“Of course he would run away,” I said. “Those bullies are always giving him a hard time. Why would he want to stay here?”
Talon shook his head. “Like I said, it just doesn’t sit right with me. Sure, it’s harder with the bullies, but…he’s not the type to run. He takes it, you know?”
“You’d best go home. You’ll get your ass whooped if you don’t get your chores done.”
“I’ll get them done when I get home. I just want to figure this out.”
“You don’t even like the kid that much.”
“I like him fine. And I hate what the bullies do to him.”
“Best leave things alone,” I said, shaking my head. “He’ll make his way home soon enough.”
“I want you to come with me, Joe.”
I shook my head. “Heck, I’ve got major work to do this afternoon at home. And homework. I can’t do it.”
“I’m going anyway.”
“Suit yourself.”
Our youngest brother, Ryan, tugged on Talon’s hand. “I’ll go with you, Tal.”
My eyes shot open. It wasn’t the first time I’d nodded off and relived that day. It wasn’t a dream. It was a flashback to the day Talon had been taken. The day all our lives had changed.
If only I had gone with him…
“I was surprised to get your call,” Melanie said.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I squirmed in the leather recliner. What to say? I wanted to see you again, so I made an appointment for therapy I don’t want? Nope, that wouldn’t do.
Again, silence.
“So why did you call? What would you like to talk about?”
Her hair was down today, falling in a silky cascade against a green satin blouse that matched her eyes.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
She smiled. “Okay. Why don’t you tell me about yourself? What’s a normal day like for you, Jonah?”
I wasn’t sure how talking about a normal day would help me, but she was the doctor. “I keep pretty busy. I’m in charge of the beef ranch. You probably know that Talon runs the orchards and Ryan the winery.”
She nodded. “Actually, Talon and I have talked relatively little about his work. But yes, I did know that he handled the orchard. He brought me some of his luscious peaches. They were delicious.”
Luscious peaches. I shot my gaze to her chest without meaning to. She wasn’t huge like Jade, but damn, just the size of those large peaches from our orchard…and most likely just as succulent. What might Melanie taste like? A juicy peach? Maybe not. Maybe something completely unique. Yes, unique.
“I guess when he came in, you knew exactly what to talk about.”
She chuckled. “Actually, no. He didn’t really know what to talk about either. What you’re experiencing is completely normal. So I try to start with something familiar, like your daily life. Usually we end up where we need to be.”
“But you didn’t do that with Talon.”
“Of course I did. I just didn’t start with his daily routine.”
“What did you start with his first time?”
“Last time, you told me you didn’t want to talk about my sessions with Talon.”
True, I had. So why not just answer the question she asked?
“My life is pretty routine. I get up early, around five a.m., meet my foreman and several others in my office and get a look at the day’s work. Sometimes I go out into the pastures myself. Other days I’m stuck doing paperwork all day.”
“So you guys have a pretty big operation.”
“Yes. The most successful ranch in Colorado. We have just under half a million acres, and we employ hundreds, and that’s not counting seasonal work.”
“Then you have a lot of responsibilities.”
“Yeah. I mean, I’m mainly responsible for the ranch, but…”
“But?”
I stiffened.
Melanie continued, “But you feel responsible for everything, don’t you?”
She was right. I did. I was the oldest, after all.
“If you take care of the beef, Talon takes care of the fruit, and Ryan takes care of the wine, what does your sister do?”
“Marjorie is a lot younger than we are. Right now, she just fills in and helps where she’s needed. At some point, she’ll probably decide whether to stay on the ranch and help us or to leave. Her true love is gourmet cooking. But she does own a quarter of the ranch. My father left it to all of us in equal portions, so she’ll always have a cut.”
Melanie nodded. “So tell me, if your siblings own three quarters of the operation, and you’re all adults, why do you feel responsible for everything?”
Why did I? “Because I’m the oldest, I guess.”
“Because you’re the oldest. I see.”
What did she see? I opened my mouth to ask the question, but she began speaking again.
“Jonah, you don’t have to be responsible for everything.”
“Oh, I know. My brothers both do their fair share. They work really hard, and Marj does whatever we ask her to. Whenever there’s extra work to do, she’s right there to lend a hand.”