Chapter 50
Unstoppable - Sia
Cassidy
The morning was cool with a pale sun in the sky as the gentle noise of the cattle, interspersed with the shouts of ranch hands herding them into pens, could be heard on the breeze. It was a hive of activity as Rosie, the vet, started the annual check of the herd.
“Damn he’s magnificent.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, dreamily.
Lily and I turned to each other, and both barked out a laugh, clearly spellbound by two different Miller brothers as they stood on the bottom bar of the examination pen, one each side, maneuvering cows in, muscles hard and toned as they worked in unison with each other.
“Wow.”
We swung around to see Tally. Her hat clutched against her chest, her mouth open, she stared out toward the boys. I followed her gaze, and it was pinned to Wilder and Glenn, one of the younger ranch hands, wrangling a calf between them. Wilder was roping its front legs while Glenn was at the back.
“You okay?” I asked her with a smirk.
She didn’t answer but simply nodded, entranced by one of the boys.
“Think she’s been bitten by the Miller bug?” Lily whispered from the side of her mouth.
“Maybe or could be Glenn.”
We turned back to the boys and watched for a few seconds, when Wilder whipped off his hat and wiped his brow with the back of his hand, I heard a little gasp.
“Wilder,” Lily and I said at the same time with a giggle.
Tally inhaled and blew out her cheeks. “Anyway, sorry to bother you, but there’s someone here to see the guys. Ruth asked me to let them know as I was coming over here. She didn’t want to leave him alone in the office.”
“Did she give a name?” Lily asked.
“Yes.” She grabbed one of her braids and started to run it through her hands, looking nervous, clearly affected by the youngest Miller man. “Nate Jenkins.”
My eyes went wide as Lily turned to the activity with the herd. “I should let them know.” Immediately her fingers went to her mouth, and she gave a shrill whistle. Nash’s head shot around and when he set eyes on his wife a smile lit up his face.
“What’s up?” he yelled over the noise.
She cupped her mouth with her hands. “Nate Jenkins is here.”
The smile slipped from her husband’s face as he tapped Gunner’s shoulder to alert him. He said something to him, and both jumped down from the side of the pen, heading toward Wilder.
Within seconds all three brothers were heading our way having been replaced by other ranch hands.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Gunner leaned in and gave me a quick kiss before turning to Tally. “Where is he?”
Tally startled her attention away from Wilder. “Oh, yeah, sorry. He’s in your office.” Ruth didn’t want to leave him there alone so asked me to divert here on the way to the pool.”
“Thanks, Tally. We’ll get over there,” Gunner replied, turning to his brothers. “Wonder what he wants.”
“No idea, but I guess we’ll soon find out.” The jut of his jaw told me he was ready for a fight. “And if I get any inkling that he knows about the fire you better hold me back.”
“Try and keep it cool, Wild,” Gunner warned. “We don’t need you on a murder charge.”
“He’s right,” Nash said, his hand reaching for Lily’s. “Now let’s go. You too, Cassidy. It’s your project, too.”
When we walked through the door of the office, the atmosphere immediately turned icy.
Wilder’s eyes were dark and narrowed on the man sitting in the visitor chair drinking a mug of coffee.
Dressed in a suit with a crisp white shirt, he looked entirely out of place in the office with its half wood walls and wooden floors, the rancher coats hanging on the door and the smell of hard work and muddy boots that the boys had brought in with them.
“What are you doing here?” Wilder asked, immediately on the attack.
Nate blinked slowly. “I heard about your fire and wanted to check whether there was anything I could do to help.”
Ruth pushed her chair back, gaining Gunner’s attention. “Shit what time is it?” he asked.
“Three. I need to go pick Lucas up from his play date. Is that okay?”
“Absolutely. I didn’t expect you to be here today anyway, just because we were working.” Taking Ruth’s jacket from a hook by the door he passed it to her. “I’ll see you Monday after you’ve dropped Lucas at school.”
The conversation felt paused mid-sentence until Ruth said her goodbyes and left, but as soon as the door closed behind her all eyes were back on Nate Jenkins.
“So, you heard about the fire?” Wilder asked, his tone more than a little accusatory. “Even though you’ve been in Europe for weeks.”
Nate nodded. “I got back late last night and was told this morning.”
“And who told you?” Wilder’s arms folded over his chest as he leaned closer, like he was about to torture him for more information.
“My friend is a contractor, and he knows your contractor, Markus.”
