“Thanks for the clarification on your designs, Ms. Osborn. Once we’re finished assisting the security crew, we’ll get right on these.”
Brooklyn wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “You sure we can still make our deadline?”
The man hooked a thumb in his belt loop and tapped his fingers on his thigh. “Barring any terrible weather, we should be able to make it. The previous crew left you in the lurch, but by our inspections, the work is solid. Insulation, adding Sheetrock, laying tile, and adding the fixtures are definitely doable in your timeline. Your boss hired five of my crews, one for each structure, to make sure the work was done in a timely fashion. It ain’t cheap, but it’s damn efficient.”
Brooklyn didn’t smile, simply gave the foreman a handshake and went back to looking at her designs spread across the tailgate of one of the ranch’s pickups.
“Mr. Tracey?” Jackson waved the roll of papers he held in his hand as he walked closer to them. “My father said you needed these.” The man offered Jackson one hand to shake while he accepted the roll of papers with the other.
“Yeah, he wants me to add a planter to Ms. Everett’s balcony that can conceal some of his hardware. I just needed the specifics so we can build it accordingly.” Mr. Tracey tipped his hat to both Brooklyn and Jackson and made his way back to his truck.
Jackson stood there watching the foreman leave before he turned his attention to Brooklyn. Still focused on the blueprints in front of her, she was seemingly unbothered by Jackson’s presence.
“You needed something?”
Jackson couldn’t help the tickle of amusement that pulled his lips into a small grin. Brooklyn Osborn was a straight shooter from what Jackson could tell from the few moments they’d been in each other’s presence. She didn’t have a lot of words. But when she spoke, she wasn’t wasting them on things like small talk either.
“No. You’re on top of things with the construction crew. Aja will be happy if things stay on schedule.”
“Well, that is my job. She hired me to design her ranch, and making sure the construction crew stays on task is part of that.” She never took her eyes off the designs before her; she simply kept marking things as if Jackson weren’t there. “Anything else?”
“No,” he answered quickly. “Just making sure things are running smoothly. It’s my job.”
As he walked away, she spoke again. “You take it seriously, don’t you?”
He stopped, turning his head toward her to find her sight lasered in on him. “My job as the foreman? Yeah, I do.”
“Thank God you were there when she was attacked. I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if you weren’t.”
He didn’t either. If he’d been a moment too late, all could’ve been lost. “Fortunately, I was. Aja is fine.”
“Because of you.”
He lowered his lids; there was no sense in denying what they both knew.
“Aja’s too good a person for this shit. She won’t let us go. She keeps fighting for us. I just… I don’t want her to suffer because of me and Seneca. Few people in the world would care about someone like me.”
She tore her gaze from his and looked up toward the open sky as though it held the key to life itself until she’d blinked away whatever spark of emotion he’d seen flash across her brown eyes. “You keep doing your job, Foreman. Keep looking out for her. She won’t do it for herself.”
She rolled up her blueprints, closed the tailgate, and climbed in the truck and drove away, leaving Jackson standing in the middle of the grassy knoll with nothing but wall-less buildings behind him.
Brooklyn’s words replayed in his mind, an eerie chill passing from one nerve to another as he recalled each of them. Fear gripped him. Everything he’d seen of Aja and her crusade to save Brooklyn and Seneca from this faceless foe made Brooklyn’s words resound inside his hollow chest as truth. Aja wouldn’t save herself, so he’d have to.
Chapter 23
Aja felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket as she chopped salad fixings and placed them in a decorative pattern inside the oversize bowl in front of her. She put the knife down and wiped her hands quickly on a nearby hand towel before she retrieved her phone. She smiled as Mat Ryan’s name flashed across her screen. “Mat, how are you this late afternoon?”
“Good. But I’m more concerned about you. It’s all over town that the sheriff was at your house night before last. Is everything all right? Did something happen with Brooklyn and Seneca?”
Aja bit her lip to keep from cursing the Fresh Springs gossip mill. “Everything is fine, Mat. Brooklyn and Seneca are great. We had a minor disturbance on the ranch that had nothing to do with the ladies. We handled it, and the sheriff came to take a routine report and left shortly after.”
“Are you sure? If the women are posing a threat, we can revisit moving them.”
Aja took a deep breath. This was exactly what she was afraid of. She didn’t want Brooklyn and Seneca displaced or, worse, sent back to prison because of some faceless phantom who’d decided terrorizing her land and her people would be fun.
“Mat, I do not want the women moved. They are doing an excellent job here. They’re thriving. We’ve gotten another construction crew to finish what the last crew started. The permits are in place, the sites are already cleared, the foundations laid, and my materials are already here. They can have the work finished in about four months. Four months, Mat. That’s all it will take to realize all of our hard work. Don’t take that away by removing Brooklyn and Seneca from the ranch now. They need this win as much as I do.”
He was quiet for a moment. So quiet, Aja pulled the phone from her ear to make certain the call was still connected. “Aja, you make a compelling argument. But as their parole officer, my job isn’t only to make sure they’re following all the rules but also that they’re in an environment that isn’t filled with criminal activity. There’s been so much going on. Not to mention, you’ve added three live-in workers on your ranch without telling me.”
