I should’ve known better.
Nothing ever goes smoothly when too many important things are scheduled for the same day.
The magazine visit had been hanging over my head for months. I’d postponed it, rescheduled it, convinced myself the ranch could survive without the exposure. But the truth was simple: we needed it. We needed the article, the photos, the attention. We needed proof that the ranch was still alive, still worth choosing.
So that morning, I woke up in boss mode.
I was up before the sun, checklist already running through my head. I inspected the barns, adjusted schedules, barked orders, corrected details no one else noticed. The staff knew this version of me well—efficient, blunt, relentless.
Not angry. Just focused.
— Make sure the tables are aligned — I said as I crossed the
