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“Which won’t be enough. I’ve looked through all the papers, and I think I might just have to sell.” She sighs, and her shoulders fall.
My heart sinks because I don’t have the money to give her. If I did, I would, and although Ben does, I don’t want him to step in. My ego and my pride dictate that Sadie is mine to protect. I need to figure this out for her. I’m honestly not sure she would accept Ben’s money anyway.
“She said if I could find a cosigner, then maybe they’d approve the loan. But whoever I got would have to have collateral.”
My head spins with the knowledge that my dad added my name to the ranch after I turned eighteen. Each of us Noughton boys owns a portion, but I’ve turned the ranch around. It’s worth quite a lot now. “I’ll cosign.”
“No.” She shakes her head, picking up her water glass and gulping down a good portion. “I’m not mixing anyone else up in this.”
“It’s the only way. Show me your plans. We can be business partners.” I’ll have to talk to my dad because I’m not sure how it works since there’s more than just my name on the ranch, but I know between Sadie and me, we can get her farm going.
“I’m not complicating our relationship with business. Thank you, but no.”
Sabrina comes over and places chicken tacos in front of Sadie and steak ones in front of me. “Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”
“Looks great,” Sadie says.
We thank Sabrina, and Sadie picks up a taco, taking a bite and moaning as she chews. I shift in my seat. Gets me every damn time.
“Now I’m happy,” she says after she swallows.
I bite into my steak taco, and when I’m done chewing, I approach the subject one more time. “If you don’t want to show me your business plan, will you at least tell me what you’re thinking?”
Her gaze falls to her plate. “You’re going to say it’s stupid.”
“No, I won’t. Come on.”
“I haven’t told anyone. Not even Lottie.”
I try not to be offended that she says it as if Lottie is close to me on Sadie’s friend meter.
We continue eating for a few more bites, and I wait because I’m fairly sure she’s going to break and tell me.
I’m on my second taco when she finally says, “Chickens.”
“Chickens?”
She wipes her mouth with her napkin and clasps her hands in her lap. “I want to breed pasture-raised chickens. Regenerate the land and use it for chickens.”
That was not on my radar. I assumed maybe she’d want to expand her garden, grow something different than soybeans, but chickens… we have a few on Plain Daisy Ranch, but mostly only for Jensen, who wants them for their eggs. The rest go to The Harvest Depot to sell.
“Interesting idea.”
She points at me. “See, I knew you’d shoot it down.”
I drop my third taco and shake my head. “I’m not shooting it down. I just wasn’t prepared for you to say that.”
“I know it will take some time, and I’d have to wait until early spring to start, but I could use the winter to prepare. I’ve been watching a lot of videos, and I’m thinking about going to see this guy who started his own chicken farm five years ago.”
Red flags wave in my head. Guy?
“Who’s this guy?” I frown.
“Just someone I’ve been conversing with online. He has these how-to videos online, and I started messaging him. He knows so much about it.”
My hand clenches the taco, and it falls apart.
“Did your tortilla get soggy?” She looks at my now crumpled up steak and tortilla on my plate.