She rubbed her temple, trying her best to hold on to her temper. “The terms of my contract with Pathways mentioned nothing about clearing my personnel with you. Although I am happy to take part, I still have a business to run that has nothing to do with the state or this program.”
She heard him clear his throat. She was fond of Mat and treated him with respect because it made things easier for her workers. But the ranch was hers, and if she needed to remind him of that, she had no problem doing so.
“Forgive me,” he said. “I didn’t mean to suggest it was a requirement. We’ve had a wonderful working relationship until now. I’m just a little concerned about your workers. Especially that Jackson fellow. He seems rather disagreeable.”
Ain’t that the truth. “Let me worry about Jackson. He won’t be a problem. Please, don’t pull the women.”
“Well, it will be evening soon, but I still need to come over today and visit with Brooklyn and Seneca because of the recent police activity. It was my intention to get out earlier in the day, but I’ve been swamped in my office. Depending on what they have to say, I’ll make my decision based on that.”
“I’m sure it will all be fine,” she replied. “When you’re done, drop by the main house for dinner. If you have to work so late, you might as well get a meal out of it, right?”
“Certainly. Thanks for the offer. I’ll see you this evening.”
Aja ended the call and returned her phone to her back pocket before she could throw it across the room. That damn Jackson and his bullish ways had Mat ready to pull the plug on all the work her employees had done. “Not on my watch.”
After a few cleansing breaths, she retrieved her phone and dialed one of the numbers Jackson had given her for the men watching her front gate. After the first ring, the call connected. “Hello.”
“Hello, this is Aja Everett, the owner of
Restoration Ranch. Is this Mr.”—she paused long enough to switch back to the text Jackson had sent, scouring for a name—“Pruitt?”
“Yes, ma’am. How can I help you?”
“I’m expecting a visitor. His name is Mr. Mat Ryan. Mr. Ryan has an open invitation. Please add him to your security clearance list.”
“Certainly, ma’am.”
“Thanks for your help. Have a nice day.”
She disconnected the call while walking toward the door, grabbing her hat from a nearby coatrack. She had a few more hours of daylight before it would be time for dinner. Since the rest of this day had gone to crap, she might as well find something productive to do beyond these walls. Otherwise, she might find herself tempted to shake some sense into the lawman invading her life.
She stepped outside and saw strangers still traipsing across her land. She’d had about enough of this situation she was in; the last thing she wanted was to engage with more people who were a direct response to the mayhem in her world.
She walked toward the woodshed. There was a slight chill in the air. At this late hour of the afternoon, that spoke of temperature dips in their future. Their woodshed was full, waiting for the winter months to approach, and natural gas would supply most of their heating needs anyway. But having extra kindling around during a power outage brought on by a random storm was always a plus. So she walked inside the shed to retrieve her ax and gloves, then went back outside to the wide tree stump they used for chopping.
She pulled the tarp back on the pile of logs and grabbed one, standing it in the stump’s middle and picturing Jackson’s face on it. She pulled her ax back and let it fly in an overhead swing, splitting the log clean in two. The sound of the wood cracking sent relief sparking through her. Eager to feel more of it, she repeated the steps until her skin prickled with the sheen of sweat from her labor, and she no longer desired to split Jackson’s head open like a melon.
“You’re either cold as hell or mad as hell the way you’re swinging that ax. Which is it?”
Aja turned around to find Colton leaning against her woodshed with a corner of his mouth slightly turned up into a grin. “Isn’t the point of working with your hands getting to burn through a little natural aggression in a positive way?”
“I guess,” he hedged. “But I sure wouldn’t want to be the person you were imagining every time you swung that ax. You’re scary good with that thing.”
She laughed, and he joined her, and she felt better. The wood chopping had helped her, but the giggling she was doing at the moment almost made her forget what she was mad about in the first place. Almost.
“Let me guess, the big, bad sulking Ranger that’s been barking orders all day at everyone is getting on your nerves too?”
“He has been extra barky today, hasn’t he?”
Colton chuckled. “He’s been all over Storm and me.”
“Then I’m certain he wouldn’t want you slacking off here with me.” She paused and glared at Colton for a moment. “Or did he send you out here to babysit me?”
Colton cocked his head to the side. “Kinda. He relieved me for a long overdue break. He asked that I check in on you while I was headed back in this direction.” He moved closer to her, clearing off the shards left from her chopping, and sat on the stump. “I know Jackson can be a bit much sometimes, but he really is trying to protect you. And if he’s being such a pain in the ass that he’s got a delicate flower like you out here chopping wood like it’s an Olympic sport, it’s only because he’s worried.”
“You’re saying that because he’s your friend.”
Colton shook his head. “No, I’m saying it because it’s true. The situation you’ve found yourself in isn’t a good one. Jackson is doing everything he knows to keep you safe. So keep that in mind while you’re plotting his murder.”
