Cowboy Brothers of Rainbow Canyon: A Western Contemporary Cowboy Romance

by K. C. Crowne

  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. Not 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 ex
actly 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.

  A few moments later I heard the whooping of police sirens behind us. We all turned at the same time and watched a few squad cars from the Crawford PD pull to a stop just behind the van.

  “Fuck,” Parker hissed. “So much for a protest.”

  The officers climbed out and headed our way. One of them, a big, burly man with a ruddy, fleshy face and eyes hidden behind mirrored shades sauntered close to me, his thumbs stuck into his belt, cocky as could be. As he drew closer, I spotted the name “Mayer” on his badge. Hell, it was the cop from before, the one Adam had chewed out.

  “What the hell’s goin’ on here?” he asked in a booming voice.

  “Protest,” I said. “There’s a horse on that ranch bein’ mistreated.” I pointed towards the grounds, the sign in my other hand. “And if you’re really interested in doin’ what’s right, you’d be talking to Bryce instead of harassing us.”

  “’Harassing?” he asked, followed by a laugh. “I don’t know if I’m not hearin’ you right or what, but it sounds like you’re tellin’ me to how do to my job.”

  “Maybe someone oughta.”

  Behind the mirrored shades, I’d bet money his eyes narrowed. “Listen here – I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let some cowgirl hippie chick talk to me like that.” He stuck an accusing finger in my face.

  I was playing with fire, but I didn’t care. The shit going on at the ranch wasn’t right. My mouth opened, and I knew sure as shit on a shingle that what was about to come out was likely to land me in the back of a squad car. But I didn’t get the chance to say a word. Behind the squad cars a familiar truck pulled up and came to a halt so fast the wheels kicked up enough dust to land on the hood.

  Travis burst out of the driver’s side, Adam coming out of the other. They rushed to me and the rest of us, likely knowing I was about to get my ass into some serious trouble.

  “Hey!” Travis yelled. “Skye!”

  I closed my mouth – probably for the best. The two men approached, stopping in front of Officer Mayer.

  “If you boys are here to protest, you’re too late,” he said. “Because we’re about to shut this nonsense right down.”

  Adam’s eyes flicked to Mayer’s badge and flashed with anger. But he didn’t say anything. Likely was being smarter about the whole thing than I’d been about to be.

  “Not here to protest,” Travis refuted. “Here to pick someone up.”

  “Come on, Skye,” Adam said. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “I aint’ goin’ nowhere,” I hollered. “Not until you officers get onto the ranch and see about that horse.”

  Mayer laughed. “Hate to break it to you, cutie pie, but that ain’t gonna happen.”

  “Cutie pie?” I was incensed. Only a pair of hard looks from Travis and Adam stopped my mouth from spouting off something that might get me arrested.

  Mayer put his hands on his hips. “Here’s the deal – you’re gettin’ the hell out of here right now. Either you do the smart thing and go with your friends, or you can all head down to the station in the back of these squad cars. I don’t feel much like doin’ paperwork tonight, so I’ll let you make the call.”

  I turned to the rest of the group. None of us were strangers to spending a few hours in lockup for protesting, but given the option, I knew the call to make.

  “Fine,” I hissed. “But we’re not gonna let up until you investigate Bryce.”

  “Good luck with that,” Mayer countered.

  “Skye,” Adam said quietly. “It’s over. Come on with us.”

  I was pissed as hell. But one more look at the r
est of the group confirmed leaving was the right thing to do. Marybeth took my sign, and I stomped to Travis’ truck in a huff. She and the rest of the protesters got back into the van, the officers watching them to make sure they left.

  Minutes later I was in the truck seated between Adam and Travis. It was a tight fit up front, but being sandwiched between those two went a long way in cooling my anger. In fact, it did more than that. My heart was still racing, but for an entirely different reason. As we drove, my skin heated and I felt a dampness between my legs.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Travis asked, anger in his voice. “You out of your damn mind?”

  “Are you serious?” I shot back. “Travis, there’s a horse on that ranch that’s damn near starving to death. What the hell did you expect me to do about it?”

  “I don’t know,” he commented, his anger quieter. “Maybe somethin’ a little more rational than runnin’ out there and nearly gettin’ yourself arrested.”

  Adam was silent, strangely so. But the look on his face suggested he agreed with Travis.

  “You too?” I asked. “Come on now.” Travis kept his eyes on the road, and Adam didn’t speak. I scoffed and crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, at least tell me where the hell you boys are takin’ me to.”

  “My place,” Adam said, his first words since we’d climbed in. “It’s closer.”

  “Fine.”

  “And you better not run off and do another one of them protests,” Travis announced. “We can’t always be there to bail you out of trouble.”

  “Quit talkin’ to me like you’re my daddy,” I grouched.

  The thought occurred to me that I might not mind calling him daddy in another context. I was surprised with myself. Minutes away from being arrested and all I could think about was sex. And not just any sex –sex with both of them. What the hell else was I supposed to have in mind being between those two like that?

  We pulled up to Adam’s house and climbed out. Really, I wouldn’t have minded staying in that car with them both for a little while longer.

  “Come on,” Travis said. “I need a damn beer after all of that.”