18. Bishop #2
“Well, I’d love to see what you’ve got,” she said, gesturing toward the gate panel. “Maybe one of us will learn a thing or two. ”
“Oh, you will, for sure,” he said. And then the motherfucker slid his glasses to the tip of his nose and winked before going through the gate. “Now, climb up, and let me show you how to do it, sweetheart.”
Part of me wanted to stop it, to tell the kid to pack it up and head home. But the other part wanted to see Lennox’s plan come to light and watch her come up on top. He said he’d broken over thirty horses on his resume, so what could it hurt?
Lennox perched up on the top panel, giving me an eye-level view of her perfect ass.
I tried hard not to stare, to keep my focus on the kid who was probably about to be run over by the tank of a horse on the other side of the fence, but goddamn, she made it difficult.
She kept wiggling her hips, either trying her best to get comfortable or to kill me.
They both looked the same to me.
She looked down with a little smirk, as if she could sense my gaze on her. “Eyes on the prize, old man,” she said, nodding toward the idiot in the ring.
“They’re already there,” I muttered, letting my gaze linger far longer than necessary. Not that she’d noticed. She was damn near vibrating with glee as Keith asked Nick if he was ready. There was something about it that tugged at my damn heartstrings.
Seeing her so happy, I realized, made me happy.
“Alright, sweetheart, you ready?” Nick asked, running his rope through his hands.
Lennox giggled. “Oh, I am so ready.”
Nick nodded his head to Keith, and he let open the small gate separating us from the raging stallion ahead. The other boys came up behind, urging the horse forward. He threw back his head and charged toward Nick with a huff.
The kid’s eyes widened before he threw himself out of the way, landing in the dirt with a thud. I swore I heard the breath leave his lungs as the stallion turned back toward him .
Lennox’s hands came up to her face. To anyone else, it probably looked like she was concerned, but she wasn’t.
She was laughing.
“Oh no! Are you okay?” she called.
Nick scrambled up and widened his stance. “I’m good!” He threw his arms out and slowly inched forward, not taking his eyes off the animal in front of him. “Woah, woah, woah,” he cooed. His hands were shaking. “Calm down now, boy.”
“Oh, he’s gonna get himself killed,” I muttered, shaking my head. The kid had no idea what he was doing.
“I’ll step in before that happens,” Lennox whispered back. “Really make him eat his words.”
As if on cue, the stallion charged, and Nick jumped out of the way. He tripped over his own feet, stumbling into the fence post. Before he could recover, the animal reared on his hind legs, coming dangerously near striking Nick down. He cowered on the ground, rolling into a little ball.
“Shit.” Lennox jumped down from the rail, running to pull Nick away from the fencing. I surged forward, damn near tripping over myself to step in front of them.
If I died for this idiot…
The animal landed on all fours, bobbing his head as I stepped forward with my arms out.
I kept my gaze locked on his, even though I wanted nothing more than to check and see if Lennox had cleared the area.
“I don’t like him either, boy, but you can’t kill him, okay?
That’d put us in a whole mess of trouble. ”
The horse stomped its feet, moving nervously from side to side.
“They’re good, B!” Reggie called, which was good enough for me. I slowly back away from the pissed-off creature. He wouldn’t do anything to me, but I didn’t feel like taking chances today.
Keith got the gate, swinging it wide so I could slip through quickly. The stallion reared up and took off when his hooves touched the ground. He circled the pen, snorting and throwing a fit that he was still locked up.
“Holy shit, boss man,” Reggie said, clapping my back. “We got one hell of a job on our hands with that one.”
“Can’t wait to see you get your ass in there instead,” I said, picking my hat up and wiping the sheen of sweat from my forehead.
I looked over to see Lennox bending forward to check on Nick. He was sitting with his head between his knees, taking deep breaths.
“Christ,” I said, shaking my head and walking over. I nudged him with my boot, and he looked up. “Thirty horses, huh?”
Nick’s eyes widened slightly, suddenly remembering he was here for a goddamn job interview. “N—none that mean,” he stammered.
“Clearly,” I said, glancing down. “Listen, kid, I don’t think I have to tell you this isn’t gonna work. So, why don’t you head on out.”
He stared at me, slack-jawed for a moment, before pushing to his feet. “You let me go in there without knowing how crazy that thing is!”
I held up my hands. “I’m not the one trying to impress a pretty lady by being a jackass. Anything that happened in there… That’s on you.”
“You could’ve told me no.”
“And you’re a grown-ass man who should know better than to think with his dick. I’m not your father, and I’m not your friend. You decide to show off, then you better be ready to deal with whatever consequences are thrown your way,” I snapped back. “Now, get your shit, and get off this ranch.”
