Chapter 21
The two weeks leading up to Joey’s departure were busy, fast and inevitable. Jack watched his little brother, the man he raised, leave the ranch on a beautiful morning, pulling away in his truck to begin his new life. The morning Joey left, Jack’s stomach had him nearly buckled over in pain. Eventually, it faded when he realized Joey was finally and truly gone. The odd quiet that fell over the ranch seemed as thick as it was when Lily died.
Jack kept busy primarily to avoid the pain. The boys were out of school for the summer, so the ranch became busier than ever with their constant chatter and friends over. They hung out more with Jack, and spent more time in the barns. Erin, too, was out more whenever they were around and they continued to insist upon her riding around the a