Standing, putting his mug on Gunner’s desk, slowly and deliberately, he didn’t strike me as a man who was hiding something like arson. He had a quiet, confident presence and even in the chair he’d held himself ramrod straight. The fact that the man wore a suit and shirt on a weekend said a lot.
Wilder, though, he was not so calm. He had a bee in his bonnet about the idea that Nate Jenkins was to blame for the fire, and it was obvious from his fisted hands that he wasn’t going to let it go. When he opened his mouth to say something else, Nash beat him to it.
“So, you’ll know how devastating it’s been and that we decided to totally rebuild the stables.”
Nate nodded, a solemn expression falling over his features. “I was sorry to hear you lost a horse.”
My gaze immediately went to Gunner, with my pulse thudding loud in my ears. He’d been lost and grief stricken for days about Ariel and was slowly coming through the pain. I didn’t want Nate’s comment to set him back, so I was relieved that he gave a small smile.
“She was my horse,” he said, his voice strong and level. “She was the best and if I find out who did it, I’ll kill them with my bare hands.”
“Definitely not an accident then?” Nate asked, a hint of question on his brow.
Wilder scoffed. “Like you didn’t know.”
“Wild,” Nash growled in warning.
“What is it that you’re trying to insinuate?” Nate asked.
The calm, professionalism dropped for a beat as he gritted his teeth and stared at each of the brothers in turn.
“I’m a businessman,” he said, brushing something off the sleeve of his jacket. “I’m not a thug who needs to resort to underhand tactics to get what I want.”
“What you want.” Wilder’s fingers gripped the edge of the desk as he leaned his upper body forward. “What about us? What about our land, the plans we have here for the kid’s camp? What about the wildlife that your development site, the one that you want, is going to displace?”
I looked at Gunner, trying to gauge how he was going to react to what Wilder had said.
Would he add his own opinion or take on board Nash’s desire to stay cool.
His eyes met mine and he gave a small nod that felt like an affirmation that between us all we had it—we would be okay.
We would see our way through everything to achieve our dreams. Just being in the room with them all, being part of the conversation made me feel wanted and part of a family again.
“Which we have an idea about.” I aimed my comment at Wilder, giving him a cue if he wanted it.
“Which is?” Nate asked.
“I think we’re here to listen to you,” Wilder added. “But we have some stipulations on whether the development goes ahead or not.”
“Is that so?” Nate looked amused. “And what are they?”
“We can get around to that,” Nash added. “
“There was another reason why I wanted to see you. Not just to offer my sincere apologies.”
Wilder pushed up from the desk and moved to stand next to his brothers, as he did Nate took a step closer to them.
“I’d like to increase my sponsorship for the kid’s camp, which you should think of a name for so that you can start marketing the place.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants and rocked on the balls of his feet; a relaxed stance that I wouldn’t have expected from him.
“If you’re looking for a gold star then I reckon Lily and Cassidy have kids in their classes who are way ahead of you.”
Nash gave a frustrated sigh and turned to Wilder. “Wild, can we just hear what Nate is offering and then we can decide. The fire is being investigated, and we will get to the bottom of it.”
“I’d also like to make an offer there, too,” Nate added. “I have a guy I can ask to investigate it for you.”
“The fire department is working alongside the Sheriff and the County Police Department,” Gunner told him. “What makes you think your guy can find anything different?”
Nate narrowed his eyes and was silent for a beat, like he was considering his answer carefully. “Let’s just say he has ways and means available to him that the authorities don’t.”
“Criminal ways and means?” Gunner asked.
“No.” Nate shook his head, a categorical denial. “He stays on the right side of the law…just, but rest assured he will get you the answers that you need.”
“Not the ones you need?” Wilder asked, still poking that stick.
Nate, to his credit, gave him a smile. “I like your tenacity and the fact that you’re not afraid to voice your opinion, but I can promise you the fire was not my doing. Now, would you like to talk to me about those stipulations you have?”
He looked at each of us, like he was the teacher, and we were the kids lined up in front of him. Yet, we were the ones who needed answers.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Lily said. “But how about we go over to the house and do it over food. The kids are at my mom’s for the night and Ruby has made us a lasagna. We could have an early dinner, Nate, if you’d like to stay.”
“I’d like that,” he said without pause. “It would be good to hear it over some good food.”
I wasn’t sure we’d get any answers from him today, but at least it was a start.