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I smile, watching the foal nuzzle her mother before looking back at us.
"She's perfect, Jake. Have you named her yet?"
He leans on the fence, his eyes never leaving the foal.
"Mia wants to name her Luna after her grandmother."
"Luna."
I echo, the name fitting the foal as perfectly as a glove.
"It suits her."
We fall into a comfortable silence, watching Luna prance around her mother, embodying the new life and beginnings that define Beartooth Ranch.
Standing beside my brother and watching a new day dawn over the land we love, moments like these remind me how deeply rooted we are in this place.
"Sarah."
Jake says, his voice pulling me from my thoughts.
"Thanks for being here. For everything. This ranch, my family, wouldn't be the same without you."
I turn to look at him, struck by the sincerity in his voice.
"It's my home too, Jake. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
"I'm just so glad you moved back earlier this year. I know our childhood was a bit complicated, with you being raised with Grandma Jean and Grandpa Boris in Aleridge."
I sigh softly since I already know where he's going with this. I don't understand why he feels he needs to apologize to me when it's not his fault.
Our parents planned him while I was quite a surprise pregnancy.
Our parents weren’t financially well off enough to have two children then, so my mother sent me out of town to live with my maternal grandparents a few months after I was born.
Few knew that Jake had a sister since he was raised here, whereas I had not been.
Sure, we saw each other often, especially during holidays, but we weren't raised together like we would have preferred.
That's why I hadn't met Mia when Jake had dated her in high school.
He rekindled his romance with her last year when she moved back to Pine Creek with her daughter, Emily.
That was out of respect for me, and he wanted to ensure I was comfortable meeting her.
I moved to Pine Creek earlier this year because I wanted to be close to my nephew and now-nieces.
But I had done so with the promise that Jake would not let people know we are siblings, because I love having my own life and identity.
"Don't you dare apologize."
I stop him before he can even try. He chuckles in amusement and with a shake of his head.
"I’d be surprised if you agree to come to dinner again one of these nights. You've been working so much at your office and here at the ranch that we barely see you."
"That's because I'm a workaholic, big brother."
I grin at him and playfully nudge his arm.
