“You are a fucking whore! A stupid, slutty whore!” she screams at the top of her lungs.
I can feel myself trembling. I’ve never been physically attacked like this. It’s a shock.
Morgan seems to notice the blood on Eva’s hand. “Shit, I’ve got to call an ambulance.” He pulls out his phone and begins to dial.
“I don’t need no fucking ambulance! She’s the one that’s going to need an ambulance!” she screeches.
“Eva!” Spencer yells firmly. “Your hand!”
This is the first time Eva looks down at her hand, and her expression changes. I have no idea how she couldn’t feel her hand until now. I guess that’s the ramifications of drinking too much.
“Take her to meet the ambulance outside, now,” Morgan suggests.
Spencer nods and starts to move Eva forward and out of the kitchen. She does not fight back this time. Just walks out mechanically as she stares at her hand.
But as she’s leaving, she doesn’t mention anything about Hayley or seem concerned in the slightest that she’s leaving her here alone.
I can hear Morgan on the phone with 911, but the words feel distant. It’s like I’m not processing what just happened. I knew that Eva was unhinged, but this is next-level.
I don’t even notice him walk in, but suddenly, Marshall is by my side, taking my hands in his.
“Are you okay?” he asks. “Are you hurt? What happened?”
“Eva just… attacked me,” I say. “I’m not hurt. I’m fine. She really didn’t even touch me. But man, did she want to.”
Marshall looks shocked. “Why? Why would she do that?”
“Jealousy, I think,” I tell him. “She’s jealous of me being with you… being with all of you,” I say at a near-whisper.
“How does she even know?”
In the chaos of all this, I’d nearly forgotten that my mom had come earlier. I want to cry.
“My mom stopped by this morning. We got into a big fight and I told her about all of us, and I guess Eva overheard.”
I can tell that Marshall is overwhelmed with emotion. “Well, what did Miranda say?” he asks.
The corners of my mouth twitch down at the thought. “Honestly? Nothing good,” I tell him.
For having such an amazing morning with Morgan and being so full of joy, this day has taken a pretty severe turn.
Marshall
I run my hand over Sarah’s soft hair, her head warming my lap as she sleeps.
We spent a while talking, and I did my best to calm her down. I had her lie with me on the couch in the parlor where I tried to comfort and cuddle her, and eventually she just fell asleep.
She looks like an angel, and I’m filled with an instinct to protect her. I am livid with both Eva and Miranda. How could they hurt Sarah this way? She’s so kind, so pure, so special… She doesn’t deserve this kind of drama. She hasn’t done a damn thing to anyone.
Spencer and Morgan walk into the room, looks of exhaustion on both their faces.
“So?” I say in a whisper, not wanting to wake Sarah. “What happened?”
“They’re just going to take Eva in and stitch her up. She’ll probably be fine,” Morgan says quietly. I see his eyes on Sarah, and a soft smile forms on his face as he watches her sleep. I know we’re thinking the same thing about her—that she’s adorable.
I’ve yet to feel any jealousy in this situation. Watching Morgan and Spencer stare at her the way I do isn’t disconcerting, it’s comforting. Especially right now. This obligation I have to protect her feels stressful, and I know I’d be overwhelmed if all the responsibility fell on my shoulders.
But it doesn’t. It’s as much on Morgan and Spencer as it is on me. I know we all want to protect her, and I know that when I can’t be around, they will be, just like they were today when Eva tried to attack Sarah.
“Like I give a shit if she’s fine,” Spencer says gruffly. “How’s Sarah?”
“She’s okay too. Just shaken up by the whole thing. And apparently Miranda came earlier and Sarah told her about us,” I answer.
Morgan’s face drops. “About… all of us?”
“Yep.”
“Well, that could not have gone over well,” Morgan guesses.
“Nope,” I say before looking down and softly stroking her hair. “It’s been a shit day.”
I can see fury cross Spencer’s face. “Now I’m even angrier at that fucking psycho. She pulls this even after I didn’t fire her when she tried to grab my cock?”
