Chapter Fourteen #4
actually was. The kid looked like he’d done some ranch work in his time. He was
leanly muscled, with skin that saw too much sun. His hat was worn in, and so were his jeans and boots.
“Who was that?” The shorter man’s eyes were locked on
Brooke, who disappeared behind the barn doors. Now that one had spent some time
on the circuit. His well-worn jeans had a leather belt around them, but it was
mostly to show off the big buckle he was wearing. Rodeo Bull Riding
Champion, it proclaimed. Which made him think the second guy was likely an
adrenaline junkie, and that wouldn’t sit well with his calm boss.
No wonder they set Trev off. Still, he needed to figure out
if they could work even in the short term. If he didn’t kill them first. “She’s
mine. That’s all you need to know.”
A brow rose over the taller one’s dark eyes. “Yours? I
thought everyone shared out here. Weird little town. Like those two guys who
ran off. Are they into each other?”
He wasn’t sure. Bo bottomed for Trev. Unlike Noah, who also
topped Hope with his brother Jamie, Bo was Trev’s sub. They had zero blood
between them, so Shane didn’t give a crap. It was probably handy to have each
other around when Beth didn’t want sex.
Damn, Bliss had chilled him out on so many things. “That is
none of your business, and if you have a problem with outside-the-norm
relationships, then this is probably not the place for you.”
Bull Rider held his hands up. “No problems. Just curiosity,
which we will check. Sorry about the questions. We heard you worked with your
brother, and since this is Bliss and she’s gorgeous…”
Well, they weren’t wrong about that. He started walking
toward the main house. In this part of the ranch there were two big houses and
what they liked to call the front barn. It was where they kept the horses and
smaller livestock. There was a second barn they kept out in the fields with
emergency supplies and space to keep sick animals. The house the McNamara-O’Malleys lived in also included a couple of rooms they
considered the business offices of the G. Shane started moving toward those.
Trev would have left notes and such on the desk, including their résumés. “I’m
Shane Kent. I suppose I’m the foreman when Bo’s not around.”
“I’m Billy and this is my friend Ned.” The tall one kept up
with him.
Shane noticed that Ned had stopped a ways back, seeming to
check his phone. “Well, welcome to the G. I’m sure Trev’s already gone over
some things with you. How far did you get?”
He opened the door for Billy as Ned slid his phone in his
pocket and strode confidently toward them. “Not too far. I’ll be honest, we
were surprised at how few people were around. The ranches we’ve worked at are
filled to the brim most of the time.”
He noticed Noah walking up. The veterinarian jogged in from
the barn. Shane held the door for him since he appeared to be coming his way
and not heading to the other family home, the one he shared with his brother
and their wife. “Well, most of our hands are out working. This is a big ranch,
and getting to the remote parts can take some time. Not all our land is flat
and reachable with a four by four. Sometimes we have to do it the old-fashioned
way. Don’t worry. There are dorms out there.”
There were a couple of small buildings in the far fields
that offered food and water and protection from the weather. There were cots
he’d spent some time on when he got caught out there way after dark.
“I wouldn’t call them dorms.” Noah gave him a smile.
“They’re more like basic shelters, but with halfway decent snacks. Hope makes
sure those get changed out every now and then. She didn’t like the fact that
some of them had cans of beans from the last century. Sorry. I need to grab
some towels, and Trev’s place is closer.”
He disappeared down the hall.
“Who is that?” Billy asked.
“One of the owners, though he doesn’t do a ton of actual
ranch work. He’s a vet,” Shane explained. “Normally Noah works at his office in
town, but it’s nice to have him around.”
“Why isn’t he there now?” Ned asked. “I thought we met
everyone.”
It was such an odd thing to say. Why did he care that Noah
was hanging around? “Like you said, it takes a lot of people to run a ranch
this size. Why don’t you two take a seat and I’ll be right with you. I’m going
to grab a water.”
He moved to the kitchen where Beth kept two things eternally
available. A pot of coffee was always on, and she had a case of water waiting
for anyone who needed it. Shane pulled his cell as he entered the kitchen.
No bars.
Damn it. He was going to call Bay and see when he could get
his ass home. Brooke needed some cuddle time and some rub her feet and prove
she’s a goddess time.
But he’d heard the newbies on their phones. They’d
definitely made at least one call, and Ned had seemed to be actively texting
someone.
That was when he heard it.
A loud bang crashed through the air.
Gunshot. There was no way to mistake it. Pistol. Not rifle,
and it came from inside the house.
He had to get to Brooke.
He started to push out of the door when Billy stood there, a
gun pointed directly at Shane’s head. “Why don’t you sit down and we’ll have a
talk. My boss should be here any minute.”
He could guess exactly who was coming. Kale Kingman. And
they were all in trouble now.