how long has Kate been managing things here?”
Ethan squinted at him. “Oh, it’s got to have been six years ago.”
“That’s not very long.”
Lips puckering, Ethan tilted his head. “No, I suppose you’re right. But she grew up here.”
“Wasn’t her dad managing stuff for you for a while?”
Ethan nodded. “He was.”
“Did he find something new?”
His father stiffened before turning to face him. “What do you mean?” He rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “No, I’m sure we told you.”
“Told me what?” AJ fidgeted as a stab of anxiety hit him between his eyes. This must have been what Dakota was alluding to.
“Mr. Pruitt died about seven years ago.”
AJ straightened and faced his father. “What? How?”
“Car accident.” Ethan folded his arms and set his focus on the horizon. “With his death coming out of nowhere, we thought it best to keep Katie busy. She needed it.”
AJ dug both hands in his hair. He owed her a huge apology. Hadn’t he just told her to go be with parents who actually wanted her? His face burned with the memory. “That had to be rough.”
His father cleared his throat. “Yeah. But it only got harder.” His eyes flicked to meet AJ’s before resuming their vacant stare ahead. “Her mother was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks before that.”
AJ gripped the rail beside him. “What?” he rasped.
Ethan’s tight expression told him exactly what AJ feared before he voiced it. “She didn’t make it. The leukemia had already reached stage four by the time she was diagnosed.”
Kate had lost both her parents. No wonder his mom and dad were taking her under their wing. She was like a daughter to them. They’d practically adopted her now that she was alone. He had been a big jerk. And like the idiot he was, he’d continued to make things harder for her. “That’s why you want to give her part of the ranch.”
Ethan nodded. “The hospital bills, the funeral expenses, they all fell to her and she was just out of high school at the time. We tried to help but she didn’t want it—claiming we were pitying her.” Ethan shook his head and faced AJ. “That girl rose from the ashes and did it without anyone to support her. Over the last six years, she’s done more for this ranch than we ever thought possible. We thought it only appropriate to make the offer.”
“And I just sabotaged the whole thing.”
A smile touched his father’s lips as he placed a warm hand on AJ’s shoulder. “I think things would have gone differently if you’d been aware. That’s on me. Your mother wanted to give you a bit of a warning before we announced the plans, but I felt Kate deserved her privacy. Kate can be stubborn and if she assumed we were giving her part of the ranch because we felt sorry for her, she’d turn us down. I hope that sheds some light on everything.”
“Yeah.”
Ethan pushed off the fence behind him and nodded to AJ. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you two come up with. See you at dinner.”
AJ lifted his finger and opened his mouth. He didn’t want to do the competition anymore. In fact, he wouldn’t mind blaming it on his lack of experience if he had to. But before he could get the words out, Kate exited the house and headed toward the barn. His eyes followed her and he dropped his hand. She was alone. He could apologize for everything he’d done since he got home.
The breeze ruffled his hair as he trotted toward the large building. Kate ducked inside. “Kate,” he called as he headed inside.
She stopped and turned around. Her eyes widened slightly before she folded her arms. “Did you need something?”
He slowed to a stop in front of her. He should tell her he was sorry for teasing a kiss out of her. His cheeks burned. Or at least apologize for what he said about her parents and his. But his throat closed, and the words wouldn’t come.
Kate lifted a brow. “Well? Honestly, AJ, I finally got everything I needed to get done today and I wanted to take some time for myself. If you don’t have anything to say, I’m going to be on my way.”
His chest filled with air and he shook his head. “It’s nothing.” He shifted his feet and looked her in the eyes. “No. It’s not nothing. I need to apologize.”
She smirked. “Really.”
AJ dragged his hands down his face and let out a