Page 22 of Hometown Hottie

11

NOVA

Out on the ranch, sweat poured down my temples from under my cowboy hat and snaked down my spine. I’d been looking for almost an hour and I still hadn’t found my brother.

The unforgiving sun beat down on me and I could only pray that my sunscreen worked as hard as I did. When I finally rounded the bend to Murphy’s Rock, I heaved out a sigh of relief and dug my heels into Badger’s side.

My trusty chestnut responded, perking up now that he knew we were close. “That’s it, boy. We’re going to rest in just a minute. Just one more minute.”

Ryan was fixing the problematic fence—again—bent over and cursing as he hammered at a crooked post. When he heard the rhythmic clip-clop of Badger’s hooves, he straightened up and twisted, peering out at me from under the rim of his hat.

“Nova? Is everything okay? What are you doing out here?”

I tugged gently at Badger’s reins and pulled him to a stop before I gracefully dismounted. After finding him some shade, I let him graze with Ryan’s mare, Hatric, and dug into my satchel to toss a bottle of coldish water to my brother.

It had been ice cold when I’d left, a peace offering of sorts, but that had been an hour ago. As he caught it, he arched an eyebrow at me. “Nova? Did something happen?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said easily before twisting the top off my own bottle and taking a few long gulps. “I just thought I’d bring you some hydration. How’s it looking?”

He kicked at the offending fence post and blew out a deep breath. “Exactly like you think it is. I’ve done what I could for now, but it’s not going to hold.”

I eyed the fence and the work he’d done to patch it up. Deciding that this was as good a time as any to tell him why I’d really come looking for him, I jerked my chin at the fence. “I might have an idea that might help us get the money we need to fix it, but I’ll need your help.”

“That’s a lot of mights in one sentence, Nove.” He gave me a skeptical look. “What’s the idea?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking that we should move forward on marketing the ranch. Dad is never going to give us the go-ahead, but I think this is a prime example of it being better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.”

He tugged his shirt out of his waistband and wiped his face. Then he took another long sip of his water before he fixed his suspicious blue eyes on me once more. “I’m not sure we’ll ever get forgiveness, but I’m listening. I suppose facing Dad’s wrath is better than losing the ranch. What have you got?”

“You need to act like a cowboy for a few videos,” I rushed out, waving a hand at him, referring to the exact way he looked right then. “All you have to do is be really, really good looking, preferably shirtless and sweaty. We could even make a quick video of you just doing what you’ve been doing all day.”

My brother scowled at me. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Sliding my phone out of my satchel, I quickly navigated to a few videos I’d found online of other ranches who were doing the same things. “Check it out. They’re using those to get attention, but they’re selling their meat in subscription boxes with the ads. Some of them are getting thousands of views a day, and all they’re really doing is making videos of their day-to-day lives and posting them online.”

“Let me get this straight,” he said slowly as the first clip ended. “You want me riding around naked on horseback? And you want to film it?”

“I want to save the ranch!” I protested. “You wouldn’t have to be naked. I already told you we could even just make our first video of you right here and right now. As soon as you get back to the work you’re going to be getting back to anyway. All I need is, like, a minute of you doing what you were doing before I rode up and we’d have something to post.”

Ryan stared at me for a beat, then broke into loud, guffawing laughter, even doubling over as he shook his head. “I’m not doing that, Nova. I’m sorry. I want to save the ranch too, but not like that.”

“Why not?” I asked, and unlike him, I was being serious. “People are signing up for these subscription boxes like they’re hotcakes. I’ve been following this one ranch in Montana for a couple months and you won’t believe all the changes they’ve already made. They’ve got a brand-new website with an online store that had to have been designed by a professional. All the areas they use regularly in their videos have been upgraded and renovated. They’ve also been teasing new developments on their property and their engagements are through the roof.”

“Things aren’t always what they seem on social media, Nova. You know that. Those ‘upgrades’ might be one renovated stall or even just a green screen for all you know. Besides, even if it is working for them, that’s not to say it will work for us.”

I shoved the phone at him again. “Look at that, Ryan. There are ranches all around who are doing it, and I mentioned the ranch in Montana specifically because that was the first one I saw, but there are even people doing it in Crystal Springs. That’s less than fifty miles from here.”

He didn’t take the device from me again. His face was no longer set in a scowl but it still didn’t look like he was about to agree. “If there are already so many people doing it, then who’s to say it would help us at all?”

“Grass-fed, organic food is all the rage right now. We’d got mutton, lamb, beef, veal, and pork. Hell, all we need are a few chickens and we’d be a one-stop shop. People would never have to get their meat from anywhere else ever again. There aren’t a lot of ranches who can say that.”

I put up my hand to show him I wasn’t done yet when I saw him open his mouth to interrupt. “Plus, we already sell all our own meat in dishes at the coffee shop, and we could link the reviews of those to our posts. Potential buyers would see that our meat is really great quality and that even the locals rave about it.”

Ryan drank down the last of his water, then handed the bottle back to me. “You got any more of that? I ran out just before you got here.”

“Sure, but only if you agree to let me make a real quick video of you before I leave.”

He laughed. “Not a chance. Keep your water. I’ve got my truck and I happen to know exactly where I can refill my own bottles. So thanks, but no thanks.”