Chapter 18

"Mister Glover?"

Link looked over his shoulder at the very familiar voice. It wasn't Misty's, but he'd spent enough time with her best friend to recognize her voice. Sure enough, Janie entered the storage shed where Link was working with Ward, cataloging the oil filters, box fans, and other mechanical equipment they had here.

Misty followed her, and his throat narrowed. He hadn't seen her for several days, since they'd gone to Finn's birthday party and she'd gotten sick a couple of days later. She hadn't been to work in a few days as she quarantined at home, but she'd texted him that morning to say she finally felt like the antibiotics were working.

They had a date planned for later that evening in his new house. Dinner and a movie, he'd told her. Staying in.

She'd said she'd bring dinner, and he could pick the movie. He'd agreed, because while he could put together simple meals, he didn't want to show Misty that his culinary skills didn't really extend past scrambling eggs and frying bacon quite yet.

"Roberta says that none of the checks we've sent the ranch have been cashed." Janie looked over to Misty as she came to her side. "We've got rent for June, July, and August."

Link turned fully to watch this unfold. No one who'd been misplaced after the fire had paid rent, and he wasn't surprised at all to hear the checks from the state had gone uncashed.

Ward looked at them for a long moment, his chin dipping as he looked at the envelope in Janie's hand. "We aren't taking rent for refugees."

Janie sighed, and Misty took the envelope from her. "We're not refugees. Patty transferred departments, and Roberta is new. She's just getting into the swing of things." She shook the envelope.

Uncle Ward folded his arms. Link stifled a snicker.

"There aren't many furnished apartments in town," Janie said. "Roberta wanted us to ask if we could keep living here, but there's a budget for rent."

"None of our people pay rent," Ward said.

"But they work here," Misty argued, a cute little frown appearing between her eyes. "Their boarding is part of their pay."

Ward sighed. "Misty, you're dating Link, right?"

Link's smile dried right on up. He took one step toward his uncle and the women, then decided to see where this went.

Misty exchanged a look with Janie. "Yes, sir."

He hadn't exactly told Misty about his financial situation, but she'd admitted that their department did research on the towns and areas where they worked. She'd known about his family before she'd even come to Three Rivers.

"Then you should know we don't need the money," Ward said. "I won't take it. Tell your office to save its budget. Whatever. It's an empty cowboy cabin, and we don't charge rent for them."

Both Misty and Janie frowned at each other and then Uncle Ward. "You won't take it?" Janie asked.

Ward sighed and took the envelope from Misty. "How much is it?" He pulled the check out. "Oh, nine hundred bucks." He peered over the slip of paper to them. "Every single one of us here has a million times that."

He stuffed the check back in the envelope, folded it in half, and shoved it in his back pocket. "Okay, I took it."

"One million times that?" Misty asked, and Link got himself moving then.

"Hey," he said, drawing her attention away from his uncle. "I thought I heard your voice." He glanced over to Janie. "Hey, Janie."

"Link." A fast smile catapulted across her mouth before disappearing again.

He kissed Misty in a peck on the lips. "What are you doin' here?" He shot a look to Uncle Ward, who turned back to the shelving unit he'd been inventorying.

"Trying to pay rent," Misty said crossly. "Your uncle won't take it."

"I took it," Uncle Ward said.

"You won't cash it," Janie said.

Uncle Ward shrugged, and Link decided to get the women out of here. "You guys are done early today," he said, turning Misty toward the exit.

"Weekend," they said together, and he managed to get them out of the shed. Outside, the sun burned brightly, but a breeze kicked up, actually making it easier to breathe than inside.

"Listen," he said.

"Is what he said true?" Misty demanded. "Every one of you here has a million times nine hundred dollars?" She stopped walking and faced him. Her freckles made him smile, but Link knew he couldn't side-step this question.

"You know Shiloh Ridge does well," he said.

"Yes," she said slowly. "But there's a difference between rich and like, rich."

Link swallowed, trying to find the right words. "It's generational wealth."

Janie gasped. "I knew it. You guys are like the Hiltons."

He laughed then and shook his head. "Sure, the Hiltons of the Texas Panhandle." He tried not to look at Misty, but he couldn't stop himself. She wore an expression like he'd picked up a two-by-four and hit her with it.

"Generational wealth," she repeated in a soft tone that hardly sounded like her. "Link, how much do you pay in rent?"

He set his sights on the nearby stable and started walking that way. Both women fell into step with him. "I don't pay rent," he said. "Anymore. I mean, I used to. But yeah, not anymore."

