Last-Chance Marriage Rescue
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Catherine Mann
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19.4K
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16
Prologue
Kacie Archer swirled the lasso over her head, eyeing the blasted target.
Her twin sister, Kelsey.
Her perfect sister.
Except today Kelsey was being sneaky for once, using the computer in their dad’s barn office when it was strictly off-limits. A total shocker since she never broke the rules. She’d always one-upped Kacie since the day she was born first. Kelsey even skipped ahead to the fifth grade this year, while Kacie was still struggling not to fall behind in the fourth. The only thing she did well? Rope and ride.
Things she wouldn’t get to do anymore once they lost their family’s dairy farm. Who knew when and where they would move?
This year might be her last chance to win the fall festival roping competition. And win in a higher age division.
Her version of skipping a grade.
She kicked through the bit of scattered straw on the pine floor and wondered how many more times she would get to hang out in her dad’s barn office. She picked through memories of time spent in the office. Under the desk playing with Waffles when he was a kitten. Watching through a hole in the door as her dad delivered a calf. Wearing her uncle’s favorite Stetson as a reward for doing her math homework. Uncle Tyler had always said he was cowboy at heart, not a dairy farmer.
Focus. Practice. Kacie finessed the rope snaking in lazy circles with just the right speed to keep it aloft, timing her motions in sync with the click, click, clicking of the milking machines beyond the office door. She took in the years of photos of the dairy farm covering the planked walls and willed away the urge to cry. Being angry at Kelsey was easier.
Kacie launched the lasso at Kelsey. The rippling loop soared like a dream in flight, just waiting to land, to grab hold and contain the target. Closer, closer, closer still it rippled.
And missed.
The rope smacked the old wood desk, startling the snoozing tabby cat into motion, which toppled a tin can full of pens. Waffles dodged markers and highlighters as they flew onto the computer keyboard.
Her twin shot to her feet, blue eyes flashing as pens rolled off onto the planked floor. “Hey, be careful. I’ve been working on this flyer for two hours.” She grabbed the can and knelt in the middle of the mess. “I need to finish before Mom and Dad come back here.”
“Why? Because you’re scared you’ll get in trouble for using the computer for some dumb school project without permission?” Kacie reeled in the rope.
“Of course I’m afraid of them finding out what I’m doing.” She reached deep under the desk, her blond braids swinging forward. “You should be, too, since you’ve been sitting around watching me when you’re still grounded for putting your backpack over that kid’s head on the bus. Now finish cleaning up so I can get back to work.”
“Do it yourself.” Kacie adjusted the slipknot on her lasso, huffing a hank of hair off her sweaty forehead. “There’s no way I’m helping you with anything after how you ratted me out.”
“Not even if what I’m doing is to save our family?” She placed the can in its exact same spot on the desk, between a lamp and a paperweight made of horseshoes—a Father’s Day gift Kelsey had made in art class.
“Last time I checked,” Kacie said, “you weren’t some magic genie able to give out miracles.”
“Well, duh.” Kelsey started typing again. “But I was looking around on the internet and found this place called the Top Dog Dude Ranch. It’s in Moonlight Ridge, Tennessee. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?”
Kacie grunted, using one foot to corral some highlighters into a pile.
Kelsey continued, “They do more than getaways for couples. They advertise family vacations. I think if we get them away from all the stress here, Mom and Dad will remember they love each other.”
Fat chance of that.
“I thought you were the smart one. Those places cost a lot of money.” She jammed the markers she’d gathered back into the can, then slithered her rope along the floor to lure Waffles from the windowsill.
“That’s why I’ve been working on a fundraiser. We’re going to wash dogs. It’ll be a secret, though. No spoiling the surprise.” Kelsey turned the computer monitor toward Kacie, the screen filled with a picture of the two of them bathing their family dogs, their mom and dad smiling as they watched.
What a joke.
“I think that’s a stupid idea.” She knew it wasn’t fair to snap at her sister. It wasn’t Kelsey’s fault she was so darn perfect. But there was so much sadness in their family these days, and a trip was only going to make it worse. “Don’t you remember the last time we went on a vacation? They fought so hard over where to stop for lunch, we had to turn around before we even made it to the campground.”
Anger chewed up her insides just thinking about that day. She’d been looking forward to exploring a cave like her parents promised. Just another broken promise because they got mad at each other.
“But the Top Dog Dude Ranch is special. Some say it’s even magical with how they help families get better.”
Frustration and sadness bubbled over. “That’s bull. They’re just trying to steal your money. You’d be better off saving up for a new tablet so you don’t have to use Dad’s computer or the school’s Chromebook.”
“Don’t you want Mom and Dad to get back together?”
“I want them to stop fighting,” she cried, then bit her lip. Hard.
She was tired of being sad all the time. Sad over her parents arguing about money. Sad because they were going to lose the farm since they were broke from taking care of Uncle Tyler after he got sick. Sad over Uncle Tyler dying.
Everything was changing.
Kelsey’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Fine. Keep playing with your rope. But just at least think about helping me.”
“We would have to wash all the dogs in the entire state.” Although that was the only halfway fun part about her sister’s plan. Kacie loved dogs.
“I’ve done the math. It’s cheaper since we would only have to drive two hours—which is also less time for Mom and Dad to fight in the car.”
Her sister kinda had a point with that one. “I still think it’s a scam.”
“If you’re right about the Top Dog Dude Ranch being a hoax, then they’ll spend the whole week bickering and you can say ‘I told you so.’ Will that make you happy?”
“Maybe.” Anything was better than how she felt now. At least people would quit pretending things might change for the better with her parents.
“Don’t you want to prove you’re right?” her sister taunted.
“How?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Kelsey clicked more computer keys and the printer fired up, spitting out papers. “Help me raise the money and we can see which one of us is right.”
Somehow she’d walked straight into the trap of helping her anyway. She sighed all the way to her feet, curling her rope back into a circle.
“Okay then.” She clunked the lasso on the edge of the desk. “Even if we raise enough money to go, I’m not going to help you matchmake with some silly games that won’t even work and will probably just make them fight with each other.”
“You can do whatever you want once we get there. I’ve got the magic of Moonlight Ridge, Tennessee, on my side.” She turned back to her seat. “If you keep throwing like you’re doing today, you’re gonna need some of that magic to win the competition.”
Kacie dropped into a seat beside her sister and started folding flyers. “You’re gonna eat those words when I win your stupid bet about this trip to the Top Dog Dude Ranch.”
And in a flash she knew that going on this trip really was what she wanted most. What she wanted even more than winning that lasso competition. She wanted to stop waiting for the next explosion that would end everything. She was tired of never knowing when it would be time to move. So she was going to do everything possible to make this ill-fated family vacation happen.
After all the stress and tears over the last year, she wanted her parents to—finally—call it quits.
