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“I’m not here for myself, sir.”

“Oh?” A sparkle of interest gleamed in Grandfather’s eyes. “Go ahead.”

“It’s Paisley Teele. She just found out last night that there’s a family situation she needs to deal with back in Arizona, but she’s afraid to ask for time off with the busy season coming up.”

The old man winced and scratched his neck. “She’s heading up the Fourth of July festivities, and that’s only three weeks away. It really isn’t a good time.”

“Now is when her mom is in the hospital.”

Grandfather shook his head as his breath whooshed out. “Bad timing.”

“She could probably keep working on it from a distance.”

“Maybe, but she already suffers from squirrel syndrome. I’m not sure she’d be able to stay focused if she wasn’t on the ranch with the weekly staff meetings and other reminders of the timeline.”

“She could do it.” But Grandfather wasn’t wrong. Paisley did go off on tangents on a whim, like that backcountry trip. “Or Cindy could cover.”

“If Paisley leaves, Cindy will have far too much to do on a daily basis to handle the event, too.”

Weston didn’t like how his grandsire was reacting. “You wouldn’t… let her go permanently over needing some family time?”

“Not willingly, but I have to tell you, I need workers who actually work, who are here, doing what they were hired for. She doesn’t have any vacation time coming, since it’s a seasonal position. I’m not sure what I’ll do if she asks for a leave of absence.”

So much for thinking this octogenarian could pivot on a dime regardless of what was tossed at him. Surely, he’d had staffing issues before. A man didn’t run a successful empire for decades without things coming up.

Weston’s heart sank. Walter Sullivan had already hinted at what he would do. He’d let Paisley leave… and he’d hire someone else who wouldn’t ask for time off.

It wasn’t Paisley’s fault! And she’d been estranged from her mother. She needed the closure, if at all possible.

“What all is involved in the Independence Day celebrations? Maybe there’s someone else who could step in.”

“Are you volunteering, Weston?”

“Uh… no?” But maybe? “I have a full job of my own over at the stables.”

“You have staff who can manage things, don’t you? Darrell… what’s his last name?”

“Ferguson. And yes, but I’m no organizer, sir. I don’t really do people, for one thing.”

“And yet, you’re here, pleading Paisley’s case.”

Weston pulled to his feet. “Apparently that was a mistake. I’m sorry for wasting your time, sir.”

“Sit.”

He sat.

“I want to know why it matters.”

“About the Fourth of July? Becau?—”

“No.” Grandfather’s hand sliced the air, cutting off the remainder of Weston’s reply. “About Paisley Teele.”

Weston clenched his clammy hands together. Might be sweat prickling the crew neck of his T-shirt, too. “She doesn’t deserve?—”

“Most people don’t deserve everything that happens to them. Why Paisley?”

He took a long breath and let it out slowly before meeting his grandfather’s gaze. “Because she’s special.”