“That’s a ten mile walk, dad!” Becky declared, “That sooo mean! I love it!”
Bill smiled nostalgically and then looked over at Becky, his expression suddenly serious.
“Jake was telling me about the vet program at CSU,” Bill said quietly, Becky’s laughter cutting off while she stared down at her plate, “I ain’t to impressed by what Judy was saying about the dorms, but…
“Have you given it any more thought?”
“Dad,” Becky said softly and shrugged.
Jake glanced between them curiously, Becky still staring at her empty plate and Bill watching her closely.
“You’ve more sense than some,” Bill continued and pointedly dind’t look in Jake’s direction, “You’d do fine in the dorms and have a chance to meet more people your own age, make some friends. The ranch… what with all the new crap coming from bureaucrats in DC who’s never even seen the south end of a horse in their god damned life… you’ve been promised the ranch, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to keep it. No more grazing, the herd cut back to a quarter what it is now…
“If you get your vet degree then it’ll be your choice to keep the land or move on, get a career closer to town…”
“Dad,” Becky said softly, the pain in her voice obvious.
“Becky,” Bill replied just as softly, “You know the finances as well as I do, you know the projections.”
“I… I don’t want to leave the ranch,” Becky whispered, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, “I don’t want to leave you.”
“You won’t be leaving me, Becky,” Bill said with a sad smile, “You’ll be growing up.”
Jake swallowed and felt decidedly uncomfortable without glancing at either Becky or Bill. Suddenly Becky choked back tears and got to her feet, the chair squeaking in her rush before she hurried upstairs.
Bill sighed as he watched her go and then turned to give Jake a small smile.
“She doesn’t need and wouldn’t appreciate someone trying to keep an eye on her,” Bill said while looking Jake in the eye, “But she’d have you to help show her the ropes if she needed someone at CSU.”
“Yea!” Jake replied instantly, “Absolutely!”
The next three days were spent with Jake being hauled out to help repair fences, the physical labor exhausting Jake so much that he barely even thought of what he and Becky had been doing in the old silo. Becky seemed to have forgotten it as well without any comments or off color hints.
“I have to head to Naples tomorrow,” Bill said at dinner after he and Jake had returned to the ranch one day, Jake’s head bobbing as he tried not to fall asleep at the table, “I’ll be spending the night so you can expect me back come Sunday afternoon.”
“So you’re ditching Jake and I out here so you can hook up with Sally?” Becky asked innocently.
Bill spluttered and glared at Becky.
“Sally and I… that’s… you mind your own business Elizabeth!” Bill shot back, his face a bright red.
“Oh, chill, dad!” Becky said with a laugh, “I’ve known you and Sally were going at it like Amadeus and one of his girls for years. You should invite her out for a week sometime, just… make sure you get new bedsprings, I can hear you out in the barn when you just roll over!”