“Wait,” I say. Spencer never mentioned this. “You’re saying Eva tried to make a pass at you?”
“Yeah, about a week ago. Sorry, I woulda said something, but there was a lot of shit going on.”
“She had a go at me too this week,” Morgan adds. “I mean, nothing as bad as trying to grab me. Mostly she was just telling me about how handsome I was, how I’d make a good provider…”
I groan. “Yeah, she said the same shit to me. I probably shouldn’t have let it go, but honestly, I was just thinking about Hayley. Don’t know what would happen to that poor girl if we sent Eva off on her own. I don’t wanna know. But if she’s fucking with all of us, we’ve gotta fire her, right?”
“You know,” Morgan points out, “it doesn’t seem like she came here for the job.”
“But at least she does her job,” I acknowledge. I have to give Eva that, at least. “Not sure how she handles it as wasted as she always is, but the job gets done.”
“No, it doesn’t…” Sarah says in a whisper as she stirs on my lap.
“Shit, did we wake you?” Spencer shakes his head. “Sorry.”
But I’m very interested in whatever it is she has to say. “It doesn’t what?” I ask her.
“The job doesn’t get done,” she reiterates. “I’m the one who has been cleaning the rooms. She never comes to do it.”
Morgan, Spencer, and I all look at each other, wide-eyed.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Spencer finally mutters.
“Sarah, why didn’t you tell us?” I press. “It’s not your responsibility to do her job for her.”
“I know. But if I didn’t do it, nobody would. I wasn’t going to let the guests suffer and for us to have a bad reputation here on the ranch. I figured it would be better if I did it than if it didn’t get done at all. And I thought of reporting her, but honestly, it’s been such a crazy few weeks with so many ups and downs… I had other things to worry about.”
“That’s it,” Spencer says angrily. “She’s not even doing her goddamn job! She’s just hitting on us and attacking our girlfriend.”
I look down at Sarah and notice a little smile crosses her face when Spencer says “girlfriend.”
“Yeah, she’s gotta go. We have to fire her,” Morgan agrees. “No more of this shit. It’s gonna be way easier to run our business without her.”
I feel Sarah nod, her head still in my lap. “I think you guys are right,” she says. “I think Eva has to go, but what about Hayley? What’s going to happen to her?”
We all give each other weary looks. “That’s my concern too,” I tell her. “But we can’t keep her around just to help Hayley. What if she loses her shit again? What if next time it’s at a guest? We could get sued.”
“Or worse,” Morgan adds, “we might not be there the next time she tries to attack Sarah. What if we can’t keep her safe? I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you, Sarah.” He looks at her with a longing I completely understand.
I couldn’t bear it, either. It would be so much worse than something happening to the ranch. Clearly, Eva is jealous of Sarah. We can’t give Eva another chance to hurt her. I may not have seen much of Eva for the past decade, but I remember how she was when we dated. She got everything she wanted, all the time. She was absolutely determined and never let bygones be bygones. And since she doesn’t seem to have grown up much since high school, I’m guessing that’s still how she is.
“We can give her a decent seve
rance,” Spencer suggests. “It’s more than she deserves, but it’ll make sure she can take care of Hayley until she gets another job.”
“That’s a good idea,” Morgan agrees. “And she was staying with her parents before this, right? I’m sure they aren’t going to let her be on the streets. It might even be better for Hayley to be near her grandparents. I’m sure they’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
Sarah frowns. “Yeah, maybe.” I can tell she’s not in love with this idea, but the fact of the matter is, we have no choice. We have to protect ourselves and her. I’m not too happy about it, either. I’ve really come to care for Hayley.
“We’ll tell her as soon as she gets back,” I decide. “She has to leave as soon as possible.”
A few hours later, Eva returns to the ranch by cab. As she walks through the door, anger plain on her face, I see that her hand is bandaged up.
She’s actually walking more steadily than usual, likely because she’s gone several hours without a drink. Probably also why she looks so damn grumpy.
