13. Beast
BEAST
Ishould've known something was wrong when my phone rang at five-thirty in the morning.
Nothing good ever happened at five-thirty in the morning.
Nothing.
I rolled over.
Grabbed the phone.
Saw Hank's name.
Immediately answered.
"You okay?"
The old rancher sighed.
The sound alone told me everything.
"Gout."
Damn.
"You need me?"
"Already answered your own question."
I sat up.
Pulled on a shirt.
"How bad?"
"Let's just say if my knee gets any bigger, I'm naming it."
That earned a laugh.
Even from me.
Barely.
"Stay put."
"Wasn't planning on running a marathon."
Twenty-five minutes later I pulled into the ranch.
The boys were already there.
Which surprised me.
Until I realized why.
The feed truck sat sideways.
Half blocking the driveway.
One gate stood open.
A calf was running through the front yard.
And somebody was yelling.
Never a good sign.
I parked.
Got out.
Immediately regretted everything.
The youngest ranch hand spotted me first.
His face lit up.
"Oh good."
That was concerning.
Very concerning.
"What's wrong?"
He pointed.
"Everything."
Fair.
Extremely fair.
The calf sprinted past us.
The other two boys chased it.
Badly.
One tripped over a water trough.
The second ran into a fence post.
The calf escaped.
Again.
I watched for a moment.
Then looked toward the sky.
Seeking patience.
Or whiskey.
Still not picky.
"Where's Sadie?"
The kid pointed toward the barn.
"Mad."
That wasn't helpful.
Then again...
It actually was.
I headed toward the barn.
Sure enough, Sadie stood near the equipment shed.
Hands on her hips.
Looking ready to commit homicide.
The boys had apparently pushed her too far.
Dangerous territory.
Very dangerous.
She spotted me.
Immediately pointed.
"You."
I stopped.
"What?"
"Congratulations."
That sounded suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"On what?"
"You're in charge."
I blinked.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Absolutely."
I crossed my arms.
"So we're clear..."
"Crystal."
"I'm not in charge."
Sadie smiled.
The dangerous smile.
The one that usually ended badly for me.
Then she raised her voice.
"Boys!"
Three ranch hands appeared.
Like guilty little prairie dogs.
Popping up from various locations.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Sadie pointed at me.
"Who's in charge today?"
The oldest answered instantly.
"Beast."
The second nodded.
"Definitely Beast."
The youngest smiled.
"Morning, Boss."
I stared.
The kid grinned.
The little menace.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yep."
I looked at Sadie.
She was laughing.
Actually laughing.
Traitor.
The absolute traitor.
Then Hank appeared on the porch.
Using his cane.
Moving slower than usual.
The sight immediately killed my amusement.
The old rancher wasn't a man who sat still.
Seeing him forced to watch from the sidelines felt wrong.
Hank noticed me looking.
He shrugged.
"Gout."
"I noticed."
"Getting old is stupid."
That earned agreement from everybody.
Even the boys.
The youngest nodded.
"Yeah."
The entire ranch turned toward him.
The kid couldn't have been older than seventeen.
He immediately realized his mistake.
"Not that I know."
Smart.
Very smart.
Hank laughed.
Then looked at me.
"Need you to handle things today."
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Because the old man wasn't asking.
Not really.
He was trusting me.
With his ranch.
With Sadie.
With everything he'd spent his life building.
That landed heavier than I expected.
Finally I nodded.
"Okay."
The boys cheered.
Actually cheered.
Like I'd accepted some kind of award.
Idiots.
Every one of them.
The youngest pumped his fist.
"Boss said yes."
I pointed.
"Stop calling me that."
"No problem, Boss."
I sighed.
Long.
Painfully.
This was my life now.
Apparently.
Then the oldest ranch hand spoke.
"What's first?"
I looked around.
At the escaped calf.
The crooked feed truck.
The broken gate.
The chaos.
The disaster.
Then toward Sadie, who was watching me, smiling.
Warm.
Proud.
And somehow that smile hit harder than it should have.
Way harder.
I cleared my throat.
Looked back at the boys.
"First..."
I pointed toward the runaway calf.
"...catch that."
The boys groaned.
The calf bolted.
And just like that...
My first day as a ranch foreman officially began.
God help us all.