Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82671 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I lifted one eyebrow. “The boys?” I repeated. “You know they’re all grown men. Including you.”
He winked. “They’ll always be boys to me. It was the triplets. Then Aiden joined in. I might have helped. A sofa may have been sacrificed in the name of fun.”
I laughed. “I missed it.”
“We were all scolded thoroughly, then the women decided it was time to replace the furniture anyway. We’ll donate all the current stuff. Your mom already found a place that needed it.”
“Good.”
“Now, what is your news, my girl? Mom said you had a new offer on the table—you were waiting on final details to decide whether you would accept it.”
I nodded around a mouthful of cookie and took a sip of the strong coffee. “I accepted this morning.”
“Where are you off to and for how long?”
“Alberta. And I’m not sure. Six, maybe eight weeks?”
“Alberta. Nice place. Lots of mountains and great scenery.”
I crossed my legs, swinging my foot in excitement. “It’s a family-run ranch. Mostly cattle, but some other things as well. A brother and sister team. They want to add a tourist element to the ranch. You can go and be a cowboy or cowgirl for a while. Herd cattle. Work in the fields, camp under the stars. There are a couple of buildings on the property that would make great accommodations. I’m going to go in and design them. Help them plan out the menu, so to speak. Make sure a city slicker like me could handle it. Gathering eggs, picking apples. Going overnight camping. Sleep in the bunkhouse.” I grinned. “Milk the cows. I’m really excited about this one.”
Dad took a sip of coffee, looking amused. “Pretty sure dairy cows don’t leave the pasture by the barn. Hardly herding.”
“They have beef cattle as well—that’s the main focus of the ranch.”
“Ah. Makes more sense.” He scrubbed the back of his neck. “Mouse, you haven’t been on a horse since you were a kid. You decided you didn’t like it. It was, if I recall correctly, ‘not like the horses at the fair.’” He chuckled. “In other words, these were big and actually did more than move in a circle. You ended up on my saddle with me the whole ride.”
“Dad, I was eight.”
“Have you been on one since then?”
“No.”
He chuckled. “Kinda my point.”
I laughed with him. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay. They don’t go far. I’ve been talking to the sister, Rachel, a lot. She is sort of spearheading all this. The brother, Luke, stays pretty busy with running the ranch and the staff, I gather.”
“How old are they?”
“Luke is forty. Rachel is thirty. They inherited the ranch from their parents.” I slid my phone toward Dad. “It’s a great place.”
He scrolled through the photos. “Nice setup. River Rock Ranch. Great name. I like it.”
I nodded. “Been in the Adler family for three generations. They want to keep it going.”
“Either of them married?”
“Rachel is engaged. She never said anything about her brother, and there is no spouse listed on the documents. I, ah, gather, he is a bit of a grump. All business. All farm. That’s why I’ve been dealing with her.”
“That could be tricky.”
I shook my head. “He signed all the forms and is on board. He just doesn’t have time. I’m happy to deal with Rachel. She has some good ideas. The network is excited. It’ll be featured as soon as I have it ready.”
“Awesome. When are you going?”
“A week.”
“Quick.”
“Right time of the year.”
“Of course.” He drained his coffee cup, his voice mild. “No crew?”
I withheld my grin. My dad both loved and hated what I did. I was an independent DIY business starter. It had happened by accident when I helped a local business get off the ground and it was featured on a TV show. Since then, I had grown my company into a successful, sought-after ally. I received hundreds of letters a year from people with business ideas that needed some help with the details, the execution, and often some financial aid. I worked with the chosen project and the person or family, filmed the process, used my knowledge and expertise to help shape the foundation, and assist financially. When complete, the show was featured on a national TV network.
Every business I had chosen had flourished and grown. My reputation was solid and so were my unorthodox methods. I had a business degree in marketing and design. Plus, thanks to my dad and my family, I could wield any power tool there was and loved the entire building or demolition process. I preferred the hands-on approach and refused to pin myself to one kind of business, a steady crew, or even a locked-in contract with a single network. I took on small projects, big jobs, simple two-week ones. Some never saw any TV time, simply a new foundation on which they could build with my backing on my website and social media. But the network I liked to work with gave me a huge platform and a free hand, often helping with the financial end when required. They liked my work, I liked their ethics, so it was a win-win for us both. I gave them three shows a year, and they were happy.