“Yeah. I guess it takes two.”
I took a slow, deep breath, trying to give my nerves the chance to un-jangle themselves. As jealous as I was, I sure as shit didn’t want to blow up at Skye. It’d only make the situation worse. I weighed my next words carefully, knowing whatever relationship I was going to have with Skye hung in the balance.
“That’s…that’s fine.”
She snapped her head in my direction, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. “It’s…what?”
“I said it’s fine. And it is.”
“How is it fine?”
“How’s it not? You and me havin’ any sort of thing goin’ on…that’s not fine. Whole boss-employee thing. But like we talked about before, you and Adam is a whole other story.”
There was silence as Skye processed what I’d said. “You mean…you’re not bothered by it?”
“I ain’t,” I lied, but I had to lie. “It is what it is, you know? I gave him my blessing, and that’s that. You’re both adults, and whatever you want to do on your own time is your business. You and him get busy while you’re on the clock…that might be a different matter.” I offered a weak smile, the best I could do with how I felt inside.
“Well,” she said. “You’re not gonna have to worry about that.”
“Oh yeah? What’re you talkin’ about?”
“I mean, I told him after that he and I weren’t gonna be gettin’ up to any of that kind of business anymore. It’s done.”
The jealously was still there, sure, but what she’d said sent a cool breeze of relief over the raging fire. “And why’s that?”
“Just…with everything that’s goin’ on. Bryce and work and me bein’ here with you and your family. Didn’t seem right, you know?”
“You ain’t sayin’ this because you’re worried about me, are you?” I asked her, staring hard at her. “Because I’m a big boy, I can handle my shit.”
“No. Well, maybe that’s part of it too. There’s me and you and him and seein’ only one of you seemed wrong. I don’t know. Maybe I’m bein’ paranoid, but that’s how I feel, and that’s what I told him.”
I allowed myself a minute. It should’ve been good news, but it still hit me strangely. There was nothing to do but leave. I heaved myself off the bed and started toward the door.
“You feelin’ alright?” I asked. “Need anything?”
She shook her head. “Nah, but thank you. I’m thinkin’ I’ll take a bath, try and relax before gettin’ a good night’s rest.”
“Sure. But if you do need anything, you let me know, y’hear?”
“I will. And…thanks for lettin’ me be here, and thanks for understandin’.”
“Don’t mention it.” I glanced at her over my shoulder before leaving. Then I shut the door and walked away.
My gut tightened as soon as I was away from Skye. I’d meant what I’d said about giving my blessing and all that shit, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t hurt like hell to hear that she’d hooked up with Adam again. And now she was done with both of us? Thought it was for the better than she didn’t mess around with either of us? Hell, maybe she was right. Didn’t mean it sucked any less to think about her and Adam hooking up. Damn, the whole thing had left me feeling raw as hell.
Once I was back at my cabin, I poured myself a stiff drink of whiskey. I felt a little better after shooting it, but booze would only do so much. I tried to relax, tried to have a quiet night in hoping that might make me feel a little less bent out of shape. But it didn’t help. Not even losing myself in work managed to untangle my gut.
I got to the point where I realized only a good night’s sleep had any chance of settling me. Once eleven rolled around, I stripped down to my boxer-briefs and climbed into bed. I worried I might not be able to get to sleep, but it only took a few minutes before I was out like a light.
The dream I had that night was strange as hell.
Me and Skye and Adam, all together. The three of us were at the main ranch, no one else in the house but us. Didn’t know how I knew we were alone, but I just knew in that way you did in dreams.
The dream was hot as hell, to be honest. There was kissing, there was sex, there was genuine affection from me and Adam to Skye. And I felt...calm about it, like it was the most natural thing in the world. The three of us were in some kind of strange, domestic situation where we all got along, me and Adam loving Skye, her loving us.
When I woke up in the morning, I didn’t know what to make of it. The three of us…it was tense between us. Not one of us seemed to know how the hell to handle what was going on. Best we could do was not get mixed up with her, hoping to keep any potential drama at bay before it blew up in our faces.
But the more I thought about the dream, the more…normal it felt.
Adam
A few weeks passed uneventfully, which was a hell of a relief. Bryce must’ve decided to back off after learning that Skye was staying at the Walker ranch – a smart move on his part.
And absolutely nothing exciting happened between me and Skye and Travis. Skye hadn’t said anything about not talking to her, but with how our last conversation had gone after our hookup in the truck, I figured it was a good idea to give the girl her distance. Made sense, would keep the drama to a minimum.
There was more to it than that, though. I still wanted her badly, and the idea of being around her without being able to have her made me crazy. Keeping my distance was about my own sanity as much as it was respecting her wishes.
Slowly but surely, the work at Bryce’s ranch proceeded. After finishing the surveying, we got the go-ahead from the groundskeeper to get started on the actual construction. With the amount of money Bryce had thrown at us, we were able to get it done in record time.
But I’d noticed something strange – in the last week I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Bryce around his ranch. I mean, it was his place. I assumed I’d at least catch a glimpse of him here and there, especially with the new construction going down. But all the supervising had been done by the groundskeeper, who’d pop over every now and then to make sure the work was going apace.
