Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95712 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 479(@200wpm)___ 383(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
She smiled as her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “How do you think Rhett did today?” she asked.
“Great. He met a little boy named Jimmy, and they hit it off.”
“Jimmy Mills?”
I looked at her, noticing her intense focus as we climbed an incline.
“Yes. His parents died in a boating accident, I was told. I went to high school with them both.”
She nodded. “Yeah, it was really sad. They went to live with Lori’s parents, and within months, they’d both passed from pneumonia. They couldn’t find any other living relatives, so the kids had to go to River Haven. Breaks my heart. I heard a young couple from Estes Park wanted to adopt Katie, but not Jimmy. I think that it’s so incredibly cruel to separate siblings, especially twins. They have a special bond.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I agree.”
We made it to the top of the trail—and I froze. The scene before me looked like a picture. Damn, I missed these views. The ragged edges of the mountains rose over the valley, lit by the evening sun. Dots of snow scattered across the mountaintops seemed to glow a light pink. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like once the sun started to set.
“Oh wow! This is beautiful, Em.”
“I know. It’s one of my favorite places on the ranch. I found it one day while following the wildlife path. Then I showed it to Uncle David, and the next thing I knew, there was a riding path. I used to come up here to think.”
“Do you bring the kids up here?”
“No. The pasture we rode up in is where we bring them. They collect wildflowers, bring them back to camp, and the kids can press them to take home. It’s a bit too dangerous to bring them up here, what with the drop-off right there.”
“I bet it’s beautiful at sunset.”
She walked over to a large boulder and sat on it. “It is. You should see it in the winter. The way the sun hits the snow on the sides of the mountains, it looks like Heaven opened and diamonds spilled out. It sparkles.”
I joined her on the boulder and stared out at the view. I could get lost in my own thoughts easily, sitting here.
“Em, I wanted to talk to you about the clinics.”
Drawing her legs up closer to her chest, she rested her chin on her knee. When she didn’t say anything, I went on.
“I didn’t mean for you to think the guys should replace the camps. I didn’t mean that at all. Caden and I were talking about profits and such, and I thought the clinics would be a good addition to the ranch. Please know I wasn’t trying to push you out.”
Keeping her head on her knee, she turned her head and smiled softly. “The camps are growing smaller each year. I know it’s a good thing that our need for them is lessening, which hopefully means more families are doing well. Or the kids at the orphanage are getting adopted. It’s just…I’ve worked so hard on these camps to grow them to what they are today. I know we could open them to paying campers, but that isn’t why we started the place. And my idea of doing a camp for kids with special needs is something I really wanted to try.”
“Why can’t you?”
She sighed. “I had a meeting with Caden, Uncle David, and Uncle Mike, as well as my mother. The insurance cost alone would be more than we could afford right now. Then you have to hire the right staff, who are certified to work with kids with disabilities.” She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “We do great with the fundraising, but it wouldn’t be enough to cover the current camps, plus one that would require so much additional cost.”
“If the other camps are growing smaller, could you combine the free sessions into one per summer, to help with the cost? Maybe do a few paid camps as well? You’ve got it all down pat, and I know people would pay.”
“But again, it goes against why we started the camps.”
“There’s nothing wrong with making a profit, Emeline.”
She shook her head. “It would be so much more work.” She looked at me, and her eyes were filled with sadness. “I think this is a dream that’s slowly going to fade away, sooner than later. Holding the clinics makes more sense for the ranch. We might even be able to do more fun things with the cabins.”
“What about doing a dude ranch?”
“A dude ranch?”
“Yeah, why not? People would love to do that.”
She chewed on her lower lip, then looked back out over the view. “Can you imagine people coming onto the ranch and Caden having to deal with them?”
We both laughed.
“He would lose his ever-loving mind.”