"Who does pay rent here?" Misty asked.

"No one," he said. "Only family members who are required to live as hired hands, for the first year." He hung his head as if he should be ashamed of himself for not having to pay rent. A tiny part of him—the sliver that whispered he wasn't a true Glover—did feel guilty about that. If his mom and dad hadn't been killed in that accident, and Sammy hadn't married Bear Glover, his life would be drastically different.

But his parents had died. Sammy had adopted him. She'd married Bear. This was his life, and as he took the next step, he felt like he was finally moving into it.

"The other hired hands get room and board as part of their salary," he said. "So right now, we don't have anyone paying rent. Gunn, Smiles, Robbie, and Wilder will soon enough—if they choose to work the ranch."

"Does anyone choose not to?" Misty asked.

Link shook his head. "Not in a while, no. Uncle Ward toured with a band for a bit. Uncle Mister went into the rodeo. But they came back."

Neither Janie nor Misty said anything, and Link didn't know what else to add either. "I went to college," he said. "Got my agricultural science degree. Came back. It was then that I lived like a regular hired hand for a year. On their salary. That kind of thing. It's what we do here, so we Glovers know what it's like to try to make ends meet."

They went past the stables and toward the Ranch House before Misty said, "Did you hear that, Janie? What I heard was all of the Glovers are so rich, they never have to think about making ends meet."

"I heard that too," Janie said. "For generations. With their generational money."

Link didn't like their tone, and he stopped. "You knew I had money," he said quietly, wishing he and Misty could talk about this alone. "I told you that the first time we went out."

Misty looked up at him, something salty in her expression. "I didn't realize how much, I guess."

"Why does it matter?" He glanced over to Janie, who gazed back at him. "The state should be happy they don't have to pay for rent. Uncle Ward's right. Have them save it for something else."

"That's not really how state budgets work," Misty said.

Irritation lit through him like someone had ignited a trail of gunpowder leading to a stick of dynamite. "Okay," he said. "Well, I have to get back to work. I'll still see you later? My place, probably close to seven?"

She nodded, and Link turned and walked away from the pair of them. Before he'd even made it back to the shed, his phone chimed Misty's notification tone at him. He automatically pulled his phone out, as his pulse had zipped through his body in a Pavlovian way.

It matters because money is really powerful, Link. Are you saying YOU have a lot of money, or the RANCH has a lot of money? They're two different things.

Why is money powerful?he asked as he walked, praying he didn't ram into anyone or trip over anything.

He made it back to the air conditioning of the shed before Misty messaged again. Because, with money, you don't have to worry. You can go on vacation any time you want. Take a day off if you want. Pay for anything you need without many sleepless nights.

As Link read, he heard all the things she really meant. He could feel all the things she'd been through—not able to take time off. Not being able to pay for things without losing sleep. Available for a fun vacation.

He thought of that road trip they'd joked about. Maybe it wasn't really a joke. He'd never thought to ask her if she'd ever been on vacation, but given what he knew about her past and her family, now he wondered if she ever had.

And if she hadn't, where would she like to go? Link would take her there.

With money, you can relocate without worrying about finding another job. With money, you can literally do anything, Link. Money is important and powerful, even if we don't like that concept as Christians.

He felt properly chastised, but he didn't want to admit it. Where would you go on vacation if money wasn't an issue? he asked instead.

I don't know, Link.Her frustration came through loud and clear, and Link looked up from his phone.

Would you relocate to Three Rivers if money wasn't an issue?he typed out. He didn't send the text, because he didn't have to. He knew the answer to that, and for the first time in the last month, Link's heart lifted on a tiny balloon of hope.

He had money. If she fell in love with him and married him, she wouldn't have to work ever again. He had plenty to take care of her. To relocate her. All of it.

So he erased that text and typed instead, Remember that time you found out I was really rich? Me, not the ranch. Like, millions-of-dollars-rich. And remember how, after you knew that, we started planning our future together? You wanted a bigger house than the Top Cottage—one where you could have a whole room just for painting—and I just wanted you to move to Three Rivers permanently so we could be together. Remember that?

With a booming heartbeat banging against the back of his tongue, Link read over the text, hesitating. "Should I send this, Lord?"

It sure would lay out a lot between them. He wasn't sure who he was trying to hide from. He'd just kissed her—super chastely, sure—in front of his uncle. Everyone knew they were dating. He felt moony-eyed and soft in the bone whenever he got lucky enough to be with Misty. She had to know that. See it. Feel it.

So he made a bold decision and sent the text.