Sarah stays back in the parlor with Morgan while Spencer and I speak to Eva to let her know she will no longer be working for us. I brace myself for the chaotic fallout.
“Eva, we need to talk to you,” I say as she begins to leave the lobby.
“What?” she snaps.
After all the trouble she’s caused, she’s still giving us attitude.
“Why don’t we go in the kitchen?” I suggest.
She does with a huff, and we follow her.
She sits herself down at the kitchen table, and Spencer and I take seats across from her.
“This isn’t working out,” I tell her clearly and deliberately. “We know that you haven’t been cleaning the rooms and also that you’ve been hitting on all of us. In addition to you attacking another employee today, we’re going to have to ask you to leave immediately.”
She looks from Spencer to me and rolls her eyes. “Another employee? You mean your lover?”
“That is neither here nor there,” I say. “She is an employee at this establishment and deserves basic respect which you clearly cannot provide.”
“We’ll give you two months’ severance,” Spencer adds, “so you won’t be without a paycheck. But you have to leave the premises immediately.”
I stare at her carefully, waiting for her to flash again, but it doesn’t happen. She’s oddly calm. I think she already knew that she’d be fired after everything that’s happened.
“Fine,” she says indifferently as she stands up to walk out of the kitchen.
She doesn’t apologize or acknowledge her shitty behavior, and she definitely doesn’t thank us for the opportunity or for giving her such a generous severance when she hasn’t worked a day here. She just ups and leaves.
Good fucking riddance.
I suppose this is the best I could hope for—a nondramatic exit. I’ll take what I can get. At least now she’ll soon be out of our hair.
As she’s leaving, Hayley runs in with a grin on her face. I immediately feel a pang of guilt at the thought of kicking her out too. But I remind myself I cannot take care of her. None of us can.
“Shyla’s giving birth!” she yells excitedly. “You all have to come!”
I smile at her. “All right, we’ll be right there.” I turn to Spencer. “Ask Morgan and Sarah if they want to come along.” Morgan has seen a ton of horse births and Sarah’s probably seen one on occasion too, but I know she’s going to want to spend time with Hayley while she still can.
We all meet up at the stable just a few minutes later. Spencer, Morgan, and Sarah walk in after us, but not by much. Sure enough, Shyla seems to be on her last few pushes. She’s lying down, and we can already see the foal.
Despite Hayley’s excitement at seeing a baby horse, I wonder if this whole event won’t disgust her. She’s always been a bit prissy, and birth is a graphic process.
But to my surprise, when I look down at her, she only seems filled with glee. I’m going to miss that curious, excited smile when she leaves. I’m glad she at least got to see this before she left, since she’s been so excited about it.
Shyla gives one more strong push and the foal falls out of her. The baby immediately begins wriggling around, breaking out of its sac and exposing the black and white spots of its coat.
Hayley gasps when she sees it for the first time. “It’s so small!” she mutters softly to herself.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Sarah is about as doe-eyed as Hayley when she looks at the foal. She puts her hand on Hayley’s shoulder.
We all just watch as the foal attempts to move around, and Shyla turns around to check on her new babe.
“Is it going to drink milk from Shyla?” Hayley asks me curiously.
“It will, but it has to stand first. As soon as it can stand up, it’ll try to nurse.”
Hayley gasps. “It’s going to stand up soon?”
“Yep, baby horses can stand pretty soon after they’re born. It’ll probably fall a couple times first, but within the hour it’ll be walking around.” I smile at her.
Her joy and amazement is contagious to all of us. Even Morgan and Spencer look happy, and I know this process isn’t new to them. There’s just something special about seeing a child experience it for the first time. We’re all in awe.
Until Eva walks in, that is.
She seems drunker, still with a look of frustration upon her face. She pays no mind to what’s going on or the fact that Hayley seems so happy.
“Get your stuff,” she mutters. “We’re leaving.”
Hayley looks at her, confused. “What?” she asks. “What do you mean?”
