This Hick?

Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

CASSIDY

“ T hank you for your concern, Mr. Scott,” the annoying woman that spoke like she was talking to a five-year-old said. “We appreciate your involvement, but I assure you, the investigation has been completed, and?—”

“Don’t patronize me,” I interrupted, my patience worn thin. “You’re giving me the same rehearsed lines you gave me last month. I just want to make sure you’re keeping your word. That boy needs real help.”

Her response was so vague and sugarcoated it was like talking to a wall. She wouldn’t tell me anything specific, just that they had “looked into it” and “appreciated the tip.”

Yeah, like they appreciated anything. I’d seen this before. Too many times. It was a government run system overloaded and underfunded. CPS workers who meant well but were overwhelmed, poorly trained, understaffed, and unable to help kids like Carson who really needed it. They couldn’t do shit unless they saw the abuse in action. Or hard evidence.

And we had neither.

Except I believed Carson. I knew it was happening. A guy like Earl Hoyt was a smooth talker. Probably charmed his way through any interviews they did, convinced them Carson’s rough night was just a one-time thing. Earl was the kind of guy that could tell someone the sky was red, and they’d believe it.

Just like this damn situation. He cooked up his own version of events that night. I could only imagine what he told them. Whatever it was, they bought it. Hook, line, and sinker. And Carson was still in the situation, determined to stick it out for four more years. He was going to white knuckle his way through life. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.

But that was how these things worked apparently.

“You guys are dropping the ball,” I said.

“Mr. Scott, I can assure you that our department is doing everything within our power, and we are following regulations to ensure the safety of every child in our jurisdiction.”

“Regulations,” I scoffed. “Regulations don’t keep kids safe. Action does. And from what I can see, there’s a hell of a lot more talk than action happening around here.”

“I understand your frustration, Mr. Scott, but without concrete evidence or new information, our hands are tied.”

“That’s just it, isn’t it?” I growled into the phone. “My hands aren’t tied by your regulations. I’m not going to sit around while that kid suffers. If you won’t do something, I will.”

“Sir, I caution you against getting involved. You have to trust we are handling things.”

“That’s just it. I don’t trust you. I don’t trust the system.”

“Mr. Scott, we appreciate the tip. We are always happy to know good citizens are looking out for our youth. Please remember, any direct action you take can have legal consequences for you and the child involved. Our team of professionals are trained to handle these cases in accordance with the law.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, maybe you need to update your training. Do we need to start citing statistics? Do we want to talk about how many kids slip through the cracks? How many kids you checked on and decided were just fine? No, you don’t want to get into that stream of facts. If something happens to him, it’s on you. I don’t know if you have a conscience, but I pray to God it haunts you for the rest of your life.”

I hung up the phone, more frustrated than before.

I was trying to be patient. I was trying to let the system do its thing. I knew the system moved at the speed of a snail, but it was too slow. Real lives were at stake. The system had failed me plenty of times growing up, and now they were failing Carson. I couldn’t just sit back and watch.

I refused to let him be one of the mistakes the system would learn from. They would rubber stamp it and maybe throw it in one of their training videos about what not to do, but that didn’t help Carson. He didn’t get another chance. There was no need for there to be a mistake.

I didn’t understand how they didn’t see the many red flags. Earl was too slick. He was slimy and cagey. Yes, he was a smooth talker, but couldn’t they see through the bullshit? Couldn’t they look at him and just know he was a piece of shit? I sure as hell could.

I needed to clear my head.

I grabbed my coat and headed out to walk to the lodge for dinner. I didn’t feel like sitting with anyone, but sitting alone in the bunkhouse would not be good. I would end up doing something that might end up with me in jail and Carson would have no one to stick up for him.

As soon as I walked up the gravel path and saw Karen through the window, something shifted. She was sitting at the table with Don, Ginny, and Kenny, laughing at whatever ridiculous joke Kenny had just cracked. The sight of her, her shoulders relaxed, that soft smile on her face was like an immediate balm. I felt my anger subside.

Ginny’s foot was propped up on an extra chair, her broken ankle elevated, and she gestured animatedly with her fork. If someone walked too close, she threatened them with it like an old battle axe. I thought she might be enjoying her temporary hobbling. She was delivered food, drinks, and whatever she wanted.

I pushed open the door and made my way to the table. The fire going in the fireplace made the whole place feel cozy.

“You remind me of a pirate, Ginny,” I teased. “All that’s missing is an eyepatch. Watch out, or you’ll stab your eye with that fork and complete the look.”

She shot me a dry look. “Ha. Ha.”

“Argh, argh,” Kenny added, his voice all raspy like an old sea dog.

Karen giggled, and damn if that sound didn’t hit me square in the chest. Her laugh was light and not natural. I made my way up to the counter to get myself a plate. It was spareribs night. I piled my plate with ribs, coleslaw, and a hefty scoop of mashed potatoes, then made my way back to the table with a carton of milk and a can of soda.

