Chapter 9
Need You Now – Lady A
Gunner
The morning after Cassidy’s visit, light snow fell outside landing on the thin layer that had fallen through the night.
It was the tail end of the snow season, but we often got flurries, or the odd snowstorm, before the month was out.
The weather didn’t stop us working, though, which was why we were grabbing a few minutes before breakfast to talk about ranch business.
Nash leaned forward in our father’s overpriced leather chair in the home office. “What are you thinking about the kid’s project?”
Wilder swiveled around on the visitors chair like a nine year old, while I leaned against the windowsill.
“Do we get a choice?” I asked, grinning. “Lily loves the idea, and you love Lily, so…”
The smug bastard smiled like the cat who got the cream and clearly he’d got something the night before, if the giggles and banging of the damn headboard was anything to go by. No grown man should have to listen to that.
“You know what, I think I like the idea of us having a house each,” I told him.
His brow furrowed. “Okay, but what about the project? Contrary to what you think, it’s ultimately your decision.”
“Oh great, make me the bad guy who says no.”
Wilder laughed and did another three-sixty on his chair. “You can’t say no to Cassidy any more than he can say no to Lily.”
“I can say no to her,” I scoffed. “I can say a lot of things to her, none that she actually likes.”
“You two should just fuck and be done with it,” Wilder suggested. He pointed a finger at Nash. “I think I told you the same about Lily and look how right I was.”
Thinking about fucking Cassidy momentarily increased my pulse, until I remembered you had to ultimately like someone to have sex with them.
“Unless you really don’t like her and then maybe I could—”
“Don’t finish that fucking sentence,” I told him, my chest clenching tight. “The point is if I say no then I’m going to be the one breaking those kid’s hearts.”
“They have to know about it for you to break their hearts, Gun.” Nash slapped a hand on the desk.
“I like the idea, a little more than the wedding venue one. It’ll probably take just as many hurdles to jump, if not more, and may cost us more money to set up, but it’s a good idea and will make us some bank. ”
“Why not do both?” Wilder suggested. “Limit the kid’s ranch to certain dates and build some bunk houses for the kids instead of using the barn. I mean we don’t really have to limit the dates for the kids, but it’d just be more work to have the two run at the same time.”
“I looked into it some more last night,” Nash said, clicking on his Mac and bringing a saved search up on the screen.
“What, you had time with all that sex?” I asked wryly.
“When you get the same stamina that I have you’ll understand, Gun.
Now,” he said, reading the screen. “If we do a kid’s camp, ranch, whatever you want to call it we can get a little funding.
Either a government youth grant or a supply grant from local business’.
Lily said that Cassidy mentioned something about crowd funding as it’s going to be helping local kids as well as out of towners. ”
“So, most of our cash will go to the wedding venue?” Wilder asked.
“If we do as you suggest and do both. The friend of Rose’s who I was talking to, the event planner, said we just have to provide the venue and the appropriate safety certificates. Staff, decoration, tables, chairs and so on would all be down to her as she has a regular supplier.”
“So, the renovation and upkeep of the bar is it?”
“Yep, Gun. And then we get a fee each time she uses us. Although, I think we’ll have to add a kitchen, but I also had an idea about that.”
“Wow,” I said blinking slowly, “you had a real busy night, didn’t you?”
Nash just smirked and folded his arms. “The bunk house kitchen is basic at best. Especially since we expanded the bunk house and we’re employing Ruby as cook.”
“Okay,” Wilder replied, finally stopping swiveling. “And your idea is?”
“We build a kitchen big enough for both Ruby and outside caterers to use. If we build it in the east pasture, it’s equal distance between the bunk house and the barn.
There’s no room to add it on to the bunk house so it would be a good resolution.
The current one, inside the bunk house, could be made into a dining area or lounge area. ”
“They’re ranchmen, Nash,” I mocked. “Not sorority girls.”
“And some of them are living away from home months at a time, so let’s give them a little comfort.”
“Nash is right,” Wilder agreed. “They should have decent facilities.”
I knew they were right, but I was feeling grumpy as fuck. Listening to your brother bang his wife while you struggled to get a certain woman out of your head, did that to you.
“We can think about that more once we decide about the kids camp.”
“Nash,” I replied. “Why are we even thinking about it? As much as I hate agreeing with anything that woman says, it’s a great idea.
I’d love to share my love of horses with kids, teach them what magnificent animals they are.
It’ll be good for us and them.” I shrugged.
“We’ll need more stable hands and maybe some ranch hands.
” Over the last couple of years, we’d doubled our workforce, but it still wouldn’t be enough.
“We’ll need help in the office, too, although I have someone in mind for that.
But we can talk about that later down the line. ”
“So, we agree with the kid’s camp then?” We both nodded at Nash who then sighed. “Good. Now we have to talk about the land development and what we do about it.”
The idea of people building a factory and businesses, not to mention ugly apartment blocks, made me feel sick. This land was beautiful, a patchwork of jewel colors, from the land to the sky, we didn’t need the ugly stitches of grey concrete marring its beauty.
“We have to do whatever we can to stop it.” I pushed off the windowsill and paced across the office, stopping in front of Nash. “I can’t believe the County let this happen.”
“Me neither, but according to Calvin they’re determined to push it through as fast as possible. He’s trying to find out who is buying the land so we can get a meeting with them. The three mayors are meeting tonight to talk about the next steps.”
“Well, let’s hope we can stop the bastards. Now, anything else?” I growled. “Because I have things to do.”
Nash clicked on the mouse and changed what was on his screen. I groaned inwardly at the sight of our quarterly report. “Do we have to?”
“I’ll be quick.” My big brother smirked and highlighted a row of figures. “Training program’s up thirty percent from last year. Your reputation’s growing, Gun.”
