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and rubbed her upper arms.
    Olivia checked over her shoulder and her brother’s expression mirrored the battle inside her head—rage, frustration, and grief. “I know…” She moved over and helped her brother ease down onto the couch.
    “He was the last person I expected to see at the door,” he grumbled. “I had no idea he was in town.”
    “I saw him a little while ago at the clinic.”
    Kris looked up. “Yeah. I caught that.”
    “He brought in a dog that he’d hit on the road.” Olivia headed toward the kitchen. “Josie stopped by this morning too and told me that Eion had come by the real estate office yesterday. That’s why I came home for lunch. To fill you in.” Near the refrigerator she called out, “Hey, you want a sandwich or something?”
    “No, thanks,” Kris yelled from the other room. “I’m good for now.”
    “Josie said Eion had asked her about putting his ranch on the market.” Olivia quickly put together her favorite comfort food, peanut butter and grape jelly sandwich with a tall glass of milk, and sauntered back into the living room.
    “Sounds like a common theme going on in this town,” Kris said, picking at the edge of the cushioned armrest of his crutch. “He doesn’t know about our visit to Josie, does he?” He glanced over to where she’d plopped down on the sofa.
    Olivia swallowed a bite of her PB&J, savoring the flavors on her tongue for a moment. Such a perfect combo to soothe the anxiety of the day away. After washing it down with a gulp of her milk, she faced her brother. “I asked Josie the same question, and she reassured me that she never said a word. Everything is confidential.”
    “Good,” he muttered. “Let’s keep it that way.”
    She sighed. “I plan to.” Olivia took another bite, chewing not only on her sandwich, but on everything else she had no idea how they were going to handle.
    Kris shook his head. “The damn nerve, showing up after not a word from him all these years. I don’t know what he expected to accomplish.”
    “It was unexpected.” She lifted her glass and took a sip. “But you know, I think that was part of what we both found so much fun about Eion…” Kris swung his head around to face her. “He was never predictable.”
    Kris coughed out a laugh. “That was for damn sure.”
    “Changing the subject on you…” God knew she really needed to. “What are we going to do?” Olivia stared across the room at the dark TV screen, her mind churning.
    “I don’t know…” He grunted and squirmed on the couch beside her. “I do know that Dad will turn over in his grave if we sell. Dammit.” He propped his elbows on his knees and hung his head. “If only he had said something to one of us before the debt got so out of hand. The man always had so much damn pride.”
    Olivia jerked her head in his direction. “Like someone else I know.”
    “Kiss my ass.”
    “Classy, Bro.” She sighed. “So we’re going to have to sell or the bank’s going to take our home,” Olivia groaned, “unless we can somehow pull a fresh dose of capital out of our behinds and into our bank accounts. Plus find hands to get our cattle where it needs to be so we can turn a profit. If not, we’re done.”
    “You don’t think I know this?” Kris barked. “Our ranch hands are too young and inexperienced. They have drive, but they’re not what I need right now. What I do need, we can’t afford.” He swiped a hand over his short hair. “Someone experienced, who knows what he’s looking at, and recognizes when there’s a problem before it happens—proactive.” Kris grabbed his crutches and hefted himself up on a grunt. He swung around, banging the legs of the coffee table along the way. “Shit! I’m so sick of this.” He froze and sucked in a deep breath. “I need to be the one out there, managing the property fulltime. Not be some invalid trapped inside while the ranch crashes down around us.”
    “I know, Kris.” She swallowed hard,