“Can I ask you...” She frowned. “Why are you thinking about something like this? It’s not like it’s going to make you a lot of money.”

“Because there has to be more than that. I already know what money gets you. And I have it. I was raised with it. It never made my parents happy. Frankly, it’s never done a damn thing to make me happy.”

“Well, not having it doesn’t make people happy, either.”

“Maybe happy is the wrong word. Maybe what I’m looking for is something deeper.”

She nodded, and he knew she understood the deeper.

“I did some searching around,” he said. He turned his computer screen so that she could see it. “I found a place called Revival Ranch in Montana. They do equine therapy predominantly for soldiers that have PTSD. I thought that was pretty interesting. I also found a few equine facilities that do therapy for kids with autism. And then...”

“What?”

“Well, I read the story about a ranch where troubled boys got sent. An alternative to prison, basically. For nonviolent-type offenders. To teach them a skill. Teach them work.”

“Motherless and fatherless kids,” she said softly.

Gabe had both of his parents, she knew that. But there was a loneliness in him, and she knew he identified with that loneliness in those kids. In her.

And he was right. Horses. Ranch work. It was the best thing. To fill a void with something that mattered instead of something that would just fade away.

“Yeah,” he responded. “People who need to learn the honesty that you find working with your hands.”

“I think you know what you should do.”

“Will you help me? When... When you’re not gone... I’d like you to help teach them to ride.”

“Well, you’ll be able to do that, too.”

“I know. But you’re going to know just how to teach them, I know you will. You’ll know just which horse to put with which boy.”

“It’s going to take some work,” she pointed out. “Where are they going to stay?”

“Well, there’s going to be some building to be done. But I’m going to have a talk with my dad. I’m going to see what he’s willing to invest. And then... I’ve got my own money.”

“Can I ask you something?” she asked.

The fact that Jamie was asking for permission to ask him a question was strange in and of itself. Like she had suddenly sprouted some kind of nuance and sensitivity.

“Sure,” he said.

“If you didn’t love the rodeo, why were you in it? I mean, it’s not an easy life. And mostly, it’s not that lucrative or glorious. I mean, I guess it ended up being that way for you, but it isn’t for most people. It’s not like it’s a...path to being a CEO or whatever.”

“Yeah,” he said. “And that’s what my dad thought I should do. You know, not a CEO, actually. But he wanted me to go to school. Like I told you already. He wanted me to do something with a guarantee.”