“Yeah, but so are our costs.” I tapped the screen on the section that said, ‘Feed Supplier’. “Price of oats has doubled since spring. We need either more clients or higher rates.”
“Or both,” Nash said. “Especially with this development threat looming. We can’t afford to look vulnerable right now.”
“Which is why my idea of the Kids ranch, and the wedding venue is the best.” Wilder cocked an eyebrow. “You can thank me later.”
“Whatever.” I turned to Nash. “Can I go now and leave you with Business Brain of the year?”
“Bye, bye, Gunner,” Wilder said and gave me a finger wave on his way to another three-sixty turn.
My day had really gone to shit and lack of sleep was the least of my worries.
I’d tried to do some work with Momma’s Pride in the indoor school.
It was the horse that Charlie had messed up with and the fact she had messed up meant that the whole session had gone badly.
As soon as I’d gone near him, he’d bucked and kicked, stressing himself out until he was frothing at the mouth.
He’d gone back weeks in his progression.
Weeks that I didn’t have the time for and certainly wouldn’t have the money because I doubted Dick Hazel would pay.
Fucking dick by name and dick by nature.
When I got to the stables, I looked inside but couldn’t see who I was looking for.
“Bailey,” I yelled down to one of the hands who was brushing down one of the ranch horses. “Where’s Charlie?”
“Not sure, but Soloman turned up as he had a spare afternoon, so maybe she’s with him.”
I didn’t answer but stormed over to the pool, our latest addition to the facilities. Soloman, a qualified equine hydro therapist, came in twice a month to work with the horses. Charlie was fascinated by it and spent any time she could over there.
Pulling the door open so hard I almost yanked it from its hinges, I tried to get my anger under control. I didn’t want to spook the horse in the water being massaged by Soloman after its swim.
Charlie was where I expected her to be, standing on the parapet leaning against the rail and watching.
Her head turned as I approached, and she flashed me a tentative smile.
I hadn’t stayed mad at her over the saddle incident, but it didn’t mean I’d forgotten it.
Charlie was fully aware that I’d been disappointed and had kept her distance, limiting her time in the office with me.
She had still brewed the coffee every morning at least.
“Hi, I’ve just been watching,” she said, her eyes going back to the pool. “Soloman said that Chipper is doing really well, getting the muscle back.”
“Good.” My jaw tensed as I looked over at the water. “Have you got a minute?”
Not waiting for a response, I turned and stalked out of the pool and across the yard to my office.
I knew Charlie was following because I could hear her boots on the concrete, quick steps desperately trying to keep up with mine.
Flying into the office, I strode into the middle of the room, stopping in the space between our two desks.
My hands went to my hips, and I stared up at the ceiling, still unsure of how much anger I was going to unleash.
When the door opened again and Charlie stepped inside I wondered if I should have left it until the following day, but it was too late.
“What’s wrong?”
Inhaling slowly, I turned to her and silently counted to ten. “You need to let Dick Hazel know that he’s going to have to pay for another couple of months of rehab for Momma’s Pride.”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“What I said, Charlie. He needs another couple of months of rehab and you’re going to have to let Dick know.” I tensed as I looked at her. There was a curl to her top lip and an aggressive jut to her chin.
“That’s not my job. That’s yours.”
“I’m your boss. You went against my wishes for that horse. He now needs further rehab, so I’m telling you that it’s your job to tell the owner.”
She folded her arms and the lip curl became a full on snarl. Instantly the frosty atmosphere in the room dropped to freezing.
“I said I was sorry. I told you that he was hassling me.”
“And he doesn’t pay your salary, I do. Of which I think I pay you very well.”
“Debatable.”
Oh no, she was not going there. “I pay you a damn good salary and you know it. You have the use of a ranch truck, which is serviced regularly so I know you’re safe driving to town or to and from ranch business and you get health insurance.
So, do not come at me with that one, Charlie because I will win every time. ”
“Okay, but he—”
“We talked about this a few days ago, I’m not raking over the dead embers of it again.
Because that horse had a saddle put on him before he was ready, his rehabilitation has not only stalled but gone backward.
That means I need to keep him here longer.
Therefore, I want you to call Mr. Hazel and tell him that and how much he needs to pay for another two months board and rehab.
” I took a beat, realizing I was on the verge of raising my voice and I’d been determined not to do that.
“Alternatively, he can keep him at his own place and horse box him in every day. Up to him.”
“Why am I getting the blame for this?” she argued. “He was the one who insisted.”
I shook my head. “Like I said, we discussed it and now we have to face the consequences.” My phone started to buzz in my pocket, but I ignored it.
This was more important, plus whoever was on the other end of the phone probably didn’t deserve the results of my anger.
“Before you call him I need you to check on Momma’s Pride and make sure he’s okay.
It’s taken me almost an hour to get him in his stall and calm. ”
“What happened? What did you do?” she said in an accusatory tone that got my spine going straight as a rod.
“What I did was put a light hand on his back. Something even the skittish of horses should be able to withstand. Now, seeing as only last week he would take a blanket, I don’t think a hand is too much to ask.
Unless of course he’s had a saddle on his back.
A saddle that he’s not ready for.” My chest was rising and falling so fast I was either on the brink of a heart attack or full on rage.
Either one was unwelcome. “Just go and see to the horse, Charlie and then call Dick Hazel.” She opened her mouth to argue but I’d had enough.
“Now, before I say something I might regret.” Like fire her damn ass.
She didn’t second guess what that might be because she scuttled out of there like a rat up a drainage pipe.
As soon as the door closed behind her, I was able to let out a breath.
Things between us would not be good after this, because now I couldn’t trust her and that did not bode well for my business.
Maybe a bunch of kids would be a damn sight easier, then I realized that would mean seeing more of Cassidy and I wasn’t sure I could handle that either.