Page 35 of Roots of Redemption (Hicks Creek #4)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Wade

T he ranch is quiet except for the occasional lowing of cattle in the distance, and the rhythmic creak of the porch swing as Sutton and I sit side by side, poring over yet another book about cattle diseases.

“Researching outside is way better than being inside,” she teases offhandedly. “I’m also grateful that Caleb thought to bring these books home from the library. Everything we need is on the internet, but I’ve found so many more answers in a book that I couldn’t find with Google.”

“I would agree,” I chuckle. “Clearly we’re people who love the outdoors more than the indoors.”

“I like the indoors when you’re…never mind,” she says playfully as she looks up at me with a small smile tugging at her lips.

She’s a little tease sometimes.

“Careful with what you say there, Sutton.”

She giggles before going back to taking notes on her iPad.

“What about this one?” I ask, pointing to a passage about bovine viral diarrhea.

We’ve been at this for hours, but nothing fits the symptoms perfectly.

I lean closer, the scent of her shampoo wafting toward me as I scan the page.

“I’ve already tested for that. The results came back negative.

While some of them are getting symptoms at that end, my gut is telling me that it’s a respiratory disease.

” She groans, closing the book with a thud and leaning back against the swing.

“I swear, if I read one more page about symptoms and treatments, my brain is going to melt.”

I chuckle, leaning back as well, letting my arm rest along the back of the swing. “You’re doing great, Sutton. I’d have given up hours ago if it weren’t for you.”

She turns her head to look at me, one eyebrow arched. “You mean that?”

I grin. “Absolutely. You’ve got this determined look when you’re focused. It’s kind of intimidating.”

She laughs, the sound light and musical, and nudges me with her elbow. “Me intimidating a six-foot-tall man, hilarious.”

“My guys jump the second you speak, little commander.”

“Shut up.”

Her cheeks flush, and she quickly looks away, but not before I catch the small smile tugging at her lips.

That smile makes something in my gut flutter, but I swallow it down, not sure I’m ready to examine it yet.

“You said your gut is leading you to a respiratory disease, but why aren’t you officially ruling it as such? ”

“The symptoms line up. The coughing, the nasal discharge, the sluggish behavior—classic signs. But something feels… off.”

“Off how?” I ask, frowning. “You’re the expert here. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck—”

“It’s not always a damn duck,” she cuts me off, her tone sharper than she probably means.

She softens it with a sigh. “Sorry. It’s just…

if it is brD, there’s usually a clear pattern.

It spreads quickly, especially in conditions like this, but not all the herds are showing symptoms yet.

Even though you were quick to put protocols in place, the other ranches weren’t.

It’s hard to explain. Dad’s dealt with brD before, so have you, so has Doc Lucy, and yet you need my help? ”

“So you’re saying it’s too slow to be brD?” I press.

She nods, chewing her bottom lip. “Yeah. It’s weirdly slow.

And the antibiotics I started them on—they should’ve shown some improvement by now if it’s just bacterial.

But they’re not. It’s like they’re holding steady, and that makes me think there’s more going on.

Maybe a secondary infection, or even a virus.

Could be environmental stress making it worse. ”

I scratch my jaw, glancing over at the calves. “You think it’s somethin’ we missed? Like the feed? Or the ventilation in the barn?”

“Maybe,” she says, looking frustrated. “I’m running tests, but until I get the results back, I can’t rule anything out.

It could be as simple as poor ventilation weakening their immune systems, or something more complicated like a viral strain we’re not accounting for. I just don’t have enough data yet.”

“But you’re leanin’ toward brD?”

“Yeah,” she admits, glancing back at the calves. “It makes the most sense with what we’re seeing, but I hate guessing. If I’m wrong, and it’s something else, treating them for brD isn’t gonna help. It could even make it worse.”

