27. Bishop
bishop
. . .
My week was slowly turning into a shit show.
Since it was nearing the month's end, most of my time was spent typing up these damn reports for Josie. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to put together. What was making it such a pain in the ass was how many times I got called out to various parts of the ranch to fix problems that needed my attention.
“Bishop, the tractor broke down in the middle of a field.”
“Bishop, have you ordered the vaccines yet?”
“Bishop, coyote tracks have been spotted near one of our pastures.”
Bishop, Bishop, Bishop.
The only thing keeping me sane was knowing Lennox was there to lighten the load. When she couldn’t, then I could always count on her to be waiting at my cabin when I dragged my tired ass through the door.
Tonight was no exception. I’d gotten a call about an unexpected calving right before I was going to call it a night.
One of our hands, Travis, had been headed in when they heard our new momma’s birthing cries.
He’d been with her for about thirty minutes before he realized she would need help delivering.
When he called, he told me he had it handled, but there was a tremor in his voice.
Although I knew the kid grew up around this life, Travis was still new.
It wasn't fair to anyone if I had him handle it all alone. Much to Titan’s disappointment, I’d turned and ran for the pasture to help him pull the calf.
Now, we were all headed back in. The baby was lying across the kid’s lap, with the momma following us closely. Usually, we’d leave them out with the herd, but I felt better bringing them in just in case they ran into any issues.
“Where you want’em, boss?” he asked as I grabbed the gate.
“Let’s put them in the birthing pen for the night. We’ll sort the rest out in the morning.”
He nodded and headed through. “Looks like poker night’s already started,” he said, picking up his pace. “Guess an angry heifer at the party ain’t the worst thing to roll through those tables.”
I laughed. “Probably not.”
I hopped down, rounding Titan to help Travis bring the calf down. This part of the job was easy. The momma followed right in after her calf, checking to make sure we hadn’t hurt it on the ride back.
“You gonna stick around?” Travis asked, leaning against the gate.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say no when I heard a voice that stopped me dead. “Are you accusing me of cheating, Keith?”
“You’ve gotta be shittin’ me,” I muttered, grabbing Titan’s reins and heading to the front of the barn.
It was still lit up, with tables lined along the alley and music playing.
Most of the horses had their heads outside the stalls, hoping for some drunk cowboy to take pity on them and give them treats.
And there, in the middle of it all, was Lennox sitting at a table with a stack of chips.
She stared at poor Keith while his gaze flitted between the hand he’d been dealt and the pot in the middle.
Callie sat at her feet, munching on a big old bone.
There was no telling where she found it.
The pair of them had gathered a crowd. Most of the hands watched curiously, likely wondering what the boss’s daughter was doing out here with them.
I had the same goddamn question.
Callie lifted her head when she saw me, quietly humming with excitement, but her owner didn’t even move as I led Titan inside. “Nice of you to finally join the party, Bish.”
We stopped right behind her. I leaned down, placing one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Lennox smirked. “Well, we’re supposed to be playing poker, but Keith’s been staring at his hand for the last five minutes, so now I’m just waiting.”
Keith shook his head and took a sip of beer. “She’s won the past four hands.”
“I can see that,” I muttered, looking toward her pile of chips. “I meant, what’re you doing here, Lennox?”
She rolled her eyes. “As opposed to twiddling my thumbs in the house? No thanks. I’m having more fun here.”
I didn’t give a shit that she was here. All I cared about was getting home, showering, and losing myself in Lennox before tomorrow.
“It’s late,” I said.
“For you, maybe,” she quipped back. “I know you need your sleep, Grandpa.”
The boys hooted and hollered as I straightened up.
When she finally looked up, her blue eyes were teeming with mischief.
While she couldn’t possibly take credit for forcing a heifer into labor, I couldn’t help but wonder if this wasn’t her plan all along.
She’d already mentioned getting together with the boys, and now she was at their next tournament.
She knew I needed a push.
God-fucking-dammit .
“You gonna pull up a chair, B?” Keith asked before throwing his hand down. “Because I fuckin’ fold.”
Three sevens, the king of spades, and the five of hearts made a solid three of a kind.
Lennox clicked her tongue before reaching for her cards and turning them over. “Oh Keith… If you’d just stuck to your guns a little bit longer.”
Two aces, the queen of hearts, the three of diamonds, and the five of clubs.
Keith groaned and hung his head as one of the other hands clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one she’s pulled a fast one on tonight.”
My girl placed her hand over her chest. “Little ole me? I would never.”
“Yeah, right,” I snorted, leading Titan away from the crowd. “Y’all have fun.” Before I did anything else, I needed to take care of him, and he’d earned his fair share of extra treats tonight.
“You scared, Bish?” Lennox called out, halting me. “I get it. You’re afraid to lose?—”
“I have things to do. Animals to take care of.” I narrowed my eyes, which only seemed to excite her. Nothing scared the woman. I was sure the prospect of punishment overrode her hesitation to push my buttons.
If it was anyone else, I would’ve said no. If it was anyone else, I would’ve told them to fuck off. But it wasn’t anyone else. It was Lennox, and I seemed incapable of telling her no.
Keith grabbed Titan’s reins from my hands as if on cue and nodded to the bathroom behind me. “I’ll take care of him if you wanna clean up and grab a beer. You deserve it after the day you’ve had.”
“What I deserve is a hot meal and a shower,” I mumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You just want me to stay and get my ass kicked. ”
Keith shrugged. “Eh, it might make me feel better, but there’s only one way to find out.”
There was no way I was getting out of this shit now. All I had to do was ride it out. I dropped my head. Lennox was fucking in for it when we were finally alone.
“Deal me in,” I sighed, letting Keith take Titan. “But throw in some extra treats for him.”