“We’re leaving the ranch. Go pack your things. We’re going back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.”
Hayley looks horrified. “No! I don’t want to! I like it here. I want to stay on the ranch.”
“Stop it with this shit,” Eva says testily. “I’ve had a long day. Go pack now. We need to go.”
“No!” Hayley yells again. “I want to stay! I’m not leaving!” She looks up at Sarah sadly. “Can’t I stay?”
I see it as it happens. Hayley turning to Sarah for comfort pushes Eva over the edge. Eva loathes her, and there’s no doubt in my mind she loathes the way Hayley likes her.
“Fine!” Eva yells out. “You can stay here…” She pauses for a moment and then gives a wicked smile. “Stay here with your father.”
I don’t even process what she’s saying at first. We all look around at one another, filled with confusion.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“I’m talking about my daughter staying with you, her father. If this is where she wants to be, her Daddy can watch her.”
I feel like the wind has just been knocked out of me. The barn is dizzying. Hayley is… my child? But how can that be?
Hayley looks up at me, looking equally as stunned.
Why the fuck would she never mention this?
“Are you… You’re serious?” I gasp. Everyone else is dead silent, probably trying to process as I am.
“Yep. Guess I forgot to mention it. Ah, well. See ya.”
She’s not even remotely sorry that she kept this from me. She and Hayley have been here for how long? And she didn’t say a word about it?
Even worse, she didn’t tell me at any point during the past decade? It isn’t as if I’m hard to reach. Everyone knows who my family is. Even when I lived in the city, she could have seen any of my cousins to get in contact with me.
I feel sick to my stomach. Not because I don’t like Hayley, not because I’m afraid to be a father, but because I feel robbed… robbed of the last twelve years with the girl who is apparently my daughter.
How could Eva be so evil?
She’s already turning around to leave, bags in her hand, and I chase after her, as does Hayley.
“Are you honestly leaving her here?” I hiss, grabbing at her coat.
“Yep,” she says as she makes her wa
y to the road. “I’m calling a cab and I’m out of here. If she wants to stay here, she can stick with you.”
I look down to see tears in Hayley’s eyes. “You’re leaving me, Mama?”
“Well, you said you want to stay, so… yeah,” she answers.
Hayley stops chasing her and starts bawling where she stands. Sarah runs up and puts her arms around her, doing her best to comfort her, though nothing seems to.
Eva turns around to see this and rolls her eyes. “See? Looks like you guys will be just fine, huh? She can be with her dad and stepmom.”
“Eva, what the hell are you doing?” I say. “What the hell are you thinking?”
She pulls out her phone. “I’m thinking I’m going to catch a cab.”
I want to scream, yell, call her an evil monster. But I put my whirlwind of emotions aside because I know that as shocking and hard as this is for me, it’s way harder on Hayley. I need to be there for my daughter right now.
God, what a weird thing to think. My daughter.
But she is. And I’m going to treat her as such. I will not be the failed parent that Eva clearly is.
I turn around. Morgan and Spencer have followed us, though they’re totally speechless. Sarah is still holding Hayley, who wriggles out from her grasp.
“My mom doesn’t even want me!” Hayley yells.
“Hayley, that’s not true!” Sarah tries to console her. “She’s just mad right now and I think she’s been drinking. She’s not herself.”
“No! She doesn’t want me!” Hayley cries as she runs toward the bunkhouse.
“Hayley!” Sarah calls out and moves to run after her, but I put my hand on Sarah’s shoulder.
“Just let her go for now,” I tell her.
“But she’s so upset!” Sarah argues.
“She needs a few minutes to process alone. Let her go to the bunkhouse, and in five minutes, I’ll go in there to talk to her. Right now she’s running because she needs to be alone, and we need to allow her that space. She’s feeling a lot right now.”
I can tell that Sarah doesn’t want to leave her alone, but she knows I’m right and nods.
“Holy fuck, man,” Spencer whispers. “What are you going to do?”
Her Cowboy Cousins: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 14