Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Christian
I leaned against the barn door and wiped sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand, The midday sun beat down on Red Rock Ranch.
The herd was settled after a morning of moving cattle, and I’d just finished hauling feed sacks with Cosmo, but my eyes kept drifting to Damian.
He was over by the fence line and hammered nails into a loose post, his shirt soaked through, and his jaw set tight.
I’d seen him busy before, but this was different, and he hadn’t stopped moving for days.
I grabbed a water bottle from the cooler by the barn and took a long swig, and watched him swing that hammer harder than he needed to.
“Yo, Cosmo,” I said and nudged him with my elbow as he walked up and dusted hay off his jeans. “Are you seeing this?”
“What?” he said and squinted toward Damian and grabbed his water, and cracked it open. “Him turning into a work machine?”
“Yeah,” I said and nodded and kept my voice low. “He’s been at it nonstop lately. Barely talks and just works.”
Cosmo took a sip and tilted his head, his grin faded a bit. “Huh,” he said and watched Damian drive another nail; the bang echoed sharply across the yard. “He’s always a grunt, but this is next level.”
“Exactly,” I said, and crossed my arms and leaned back against the barn. “He’s not just busy. He’s burying himself in it. You think it’s about something?”
“Like what?” Cosmo said and raised an eyebrow, and laughed briefly. “He’s just being his grumpy self.”
“Come on,” I said and shot him a look. “He’s been off for a while now. What if it’s about Geraldine?”
“Geraldine?” Cosmo said and turned to me quickly. “Nah, man. Why would he care?”
“Think,” I said, and leaned in a little. “She said she was falling for someone here. What if it’s him?”
Cosmo’s eyes widened, and he laughed softly this time. “No way,” he said and shook his head. “Damian? The quiet guy?”
“Look at him,” I said, and kept my eyes on Damian as he grabbed another plank and started hammering again. “He’s acting like he’s mad or something more.”
We both watched him; his hammer came down hard and steady, and his shoulders stayed tense. Cosmo took another sip and nodded slowly. “Shit,” he said and set his bottle on the cooler. “You might be right. He’s been weird lately.”
“Yeah,” I said and straightened up. “He’s not himself. We should talk to him.”
“Talk how?” Cosmo said and crossed his arms, his grin turned sly. “He’s stubborn.”
“Watch me,” I said and grabbed my hat from the barn hook, and pulled it on as I headed toward Damian. Cosmo followed, his boots crunched on the gravel, and we stopped a few feet from where Damian worked, the hammer paused mid-swing as he glanced up.
“What?” he said and wiped his brow with his sleeve, his voice gruff and short.
“You’re gonna break that fence if you hit it any harder,” I said, and leaned against a post and kept it light. “Take a break, man.”
“I’m fine,” he said and turned back to the plank and lined up another nail. “I’ve got stuff to do.”
“Yeah,” Cosmo said and stepped up beside me, his tone playful. “We can see that. You’ve been like this for days, huh?”
“So?” Damian said and drove the nail in with one hard swing, his eyes stayed on the wood.
“So,” I said and crossed my arms, “you’re working too much. Ever since Geraldine left, you’ve been going hard.”
He stopped and looked at me, his hammer lowered, and his jaw tightened a bit. “What’s your point?” he said and stood straighter.
“My point,” I said and kept my smirk, “is you’re acting like you miss her or something.”
“Drop it,” he said and turned back to the fence, his voice sharp as he grabbed another nail.
“Nah,” Cosmo said and grinned wider, and leaned in. “He’s right. You’ve been off since she took off. Do you like her?”
Damian’s hand froze mid-air, and he shot Cosmo a look, his eyes narrowed. “I said drop it,” he said and slammed the hammer down, the bang loud against the post.
“We’re just saying,” I said and held up my hands and kept it easy. “She was into someone here. Maybe it’s you.”
He turned slowly and faced us, the hammer hanging at his side, and his face stayed hard. “What’re you getting at?” he said and kept his voice low.
“She liked you,” Cosmo said and shrugged, his grin turned serious. “That’s why she acted differently with us. And you’re out here working like crazy since she left.”
Damian stared at him and then at me, his breath came quick. “That’s bullshit,” he said and shook his head and turned back to the fence. “She’s gone.”
“Is she?” I said and stepped closer, my boots scuffed the dirt. “If you love her, go chase her. Tell her.”
“Love her?” he said and laughed short and bitter, his hammer tapped the post light. “You’re full of it.”
“Maybe,” Cosmo said and crossed his arms, his voice dropping playfully again. “But if you don’t, we will. She’s too good to let go.”
Damian’s head snapped up, his eyes flashed, and he gripped the hammer tightly. “What?” he said and stepped toward us, his voice low and sharp.
“You heard me,” Cosmo said and smirked and leaned in a little. “She’s fun and worth it. If you’re not going after her, we’ll head up there ourselves.”
“Like hell,” Damian said and dropped the hammer. It hit the dirt with a thud, and he took another step, his hands clenched at his sides. “You’re not doing that.”
“Then you do it,” I said and kept my grin and stepped between them. “You’re the one she wants. Stop working and go get her.”
He stared at me and then at Cosmo, his hands flexed a little. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said and shook his head, but his voice wasn’t steady.
“We know enough,” Cosmo said and picked up the hammer, and handed it back to him. “If you love her, fix it. Or we’ll tease her back here ourselves.”
“Assholes,” Damian said and snatched the hammer, but his eyes stayed on us and his jaw worked a bit. “You’re serious?”
“Dead serious,” I said and nodded, my grin faded a bit. “You’re not yourself, man. Go get her.”
He looked at the hammer and then the fence and back at us, his shoulders slumped a little. “I don’t even know where to start,” he said and rubbed his neck, his voice low.
“Her shop,” Cosmo said and shrugged. “She’s there. Drive up and say something simple.”
Damian snorted and shook his head, but his grip on the hammer loosened. “You two are a pain,” he said and turned back to the fence, his voice quieter now. “I’ll think about it.”
“Good,” I said and clapped his shoulder quickly. “Think fast. We’re not joking about chasing her.”
“Get lost,” he said and swung the hammer lightly, but his lips twitched with a hint of a grin. Cosmo laughed and grabbed his water, and we headed back to the barn and left him to it.
“Do you think he’ll go?” Cosmo said and took a swig, his grin sly as we walked.
“Maybe,” I said and smirked and pulled my hat lower. “We got him thinking. That’s enough.”