Chapter 44 I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
Wilder
The stench of hard work, leather and men was potent the moment we opened the door of the bunk house and walked into the large, shared common area.
It was so strong that you could practically taste it.
Dishes spilled over in the sink as the dishwasher hummed away, a loaf of bread was alongside a dish of butter with a knife stuck in it, like damn Excalibur or something.
The waste bin was overflowing and there were wet towels on the floor.
I made a mental note to ream them all out about the state of the place.
We had cleaners come in every couple of weeks, but there was no need to live like pigs.
“Jeez,” Deputy Malik groaned. “I wouldn’t want to live here.”
Cain, another deputy and old school pal of mine, chuckled. He’d grown up on a nearby farm so clearly didn’t find it as offensive. “You should smell slurry if you think this is bad.”
Sheriff Jackson grinned as he pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. “And wait until you go to an autopsy, Asif.”
Deputy Malik shuddered and put on a pair of gloves of his own.
“Yeah, sorry about the mess but apparently ten pigs live here.” Sighing heavily, I led them down the long hallway with doors lining it.
“Glenn shares with three other guys in the big room at the end,” I said over my shoulder.
“The newer hands share and as guys leave they then each get a room of their own.
These two rooms here are the bathrooms, although the foreman's rooms both have their own showers.” I tapped one of the doors as we passed, Ray scrawled on a piece of tape stuck to it.
“So you currently have ten guys?” Sheriff Jackson asked.
“Yep. Two foreman who each have four guys working for them and they split the work schedule between them. Glenn is in Ray’s crew which is out on the land, while Davey’s guys are on roundup, getting the stragglers down from the high ground.
That doesn’t include the half dozen or so who come in and do seasonal work for us.
They all tend to be locals just looking for an extra dime. ”
“My dad used to help Cal out on his ranch,” Cain offered. “Branding and calving season earned him good money.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s good work if you’re built for it.” I stopped in front of the door that was ajar. “This is him. His locker will have his name on it, and I think his bed is the bottom bunk on the right.” I stood to one side, letting the police officers inside to do whatever they needed to do.
“What time is he expected back?” The sheriff asked, flicking through a book on the nightstand.
“Their working day ends at six but it’s not uncommon to find him hanging around the stables.” My hands clenched into fists as I thought about all the times I’d caught him shirking work. The idea of his eyes on Tally, wondering what he was thinking, what he was planning. It made me feel sick.
“This shouldn’t take long.” Sheriff Jackson opened Glenn’s locker. “Seems he travels light.”
Poking my head inside I saw that he had very few clothes, another pair of boots and a couple of books stacked at the bottom.
“Not much for him to pack up then is there,” I muttered. “When I fire his damn ass.”
The sheriff raised an eyebrow and smirked.
He was young to be a town sheriff, a couple of years older than Nash from what I remembered, but his election had been pretty much unanimous.
He was up against a guy from Aurora who wanted to relocate and Dean Samuels, an egotistical prick who tried to sell insurance to people who didn’t need it.
It was obvious he’d have won anyway, Silver Peaks people liked Christian Jackson and his wife Emery, who worked as a hairdresser.
There weren’t many bad people in Silver Peaks. It was a great place to live, fresh air, beautiful land, low crime rate, which was another reason why Glenn Cameron needed to leave and get back to the city.
An hour later and I was letting myself back into the house, filled with dread at having to give Tally the news. I didn’t have time to prepare myself because she came running into the front hallway.
“Well? Has he been arrested?”
Taking her hands in mine, I pulled her closer. “I’m sorry, Brownie. They didn’t find anything that could be used to charge him.”
Her whole body sagged, and she dropped her forehead to my shoulder. “I thought it was the end of the nightmare, Wilder.”
“It is. I’m firing him as soon as he gets back.”
Her head shot up. “Can you do that?”
“Too fucking right, I can. He had to be escorted out of Downtown Bar & Grill and,” I swallowed back the great ball of poison stuck in the back of my throat, “the sheriff found some photographs of you.” She gasped, her whole body going stiff.