Nick’s eyes darted to the truck as his dog started barking. It was standing excitedly as Josie approached the truck with a water bowl. “Stupid bitch,” he muttered beneath his breath, storming their way. Lennox and I quickly followed, not knowing what he would do.
“Hey!” he called out, snapping his fingers. Josie looked his way, her eyebrow raised in question as we approached. “Get the fuck away from my dog.”
“Excuse me?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “She was thirsty. I was just giving her water.”
“She’s fine,” he spat, knocking the bowl off the bed of his truck. The dog yelped, skirting back. Josie stepped out of the way just in time, looking between the panting dog and the spilled water on the ground.
Oh shit . I knew she was on the move before I felt her.
Lennox pushed past me, marching over to Nick. “Hey, dickhead!” He whipped around, leering down at her as she stopped in front of him. He tried to open his mouth to smart off, but she was faster.
She slammed her fist into his nose in a quick jab.
His hands flew to his face, covering his nose as blood began spilling down his face. “Ow! Oh, God. What the fuck?”
“Maybe think about that before being a complete and total asshole to someone who is trying to help your animal. Why the fuck are you coming to work on a ranch when you can’t even recognize that?”
I couldn’t help but smile because I’d thought the same thing.
“She’s just a fuckin’ dog—hey! What’re you doing?”
Lennox pushed past Nick and stood near the end of his truck. “Come on, sweet girl. Let’s go,” she called. The dog didn’t even hesitate. She hopped down and circled Lennox’s feet before laying down beside her.
Nick watched all of us for a second. “You can’t steal my dog!” He cried. “That’s illegal!”
“I’m not stealing your dog, Nick. Looks like she’s running away to a better home,” Lennox said, running her fingers along the top of the dog’s head .
“Callie!” Nick called, snapping his fingers. “Get over here!”
The dog didn’t move.
No matter how many times he called her name, Callie didn’t budge. She ducked her head behind Lennox’s knees, refusing to look at her old owner.
“You know what? Fuck this. Thanks for taking that bitch off my hands,” Nick called out, stepping into his truck and slamming the door.
Lennox surged forward, but I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into me. “I’ll hit you again!” she called out, thrashing in my hold. “Get the fuck off my ranch!”
Nick’s truck peeled out of the drive, kicking up rocks as he gassed it forward.
I spun around, ensuring anything flying our way would hit me first. Even if I hated the reason why, I loved the feeling of her being against me.
I loved how she squirmed and fought in my grip, and I couldn’t help but imagine it in a different scenario.
“What a dick,” Josie said, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Where’d you find him?”
Lennox slid down my body, shrugging out of my grip. Every part of her was vibrating with anger. “Yeah, what the fuck was that?” she asked, spinning to face me. “Did you not field him before inviting him out there and putting our animals at risk?”
“Ray Johnson referred him to me. The kid had worked for him the past few summers and did a good job, so I figured it was safe. You know damn well if I’d met him before today, he wouldn’t have made it this far.
” I stepped forward, towering over her. “You were the one that challenged him to step in the ring with that fucker.”
“I knew he was an idiot, not that he was a piece of shit that probably abused animals!”
We stared at one another, chests heaving and thick tension rippling through the air. You could almost cut it with a knife. That was always the issue with us. The moment dissipated before we knew it, and she smiled. I followed suit, unable to help myself.
“How’s your knuckles?” I asked, glancing down at her hand.
Lennox raised it between us, examining the irritated skin. “It’s been worse,” she said, shrugging. “The pain’s well deserved.”
A cold, wet nose brushed against my other hand, and we looked down to see Callie sitting near our feet and staring up at us. She didn’t have a tail, so it looked like her whole butt was wagging like crazy.
Lennox crouched down, scratching the pup behind her ears. “She has two different color eyes.”
I got down on their level. “Well, I’ll be damned.
” The right eye was a soft brown, but the left was a brilliant blue.
It almost looked like it was glowing. There was just a dusting of a darker color along the top of the iris.
“You’re a pretty girl, aren’t ya?” I asked, looking up at Lennox out of habit.
She stared down at me, lips slightly parted. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but for the first time, I didn’t care. I wanted to act without thinking. I wanted to be a bit fucking reckless. I wanted?—
Callie jumped up, licking my face. I laughed, letting her get a few hits before gently pushing her down. “Alright, alright, alright,” I said, standing up.
“I think she’ll fit in around here just fine,” Josie said, stepping beside us. I’d almost forgotten she was here. I was damn glad I remembered before I did something foolish, like kiss her little sister until I’d forgotten my own name.