I slid onto the bench next to Karen.

“You look like someone who’s just decided the world might not end after all,” she teased gently.

She passed me the salt and pepper, our fingers brushing for just a moment. She glanced up, giving me a shy, almost flirty smile. I felt the jolt straight down into my groin. I wanted her. Dammit. We had let things cool down. We never specifically said that was what we were going to do, but it just kind of happened. I chalked it up to a heat of the moment situation. My emotions were running hot, and she was there.

If Don or Ginny or Kenny noticed, they didn’t say a word.

“Karen, how’s life as a ranch hand treating you?” Don asked. I could tell he was teasing her a bit.

“She’s a quick learner, I’ll give her that,” Ginny said. “But her chicken coop cleaning leaves a little to be desired.”

Kenny chuckled. “Heard you spent more time cursing at the chickens than cleaning up after them.”

Karen groaned but laughed along. “They deserve it. They’re evil little creatures. I think they could actually kill a human.”

“Pigs will do that,” Kenny said.

“What?” Karen asked with horror. “You’re joking.”

“No, seriously,” Kenny said, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “They say if you fall down in a pig pen and can’t get up, well, let’s just say you might not be walking out of there.”

Karen looked appalled, her fork paused mid-air. “That’s horrifying. Why would you tell me that while we’re eating?”

“FYI, they will also eat bones,” Ginny said. “Human bones.”

Karen paled, looking around the table to see if we were joking.

I shook my head, chuckling despite the grim topic. It was typical of Kenny to drop bizarre bits of trivia at the dinner table. I personally didn’t think cannibalistic pigs were really appropriate dinner conversation.

“Well, I think you’re doing just fine, Karen,” Don said. “Not everyone’s cut out for ranch life. You’re getting the hang of it.”

Karen smiled sheepishly. “I’m trying. But yeah, I think I’ll stick to accounting in the long run. And if there are pigs on this ranch, I would prefer not to meet them.”

“Don’t worry, we don’t have pigs. Just a bunch of chickens, a couple of horses, and a few head of cattle. The most dangerous thing about them is their stubbornness.”

Karen relaxed a bit. “Good, because I don’t think I could handle any more surprises. Ranch life is intense enough.”

“Anyone tell her about calving season?” Ginny asked.

Karen stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. “The what?”

“We’ll save that for another day,” I said with a laugh.

“Oh, you don’t want her to discover the arm gloves,” Kenny said.

“The what gloves?” Karen asked.

Ginny just laughed. “You’ll see. Stick around and you’ll get to see Cassidy with gloves that reach his shoulders.”

Karen shook her head. “I don’t want to know.”

We went back to our dinner, talking about the usual ranch stuff. I could almost forget about the drama with CPS and Carson. Almost.

After dinner, we drew straws for cleanup duty. Since Ginny was on one leg, she was automatically disqualified, something I had a feeling she was pretty happy about. I was half hoping Karen would get out of it as well. It was difficult to be around her and not want her. But fate had other plans. We both ended up with the short straws. Everyone else quickly disappeared, leaving us alone in the dining hall to wipe down tables and clean things up.

“You didn’t have to stay and help,” I said.

She smiled. “Hey, fair’s fair. I pulled the short straw.”

We worked side by side, without needing to say much. It felt easy, being around her like this, even in the silence. She grabbed the broom and started sweeping.

“Cassidy?” Karen broke the comfortable silence. She paused, with her hands folded over the top of the broom.

“Yeah?” I asked.

She hesitated, making me stop what I was doing. I could tell it was something serious. “Earl Hoyt came by the ranch today.”

The name alone made my muscles tense. “What?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“What did he want?” I asked, keeping my voice steady, even though I was already on high alert like he might jump out from around the corner.

“I’m not exactly sure,” she said. “He was looking for you. He said he needed to talk to you about something, but when I wouldn’t tell him where you were, he got a little pushy.”

I frowned. “Pushy?”

“Yeah. He followed me into the barn and insisted on helping with the feed, but I didn’t like how close he got. He made a few comments that were unsettling. I just felt like things were off. It’s a woman’s instinct to recognize danger. I felt it from him.”

My blood ran cold at the thought of Earl anywhere near Karen. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“I’m telling you now,” she said quietly.

“I don’t like him sniffing around here. Especially not after what happened with Carson.”

Karen nodded. “I don’t either.”

“What did he say? What did he do?”

“Nothing, really. It was weird. We went to feed the chickens and, well, they kind of saved me.”

“The chickens?” I asked with confusion.

“They attacked him. He ran out of there before I ever figured out what he wanted in the first place.”

“Dammit, Karen. You should have told me earlier!”