Page 76

Dirty, I can clean.

Broken, I can fix.

Anything else can hopefully be taken care of when the crew Will lined up arrives to handle the more extensive damage.

I close my eyes and take a breath, hating that Shane is the person I think of in this moment. If he were in town, I don’t doubt he would have come with me today. I probably wouldn’t have even had to ask because that’s how he is. He’s there without expecting anything in return.

Shane has quickly become a steady presence in my life, and that’s terrifying as I stand here missing him, wondering if he feels the same.

For a decade, I convinced myself it was better to be alone. Why did Shane have to give me someone to miss? Why did I let him? This whole agreement is turning into one big mess.

I walk over to where my brothers are picking at the drywall. Will erases his frown when he spots me, like I don’t already know how bad this is.

“Stop looking around like this is the end of the world.” I roll my shoulders back, harnessing what optimism I can. “By the time we’re done, Ransack will be a whole new place.”

“This wasn’t even a whole new place when Mom and Dad bought it,” Will says, skeptical as ever, but he holds up his hands in defeat when I glare at him. “We’ll do what we can. The damage isn’t as bad as it could have been, but I met with the construction crew yesterday, and they said they recommend tearing it down to the studs to be safe.”

“They want to completely gut it?” That takes me by surprise.

Liam steps forward. “It sounds extreme, but it’s the easier path. Between soot removal, repairs, and cleaning, we’ll spend twice as much time and money restoring everything than starting over. And even if we can fix or replace most of the furniture, getting the odor out will be a beast all on its own.”

Will nods in agreement. “The plumbers and mechanics will need to get behind the walls to do a full assessment. If we’re ripping out drywall, we might as well do it right.”

“This sounds expensive.” I release a breath, looking around.

My brothers aren’t the type to jump to extremes. I know if they’re suggesting such a large renovation, they have their reasons. But the thought of tearing out all the things that made this bar Mom’s has me uneasy.

Will rests a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll preserve everything we can. We’re not going to erase her.”

His lips thin, and my eyes burn because, of course, he knew exactly what I was thinking. As the oldest brother, Will is the most observant and protective. It’s in his nature to look out for us.

He squeezes my shoulder. “And don’t worry about the cost of renovation. I already paid the deposit to the general contractor, and we should be hearing back from the insurance company soon.”

“You shouldn’t have to fund any of this.” I shake my head. “The ranch needs that money as much—if not more—than the bar. We can’t risk losing both.”

“The ranch is fine for the time being. We finally drew up a contract with Shane and Kincaid, so my ranch is being compensated for the people I’ve been sending to help with Ironside Ridge. It’s taken care of.”

Will says Shane’s name so casually, but it stirs up every emotion I’ve been running from this past week. Thankfully, my brothers don’t notice.

“What kind of contract?” I shift on my feet.

“Ironside Ridge is going to start paying us for labor costs when my crew is over there. We’ve been helping as a favor to Dean, but with the clubhouse moving forward again, it was time to figure out how this will look long term. Now that that’s settled, we can focus on the bar like I should have done years ago.”

I frown up at Will. “I wish you and Dad had told me Ransack needed me years ago. I would have come home sooner. Mom always wanted me to take over the bar. This was my burden.”

“It’s the family’s burden, Harloe,” Asher argues. “We don’t pick and choose who carries the weight around here, you know that. Maybe we shouldn’t have kept this from you, but we weren’t in a position to fix things back then anyway. But we are now, and you’re not taking this on alone. We’ll do it together. We’re your brothers.”

“My bossy, overly protective brothers.” I narrow my eyes. “I wanted to take care of something myself.”

“You did. This past year, you’ve kept this place open,” Liam says.

Will nods in agreement. “Liam’s right. Dad would have lost Ransack to the bank last year if you hadn’t come home, and we didn’t even know that was happening because we were too busy with our own lives to notice. But you paid attention. You’re the one who saw how deep he’d gotten himself. You did more than you give yourself credit for. But this—the fire—it’s too much for any one of us to deal with. Let us help.”

My throat tightens as I glance between my brothers towering over me. They’re right. I know they’re right. I moved back, but I kept my distance because I was afraid to be fully a part of my family again after what happened before I left town. I failed Mom, and when I look into my brothers’ eyes, I’m worried I’ll fail them too.

But I can’t keep treading water. At some point I need to move forward. I need to accept that the only way to come home is to do it fully—to be present.

God, do I want that again.