Alex had just pulled the last batch of cookies from the newly repaired oven when Ethan poked his head into the kitchen and announced, "Miss Emily needs your help." He proceeded to slip past her and reach up a hand with the intent of stealing a cookie, only to have her slap his hand away.
"Oh?" Alex asked, trying to keep her voice level and devoid of any of the enmity she was feeling towards Emily just then. She knew Ethan was a big fan of Emily's and didn't want to taint his newfound friendship with her own bitterness...
He nodded solemnly, rubbing his hand where she'd slapped it.
It crossed Alex's mind to suggest she ask Derek instead, but she didn't want to seem immature or unprofessional. So, with an annoyed sigh (and a command not to touch the cookies while she was gone), she wiped her hands on her apron and went to see what it was that Emily needed.
The last thing she'd anticipated finding, though, was the sight before her when she emerged through the front door: Emily standing flanked by two horses, one of which was laden with two saddlebags of unknown contents. Emily had a distinctly nervous looking smile on her lips, her shoulders hunched up near her ears as she attempted to shrink in on herself, just in case Alex decided to lash out when she saw her...
"I don't know what you're looking for assistance with, but I think perhaps Derek should be the one you..." she started to say, forgetting her intent to remain polite.
Emily interrupted, "I don't need your help. I was actually... I mean, I was wondering... Do you want to go on a trail ride?"
"A trail ride?" Alex repeated, more taken aback than outright rude. "Why?"
"So we can talk? And maybe I'll have a chance to apologize..." She smiled sheepishly, her eyes containing a desperate plea for her to play along. "And, at the end if you're still mad, you can spook the horse so I have to walk home..." It was a weak attempt at a joke, but damn if it didn't get the faintest hint of a smile out of Alex...
The two horses meandered along the trail running along the edge of the property where it backed onto county land which eventually lead down to a creek surrounded by woods on all sides. The riders were more or less silent as they travelled the path and Emily couldn't have said whether it was because Alex was still angry with her or whether she was just enjoying the scenery...either way, she didn't particularly want to interrupt.
It wasn't until Alex suddenly spoke up with a soft, "I used to ride along here a lot during my first year here..."
"Oh?" Emily asked, hardly daring to speak too loud, just in case she hadn't realized she was speaking aloud.
She nodded. "It gave me a lot of time to think – which, I'm sure you'll agree, is hard to come by around the ranch."
Emily barked out a laugh. Between Ethan and Hank – who were actual children – and Derek – who simply acted like one, it was sometimes hard to even remember her own name...
"I think it's one of the things I'd miss the most if we have to leave," Alex added under her breath.
Emily winced, quickly diverting the conversation, "I think this looks like a nice clearing to stop for a picnic..."
Between sips of coffee, Emily was quite effectively tearing her cuticles to shreds with her teeth. She knew that she needed to have a serious conversation with Alex about the future of the ranch, but she also really really didn't want to, seeing as how badly the investment banker's visit had gone over.
It was Alex who spoke first, though. "You're not going to have any skin left on your fingers at the rate you're going..."
Emily gave a nervous little laugh as she folded her hand around her thermos of coffee. Supposing it was as good a place to start as any, she dove in, "Listen... About the sale of the ranch..."
"Emily..." she said warningly.
She shook her head, forging ahead, "I'd love to be able to keep the ranch running. If for no other reason than it's important to you and Derek. But..." She trailed off with a sigh. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not my father. I'm not personable, not charismatic, not effervescent. I'm sarcastic and grim and sometimes downright standoffish. I'm not the kind of person you want being the face of a Christmas tree farm."
"I'm not saying you don't have flaws," Alex said delicately, "I'm only saying that it takes time. You haven't even been here two weeks, that's not enough time to really get into the spirit of it."
"I really don't think..." she started to argue.
Alex didn't let her finish, though. "And there's nothing that says you even need to be the face of the ranch. Let Derek do it – he'd be more than happy to run things on a bigger scale – he can hire some local kid to help with the farmhand duties."
Emily pursed her lips in thought, saying nothing for a long moment.
Alex could tell that she was starting to win her over, so she forged ahead, "This isn't just about a job for us – this is where Hank has grown up, where Ethan found a home after his father abandoned us. It's a place where we've all found friends and family together, where we've made traditions and memories. If you sell it to some developer who wants to tear everything down to build condos or something, you'll be selling a part of us."
Hearing Alex's impassioned speech, Emily officially felt like the worst person on the face of the Earth... In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to give in and tell Alex the ranch was officially not for sale. But wanting something and being able to provide it were two very different things...