Aside from that, things were getting back to normal. I missed Skye and barely saw Travis, but it was likely for the best. Maybe in time the three of us would be able to have a normal relationship, but for now, I was fine not stirring up the waters.
“Mike!” I called out to one of my men toward the end of one of our shifts. “Quit messin’ around and finish with that cuttin’!”
A few of the guys were obviously beat, taking a load off after a long day. I didn’t like pushing them too hard when I knew they were out of gas, but this job needed to get done. Mike and the rest of the guys he was hanging with sprang up and hurried back to work. Sounds of construction filled the air, and the heat from the day faded by the minute. I was ready to be done.
As I took a big swig from a bottle of Gatorade, I saw a familiar face – Gael. He looked sheepish, as if he were about to tell me something he wasn’t sure I wanted to hear.
“Buenos tardes, Adam.”
“Right back at you,” I said, curious.
He glanced away before turning his brown eyes back to me. “Can we…speak alone for a moment?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Better that you come with me. I want this to be between the two of us.”
“Alright.”
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked.
“You remember the other week, when you and I met?”
“Sure. What about it?”
“Well, there was that situation with the horse. He had the bad knees, si?”
I frowned, prepared for something I didn’t want to hear. “I do. Is it worse?”
“There’s something worse, si. But it’s with one of the other horses. Come this way.”
We headed toward one of the barns in the middle distance. “Got a question for you,” I said as we walked. “You seen Bryce around?”
“Not for a few days. He likes to disappear from time to time. N
ot sure where he goes. And I know better than to ask.”
“You don’t think that’s strange?” I asked, digging for information. “I mean, you’d think he’d want to keep an eye on things around here.”
“It is. But the crew handles most of the business of the ranch. Bryce prefers to, maybe you could say, watch it all from a distance.”
“You mean, let other people do all the work while he makes the money.”
Gael let out a wry laugh. “I suppose you’re right. But it’s not my place to say anything about any of that.” We approached the barn and came to a stop. “What I saw in there, that’s another matter.”
“What’s goin’ on?”
“Ven conmigo. Right this way.”
He approached the side door to the barn and opened it. The light was low, and inside I could see the figure of a horse, and I knew something was wrong with it. We stepped into the barn, and I got a better look at the animal. First thing I noticed was how damn skinny he was. The horse looked like he hadn’t had a meal in days. His eyes were sunken, and the creature seemed to barely have enough energy to stand.
“What the hell? He sick or somethin’?”
“He’s sick, and something.”
I hurried over to the horse and put my hand on his side. Not like I had the expertise to figure out what was wrong with him, but something was sure as shit out of whack.
“This is Julio. Used to be one of Bryce’s prize stallions.”
“’Used to be?’ What happened?”
“Came down with something a week ago, not sure what it was – the vet knows better than I do. But he’s been too ill to race.”
“No shit. Barely looks like he can walk a dozen feet.”
“And there’s more to it than that,” he said quietly. “Bryce, guess he figures that if the horse isn’t fit to race, he’s not worth his time, you know?”
“Hell of a thing to think about an animal,” I remarked.
“You’re right. Anyway, when Bryce found out that Julio wasn’t good to run, he stuck him in this back barn.”
“What, to recover or somethin’?”
“More like to put the issue out of his head. Julio barely gets any attention out here. Bryce never comes in to see him, and he didn’t bother assigning any of the staff to take care of him.”
I stared at him, aghast. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”
“I’m serious. I only found out about all this yesterday. Came in and saw what a sad state the guy was in, started actually feeding him regular.”
I put my hand on the horse again, this time sensing a nervous heartbeat. Julio was in a bad way, no doubt about that. “This is some damn bullshit,” I growled. “No horse should be treated like this.”
“De acuerdo,” Gael agreed. “This isn’t right, you know?”
I loved animals, sure, but I’d never been much of an activist-type, like Skye. But seeing that poor horse did something to me.
“I don’t know what to do,” Gael continued. “We can feed him, get him back to health. But if this is how Bryce treats one animal…”
“Then it’s only a matter of time before he does it to another.”
“That’s right. And if I were to call someone about it and Bryce found out, I’d lose my job for sure.”
“You don’t need to be takin’ that kind of risk. I’ll do it.”
“You serious? You gonna call the police?”
I almost answered yes, but then I thought back to my conversation with the officer when Skye had spoken to them. They hadn’t been a damn bit of help. “Not thinkin’ the police. Maybe go over their heads.”
“To who?”
“Animal rights people. The types who care about this exact sort of thing.”
Gael said nothing for a moment, the two of us watching Julio. “That’s…a good idea. Maybe they can do something.”
I couldn’t bear to see the horse’s condition. Gael and I got him some fresh food, and we were soon back outside.
“I need to get back to work,” Gael told me. “But you let me know, okay?”
“Sure.”
Gael was off, and I headed back to the worksite to check in with the guys before getting into my car and taking out my phone. I did a little searching on the internet, trying to find some site for a group that might be able to help.
