Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Jack
The barn is quiet the following morning, the kind of quiet that lets me think. After the blow-up with Lane, I needed this—a moment to breathe and get my head straight. I grab a pitchfork and start cleaning out one of the stalls, letting the rhythmic motion ground me.
The sound of boots on dirt pulls me out of my thoughts. I glance over my shoulder to see Paulo approaching, his hat in his hands and a sheepish look on his face.
“Hey, boss,” he says, stopping a few feet away.
I straighten, leaning the pitchfork against the wall. “Paulo. What’s up?”
He hesitates, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Just wanted to say… thanks. For firing Lane.”
That catches me off guard. I raise an eyebrow. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
Paulo shrugs, his eyes dropping to the ground. “He was… well, you saw how he was. Always slacking off, acting like he ran the place just because he’s related to the Castings. The rest of us, we’re here to work. He wasn’t.”
I chuckle under my breath, shaking my head. “Didn’t expect to hear that, but noted. You’re welcome.”
I’m still so angry about him hitting the horse that I’m ready to come unraveled. That kid is lucky that I didn’t punch him in the face like he did to the horse and that I restrained myself so the sheriff didn’t come out here.
Paulo nods, but he doesn’t leave. Instead, he follows me as I head toward the tack room. I grab a brush and head over to one of the mares, ready to start grooming her. Paulo hangs back, fidgeting with his hat.
“Something else on your mind?” I ask, glancing at him.
He hesitates again, his eyes darting around the barn. Finally, he sighs and nods toward the mare I’m working on. “That cut on her leg… you seen it?”
I crouch down, running my hand gently over the mare’s front leg until I find it—a jagged gash running just above her knee. It’s not fresh, but it’s deep, and the edges are red and angry. My jaw tightens.
“What happened?” I ask, keeping my voice even.
Paulo doesn’t answer right away. His silence makes me look up at him, and I don’t miss the way his eyes flick toward the barn door like he’s worried someone might overhear.
“Paulo,” I press, my tone sharper. “What happened? Did Lane do that? That wasn’t the first time he hit one of the horses?”
He sighs again, his shoulders slumping. “He’s dangerous. He’s hit the horses, the cattle, the dog. He’s threatened all of us, too.”
I audibly growl. I sit back on my heels, my hands curling into fists. “Lane did this?” I ask, my voice shaking with anger.
Paulo nods, his face pale. “He got mad at her for spooking while he was trying to saddle her. Took a piece of wire and… well, there you go.”
I clench my jaw, fighting the urge to throw something—or someone. I should’ve decked that little punk when I had the chance. Instead, I just reaffirm what I already know: firing him was the best decision I’ve made since stepping onto this ranch.
“Damn it,” I mutter, shaking my head. I stand and pull my phone from my pocket, scrolling through my contacts until I find the number I need. “Why didn’t you say anything to John or Brynn?”
“John isn’t…John is pretty forgetful lately, and Brynn, I was protecting her. We all were. If she would have said something to him…his brother…” Paulo says.
Anyone who hurts an animal isn’t afraid to hurt a human, too.
So they were all just going to let him continue abusing the animals and wreaking havoc on the ranch? Seriously.
He clears his throat and looks down at the ground. He doesn’t want to finish what he’s saying and be labeled as a gossip, I assume. He seems to be a pretty quiet man who keeps his head down.
“You all were just going to sit back and let this continue?”
“No, sir. Lane has been talking about joining the rodeo circuit with his brother and said he was supposed to be leaving next weekend to join.”
“The Castings didn’t know that?”
He shrugs. “I’m just telling you what he’s told all of us. I also think you should know that he left a little too easily. I don’t think that’s the last we’ve seen of him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Ask anyone in town. John has bailed him out of jail a few times. So has Brynn. He gets into a lot of bar fights when he’s drinking. He always walks away and then comes back when they’re not expecting it.”
Shit. Great.
“I’ll handle him if it comes to that. In the meantime, you guys get back to work. I don’t want to ever see John or Brynn Castings doing manual labor out here because you all failed to carry the load.”
“Yes, sir,” he says as he quickly disappears.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial my sister’s number. She’s a certified veterinary technician and the office manager for the local large animal veterinarian, Sutton Callahan.
Joanne answers on the second ring. “Jack! To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Got a problem,” I say, getting straight to the point. “One of the mares here has a gash on her leg. It’s deeper than I can handle, and it looks infected. Can you get me Doc Sutton’s number so she can come out and take a look?”
Joanne’s tone shifts, all business now. “How bad is it?”
“Bad enough that I don’t want to mess with it. I’d rather have you or Doc Sutton take care of it.”
“All right,” she says. “I’ll call Sutton and see what she wants me to do. I can probably just grab my kit and head out, but she’s closer. Should be there in about thirty minutes.”
“Appreciate it,” I say, about to hang up, but she stops me.
“Wait a second. When are you coming to dinner? The kids keep asking about Uncle Jack.”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “Not tonight, Jo. Got too much on my plate.”
She’s quiet for a moment, and I can practically hear her smirking through the phone. “Too much on your plate, or is there a certain someone keeping you busy?”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, come on. How’s Brynn? I bet she’s giving you a run for your money. She’s a little pistol, all fire and…”
I can’t help but chuckle at that. “Yeah. She’s a pistol, all right.”
Joanne laughs. “That’s what I thought. All right, I or Doc will be there soon.”
“See you soon,” I say, hanging up.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and glance at Paulo, who’s been working in the stall next to where I am. “Go grab me some clean towels and a bucket of warm water. Let’s get this cleaned up before Joanne or Doc gets here.”
Paulo nods and hurries off, leaving me alone with the mare. I stroke her neck, murmuring softly to her as I try to push the anger out of my system. But it’s not easy. Every time I think about Lane and what he did, my blood boils all over again.
I shake my head, focusing on the task at hand. There’s work to do, and I’m not about to let some punk like Lane distract me from getting it done.
About fifteen minutes later, Brynn walks out into the stables.
“Paulo, can you give us a minute?” she asks as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.
Don’t look down, don’t look down. Eyes on her face.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Paulo scurries off, and I continue mucking the stall. She clears her throat.
“You were right to fire Lane.”
I almost drop the pitchfork I’m using because I’m so shocked by what I’m hearing.
“Excuse me?”
“I said you were right to fire Lane. He’s a liability, and we only kept him around for Olivia’s sake.
Truth is, Olivia doesn’t even like him, but, you know, that whole thing about putting up with family because they’re family,” she says, almost dismissively, as she glances down at the ground.
“Unfortunately, his brother won’t see it the same way and… ”
“His brother isn’t my problem unless he makes it so,” I say as I turn around and look at her.
She pulls back a little with wide eyes, her mouth opening and closing as if she’s shocked by my abrupt answer. I can hear a truck running outside the barn.
“Doc Sutton or my sister is probably here to take a look at one of the mares. It seems Lane was doing more damage than good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I watched him almost punch one of the mares in the head. That was the final straw of why I fired him. Then I find out that he injured another one, and the gash on her leg looks infected.”
She lets out a groan. “Olivia told me she saw him kick Barney, and I…blew it off, so…”
“Who’s Barney?”
“Her dog. He’s always barking and growling like a rabid dog when Lane’s around. It would make sense why now.”
Joanne walks into the barn with a giant grin on her face.
“Well, hey, brother! Hey, Brynn!”
“Sis,” I say with an inward sigh.
I notice my sister’s eyes darting between the two of us excitedly.
This is going to be fun.