Chapter 2 Old Enemies #2
"What?"
"I expected more arguing."
"I didn't."
"You getting used to asking for his help?"
Jax stood.
"I'm getting used to my equipment breaking."
Sam chuckled.
"If that's what you want to call it."
Before Jax could respond, the older man climbed into his pickup.
"I'll let the rest of the crew head home."
"You don't have to stay."
"You sure?"
"I've got it."
Sam gave him a knowing look.
"I'll see you in the morning."
The ranch slowly grew quiet as headlights disappeared one by one down the gravel road.
Within half an hour, the only sounds left were crickets singing from the tall grass and cattle shifting lazily in distant pastures.
Jax leaned against the feed wagon, watching the first stars appear overhead.
He had always loved this time of night.
The ranch felt different after sunset.
The endless responsibilities became quieter somehow.
For a little while, the world seemed willing to breathe.
Headlights appeared in the distance.
A white service truck rolled through the ranch gate before stopping beside the equipment shed.
Eli climbed out carrying a heavy toolbox.
"You weren't kidding."
"I usually don't."
Eli looked toward the disabled wagon.
"Hydraulics?"
"That's my guess."
"We'll find out."
Without another word, he opened the side compartment and began laying out tools with practiced efficiency.
Jax grabbed a portable work light and positioned it beside the wagon.
"You need anything?"
"A seven-eighths wrench."
Jax found it before Eli had to ask a second time.
"You know your tools."
"I know enough not to get in your way."
"I appreciate that."
For several minutes, only the sound of clinking metal filled the warm night air.
Jax watched Eli loosen bolts and inspect hoses with calm confidence.
"You always work this quietly?"
Eli glanced up.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"The company."
Jax laughed softly.
"So I'm boring?"
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I implied you're concentrating."
Jax smiled.
"Fair."
Eli slid beneath the wagon with a flashlight.
"You know," his voice echoed from underneath, "this would've failed eventually no matter who owned it."
"So it isn't my fault?"
"No."
"That's disappointing."
"Why?"
"I was hoping to blame somebody."
"You ranchers blame weather for everything."
"Weather causes most of our problems."
"You've clearly never worked on engines."
Jax knelt beside the wagon.
"What causes yours?"
"People ignoring warning signs."
Jax winced.
"That sounds familiar."
Eli rolled out from beneath the wagon.
"It usually is."
He held up a cracked hydraulic hose.
"Found it."
"That bad?"
"Worse."
"I've got a replacement in the truck."
While Eli walked back to the service vehicle, Jax looked toward the open fields stretching into darkness.
The stars seemed brighter away from town.
Thousands of tiny lights scattered across an endless sky.
"My uncle used to say this was the best view in Texas."
Jax turned as Eli returned carrying the new hose.
"He wasn't wrong."
"You knew him well?"
"Pretty well."
"My dad respected him."
Eli looked surprised.
"I didn't know that."
"They never admitted it publicly."
"They probably couldn't."
Jax nodded.
"The feud made sure of that."
Eli sat on the edge of the wagon before installing the replacement hose.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Depends what it is."
"Do you actually know why our families hate each other?"
Jax thought for a moment.
"I know the version I grew up hearing."
"Same."
"You believe yours?"
"I honestly don't know anymore."
Neither did Jax.
As a boy, he'd accepted every story without question.
Now, as an adult, he realized none of them had ever come with proof.
Just anger.
And tradition.
"My grandfather used to say your family stole Harlan land."
"My uncle swore the Harlans forced my grandfather off property that already belonged to us."
Jax sighed.
"Funny."
"What?"
"They can't both be right."
"No."
"But they've both been angry for decades."
Eli tightened the final connection before wiping grease from his hands.
"Seems like a waste."
"It probably is."
Silence settled comfortably between them.
It wasn't awkward.
It wasn't forced.
It simply existed.
Jax found himself noticing little things.
The careful way Eli organized every tool before putting it away.
The patience he showed while explaining repairs.
The quiet confidence that never slipped into arrogance.
Most mechanics he'd dealt with rushed jobs and rushed conversations.
Eli did neither.
"You thinking that hard about something?"
Jax realized Eli was watching him.
"I was wondering."
"Dangerous."
"So I've been told."
"What were you wondering?"
"Why you came back."
Eli leaned against the wagon.
"Dallas?"
Jax nodded.
"You could've stayed."
"I could've."
"So why Red Hollow?"
"My uncle."
"You mentioned that."
"He spent his whole life building this garage."
Eli looked toward the service truck.
"When he got sick, I couldn't let him close the doors alone."
"You gave up your career."
"I changed it."
"You ever regret coming back?"
The answer took longer than Jax expected.
"Sometimes."
"What keeps you here?"
Eli smiled faintly.
"Some places become part of who you are."
Jax understood that better than anyone.
"I know exactly what you mean."
"I figured you would."
A coyote howled somewhere beyond the north pasture.
The sound drifted across the fields before fading into silence.
Eli stood.
"Let's see if this worked."
He climbed into the tractor and turned the key.
The engine started immediately.
A moment later, the hydraulic lift rose smoothly into place.
Jax let out a relieved breath.
"That's better."
"It'll hold."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Jax shut off the tractor.
"I owe you."
"You owe me an invoice."
"I meant besides that."
Eli smiled.
"I know."
They packed the remaining tools together.
Working side by side felt strangely natural.
As if they'd been doing it for years instead of days.
When everything was finished, Jax walked Eli back toward the service truck.
The ranch was almost completely silent now.
Only the distant sound of cattle moving through the pasture interrupted the stillness.
"I appreciate you coming all the way out here."
"It's my job."
"Still."
"You would've done the same."
Jax wanted to argue.
The truth was... he wasn't sure.
Maybe he would now.
Maybe meeting Eli had already changed something he hadn't realized was capable of changing.
Eli climbed behind the wheel.
"I'll send the invoice tomorrow."
"I'll pay it."
"I figured."
The truck engine rumbled to life.
Eli rested one arm on the open window.
"Try not to break anything tomorrow."
"I'll make no promises."
"I didn't expect any."
They shared a quiet laugh.
Then Eli shifted into gear and slowly drove toward the ranch gate.
Jax remained where he was, watching the taillights disappear into the darkness beyond the entrance.
He stayed there long after the truck was gone.
The equipment was repaired.
Tomorrow's work could continue.
Everything should have returned to normal.
Instead, he caught himself hoping another excuse would bring Eli back to the ranch.
The realization settled heavily in his chest.
He had spent his entire life believing Navarros were people to avoid.
Now, after only two meetings, he found himself looking forward to seeing one again.
The thought should have felt wrong.
Instead, it felt dangerously right.
That unsettled him far more than any broken piece of machinery ever could.
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