She lifted a hand to silence them. “Stop. I know what I’m doing. He’ll fetch an easy eight or ten grand at auction—” Though to her he was worth twice that. “—and of the three of my horses, he’s the only one I can afford to give up if I want to keep rodeoing. And …” She pointed to the papers on Rick’s desk that made up her plan. “I believe in this idea, and I want to do it.”
“Dad gave you that horse,” Rick said.
Brandon scooted closer to her. “You don’t have to do that. I can help you—”
“No, you can’t help me. It’s time for me to start acting like an adult and proving that I can be a valuable business partner to you both. Rick’s one stipulation was that I take care of the overhead costs, and I want to,” she said. “I can’t do that if I keep on letting you bail me out all the time. This is my decision, and I’ve made it.”
“You really have thought this through,” Rick said, sounding impressed despite his reticence over what she was doing.
“Yes, I have.” She took a deep breath, then plowed into the other reason she’d wanted the conference call, the one she’d kept to herself so they couldn’t bail. Even she could admit that she was about to Zoey-train them. “I’ve also thought a lot about this situation.” She signaled between the three of them.
“What do you mean?” Brandon asked.
She faced Brandon. “I came to Harvest Ranch with a plan to fix what’s happening between the three of us. I found out that you sold your share of the house to Rick, and after you disappeared last year, avoided our phone calls, and married someone we’d never even met, I panicked.”
Brandon frowned, and when he spoke, she heard pity there. “Zoey, that wasn’t about you. My leaving was about me needing to move on with my life.”
She nodded. “I know, but it involved Rick and Maryanne. And it did have an impact on me, whether that was your intention or not.” She grinned. “Anyway, I just thought that if I moved here, maybe I could fix whatever it is that’s going on. I get why you moved here now, Brandon. Harvest Ranch is a beautiful place with amazing people, but it was also a place to run away from your problems.”
She glanced over to Rick, who’d gone deathly quiet and pale. “I’m glad that you guys can work together so well now, but I don’t want that to be it for us. I want my brothers back. I want holidays, and special occasions, and more than once-a-year visits, even if it can’t be every Sunday.” She choked up, and this time when she spoke, there was no hiding that fact. “Cher Bear… is so special to me for many reasons, including that Dad gave him to me, but losing him won’t be as painful to me as watching you two drift apart—especially since Mom and Dad are both gone. We’re all we have left.”
Brandon and Rick said nothing as she finished up—both too in shock, she supposed, that someone actually said all that out loud. This would be her last Zoey-train, right hand to God.
She stood. “I have to go. I’m working the booth at the festival with Allie and Jo,” she said in a chipper voice she was only partly feeling. “And if I want to be off in time for my date with Hunter, I’ve got to get there pronto.”
She turned to leave, and just as she was exiting the door, she heard Rick’s alarmed voice. “Who’s Hunter?”
Brandon chuckled. “A good guy.”