Her shoulders sag a little, and I can tell this is eating at her. Sutton hates not having answers. I move closer, placing an arm around her. “You’ll figure it out, Sutton. I have no doubt in my mind of that.”

She offers me a small smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Thanks, Wade. I just… I don’t want to miss something important.

These animals are depending on me. You and my dad, Doc Lucy, the entire town is depending on me to figure this out, and I can’t let anyone down. There’s too much at stake.”

“And you won’t let anyone down,” I say firmly. “You let me know what you need, and we’ll get it done. Tests, feed changes, whatever. We’re in this together.”

She gives a slow nod, her hand brushing against mine briefly. “I appreciate that. I’ll let you know as soon as I get the lab results back. Until then, I’ll keep monitoring them closely. If it is brD, we’ll need to act fast.”

“Just say the word,” I tell her, meaning it.

She sighs, leaning forward to grab her coffee cup from the small table in front of us. “You’re awfully optimistic for someone who’s been running on fumes for days.”

“Delirium,” I chuckle.

“I’ll second that.”

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and goes back to the iPad.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow? More research? More tests?”

“Both.” She smiles. “And maybe a little sleep, if we’re lucky.”

“Sleep is overrated,” I tease, earning another laugh from her. “But seriously, you’ve been working your ass off. You should take a break even more. It’s easy to miss something important without sleep.”

“I could say the same to you,” she counters, her gaze meeting mine. “You’re the one running this place. You’ve got way more on your plate than I do. I have an appointment at the bank in the morning. Cal, the loan officer, wasn’t in today; they put me on his schedule, though.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“I already told you no, Wade. I appreciate it, I really do, but I need to do this on my own.”

I nod. I understand why she needs to do it by herself, but it doesn’t mean I like that she is. I want to help her way more than she wants me to.

It’s hard to turn off that protective switch she’s flipped in me.

“Well, it’s okay to change your mind at any time, and if you do, I’ll be there.”

She shakes her head, but there’s a smile on her face, and for a moment, the weight of the ranch and the cattle and everything else fades away. It’s just us, sitting on the porch, sharing a quiet moment in the middle of the chaos.

“All right,” she says, setting her cup down and grabbing the next book. “Enough chit-chat. Let’s get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say, grinning as I pick up my laptop.

We fall into a comfortable rhythm, the silence between us filled with the click-clack of the keyboard and the occasional comment about something we’ve read. The hours slip by, but I don’t mind. As long as she’s here, I’ll keep going.

I’ve never enjoyed research more than I do now. Looking up and seeing her beautiful face across from me is nice.

There’s nothing cuter than Sutton concentrating on something.

The next morning I step out of the barn, the smell of hay and leather still clinging to me.

No new deaths overnight, so that’s a good thing, but there are about a dozen more showing symptoms. The guys are already moving them into quarantine pens, but I can feel the frustration mounting again.

If we don’t figure this out soon, it’s only a matter of time before they die too.

My mom’s voice calls out from the porch, and I glance over to see her wiping her hands on her apron. She’s been baking—probably her famous cinnamon rolls, judging by the faint scent wafting through the air.

“Good morning, baby,” she calls out. “I missed you at breakfast this morning.”

I nod, brushing the dust off my jeans as I make my way over. I can see that twinkle in her eye; she’s well aware of why I missed breakfast with the family this morning. Sutton was missing, too.

“Good morning, Mom.” I grin.

She waits until I’m close, then gestures for me to sit on the porch swing with her. I do, the wood creaking slightly under our weight. She looks at me for a long moment, her eyes soft but searching.

“You and Sutton have been spending a lot of time together.”

I lean back, letting the swing sway slightly. “Yeah, we have. She’s been helping me figure out what’s going on with the cattle.”

Mom nods, but her expression doesn’t change. “I’ve noticed. And I’ve noticed the way you look at her, too.”

I feel a heat rise in my neck, but I don’t deny it. “She’s… different,” I admit. “Smart, funny, stubborn as hell. She keeps me on my toes.”