“Helping Hands,” I murmured, reading the banner of one of the websites. “Animal rights advocacy.” I put the number into my phone and prepared to dial. It would escalate the situation, no doubt about that. If they actually did something, got into contact with Bryce, it’d go over like a nun in a whorehouse. But it had to be done. I couldn’t work on a ranch where that kind of treatment happened.
I hit call and the phone rang. They answered, and before I started speaking wondered if I was doing something I might not be able to take back.
To hell with it.
“Yeah. I’d like to report animal abuse.”
Skye
Lord in heaven, was I steamed.
“How much longer ‘til we’re there?” I barked the words out.
“About ten more minutes,” Parker told me, one of the other activists in the van.
“Dammit,” I said, feeling all sorts of keyed-up. “Can’t this damn thing go any faster?”
“You wanna us to get a ticket on the way there?” Marybeth called, another activist and the one behind the wheel. “Think about what I’d say to the cops. Oh, sorry officer. We’re going to protest at Atwater Ranch and wanted to get there a few minutes faster. So sorry.”
“Don’t need the damn attitude,” I commented dryly.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Hell, the girl had a point. Not to mention my recent experiences with cops hadn’t exactly left me with a sunny attitude toward local law enforcement.
“Tell me again what Helping Hands said.” Mack, another one of the activists regarded me from across the back of the van.
“Shauna, my friend over there, told me they got a call from someone an hour to so ago, said there was a horse on the ranch who’d just about been starved to death.”
“Holy shit,” Mack grumbled. “Did she say who made the report?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Said it was anonymous. Some guy, though. Said he had a Texan accent.”
“That don’t exactly narrow it down,” Parker commented with a humorless laugh. “Him and every other guy in the area.”
“Maybe it was an employee,” Marybeth considered. “Bet that kind of shit goes down all the time there.”
“Rich pricks,” Mack seethed. “Think they can get away with whatever they want.”
“Not every rich person’s a prick,” I quickly said. “There’s good ones and bad ones, just like all the rest.”
Parker offered me an expression of total confusion. “You serious? Ask me, rich folk are more likely to be shitheads than anyone else. I mean, you don’t get a ton of money without doin’ some shady shit in the process.”
“Don’t go paintin’ everyone with the same damn brush,” I said. “Generalizin’ doesn’t help.”
Mack scoffed. “Never thought you’d be the type to stick up for the one percent, Skye.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I did I caught myself. Why the hell was I sticking up for rich types? Hell, I’d said worse things about them before. Then it hit me –Travis. Him and the rest of the Walker clan were loaded. And I was damn sure I wouldn’t need to poke around Rainbow Canyons to find out whether any of their animals had been neglected. They were good sorts, through and through. Didn’t know how they made their money, exactly, but there wasn’t a doubt in my mind they’d done it honestly.
“Almost there!” Marybeth announced. “You got the signs ready?”
“Sure do,” I replied.
On the ground at our feet was a collection of signs we’d hastily made in the last hour. They weren’t anything too fancy – “Shut Down Atwater,” “Fair Treatment For Animals Now!” that sort of thing. But they’d send the message loud
and clear.
Truth be told, though, I was a little shaken up at the prospect of protesting Bryce directly. It was one thing to go to his tracks and do it there – a whole other kettle of fish to go to his home and get right in his face about it.
It had to be done. I was sick and freaking tired of him getting away with what he had, and if we were lucky, it’d draw some attention to the man and put a nice, shiny spotlight on his bullshit.
Marybeth pulled the van to a halt. We grabbed our signs, jumped out, and hurried to the front gates.
“Hey!” I shouted through the iron bars. “What’s goin’ on in there!”
Through the fence I spotted a handful of workers. A little off in the distance, a work crew seemed to be building a barn, by the looks of it. The workers regarded us with curious glances. Getting their attention wouldn’t do much good. More likely than not, they didn’t know about what was happening. I needed to see Bryce.
One of the workers stared at us long enough to figure out what we were doing. Then he took off in a run, heading in the direction of the main ranch.
“Probably gonna tell Bryce,” Marybeth snickered. “Who knows what the hell he’ll do?”
“Come runnin’ out with a shotgun, probably,” Parker sneered, rolling his eyes.
“Nah,” I said. “He’s more the type to get the lawyers involved.”
If my other protests were any indication, Bryce didn’t care for confrontations. He’d gotten in my face a few times before, sure, but only because he’d been cornered.
We protested for another thirty minutes or so, not getting the attention of anyone but the workers. Most of them regarded us with curiosity before going back to whatever they’d been doing before.
“Aw, hell,” I grouched. “Don’t any of these people give a damn about the animals?”
“Most of ‘em probably are too scared to lose their jobs,” Marybeth commented. “Heard Bryce is quick to can anyone he considers disloyal.”
A lot of the workers were likely undocumented, too. Going against Bryce would mean not only the loss of a job but probably a ticket to the nearest immigration office.
Her Cowboy Daddies: A Secret Baby Ranch Western Cowboy Romance Page 14