“Nothing weird and they could easily be of other people but you’re in the background of them all. Every single one.”
“H-how many?” Her legs gave way.
“Shit, Brownie, I’ve got you.” Pulling her to my chest, holding her up, I managed to get us to the stairs, dropping us both down. “It’s okay, I swear he’ll be gone by tonight.”
“It’s him, Wilder, I know it’s him.” Tally slapped a hand against her chest. “In here, honey, I can feel it here that he’s the one who went in my cabin.
The one sending the messages, too. Did they find his phone?
Did they see any messages to me?” Her words tumbled over each other as she gripped my shirt, begging me to give her the news she was desperate for.
“Brownie, baby, please take a deep breath.” I took her face in my hands. “Look at me. Breath with me, baby, please. In and out, in…” I took every single breath with her, urging her to match my pace and stay with me. “That’s it. Good girl.”
Slowly she started to calm down. Her breathing normalized so that I could cocoon her with my arms. As we sat in the silence of her fear I knew I couldn’t wait for him to come back to the ranch, I was going out to find him.
Tally
“I need to go,” Wilder said, taking my hands and pulling me to my feet. “I’m going to call Lily and get her to come home and be with you.”
“Why? Where are you going? Stay please.”
He shook his head. “I have to go and fire that fucker, Brownie. I want him gone from this ranch now. I can’t wait until he finishes.”
“Please don’t. Like you said he’s forty minutes away, he’ll be on his way back soon.” The desperation was banging at the wall of my chest, thudding like a jack hammer and sending shock waves around my body. “Please Wilder.”
He paused and then exhaled a slow, steady breath. “Let me call Ray and tell him to come over with him as soon as they get back.”
Wilder took out his phone, his eyes firmly fixed on me, one hand on my shoulder.
“Ray. I need you to bring Glenn to the house as soon as you get back…nope it’s not good…
yeah, he’s getting fired he got into trouble at Downtown Bar & Grill, getting handsy with a woman and there’s some other stuff…
I’m not having that sort of behavior associated with this ranch…
Bring him in the truck so he can’t make any excuses… see you later.”
“Thank you.”
Wilder dropped to his haunches and ran his hands up my thighs, to my waist. “Anything for you, Brownie. Anything at all.”
“I’ll do it,” Wilder said, shaking his head at Nash. “I’m in charge of the men.”
“All I’m saying, Wild, is that you’re a little emotional at the moment.” He glanced over at me. “Maybe Tally needs you with her.”
“Brownie do you need me with you? Or can I fire his fucking ass?”
“I’ll be fine. You go and fire him.” He looked at me for a beat longer and then he smiled. The warm, wide one that told me everything would be okay. That he knew I was strong. God damn I loved him for it. Loved that he knew when I needed his support and when I could stand on my own with strength.
It hit me then. I'd fallen in love with him. Not just a crush, not a passing ache, but the kind of love that rooted itself deep and didn’t let go.
My heart was completely his. When I saw him, wings took flight in my stomach.
When I didn’t, my eyes searched for him instinctively.
Just thinking about him made me want to laugh, cry, and squeal with anticipation all at once.
But when I imagined a future without him, panic bloomed like a bruise in my chest. I used to think love wasn’t for me.
That because of Declan, I wasn’t worthy of it, wasn’t good at it.
But Wilder proved me wrong. Because if I truly wasn’t worthy, why did he treat me like I was?
Why did he take care of me, trust me, and stand beside me as my equal?
Maybe he... I couldn’t let myself finish the thought. Because if he didn’t, if one day he decided to walk away, I didn’t think I could stomach it. That kind of loss wouldn’t just hurt. It would shatter something inside me I wasn’t sure could ever be put back together.
The sound of tires on gravel pulled me from my thoughts. Through the window, I could see Ray's truck pulling up with Glenn in the passenger seat. My stomach clenched.
“He's here,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Wilder moved to the window, his jaw set like stone. “Stay inside, Brownie. I mean it.” He kissed me quickly and then left me at the lounge window, Nash following him.
