Page 8 of More Than This Land

“That looked intense.” Jo pushed one plate toward Claire.

“I think I just lost any chance of helping him.” Claire stared at the cherry pie, her appetite gone.

“Nah.” Jo picked up her fork. “You just hit a nerve. That’s different.”

“How is that different?”

“Hitting a nerve means you said something true.” Jo took a bite of pie. “Luke’s really good at dismissing things that don’t challenge him. The fact he got defensive means you got through the armor.”

Not exactly an encouragement.

They ate in silence, the diner’s morning rush winding down around them. The clatter of dishes, the hum of conversation, the smell of coffee and comfort food mingled into a soft reminder why she loved this place.

“He wasn’t always like this, you know.” Jo’s voice pulled Claire back to the present.

“Like what?”

“Wound so tight he could snap.” Jo set down her fork. “Luke used to be more like his grandfather. Easy laugh, generous spirit, always had time for people. That all changed when his dad had a heart attack.” Jo’s frown deepened. “Nothing fatal, thank God, but scary enough. Luke found Wade in the barn, clutching his chest. Ruth was terrified they’d lose him. The whole family was shaken.”

The pieces started clicking into place.

“After that, Luke took over more of the day-to-day management.” Jo continued. “Started implementing all these systems and efficiencies. Cut costs, streamlined operations, built what he called ‘sustainable infrastructure.’ On paper, it all made sense. But somewhere along the way, he started treating the ranch like it was one bad decision away from collapse.”

“He’s trying to prove it won’t fail on his watch.”

“Exactly.” Jo picked up her fork and pointed it at Claire. “He’s controlling every variable he can reach. Cutting costs, eliminating risks, building systems that don’t require him to trust anyone or anything except his own competence. Because if he can just be perfect enough, efficient enough, strategic enough, then maybe nothing bad will happen to the people he loves.”

Claire thought about the way Luke’s hands had clenched around his coffee mug. The defensive intensity when she’d questioned his methods. The fear hiding behind all that control. “That’s an exhausting way to live.”

“It is.” Jo finished her pie. “But I don’t think Luke knows any other way since his father’s heart scare taught him that the people he loves aren’t invincible and the legacy he’s responsible for can be lost.”

“So what do I do?” Claire heard the frustration in her own voice. She didn’t try to hide it. Helping people was what she’d been put on earth to do. “How do I help someone who won’t admit they need help?”

“You do what you’re doing.” Jo’s smile warmed. “You tell him the truth, and you give him space to sit with it. Luke’s smart. Stubborn, proud, defensive as a cornered cat—but smart. He’ll work through it eventually.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then you tried.” Jo stood, collecting their empty plates. “I don’t think that’s how this story ends. I’ve been watching people in this town my whole life, and I’ve learned to recognize when two people are supposed to help each other. You and Luke? You’re supposed to help each other.”

“I’m just his accountant.”

“Honey, you stopped being ‘just his accountant’ the moment you walked into his office yesterday.” Jo’s knowing smile made Claire’s cheeks warm. “This whole town’s been praying for someone to get through to that boy. Maybe God sent him a CPA with a heart for people and a backbone strong enough to stand up to all that Calloway stubbornness.”

Claire wanted to argue, but something in Jo’s expression stopped her.

“Give him a few days.” Jo patted her shoulder. “Let him read your analysis. Let him wrestle with it. And trust that God’s working even when it doesn’t feel like it.”

Claire nodded, not quite believing but wanting to.

After Jo disappeared into the kitchen, Claire sat alone in the booth with the morning sunlight streaming through the windows and the weight of waiting anchoring her to the seat.

Luke Calloway wasn’t the corporate rancher she’d expected. He was a man carrying impossible weight, trying to protect everyone he loved by controlling everything he could reach.

And somehow, Wade had trusted her to help his son see that control and faith weren’t the same thing.

Claire had no idea if she was equipped for that task.

But sitting in the Brand Iron Diner with the taste of cherry pie on her tongue and Jo’s words echoing in her mind, she made a decision.