Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Rhett

Diablo lived up to his name and worse. Damn horse wanted to laze around the pasture, eating grass and strutting for the ladies, but had absolutely no intention of letting me saddle him or even lead him back into the stall. I’d tried sweet-talking him, buttering him up with treats. He was having none of it.

Didn’t know why we even had a horse like that here. This was a working ranch and we needed horses that liked their jobs. No sense in paying the feed bill on a horse that didn’t contribute, and this one was bound and determined not to contribute a thing.

Travis was messing with me. Trying to get me to leave.

Well, too bad for him. If he wanted me gone, I was damn sure going to stick around.

I walked out of the stables, heading toward the main house to find some food. But I stopped in my tracks when I looked up and saw Travis walking all cozy with Cheyenne.

Hell.

No wonder he wanted me to go.

I crossed my arms, gritted my teeth, and tried to force something that looked remotely like a smile as they approached.

“Morning, Rhett,” Travis said, a hint of warning in his voice.

“Morning.” The word came out as pure gravel, and I knew my attempt at a smile probably looked more like a snarl. “What’s she doing here?”

Travis slung a protective arm around Cheyenne’s shoulders. She crossed her arms and gave me a level look.

“She happens to work here,” Travis said. “When Claire started working full-time, we needed someone to take over the trail rides. That going to be a problem for you?”

Both their faces made it clear it didn’t matter if it was. Cheyenne wasn’t going anywhere.

“Not a problem,” I said between gritted teeth.

“Good.”

I started to walk away, then turned. “Why the hell do we have a horse like Diablo taking up a stall space, anyway?”

This time, Cheyenne spoke. “Because I asked them to. And no matter what your feelings are toward that horse, I expect you to treat him right—or else you’ll have to deal with me.”

They turned away, not offering any other explanation. I stared after them, wondering when my older brother had decided to make my ex-girlfriend his own.

I was still staring when Travis turned around and smirked. “Oh yeah. Forgot to tell you. Since you’ve offered to help, you’re on muck duty today. Once you get done with that, come find me and I’ll give you your next assignment.”

Shit.

Literally.

A few hours later, I was dripping sweat and I stank. But damn if the stalls I’d finished didn’t look fantastic. I leaned on my shovel, looking proudly at my work. Travis might not have thought much of my work ethic, but he was wrong. He had no idea how hard I’d worked the last few years.

Of course, I couldn’t really blame him for that. I’d kept my life to myself, never sharing much beyond the basics with the family. Wasn’t even sure why, except that they all thought I was a screwup. Made it hard to share anything real with them. It felt like they were always searching my words, looking for my mistakes. Looking for a reason to talk about me when I was gone.

No matter how much I built for myself, it never felt like enough.

But I’d worked hard. Had to, working in construction and property development. I’d busted my ass, saved, and lived simply. Now that I was tired of working for someone else, I was in the position to start something of my own. I’d given my boss my notice before heading north, using the family emergency as an excuse. Hated that Dad was hurt, but it was the kick in the pants I’d needed to finally cut ties and move forward with finding my own path. I wanted to start my own business, build my own legacy. Do the kind of projects that really mattered to me.

Wasn’t going to be here though. Based on how well this visit had gone so far, I knew I should get as far away from Wyoming as possible before picking a place to lay down stakes. But with Dad down, they needed me—whether they wanted to admit it or not.

I’d gone back to my work when Cheyenne walked in, her soft leather boots barely making a sound as she strolled down the length of the stable. I deliberately ignored her at first. She came up to me and stopped, crossing her arms as she surveyed my work.

I turned and looked at her, clamping my mouth so I didn’t say anything bitter or sarcastic. Seeing her here was too damn emotional. I was angry—angry watching my brother sling his arm around her like she was his, angry seeing that she fit better here than I did now. Angry that my family clearly preferred her over me.

And I hated to admit it, but behind all that anger was grief threatening to flow like a raging river if I didn’t keep it walled up where it couldn’t escape. Seeing her here… Well, it brought it all back. Those days when I’d felt freer and lighter than I ever had since. Days when I felt like I’d conquered the whole world because Cheyenne was mine. Nights when we’d sneak down to the barn together or take a blanket out to the back pasture to sleep underneath the stars, surrounded by the horses she loved so much.

I was glad she was here, for her sake. But it added a whole new level of hard for me. I grabbed my water and gulped it down, wishing it could satisfy my real cravings. Cravings that were eating so deep at my soul that I was tempted to run away from here again just to stop feeling them.

But I knew from experience that it wouldn’t work. Didn’t matter how far I ran—I’d never once stopped wanting Cheyenne.