“It’ll be fine.” Lily wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Let Wilder do what he has to do.”
I watched as Glenn climbed out of the truck, laughing at something Ray had said. He looked so normal, so harmless. It was hard to believe this was the man who'd been in my cabin, touching my things, watching me.
Wilder stepped outside, and I moved closer to the window to hear.
“Glenn,” Wilder's voice carried across the porch, sharp and commanding. “We need to talk.”
“Sure thing, boss. What's up?” Glenn's casual tone made my skin crawl.
Wilder was straight to the point. No preamble. “You're fired. I want you packed and off this ranch within the hour.”
The silence that followed was deafening. Even from inside, I could see Glenn's face change, the easy smile dropping away.
“What? Why? I haven't done anything wrong!”
“Getting thrown out of Downtown Bar & Grill for harassing a woman isn't nothing, Glenn. That kind of behavior isn't tolerated here.”
“That was a misunderstanding. The woman was sending mixed signals—”
“Pack your shit and get out.” Wilder's voice was deadly calm. “Ray will escort you to collect your things.”
Glenn's shoulders sagged, and for a moment he looked genuinely devastated. “Come on, Wilder. This job means everything to me. I've got nowhere else to go.”
“You should have thought about that before you got handsy with someone who didn't want your attention. And for your information the sheriff was here and searched your shit.”
I gasped, surprised he’d told him. Glen reared back.
“What?”
“Someone trashed Tally’s cabin and he picked you up on CCTV hanging around it. He also found photographs with her in them.”
“They’re just pictures of this place. To show my folks.” He looked toward the house, and I took a step back. “I would never…”
“Well, that’s immaterial. You know my stance on getting in trouble with the cops and you were escorted out of a bar by a deputy, so you’re fired.”
“Please,” Glenn's voice cracked slightly. “I know I messed up, but I can change. This place...working here...it's the best thing that's ever happened to me.” His eyes briefly flicked toward the house again, toward me, before returning to Wilder. “I'll do anything to make this right.”
For a split second, I almost felt sorry for him. He looked broken, desperate.
“The decision's made, you know our stance on getting into trouble of any kind,” Nash said, appearing beside his brother. “Time to go. Ray make sure you get his security pass and any keys before he leaves.”
“Will do, boss.” Ray put his hand at Glenn’s elbow. “ Come on, let's go.”
Glenn nodded slowly, his face a mask of defeat.
“I understand. I'm sorry it came to this.” He paused, seeming to gather himself.
“Tell Tally...tell her I'm sorry if I ever made her uncomfortable. That was never my intention. I just like her. I would never trash her place. I’d never want to hurt her.”
As Ray led him back to the truck, Glenn looked back once more, and I could swear I saw his shoulders shake with emotion.
“Oh my God,” I murmured as Wilder came back inside. “He looked devastated.”
“Don't feel sorry for him, Brownie. Men like that are good at making themselves look like victims.” But even Wilder's voice held a note of uncertainty.
“I’ll make some coffee,” Lily said, giving my back a gentle rub.
“Do you think we’ve done the right thing?”
Wilder put an arm around me and kissed the side of my head. “Absolutely. No matter how much he protested, there’s just something not right about taking all those photographs and him hanging around your cabin. Trust me.”
And I did. With my life.
Twenty minutes later, Glenn's sedan was pulling slowly down the driveway. Through the back window, I could see him looking back at the ranch one last time.
“It's over,” Wilder said, pulling me into his arms. “He's gone.”
I wanted to believe him. The rational part of me knew Wilder had made the right choice. But something about Glenn's parting words, the genuine pain in his voice, made me wonder if we'd just made a huge mistake.
“You think we could both get a couple of days off,” I said suddenly. “Tomorrow. I want to get away from here for a while.”
He looked at me and shrugged. “Don’t see why not. Let me make a few calls and see if we can pick the bull up early. How does that sound?”
“Perfect,” I sighed, curling into his chest. “Absolutely perfect.”