Colton tipped his hat and headed back toward the cabin he shared with Storm. The man had said maybe five words to her since the Rangers showed up on the ranch. But his insight into her dilemma with Jackson was profound. Jackson was taking his job seriously. She honestly should let him do it. But she couldn’t. Not when it meant jeopardizing Brooklyn and Seneca and all the work they’d put into rebuilding their lives.
“You’re gonna be pissed about my decision, Ranger. But you’ll have to deal with it.”
Chapter 24
After sliding the lasagna trays into the oven, Aja sat down again to catch up on balancing the ranch’s books. The physical work of chopping wood had burned some of the frustration and restlessness she was carrying out of her system. Her mind was finally clear enough to make sense of the numbers in front of her.
They were in good standing. Even with the added expense of hiring a larger construction crew to get the work done in half the time. Good, quick work was what they needed to get these cabins up and ready for inspections before the upcoming travel season.
As she wrote the last digit in her balance column, she heard a knock on the front door. She looked at her watch before whispering, “You’re a little early, Mat.” She opened the door ready to greet the parole officer but found her uncle and aunt standing on the other side.
“Aunt Jo, Uncle Ricky.” She grabbed them into a collective hug. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, last I checked, I lived here, chile. We knocked ’cause we didn’t want to scare you none with all that’s been going on.” Her aunt Jo kissed her on the ball of her cheek and motioned for Aja to step aside and let her in.
“We wanted to check on you.” Her uncle followed behind her aunt. “Jackson called to tell me about the attack. Why did I have to hear it from him to find out what was going on, Aja? You’re my niece. It should’ve come from you.”
Aja was caught in that strange place of being an adult while trying to remain respectful to her elders when they were getting on her nerves. She started counting backward from ten in her head and clenched her teeth to keep from letting something she would regret later slip out of her mouth. Her aunt must have seen the tight set of her jaw as a sign of Aja’s struggle, because she waved a dismissive hand at her uncle.
“Leave this chile alone, Ricky. She called me. You were in court all day, and I didn’t want to leave a message like that with your clerk. Jackson got to you ’fore I could. All that’s important is she’s all right.”
Her aunt’s reprimand took some of the air out of her uncle’s displeasure. His shoulders dropped a little and his eyes softened as he looked at her.
“Are you all right?” He touched a comforting hand to Aja’s arm, and any remaining anger she had slipped away.
“Other than a few bruises, I’m fine. Jackson found me in time.”
“And you didn’t want me to bring him in on this case. Thank God I had more sense than to listen to your foolishness.”
Aja tried to remember her overprotective uncle loved her. His need to keep her safe went deeper than his irksome insistence on bringing in the Rangers to investigate. She might not have liked it, but in this case, his pushiness had saved her life.
“I’m grateful Jackson was here, Uncle Ricky. But that doesn’t change the problem he poses for my workers. Until the attack, he was convinced they caused my troubles. But even if he believes me, his presence is interfering with their lives.”
Aunt Jo crossed her arms against her chest as she settled into the couch. “How so? It’s not like he can send them back to prison without cause. You just said he doesn’t suspect them any longer.”
“He doesn’t. At least I don’t think he does since he keeps referring to the attacker as a he. But Jackson is freaked about the attack. He’s upping the security on the ranch. I’m sure you saw the guards posted at the front gate.” They both nodded. “That was all him.”
“Good,” her uncle chimed in, shaking a pointed finger to reinforce his approval. “You were gonna have to secure this place anyway before you opened. It
should’ve been the first thing on your to-do list when you came down here.”
“Uncle Ricky. Aunt Jo lived out here for years with no fancy security system.”
“Your aunt also had a bunch of ranch hands living on the property. There’s safety in numbers, Aja. Now it’s just the two of you—”
“Women? Is that what you were going to say?”
Her uncle took a deep breath and shook his head. “No. I was going to say it’s just the two of you together.” The lines of his face softened into that tender expression he always used with her as a child, and Aja’s heart constricted a little from the force of the love that kindness had gifted her with over the years. “Aja, me wanting to keep you safe has nothing to do with you being a woman. You and your aunt aren’t the first women to run this place. Your mama, our mother, our great-grandmother all ran the ranch without the help of a man. I know you can do this. My only concern here is your safety.”
“I’m sorry, Uncle Ricky. I understand. Things have been a little tense around here.” Another knock on the door caught her attention. “It’s probably Mat. I’d better answer that.”
Aja stood and walked to the door, pulling her shoulders back, getting ready for the battle she knew Mat’s presence in her home would bring.
She opened the door to a smiling Mat, his glasses pushed high on the bridge of his nose and his smile wide across his face. “Hi, Aja. You ready for our visit?”
As ready as I’ll ever be. “Sure, come on in. Dinner will be on the table in a few minutes.”
Chapter 25
Jackson walked into the house tired, filthy, and satisfied with the progress made in securing the ranch. The three access points were fenced off and the security cameras were up. There was still a mountain of work left to do, but at least they’d accomplished the day’s task.
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