“I can see that. And I can see that she cares about you, too. But Wade… she’s from Montana. She’s got a life there.”

I let out a slow breath, running a hand through my hair. “I know.”

“Do you?” she asks, her voice soft but pointed. “Because I know how you are. When you care about someone, you give them everything. And I don’t want to see you get hurt if she decides to go back.”

Her words hit me square in the chest, but I can’t argue with them. She’s right—I do care about Sutton. More than I probably should, considering the circumstances.

“I’m not blind to that,” I say quietly. “But I can’t just ignore how I feel.”

She reaches over, placing a hand on mine. “I know you can’t. And I’m not saying you should. But maybe you need to think about what you want—what you’re willing to risk.”

I nod. “I have thought about what I want. And it’s her.”

“What if she’s not willing to give up her job in Billings? Relationships take sacrifices, and one of you will have to. Will you and Caleb leave the ranch?”

I immediately shake my head no.

Okay, so maybe I haven’t thought about that. I guess I assumed that she would move back here, the way she’s talked about the ranch, but I guess I don’t know that for sure.

I blow out a breath. “I guess I didn’t think it through completely.”

“I would love nothing more than for you two to be together. I love her. She’s got a good head on her shoulders, and she’s got fire in her. She’d be good for you.”

“But?” I prompt, knowing there’s more.

“But,” she says, her voice tinged with hope and worry, “I just don’t want you to pin all your hopes on someone who might not stay. Unless…”

“Unless what?” I ask, leaning forward slightly.

“Unless you’re the one who convinces her to stay.”

Her words hang in the air between us, and I feel a flicker of something in my chest—something I’m almost afraid to name.

Could I be the reason Sutton stays?

“I don’t think I’m the one who needs to convince her to stay,” I reply thoughtfully. “Honestly, I think she’d stay for me and Caleb in a heartbeat. I think that her father will be the one.”

“I think you’re right. You and Sutton could be meant to be; it could be the most beautiful thing in the world for both of you, but if Frank isn’t willing to repair their relationship, then he will drive her away again.

You’ll have to decide if you’re willing to follow and if that’s even what you want. ”

I nod slowly, her words sinking in. “Thanks, Mom.”

She smiles, leaning over to kiss my cheek. “Just be careful, Wade. And be honest—with her and with yourself.”

I watch as she heads back into the house, leaving me alone on the porch with my thoughts.

The sun is higher now, casting a warm glow over the ranch.

I think about Sutton—her laugh, her determination, the way she’s been by my side through all of this.

And I can’t help but wonder: could this ranch be her home, too?

The door creaks open, and I turn to see Sutton stepping out of the barn, her hair pulled back, and her boots scuffed from the morning. She gives me a small smile, and my heart does that stupid thing where it skips a beat.

“Hey,” she says, coming to sit beside me. “Everything okay?”

I nod, the corners of my mouth lifting in a faint smile. “Yeah. Just talking to Mom.”

She raises an eyebrow. “About what?”

“About you.”

Her eyes widen slightly, and she shifts in her seat. “Me? What about me?”

I take a deep breath, my gaze steady on hers. “About how much I care about you. And about how I’m trying to figure out if this is something you’d want to stay for.”

Her expression softens, and she looks down at her hands for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “Wade…”

“You don’t have to say anything right now,” I cut in gently. “I just want you to know where I stand. I’m not saying it’s easy, and I’m not saying it’s simple. But I’m willing to figure it out, if you are.”

She nods slowly, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t know what the future holds,” she admits. “But I know I want to be here right now. With you.”

It’s not a promise, but it’s enough for now. I reach over, taking her hand in mine and giving it a gentle squeeze. “That’s all I need to hear.”

We sit there for a while, the morning sun warming our faces and the quiet hum of the ranch around us. It’s not perfect, and it’s not certain. But it feels like we’re heading in the right direction.