She looks at me, nodding her head, and I do the same. I mean, she’s always encouraged me to participate, and all her emails and notes home have had the same feel to them. “Yes, absolutely.” I look around the bus, and there are a few faces that I’ve seen on other field trips. I raise up a little and notice all the cars trailing behind us. “What’s going on?”
She rolls her eyes. “Well, today we have the most volunteers of the whole year, and they’re all women.”
She throws her hands up in the air as if she just explained it all, but I’m not catching on. “And...?” I ask her.
“It’s because we’re going to the Double B Ranch.”
I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. I shake my head. “I still don’t get it.”
She sits up straighter. “The Bryant Ranch...”
When she sees my blank expression, she shakes her head. “The Bryant Brothers... King, Chance, Griffin, and Ryan Bryant... one of the biggest ranches in all of Tennessee.”
I lift my shoulders. “I’ve never heard of them.”
She starts to laugh then, which attracts the attention of the students around us. I look over my shoulder and see E and his friends staring up at us. I give him a smile and turn back to Olivia. “Are you making fun of me?”
She puts her hand on my arm and wipes the tears from her eyes with her other hand. “NO! No, Natalie, of course not. But man, I wish there were more parents like you.”
“What do you mean?” I ask her.
She leans in. “I mean, you’re here for your son. The rest of these women that showed up for the first time today are coming along to see one or all of the Bryant brothers.”
My eyes get wide. “They’re here to, uh, pick up men?” I ask, aghast. I remember seeing Betsy Underwood, and she’s married. “No way!”
“Yes way. Have you really never heard of the Bryant brothers?”
I shake my head.
Olivia leans back in her seat. “Well, you’re in for a treat. They are nice to look at. And mostly nice, too. Well, except for King, anyway.”
“Well, I promise I’m not here to flirt.”
She rummages through her tote bag and pulls out some papers. “I know you’re not. Which makes me feel even better for this.”
She hands the papers to me, and I start to scan the text. Double B Ranch Camp... it’s the week of spring break... application and acceptance letter.
I stare at it open-mouthed. “What is this?”
“Every year, the Double B Ranch has a camp where they teach boys about ranching. I knew Elijah would be perfect for it... I mean, every paper he’s had to write this year has been on ranching. Anyway, I applied, and he was accepted.”
I am already shaking my head. “Olivia, I can’t afford this...” Dang, I wish I could. I can just imagine how excited Eli would be to do it.
Olivia takes the papers, flips to the back, and holds it up. “I applied for the sponsorship. See here?” She points to the bottom of the paper. “This was signed by King Bryant. He approved the sponsorship. It won’t cost you a penny.”
I lean back in my seat, stunned. It’s either that or fall over into the aisle. “Are you kidding me right now?”
She is smiling so big and impulsively as she reaches over to hug me. “No, I’m not kidding you. If anyone deserves this, you and Eli do.”
When she pulls away, I’m wiping my emotional tears off my face. “I don’t know how to thank you... I can’t believe...”
She shakes her head. “You don’t have to thank me. Just knowing how excited Elijah is going to be is thanks enough for me. You may want to thank King or one of the other brothers while we’re there at the ranch, though.”
I nod, holding the papers to my chest. “Absolutely... I’ll definitely thank them.”
The rest of the bus ride goes by in a blur. I’m still a little anxious, knowing Elijah will be all the way out at the ranch and I’ll be at the diner working, but there’s no way I can not let Elijah do this. This is like a dream come true for him. No, I’ll definitely let him do it. I’ll just make sure they all know that he can only leave with me. It will be fine.
Chapter 2
King
Of all days for my brothers to be late coming off the range. I know the pricks did it on purpose. They knew I wouldn’t just leave a bunch of kids free to roam the ranch, so I’m stuck here talking, which is one of my least favorite things to do, and I’m trying to avoid all the women that seem to have come out of the woodwork. There’s a thousand other things I should be doing right now, but instead, I’m standing here giving a speech to a bunch of kids about ranching.